Do Wider Tires Handle Better

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Do Wider Tires Handle Better

December 24, 2020, 01:14:08 pm

As published on Quora. Perhaps useful for your passenger car tires.

After more than 50 years working in the automotive field as an engineer, owner of tire and repair dealerships and having sold millions of tires in multi-state, multi-store tire/repair chains I would summarize as follows. As a rule of thumb, wider tires compared to original sizes will make the vehicle handle better. One of the reasons that German cars handled better was they used 2 to 3 sizes wider and one to two sizes lower profile than their American counter parts on similar class of vehicles. If you track road test on vehicles on the 300 feet diameter skidpad g forces, you will find most O/E tire sizes will not generate more than .86G while tire sizes such as low profile 30 to 40 series with cross-section width from P245 to P325 and larger will generate more than 1.11 g. The suspension and weight distribution have a lot to do with it but generally on similarly equipped vehicles, the wider tire will generate better cornering figures and lower slalom times. The larger rim size also promotes larger brake rotors so braking have improved as well. It is not unusual to see 13″ rotors where few years back the same vehicles only equipped with 11″ to 12″ rotor. The larger braking surface area and diameter reduce fading under severe conditions such a long down hill, winding roadways or towing.

Tire width must be mated with a wider rim for better handling and wear. Handling also depends on the aspect ratio of the tire and the rubber compound. An example of it is any high-performance tire - Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (a summer tire) will beat the same size tire with the same speed rating that is rated (all-season or has M+S designation). A lower profile means less sidewall distortion on turns and higher inflation pressure so efficiency will not suffer. Usually, when the tires are of good quality and wider mounted to an appropriate rim for the road condition, they will handle better. Most of my comments are for day time driving on dry pavement. Wider tires can lower your traction and direction stability in rainy weather as hydroplaning is a major problem. Since passenger tire treads are only 11/32″ deep, water dissipation will always a problem. Furthermore, an increase in water channel width will also reduce the mileage you get from a set of tires as the tread to void density is lowered. That was why “Aqua tread” tires were discontinued in favor of “all-season” tires. So if you encountering rainy weather, use caution and slow down.

Winter tires are not just for snow as they work better in snow, ice, slush and mud and on cold, dry pavement. Their rubber compound are very different. Most manufacturers include silica and some special formula with traction bits and hollow cells that squeegee and suction water off the road. Tread designs are far more aggressive to provide better acceleration and shorter stopping distances. The tread patterns have more sipes than all-season tires to squeegee more water off the road. Saw-tooth sipes provide more surface areas and cut into snow and slush better than straight sipes. The “micropump” holes in the tread act like plungers to suck water off the road and then spit it out as the tire rolls. Modern winter tires stop sooner on snow and grip better on acceleration test as well when compared to all-season tires. Like most specialized tires, they last about 5 years or 35,000 miles compared to high mileage rated tires that can last 80,000 miles.

Off-road and 4X4 may be different because the aspect ratio - sidewall is much higher for the purpose of “Envelope Capacity” the ability to roll over “envelope obstacles” rocks rather than bouncing over them, tire mass is much greater and concentrated on the tread area and rims are off-set to gain track width, they can be very difficult to balance and their radial force variation is much greater compared to low profile sizes, so harshness, vibration and noise will always be a problem. Furthermore, there are all seasons, mud and all-terrain type of tread designs optimized for road surfaces encountered. Inflation must be changed to fit the terrain and driving condition encountered as well.

There is a lot of engineering that determines what is the best tire size for the vehicle. On top of that, the manufacturer also have to balance the price for the performance so they will be profitable. The consumer may have different uses of that vehicle and a specific budget for the modification. Tire width is not the only consideration to obtain a higher level of performance. Get some professional input if you have special tire needs and you may be well rewarded.
it should be noted that the low profile tire may be less comfortable a ride so there is a compromise. Most luxury cars use relatively high profile tires for comfort. More give. If you live in an area with potholes, a taller tire on larger rims is best. The smaller diameter gets swallowed up by pot holes. You may also invest in plastic guards on your rim edges to protect them from scraping the curb when you park. There are clear or colored choices. I personally choose to upgrade my car with Pirelli performance or all season tires from Michelin. I may go up one size wider or choose slightly higher or lower profile to complement the road and driving condition.