c/Cars is the largest automotive enthusiast community on Lemmy and the fediverse. We're your central hub for vehicle-related discussion, industry news, reviews, projects, DIY guides, advice, stories, and more.
I mean if you ran over a nail, more sidewall isn't going to save you. But yeah one inch smaller diameter rim helps a ton in having a comfortable ride and hitting potholes and stuff like that.
The problem is that people keep on buying the larger wheels.
Laughs in 185/55/R15.
I can bash my car over bumps and save money doing it.
EDIT: Weight ruins everything. You go through more rubber, more fuel, more oil, more brakes and add premature wear on engine and suspension components. You also get less acceleration, worse handling and longer stopping distances - all while pumping out more noise and emissions. Weight has zero upsides unless you're playing carmageddon.
You should get the smallest car that gets you by, not the largest car on your budget.
Larger wheels allow larger brakes, to a point.
Which are only needed as a result of bigger and heavier cars.
Bigger and heavier cars are a result of improved crash test ratings, so it's a worthy trade-off
Not so fast... if we were all driving sub 3000lb cars then we wouldn't need such beefy crash protection. The problem is when an 8000lb truck hits a 4000lb car, the car takes 2/3 of the impact force. If the truck was a reasonable sized 4500lb then the car could be reduced to 3000lb or less and be just as safe.
Also emissions would be less, and tires and brakes would last longer, and the car would likely just "last longer" since all the wear parts (ball joints, shocks, bushings, etc) would be either cheaper or last longer.
And the emissions requirements that are based on the footprint of the vehicle. So when a manufacturer has trouble meeting emissions standards they just have to make the car bigger and then its all good!
Batteries are heavy, for now
For now and forever.
Anything less than 40 series is just too low profile for daily driving, with 40-50 series being the sweet spot for sports cars, and 45-55 for economy cars or muscle cars. 65-85 is for trucks obviously.
If you are truly driving a track focused car then by all means, a 30-35 series tire will give you better feel than a 40-45, but at the expense of harshness over every expansion joint or pothole or dimple on the road.
I'm fine with smaller wheels, but as a Prius owner, I'm tired of my car being SO low to the ground. I can't park in my own shitty driveway because my car eats shit on the curb of it no matter my angle of approach.
Absolutely! Please! This low profile look is horrible.
I drive a 3/4 pickup with 16" tires. It's a 1970 c20.