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"The pros and cons of low profile rubber" Many performance cars today come with low profile tires, so we'll look at these and the advantages and disadvantages to fitting them. Firstly low profile tires have a small amount of rubber between the rim and the road. Large alloy wheels are better looking but you can only go so large before needing to have larger wheel arches. Low profile tires allow you larger rims keeping the same overall rotational dimensions. The harder sidewalls are less prone to flexing so steering inputs are more direct, large sidewalls absorb some of the steering action as they flex. They offer greater levels of grip, and allow faster cornering speeds. A trade off here is that they tend to lose grip suddenly and without as much warning compared to higher sidewall tires. Steering inputs are more immediate, compared with higher sidewall tires but some drivers prefer the sloppier feel of high sidewalls. Allow you to fit larger better looking alloys (which doesn't help performance but provides more space for large brake disks)
Better cornering grip and feel, the car will corner faster The car will turn in faster when cornering The car feels more stable in straight lines and on cornering The ride is firmer Low profile tires are more prone to tram lining (following ruts in the road) Sudden loss of grip when pushed beyond the limits They are more expensive (although this depends on the tires popularity) Tread pattern and compound softness bear a large part in determining the grip of a tire. Low profile tires add an advantage but you really should do your research carefully and choose the right type of tire. To discuss tires and applications for your car in more detail please join our very friendly and supportive forum. This entry was filed under Wheels & Tyres. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.If you liked this page please share it with your friends, drop a link to it in your favourite forum or use the bookmarking options to save it to your social media profile.
Our content is protected by CopyScape. We accept no responsibility for damage caused due to following a recommendation made on this site or in the forum. It is your responsibility to check and verify any car tuning tip, car styling tip or other articles content with a qualified mechanic before undertaking work or following instructions. Something suitable for one model of car may be completely unsuitable for another - so we can only give generic theory. Please drive sensibly we do not endorse speeding or racing on the public highway or driving recklessly or in a manner than could endanger life or property. Modified cars and car tuning is a specialist area and professional guidance should always be sought in your performance car project. Save racing for the track and keep the roads safe. Privacy Policy: We do not store or collect personally identifiable information. Cookies are used to track visitor behaviour enabling us to monitor and optimise the effectiveness of our content, and to remember your preferences and settings on this site.
Our advertising partners may also use cookies in accordance with their respective privacy policies to provide adverts of most interest to you based on sites you visit and search terms and collate interest based statistics to do so. To read more on this and how to opt out click here All information held by us is kept secure and confidential and will not be divulged to others. Nearly every new car seems to offer low-profile tires. I like the look, but I've heard folks complain about jarring rides, frequent blowouts, rim damage, and greater wear at lower mileage. Should I avoid them?Low-profile tires do seem to be popping up on a lot more cars these days, but they're being offered for several reasons. Bigger wheels and skinnier sidewalls in a normal-size wheel well mean manufacturers can make room inside the wheel for larger brakes. Thin sidewalls are also stiffer and deliver better cornering and road feel. Let's not avoid the obvious thoughlow-profile tires just look cooler than regular tires.
When we say low-profile, we're talking about the size of the edge of the tire. Read the numbers molded into the sidewall; the second number printed in the series is the aspect ratio, indicating sidewall thickness as a percentage of tread width. For example, a P225/45R15 tire has a 15-inch wheel size with 225 mm of tread width, and the sidewall is 45 percent of tread width, or 101 mm. The higher the aspect ratio, the thicker the sidewall and the comfier the ride; lower aspect ratios lead to thinner sidewalls and a stiffer ride. There are drawbacks to this kind of rubber. Tires are a part of your car's suspensionthe sidewalls absorb some of the most vicious road imperfections. Unless the suspension has been designed to accommodate the stiffer sidewalls, it can mean a rougher ride. Blowouts (a hole in the tire caused by road debris) shouldn't be more frequent than with normal tires since the tread and ply construction aren't much different. Rapid deflation is something to be concerned about;
hitting a pothole with thin sidewalls can damage the wheel. Tiremakers constantly improve designs with more robust materials and construction, so newer tires aren't damaged as often as old low-profile tires. If you're buying a new car for comfort, order smaller wheels fitted with larger-sidewall tiresthey'll offer a softer ride. Less aggressive shocks may help a bit but at the cost of handling. Beyond this, you're looking at changes to suspension hardware, which isn't for the faint of heart. You'll have a tough time finding parts anyway, as the aftermarket usually aims to make cars more rigid rather than pillow soft. Got a car problem?Ask Ben about it. While we cannot answer questions individually, problems of general interest will be discussed in the column. This Lamborghini Is as Much a Flamethrower as a Car You Can Make a Smart Car Do a Burnout (If You've Got All Day) A Marijuana Dispensary Will Sponsor a Formula Drift Car Yes, You Can Dirt Track a Formula 1 Car in iRacing