Larger wheels - Good or Bad?

[JsR]

Hi - Can anyone explain the advantages and disadvantages of using larger wheels than standard?

My XC70 will have stock 16" wheels but I see lots of people on the site talking about putting on larger rims but I've never known why. As far as I know the outside diameter and circumference of the tyre is pretty much the same on a 16" or a 17" wheel+tyre otherwise the speedo reading would be incorrect. If this is the case then it follows that the sidewall height would be lower on a 17" tyre - is this beneficial? Does it give a stiffer tyre overall? Does this affect the ride and handling?

Or is it all a case of 'bigger is better'? I honestly don't know the answer and I'm curious for the future.

regards

John R :confused:

[Willy]

Hello,
Your reasoning is correct, the circumference stays (almost) the same, the sidewalls become less high with bigger rims.
It does change the behavior of the car, the tyres are a part of the suspension, lower tyres make for a stiffer ride.
Is this better? That depends, it will make your car less XC-like, handling will be better with somewhat less comfort. It is all about preferences. Bigger rims often take wider tyres, this has influence as well.A wider groundpatch is worse in
rain or snow, it can be somewhat better on dry roads.The differences will be rather small, but important to some :)
If you are not particularly unhappy with the current setup, stick with it.
You are aware that you may have triggered a heated debate? :D
Willy

[Sasquatch]

Right. Bigger wheels with the same outside diameter mean a rougher ride, and more shock transmitted to the suspension, body, "frame", other components, and passengers than was designed. Of course, you can always change the outside diameter, but be aware the speedometer will be off unless you make other changes to compensate for it. Of course, if you don't do the speed limit anyhow, it won't really matter.

I am still wondering about what the tallest tires possible on a V70XC would be.

Think 235/70R16 are possible? 75?

[gibbons]

Ya know, I didn't notice a ride difference going from a 235/60-16 to a 235/55-17. Maybe the sidewalls on the 17's are more supple than the 16's I had on. I think the 17's are totally fine on the car. Volvo does too, that's an option for 2007.

I did it just cuz I think the Volvo 17" Pegasus wheel looks cool, and I decided to go dedicated winter tires (Nokian Hakka 2) and dedicated summer tires (Nokian i3).

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/7518/smallestwv7.jpg

[edwa]

Gibbons,

Great looking set-up! Its a shame Volvo doesn't offer the same wheels as an option especially for those of us who lease.

I hope this thread gets some more responses concerning how owners feel the shorter sidewall has affected their ride.

[ifnt420]

I hope this thread gets some more responses concerning how owners feel the shorter sidewall has affected their ride.

With 245/45/18, the handling is much better with less sidewall flexes when taking on corners.
http://clie.ws/bbs/uploads/1144651793/gallery_8188_10_4747.jpg

Ride comfort suffers a little bit, but depends on what kind of tires you have. If you go with a directional performance tire like Dunlop DZ101, Micheline Pilot Sports, Pirelli P-Zero...etc it will be much stiffer and noisier ride than say an all season tire like Pirelli STR, Dunlop FM703, Yokohama ES501...etc.

Off pavement grip? Still the same as the 215/65/16... :D

http://clie.ws/bbs/uploads/post-23830-1146941327.jpg

http://clie.ws/bbs/uploads/post-23830-1146941055.jpg

http://clie.ws/bbs/uploads/post-23830-1146941315.jpg

http://clie.ws/bbs/uploads/post-23830-1146941306.jpg

[Anders]

pegasus 19" whit nokian 245 65 19 will be work fine
or kmc rockstar 20" 8,5" and goodrich tire then the xc can be used
in the desert or the Swedish nature whit mud or snow
anders