Upsizing the wheels and tires of your car can be a great way to enhance its appearance and performance. However, many people are concerned about the safety of this practice. In this article, we will explain why upsizing your car's wheels and tires are safe, as long as it is done correctly.
First, let's define what we mean by upsizing. When you upsize your car's wheels and tires, you are increasing their size compared to the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) specifications. This typically involves installing larger-diameter wheels and tires, but you can also increase the width of the wheels and tires. Increasing tire width brings the benefit of more road traction for high-horsepower cars. If your car can break traction easily but you have no intention to do so, wider tires can help alleviate the issue. While upgrading to wider tires, you may also need to run wider wheels to safely mount the new tires.
Upsizing can provide several benefits, such as improved handling, better traction, and a more aggressive look for your car. However, it's important to make sure that the new wheel and tires are appropriate for your vehicle, as using the wrong size can affect the handling, braking, and stability of your car.
To ensure safety when upsizing, it's important to consider several factors, such as the size of the new wheels and tires, the load capacity, and the speed rating. These factors are all related to the suspension and braking systems of your vehicle, so it's important to make sure that they are all compatible
For tires, it is important to consider the load capacity and speed rating. Load capacity is the maximum weight that each wheel and tire can support. The speed rating indicates the maximum speed at which the tires can safely be driven. These two ratings are determined by the tire manufacturer and marked on the tires (For example, a tire is marked with 285/30/R20 99Y, the “99Y” means the tire is rated to support a weight of 1709 lbs/775 kg and can travel up to the speed of 186 mph/300 km/h) The new tires must have a load capacity and speed rating that is equal to or greater than the original equipment. Read this article if you want to learn how to read tire markings.
The safety aspect is fundamental. There is another aspect of changing tire sizes is that you need to consider your car’s traction control system tolerance. Modern cars are getting more and more sophisticated. They all have onboard computer systems called Traction Control systems that assist the driver control the car when the car loses traction. One parameter that the traction control system uses to determine whether or not to step in is the rotational speed of the wheels and tires. Improper tire sizes especially in a staggered wheel and tire setup could lead to traction control systems constantly kicking in because the rotational speed difference is beyond what the system can handle thus the computer thinks the car is losing traction. We have another blog post explaining this if you want to know more about it. However, this can be easily avoided if you can do research before buying new tires, or talk to a wheel and tire expert such as one of our specialists at Forgelite Wheels.
The wheel is the least important in this case as it only serves the purpose of mounting tires and how the assembly is positioned in the vehicle. Wheel sizes are selected based on the selection of tires. But it does, however, affect how tires look and the final fitment (i.e stretched tires, meaty-looking tires, etc.). We will explore further of this effect in another blog post.
In conclusion, upsizing the wheels and tires of your car is safe, as long as you choose the right sizes and make sure that the load capacity and speed rating are compatible with your vehicle. It's also important to have the installation performed by a professional, who can ensure that the new wheels and tires are properly balanced, installed, and aligned. With the right preparation and care, upsizing your car's wheels and tires can be a great way to enhance its appearance and performance.