In the process of choosing winter tires, no unnecessary questions should arise - in the instructions for the car, the manufacturer clearly gives all the sizes of tires that can be installed. But, wanting to give the car a sporty character, to make it taller and softer, motorists are ready to violate the recommendations of manufacturers. And they break them. Yes, and the automakers themselves in the recommendations indicate several different sizes of tires for disks. Larger and wider wheels look more spectacular. But is everything so simple? Let's try to figure out which tires are better in winter - narrow or wide.
What is the profile width?
Before talking about the characteristics of wide and narrow rubber, it is necessary to find out what the width of the profile is and what it affects. So, this is the distance between the side parts of the tire, which is inflated to the usual state recommended by the manufacturer. The profile size and tread width may not always match. However, there is a pattern - the greater the width of the profile, the greater the width and tread. Everyone needs to know this.
Wide and narrow
There have always been disputes about which tires are better in winter - narrow or wide. Thus, fans of narrower tires claim that they have a higher specific pressure with a smaller contact patch with the roadway. The opposite side is sure that wide tires have longer sipes that are responsible for traction in slippery areas.
Experts compared two tire sizes on ice and on snow. So, Nokian Happelita tires with dimensions 205/55R16 and 225/45R17 took part in the experiment. To compare grip performance, four tests were carried out. The car was accelerated on ice, then the braking was checked. Next, acceleration was carried out on snow, followed by a decrease in speed. The test results were mixed. Winter tires should be narrower or wider - it all depends on the characteristics of operation and the climate of a particular region.
On slippery surfaces, wider tires brake best. Due to the sipes, the total length of which is longer, the grip properties on ice are really better. But it can be taken into account that the car was accelerated to 30 kilometers per hour. Braking was carried out from 30 to 5 kilometers per hour. On a packed snow surface, the test results were the opposite. In the snow, the length of the lamellas has little effect. The reduced area of contact with the road also plays an important role. And, therefore, the pressure in the contact patch is also greater. This allows the tire to push through the snow. As for the dynamics of acceleration, then on the snow it is the same.
Test results
Let's see a comparison of narrow and wide winter tires. On snow on narrow tires, the car accelerated to 50 kilometers per hour in 3.66 seconds. On wide - also for 3.66. And here are the results of braking tests - on narrow tires, the car slowed down from 50 to 5 kilometers per hour with a stopping distance of 27.11 meters. On wide the result was - 28.99 seconds.
And here is how the rubber performs on ice. Acceleration on narrow wheels took 3.84 seconds. On the wide car accelerated a little longer - in 3.55 seconds. The braking performance on ice is as follows: the braking distance on narrow ones is 17.91 meters, on wide ones - 17.62 meters. Braking was carried out from 30 to 5 kilometers per hour.
As can be seen from the results, what is wide, what is narrow is about the same, and in different conditions different tires are needed. Therefore, it is difficult to answer the question of which tires are better in winter - narrow or wide.
Wet road tests
The most minimal braking distance on wet pavement is provided by wider tires. In addition, a car equipped with such tires drives better. But as far as aquaplaning is concerned, here the wide tires proved to be bad, much worse than the narrow ones.
Dry winter road
Here, winter tires are not in their element. But, as tests of winter tires (wide and narrow) have shown, the first ones significantly improve the car's handling characteristics and shorten the braking distance. But you have to pay for it in fuel consumption. The wider the rubber, the higher its rolling resistance. This means that fuel consumption goes up.
Spikes or Velcro
It is also a topic of constant debate between motorists. Someone thinks that non-studded winter tires are ineffective in our country, someone thinks the opposite. Let's see what to choose for an ordinary car enthusiast for winter car operation.
Studded tires
In terms of chemical composition, winter tires are much softer than summer tires. But it should be noted that it is rougher, unlike Velcro. Naturally, these tires have special inserts, spikes. You can often hear that these very spikes are erased on the pavement, and also fly out. Yes, indeed, it is. But modern technologies are constantly developing - today you can find the most modern tires on sale that can hide spikes on the pavement. But when the car hits a snowy track, the spike reappears and bites into the ice or snow.
In addition, a water film may be present between the tire surface and the road surface. This significantly reduces tire grip on ice. The spike is teeth that literally cut this film, thereby significantly improving grip. Studded wheels are very popular and effective, which is why they are now sold in huge quantities in countries with harsh climates.
Advantages and disadvantages of studded tires
Reviews say that these tires are distinguished by high grip on ice and snow surfaces under any loads exerted on them. It can be turns, acceleration, braking. They provide shorter stopping distances on icy roads. They have a lot of traction in deep snow.
Among the minuses, reviews highlight high noise, especially when driving on asphalt. In the wet grip is not just bad, but terrible. Due to the protrusion of the stud, the contact area between the tire and the road is reduced. The grip is reduced already at a frost of minus 20 degrees - the ice becomes stronger and denser, and the spike is no longer able to break through it effectively. Fuel consumption also increases due to the fact that the tire is very rough. There are slight vibrations on the steering wheel. Spikes often fly out and also grind off. Service life - no more than 4-5 seasons. At first glance, there are more pluses than minuses. But it will not give comfort, as the reviews say. It will give only confidence, high cross-country ability, as well as controllability.
Velcro
Velcro or non-studded winter tires are a completely different thing. She can solve two problems. The tire is able to keep the car on wet pavement with little ice. It can also keep the car on ice. To do this, soft rubber is used so that the tire can stick to the road surface. But at the same time, the tire material must also be rigid enough to provide normal handling. Riding on dry asphalt is contraindicated for Velcro - as a result, it overheats. Because of this, controllability will deteriorate. And in all other conditions, these tires are only slightly inferior to their studded counterparts.
Among the advantages can be identified the lack of noise. Fuel consumption will be only a little more than on summer tires. There are no vibrations in the steering wheel, tires behave well on wet pavement. The service life is higher than that of studded counterparts. There are also disadvantages. A car on such tires will be worse controlled on ice and snow compared to spikes. The braking distance on icy roads is also increased. In snow conditions, the permeability is slightly lower.
What's better?
Experts give advice on choosing winter tires. If the region is characterized by severe winters, then here you need to buy a studded tire. But for the southern regions, you can get by with Velcro. As for parameters such as width, everything is not so simple here.
Narrow tires are needed, for the most part, in order to rut in snow and snowdrifts. Then, when she hits the asphalt, she will hook onto it with spikes. Therefore, narrow tires for the winter are suitable for those places where there is a lot of snow, and the roads are not cleaned. Here, narrow tires will allow you to be king on the road. But there is also a minus - this is a contact patch. Reviews say that narrow tires have a smaller contact patch on hard surfaces. In addition, it is simply uncomfortable to move on ice or icy asphalt on narrow tires.
With wide studded tires in winter, you can be really confident on icy roads, but without snow. The contact patch here is maximum, so the car will hold well on the ice. Significantly increases directional stability from lateral drift.
Now it’s clear which tires are better in winter - narrow or wide. For most cases, wide is better.
You may need such a calculator if you want to install their analogues, but of a different size, instead of standard tires or disks. With it, you can visually represent dimensional changes and only then interpret them for a specific car. At the same time, the calculator is not a tool for selecting tires and wheels, since it does not contain a database of manufacturers.When replacing discs and tires, taking into account the geometric data obtained from tire calculator, it will not be superfluous to independently make several measurements. First, the distance from the suspension to the wheel surface on the inside, as well as from the shock cup to the tread surface. Secondly, from the wing, as well as steering rods to the tread surface. At the same time, the geometric parameters of the new wheel assembly should not greatly exceed the size of standard tires and rims. Otherwise, unstable behavior of the vehicle is possible.
A few basic rules to remember when changing tires and rims.
- The tread of summer tires has a standard depth of 0.8-1 cm;
- When installing disks of a larger diameter than regular ones, it is necessary to reduce the amount of overhang - for every inch of height, 3 mm of overhang;
- It is not uncommon for hub bores on rims that are non-original to have a larger diameter. Therefore, when installing them, you need to use special rings for fixing;
- In the event that the hole on the disk is smaller than the hub mounts, it is strictly forbidden to drill them, as well as to grind the hub itself;
- The correct selection of non-original discs using a calculator will save the driving characteristics of the car;
- If you are not sure about the compatibility of tires or wheels with your car, it is better not to install, or contact specialists for help.
1. What needs to be done?
It is necessary to choose the right tire for a disk with the specified parameters or a specific car.
2. What tire parameters should be considered when buying?
When choosing tires, you need to consider the following parameters:
- seasonality;
- protector type;
- type of tire construction - chamber or tubeless;
- type of cord construction;
- mounting (or landing) diameter;
- tire width;
- profile height;
- load index;
- speed index.
As in the case with the choice of disks, we will make a reservation right away: if at this stage you don’t want to understand the numbers and indices, you can simply use the tire calculator of any major online store or online service where you can instantly select tires by specifying the model of your car or the characteristics of the drives you have.
However, if you continue to read, then it has already become clear to you that in fact the above list of parameters is quickly reduced to two or three points, since most of them are obvious or subjective characteristics. Let's go in order.
3. Seasonality
Seasonality is an obvious parameter: at the time of choosing tires, you perfectly understand whether you need winter or summer tires. The issue of choosing the so-called "all-weather" tires and its applicability in year-round operation is a topic for a separate discussion, as well as the choice of mud or "universal". Here it is only worth saying that they should be marked with a “snowflake” icon or the letters “M + S” or “M.S”.
4. Protector type
In general, the tread design can be symmetrical or asymmetrical, as well as directional or non-directional. The symmetrical non-directional tread pattern is the simplest basic pattern and is the most common and inexpensive. The directionality of the tread primarily increases its ability to effectively remove water from the contact patch - this is. Well, the asymmetric tread pattern is designed to combine good drainage and directional stability. The issue of choosing a projector pattern also deserves a separate discussion.
5. Type of tire construction - chambered or tubeless
Tires are designed to be used with or without a tube. However, in modern conditions, the issue of choosing a tire design is practically predetermined: almost all modern passenger tires are tubeless. Such tires are labeled with the inscription " Tubeless" (which means "tubeless") or " TL".
6. Cord construction type
The type of cord construction - the power part of the tire, its "skeleton" - is also a characteristic that does not require much attention when choosing modern tires: almost all of them today are radial. This fact is indicated by the very letter "R" in the tire marking: for example, the mark " 185/70 R 14 88H" means that this is a radial tire with a 14-inch bore diameter, and not a "radius" of 14 inches, as they often mistakenly say and believe .
7. Mounting (or landing) diameter
This is also an easy parameter if you already have rims for which you are choosing tires: the tire diameter must match the rim diameter. If you choose wheels with tires, you need to check in the owner's manual what diameter wheels are acceptable for use on your model, and only then match them with tires of the same size.
8. Tire width
Tire width is the first numerical index reflected in the tire marking. It is indicated in millimeters: the 185/70 R 14 tire has a width of 185 millimeters. This is perhaps the first parameter from our list, which may vary when choosing a tire for a particular wheel or car.
The point here is that the disk can also have different widths, and the tire must sit correctly on the disk. A tire that is too narrow will sit like a “house” on the disk, which is unacceptable due to the high risk of spontaneous disassembly, and a tire that is too wide will “mushroom”, which is also unacceptable. Some areas of tuning like stance consider landing a “house” beautiful and take it out into a separate one, however, from the point of view of civilian operation, it is not justified and wrong.
Each car model has several options for wheel diameter and rubber dimensions suitable for operation. All these options recommended by the manufacturer are listed in the car's instruction manual: it is worth choosing from these data. In turn, a disk of a certain width has several valid tire options. Here the choice should be made depending on the desired characteristics.
First, wider tires usually provide a larger footprint and therefore better traction. Secondly, under the condition of the same diameter, tires of greater width have a smaller profile - we will talk about it a little lower. Thirdly, wider tires have a greater mass, which will slightly affect the dynamics of the car and fuel consumption. And fourthly, with the increase in the width of the tires, their tendency increases. In addition, tires of different widths have different final costs - as a rule, you will have to pay a few extra hundreds of rubles for additional millimeters. Thus, the width of the tires must be selected taking into account the range allowed by the manufacturer and the desired characteristics.
9. Profile height
The profile height, or series, is the second index reflected in the tire marking. It is indicated as a percentage of the tire width: that is, it is the ratio of the profile height to the width in percent. For example, a 185/70 R 14 88H tire has a profile height of 70% of its width. Calculating the height in millimeters is easy: you need to multiply the width by the profile and divide by 100 - for our tires this figure is 129.5 millimeters.
The height of the profile affects the characteristics of the tire. First, the higher profile provides better comfort and puncture resistance. Lower profile tires are therefore better at conveying the road profile to the suspension and bodywork, and are also more prone to damage when hitting imperfections in the roadway. Secondly, a lower profile provides better handling, and a higher profile, on the contrary, provides a greater “rolling” of the car. Thirdly, as mentioned above, given the same diameter, tires of greater width have a smaller profile - this must be taken into account when choosing in accordance with the desired characteristics.
Load index - a parameter that reflects the maximum allowable load on the tire during its operation. It is indicated by a digital index, indicated after the geometrical parameters of the tire: for example, our conditional tire 185/70 R 14 88H has a load index of 88. The decoding of the index can be found in the table given by the tire manufacturer - in our case, index 88 means an allowable load of 560 kilograms. When choosing tires, it should be borne in mind that the maximum permitted weight of the car, respectively, should not exceed the maximum load indicator multiplied by 4 - according to the number of tires on the car.
The speed index is a parameter that reflects the maximum allowable speed at which the tire retains its performance. This is an alphabetic index, the decoding of which also needs to be specified in the table provided by the manufacturer. Tires of the same diameter can have a different speed index depending on other parameters - width, profile, rubber compound and, accordingly, price. If the parameter of the maximum allowable operating speed is important to you, then you need to choose tires of a high price category with the best consumer qualities.
The profile width of a car tire is the distance, in mm, between the outer sides of the sidewalls of the tire when inflated, and does not include any elevations on the sidewalls, such as markings, finishes, upholstery, etc.
Metric Tire Profile Width
The metric size of the tire profile width is indicated on the tire board in the form of a marking, for example, 225/45 R17, where 225 is the tire profile width in millimeters.
Unlike the tire profile, which must be calculated as a percentage of the width of the rubber profile, the width is immediately indicated on the tire. Metric tires can be quickly converted to inches if you need to find the right tires to replace inch tires or to properly fit inch tires to tires with metric width markings. To accurately calculate tire width, remember that 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters.
Inch dimension of tire profile width
The inch tire profile width is most commonly found in American tire manufacturers for crossovers, SUVs and sports cars. On the sidewall of an inch wheel, you can find a designation that will indicate the dimension, for example, 31x10.5 R15, where 10.5 is the designation of the tire width in inches. To calculate the metric wheel width, you need to multiply 10.5 inches by 2.54 centimeters, and we get: 10.5 inches \u003d 26.67 centimeters, which corresponds to 265 metric tire sizes.
What affects the width of a tire profile?
What affects the width of a tire profile? - a rather popular question among car owners who, for one reason or another, would like to go by increasing or decreasing the tire width for their car.
Wide tires - pros and cons
As a rule, the bulk of car owners first of all think about increasing the width of the tire. A wide tire will give the car a sporty look, it will look great on any car, but it will not always improve the safety and driving pleasure of a car with wide tires. For each particular car, the optimal tire width is calculated relative to the weight and power of the car and has its own limits, within which any tire width can be installed on the car.
Cons of a wide tire:
- Wheel weight increase
- Increased risk of hydroplaning
- Increased stopping distance on wet roads
- Increase in fuel consumption
- Increased load on the undercarriage
- Increasing the cost of the tire
Narrow tires - pros and cons
Most often, the issue of narrow car tires arises due to a lack of funds to purchase the sizes recommended by the manufacturer. It is difficult to imagine another reason why a car owner would deliberately go for putting tires on his car narrower than recommended by the automaker. Nevertheless, there are a variety of situations in which narrow wheels may appear on a car. What to expect from the behavior of a car with narrow tires?
Advantages of narrow tires:
- Low purchase price
- Steering wheel turns with less effort
- Less hydroplaning effect
- Improved rut behavior
- Reduced wheel weight
- Reduced fuel consumption
- Less rolling resistance
Which tires are better wide or narrow?
To the question: Which tires are better wide or narrow? - you can answer in such a way that for each machine and its operating conditions it is necessary to select the optimal tire width option, within the limits recommended by the manufacturer. If you follow the recommended dimensions, you can change the width of the rubber with virtually no change in the behavior and safety of the car.
It is possible to follow the path of a significant increase in the width of tires in excess of the recommended sizes if the car has increased power, improved driving performance, by installing reinforced and improved spare parts. By increasing the width of the tire beyond the norm, it must be understood that safety on a wet road is significantly reduced, therefore, in this case, a car with wide tires must be used very carefully or completely refrained from using. A significant increase in the width of the tire profile will require an increase in the width of the disk.
This is one of the simplest types of tuning. Why is this needed? There are many options. The most common reason is not liking the look. Let's say you want the wheels to look spectacular. To do this, the disk must be larger in diameter. Well, or you bought a used car, and the design of the rims categorically does not suit you. Perhaps you liked some specific wheels, but their dimension is not included in the list recommended by the car manufacturer. You can also change the wheels for reasons of practicality. But how can the installation of such wheels turn out in the future? Let's figure it out.
First, let's recall the key parameters of the wheel.
- 185 - tire profile width in mm
- 65 - percentage of tire profile height to width
- R - designation of a tire of a radial design
- 15 - bore diameter in inches
So, there are several ways to move away from the size of a regular wheel.
1. Wider tire
While maintaining the standard size, we increase the width of the tire profile while maintaining the percentage of height to width. In our example, we get 195/65 R15. It is important to know here that all cars are designed for the installation of snow chains with a size of at least 12 mm. Indeed, in some European countries, driving on mountain roads without chains is prohibited, and not a single self-respecting manufacturer will make a car so that it cannot be operated in the mountains of France or Switzerland. Therefore, an increase in the width of the tire profile is permissible in most cases by up to 24 mm. At the same time, the car will become a little softer on the move, and wider tires will improve braking performance.
2. Higher tire profile
We leave it the same, and increase the percentage of the tire profile height to width to 70. In our example, we get 185/70 R15. The outer diameter of the wheel increases by 20 mm, which is quite acceptable (remember the reserve for installing chains). Everything would be fine, but in our particular example, the factor intervenes that tires of this size are produced mainly for commercial vehicles and they are too rigid and expensive to install on a passenger car. However, in other dimensions, the situation may be different.
3. Change the diameter of the disc
The story of a friend's car is very indicative. He bought a Kia Rio with a 1.6 engine and a 6-speed automatic. The regular wheels of the car had a size of 185/65 R15. The owner drove through the summer season and was not happy with the car's stiff suspension and insufficient ground clearance. Then he decided to change the behavior of the car, not by tuning the springs with shock absorbers, but by working with the wheels. In preparation for the next summer season, he used forged wheels with a diameter of 14 inches, completely matching the mounting dimensions.
There is noticeably more air between the disc and the tire. The outer diameter of the wheel has also grown (by 9 mm). As a result, the smoothness of the ride has become fantastic. When overcoming the bumps in the road, the car, which was not initially famous for its energy-intensive suspension, began to resemble cars of the log-shaped family, which are super-comfortable on Russian roads. Soft, quiet, smooth. All the problems of dead Russian roads and hard Korean suspension have disappeared. He does not plan to drive, so he does not care about the possible deterioration in road holding at very high speeds.However, a decrease in the diameter of the disc is a very rare occurrence. Much more often it happens that the owner chooses wheels one or even two sizes larger. And "wraps" them in low-profile tires. At the same time, the overall dimensions of the wheel remain almost unchanged or grow within acceptable limits.
It looks impressive, but the smoothness of the ride suffers first of all. Yes, and there are much more chances to damage the wheel on a bad road, because the lower the height of the tire profile, the less the ability of such a tire to withstand shock loads. In everything you need to know the measure. Returning to our example, Rio and Solaris cars in expensive trim levels sport 16-inch wheels with 195/55 R16 tires. In this case, you can play a little with the dimensions. For example, a 195/60 R16 tire will fit in the wheel arch without any problems, since its outer diameter will increase by only 19 mm. The clearance will grow by a decent 9.5 mm, but you can forget about the softness of the ride provided by the 15-inch wheels of the basic modification.4. Increase the width of the disk and change the offset
A separate story when the owner of the car decides to install wider disks. Some people like it when the wheel protrudes a little beyond the arch. Please note that changing the dimensions of the wheel and tire can significantly increase the weight of the wheel assembly. Such weighting will negatively affect the life of the suspension elements and even the body, since large unsprung masses can cause resonant vibrations that the suspension is not designed for structurally. It is also important to remember such a parameter as wheel offset.
Those who like to change the offset of the rims, as a rule, tend to place the wheels wider. The aesthetic component of such changes is controversial, but the resource of the suspension elements will certainly decrease.
Consequences of increasing the overall dimensions of the wheel:
| pros | Minuses |
| Ground clearance increase. On our roads, every millimeter of ground clearance counts. If the bottom of the car is 5–10 mm further from the potholes, then there is less chance of damaging it on a bad road. | The wheel can touch body parts. If the width and diameter of the wheel grow no more than 24 mm from the maximum wheel size recommended by the manufacturer, then this problem is not terrible for you. You can't put chains on after that. |
| Economy improvement. Economy improves slightly on country roads, especially on vehicles with gearboxes that have few gears (4 or 5). | Increase in car roll. Yes, the roll will increase slightly, due to the fact that the center of mass is now slightly higher. In practice, this means a slightly lower limiting rearrangement speed. |
| Changing the speedometer and odometer readings. Regular devices always overestimate the readings. You can check with GPS. And with new, slightly larger wheels, the readings will come in line with reality. Plus or minus you decide. Still, such a discrepancy is made primarily for security reasons. We are for accurate instrument readings. | Decrease in dynamic characteristics. The new wheels are a little harder for the engine to turn, and they themselves are a little heavier. |
| Reducing wheel offset (when the wheels protrude more out of the wheel arches) provides a wider track, which increases the lateral stability of the machine. | Wide disc is easily damaged when touching a curbstone. In addition, if the width of the disk is much larger than the nominal one, the tire carcass does not work correctly. It leads to increased tire wear. |
| In most cases appearance becomes more aesthetic and catchy. | Strongly protruding from the arches of the wheel overload wheel bearings and make driving difficult. It is worth getting the front wheel on the roughness of the road, as the steering wheel literally pulls out of your hands. |
For calculations, it is convenient to use a tire calculator.
Legal aspect
By law, non-standard wheels are prohibited. Therefore, any experiments with the dimensions of tires or wheels are illegal. An exception is if the new dimension is allowed to be installed by the manufacturer. However, in reality, not everything is so scary: if the rims on your small car are not welded to a width of 12 inches, if the diameter is not 19 or more inches, then such wheels will not arouse the interest of traffic police officers. But with obtaining a diagnostic card, problems will already arise.
But what if you put bigger wheels? - examination of the RF
