Are you thinking of changing your car’s wheel and tire size? If so, there are some things worth considering before you do so. Remember, if you change to new wheels, the car will feel different. Your vehicle is also designed to work with a specific set of wheels. Changing it without any plans can lead to various mechanical issues that can impact your driving experience.
There are many reasons to change the size of a car’s wheels. It could be that it is tough to find the right wheel size with your current wheels or that you just want to change your car’s appearance. Regardless, here are the considerations you must make before doing so:
1. The speedometer will be affected
The speedometer is designed to give you an idea of how fast the car is going, but it does not do so by looking at how fast you are relative to solid ground. Rather, it looks at the rotations of the wheel. The fewer the rotations, the slower you are going. Unfortunately, with bigger or smaller wheels, you may end up with inaccurate readings.
For example, with bigger wheels, the speedometer might be saying you are traveling 100 mph when, in reality, you are traveling 120mph. You may not realize that you are violating traffic rules, so you need to adapt your speedometer to the new set of wheels.
2. There may not be enough clearance
A large wheel without enough space may end up rubbing or scraping against your fender or suspension, and although it might look like they fit when putting the wheels on, the wheels might hurt the car once the jack comes off.
Large wheels will also add weight to the vehicle, affecting your mileage. Consider the clearance to ensure your wheels do not damage your vehicle and vice versa. Make sure not to forget about the mileage either.
3. The suspension and brake will wear faster
With larger wheels, brakes and suspension may experience more wearing and stress, wearing these components faster. In some cases, the transmission’s gear ratio may even be negatively affected. As for brakes, features like anti-lock brakes can also be hindered by larger wheels. Because of this, you will need to replace suspensions and breaks with ones that can work well with the wheels to ensure you do not run into issues when driving the car.
Conclusion
As you can see, changing your car’s tires is so much more than picking which one looks the best. Replacing the brakes and suspension and adapting the speedometer are just some of the things you have to do when changing to a new wheel size. Failing to do those will only have a detrimental effect on your driving experience and possibly increase your risk of accidents. Consider these factors seriously and work with a technician to make the necessary changes without a problem.
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