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What effects does fitting wider wheels to a car have assuming the offset, overall diameter etc of the wheel are kept the same? Would it cause any extra strain/stress/wear on any parts of the car? I am thinking of going from 155 to 185/195 assuming they fit i.e offset, diameter and any rubbing on wheel arches.
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Unless you are changing the rims don't go there the car will roll around far too much. Assuming you are goindg the change the rims then the steering will be heavier at slow speeds, more prone to aqua-planning and a bit loose in the snow, it should be OK. What car is it for ?? Regards Peter
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Thanks for all the replies everyone.
Its for a mk2 golf 1.3 at the moment I have standard 13 inch rims with 155/80/13 tyres. Was thinking of sticking some 15 inch alloys on. Not so sure now having read about other problems it can cause.
Regards Sarb.
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Wider tyres will knock wheel bearings out in no time!!!
It will cost u in the long run.
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An old example of possible costs.
Cortina 1600e.
Ford fitted wider wheels 5&1/2 Js as standard but nowt else.
Results : Very pretty, much admired, but heavy steering.
No power steering fitted of course or servo brakes.
Later it failed its MOT. - the bolts holding the steering box to the body had torn out. Its normal mate they all do it so we just weld a plate on and drill it for the steering box.
Later it failed its MOT again. - New steering box and column required. Its normal mate they all do it. What do you expect with a standard steering box and fat tyres.
So moral might be do not keep it too long if you fit fat tyres.
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Check with your insurance company what the premium increase will be.. Peter
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Sarb11
The key thing here is keeping the offset the same. Changing that will load up the steering gear more than standard tyres.
Yes, if you go excessively wide there is more risk of aquaplaning, and as you're going to lower profile tyres ride quality may suffer.
It's probably worth looking at what wheel and tyre fitments performance models of the same car use and regard these as the limit.
With respect to the others, I'd not worry too much about damaging wheel bearings or steering gear, provided the above 'rules' are observed. Yes, if the offset is greatly changed then it will load everthing up. However, I ran a standard Cortina on 51/2 rims for over 60k miles (120k when sold) and it never had a wheel bearing or other steering component replaced. Henry's right though, those 1600E's had heavy steering!
Regards
John S
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I had a 1300 Viva with droop-snoot Firenza alloys, no problems at all, just slightly heavier steering around town, but miles more grip on corners (how often does it snow?). Later I had a MK III Escort and fitted XR3 alloys with the same result. Take John S' advice and look at GTI Golf wheels, they should be a straight fit, and often OE wheels don't load your premium.
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Sarb
I wouldn't be unduly worried about excessive wear and tear, provided you don't go too daft with the wheel sizes.
I would look around and find some OE MkII GTI alloys, which take, IIRC 185/60 14 tyres, there are loads in the classified papers. If you want the really cost-effective option and avoid the horrors of bent and porous old alloys, buy some steel GTI or MkII driver wheels, which take the same tyres.
Top tip from me though. If you want decent handling and grip, especially in the wet, buy some decent tyres. My MkII GTI had alsorts of mixed rubbish on when I bought it (about 10 years ago). I couldn't believe the difference when I fitted some Goodyear NCT2's, bought part-worn for £30/4.
I'll leave others to debate the topic of part-worns' safety, but I never had any problems.
hth
Andy
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