Why wider tires are better

Sign up to get the latest performance and luxury automotive news, delivered to your inbox daily! I agree to receive emails from Motor Authority. I understand that I can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy. Contribute: Send us a tip Contact the editor. Share This Article:. Follow Us Today:. Stephen Edelstein - Contributing Writer. Replacing narrow tires with wider ones will usually increase rolling resistance and, therefore, slightly increase fuel consumption.

In summer tires, size is also a question of esthetics; a wide tire is thought to look better than a narrow one. The tire profile refers to the ratio between the height and width of the tire. Since the most popular sizes are narrow with a high profile, they are manufactured in greater numbers than wide tires with a low profile.

That is part of the reason why narrow tires are usually cheaper than wider ones. The volume of air in a tire will particularly affect their driving comfort. The larger the rim diameter, the less air will fit in the tire. High-profile tires with plenty of space for air are more comfortable than wide, low-profile tires. This was confusing as hell. Maybe give it a once-over and try it again?

That setup is the 2nd on the picture, with the lowest lap time. The lack of grip in the front did it, which would cause the understeer you mentioned.

Other than the wet lap times, the widest combination provided the best results in every single metric. So the simple answer, according to this test, is that wider IS better and that definitely going to 's front and back will make the i a handling GOD. Generally, the less friction your car produces the less steering effort needed, thus, less fuel consumed.

On the contrary, wider tires increase fuel consumption as it generates more friction. Moreover, wider and bigger tires are obviously heavier, which will require the engine to work more. As a result, they surely consume more fuel. In this aspect, narrow tires will be a better option as they reduce fuel consumption by generating dramatically less friction.

Wider tires are heavier, which, as a consequence, adds more weight to the car. With its large contact area, wide tires not only slow down acceleration but also cause hard steering and poor car handling.

On the other hand, the vehicle with wider tires take more time to steer, or return to the center, after every sharp turn. Experiencing harder steering is another downside of using wider tires.

With all those above-mentioned drawbacks, larger tires surely will wear out faster than narrow ones. For instance, wider tires will put more strain on the brake, causing your braking system to work harder. By upsizing your tires, you are changing your car standard components. Together with the speedometer reading, other electronic safety aids in the vehicle like EBD, ABS or traction controller might also be affected with their accuracy and timely notifications.

Large tires, obviously, will cost more to make. Thus, it costs more to be installed.