Why don't cars have wider wheels?

[WinkOsmosis]

Bigger wheels and tires = more traction. This has been established by Skoorb's thread. Why don't cars have wider wheels and tires? You can buy some cars with 17" and 18" wheels stock, but they are 6" wide pizza cutters. Why? It doesn't cost much more to make a wheel a little wider, and the car would handle better, and look better, potentially increasing sales. It would decrease gas mileage? Make it an option then.

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Bigger wheels and tires = more traction. This has been established by Skoorb's thread. Why don't cars have wider wheels and tires? You can buy some cars with 17" and 18" wheels stock, but they are 6" wide pizza cutters. Why? It doesn't cost much more to make a wheel a little wider, and the car would handle better, and look better, potentially increasing sales. It would decrease gas mileage? Make it an option then.

what size/width would you like ?

 

[nutxo]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Bigger wheels and tires = more traction. This has been established by Skoorb's thread. Why don't cars have wider wheels and tires? You can buy some cars with 17" and 18" wheels stock, but they are 6" wide pizza cutters. Why? It doesn't cost much more to make a wheel a little wider, and the car would handle better, and look better, potentially increasing sales. It would decrease gas mileage? Make it an option then.

less materials= money saved in production

save a little here and a little there , it all adds up

 

[SWirth86]

Size.... they take up more room, leaving less room for other components (suspension, frame).

 

[iamwiz82]

Look at your average econobox's engine bay, and then try to move the fenderwells in more. Wider tires = more room needed within the fender to turn, or reduce turning radius.

 

[boyRacer]

More noise... more expensive... and it probably has a greater chance of aquaplaning in the rain than a bicycle tire if driven by an idiot. 😀

EDIT: Plus... dont' you think it would be a waste to have wide tires on an econobox that only goes to the supermarket and back?

 

[ElFenix]

not enough torque in a corolla to turn them, not enough space, etc

 

[Mutilator]

I don't think my 295/45/18 wheels/tires need to be any bigger. 😉

 

[isekii]

I think the stocks on my car is fine.

215/45/ZR 17"

 

[gregshin]

i love my rims =) 18x8 in the front and 18x9 in the rear wrapped with Yokohama AVS ES100's 235/40 18 and 265/35 18 and yes i am making enough power to break traction all the way to 3rd

My car

another shot

rear rim shot

Front rim shot

 

[Valkyre]

The reason for this is handling, friction resistance and poor fuel economy...

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: gregshin
i love my rims =) 18x8 in the front and 18x9 in the rear wrapped with Yokohama AVS ES100's 235/40 18 and 265/35 18 and yes i am making enough power to break traction all the way to 3rd

My car

another shot

rear rim shot

Front rim shot

Car looks nice, but the front bumper isn't doing it for me at all 😛

I'm thinking about making the Yoko AVS ES100 for my 17's for my next pair. How are they in the wet ?
Currently using the RE040's

 

[brian_riendeau]

Along with being more epxensive, wider wheels are more likely to hydroplane, and also have greater rolling resistance which causes drag. For good fuel milage, manufacturers will use a thinner wheel with a higher tire pressure.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: isekii

Originally posted by: gregshin
i love my rims =) 18x8 in the front and 18x9 in the rear wrapped with Yokohama AVS ES100's 235/40 18 and 265/35 18 and yes i am making enough power to break traction all the way to 3rd

My car

another shot

rear rim shot

Front rim shot

Car looks nice, but the front bumper isn't doing it for me at all 😛

I'm thinking about making the Yoko AVS ES100 for my 17's for my next pair. How are they in the wet ?
Currently using the RE040's

i like his front bumper... 🙂 i've only seen those on UK 240s... or 200SX to them. 😕 I think someone needs bigger brakes to fill up those wheels. 😉 😛

 

[TMPadmin]

Wider tires suck in snow. Pizza cutters are the best. I'll pass on wide tires unless I'm dragging (that won't happen soon).

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Size contraints of the suspension and steering components, and wheel wells cut into interior room. I have 285/60R16's on the front of my car and 295/65R16's on the rear. I've found that the fronts rub against the top of the fender flares if I take speedbumps a certain way.

Edit:
And unlike mutilator, I'd like wider. I still have a bad habit of leaving road graphitti.

 

[Mutilator]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Edit:
And unlike mutilator, I'd like wider. I still have a bad habit of leaving road graphitti.

I'd love to leave some road graphitti behind... but after spending $1100 to replace all 4 tires at once my right foot has become a little lighter. Not sure how long I can resist though. 😉

 

[gregshin]

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: isekii

Originally posted by: gregshin
i love my rims =) 18x8 in the front and 18x9 in the rear wrapped with Yokohama AVS ES100's 235/40 18 and 265/35 18 and yes i am making enough power to break traction all the way to 3rd

My car

another shot

rear rim shot

Front rim shot

Car looks nice, but the front bumper isn't doing it for me at all 😛

I'm thinking about making the Yoko AVS ES100 for my 17's for my next pair. How are they in the wet ?
Currently using the RE040's

i like his front bumper... 🙂 i've only seen those on UK 240s... or 200SX to them. 😕 I think someone needs bigger brakes to fill up those wheels. 😉 😛

heh i upgraded my front brakes to the Z32 300zx turbo brakes. for the rears i really dont care too much for. If i had money laying around i would've have gotten some rotora brake kits all around.

 

[dullard]

Plain and simple: wide tires look like crap. (Along with all the other reasons mentioned above).

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Mutilator

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Edit:
And unlike mutilator, I'd like wider. I still have a bad habit of leaving road graphitti.

I'd love to leave some road graphitti behind... but after spending $1100 to replace all 4 tires at once my right foot has become a little lighter. Not sure how long I can resist though. 😉

295LB/ft+light rear end+clutch+Eagle GT-II (damn the lack of beefy 16" street tire sources!)=major 2nd gear scratch and occasional 3rd. Oddly enough, the 285/60R16's that I had on the rear before these seemed to hook up better than the current 295/65R16's.

 

[Lifer]

don't forget they WEIGH A TON and smaller engines will have a hard time turning them.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Look at your average econobox's engine bay, and then try to move the fenderwells in more. Wider tires = more room needed within the fender to turn, or reduce turning radius.

 

[Triumph]

Wider tires increase rolling resistance (which is almost the same thing as increasing grip. I say almost, because there is grip in a straight line and there is grip in a turn.) That means more energy is spent overcoming this resistance than with a thin tire. Wider tires also means wider rims, which means more weight at the outside edge of the rims, which means more rotational inertia, which makes it harder to turn the wheels = reduced gas mileage.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: dullard
Plain and simple: wide tires look like crap. (Along with all the other reasons mentioned above).

You are living up to your handle.

Wide tires look good on certain cars, like those from the 60's, 70's and some 80's. RWD cars handle better with wider than stock tires.

My mopar has P215 65 15's on the front (15x7 rims) and P245 60 15's on the back (15x7 rims).

My Crown Vic has P225 70 15's all around.

Wider tires improve handling, braking and safety when using the proper tires for the conditions. Loss of fuel economy and increased resistance are virtually negligible. You would be hard pressed to notice any loss of fuel economy.

The benefits outweigh the losses.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: dullard
Plain and simple: wide tires look like crap. (Along with all the other reasons mentioned above).

You are living up to your handle.

Wide tires look good on certain cars, like those from the 60's, 70's and some 80's. RWD cars handle better with wider than stock tires.

My mopar has P215 65 15's on the front (15x7 rims) and P245 60 15's on the back (15x7 rims).

My Crown Vic has P225 70 15's all around.

Wider tires improve handling, braking and safety when using the proper tires for the conditions. Loss of fuel economy and increased resistance are virtually negligable. You would be hard pressed to notice any loss of fuel economy.

The benefits outweigh the losses.

Couldn't agree with that more. I'm soooo happy I got 17x7's for my car. A nice upgrade from the 14x5.5 stock (i think that's the original size). Those 205 yokohamas stick like glue. FUUUUUUN!!!