This may be a stupid question, but does having a wider tire improve how the car feels over bumps, imperfections and such? I'm thinking because there is more rubber, that means there's a larger contact patch that absorbs impact. Also, wider tires can ride over certain cracks and holes, instead of falling into them, like a thinner tire would.

Share some feelings and experiences you've had when going from our OEM 225 and 245 tires, to a wider setup.

 

went from 215 F and 245 R to a 245 F and 295 R and the comfort has improved TONS. As well as me hitting a small pothole with the rears and not worrying

 

^ Meaty tires FTW!

 

NO. Because of the need to maintain the overall height of the tire, when you go with a wider tire you have to use a lower profile. That results in a stiffer sidewall.

Various brands and models of tires will ride differently, some will be hard and harsh, others will be softer. Keep in mind that a soft ride means that the car won't handle was well.

As for more rubber - all that does is increase the chance of hitting something, and more of anything across a larger surface area means that you get more result, not less. Wider tires weight more, so they will inherently make your ride harsher.

 

yes he speaks the truth

 

well i dont have CHEAP tires so MY ride has improved

 

My stock 225/45-18F 245/45-18R Michelins ride more comfortably than my 245/40-18F 275/35-19R Eagle F1s. I get better mileage with the narrower tires as well.

 

I think the proper statement would be "I have cheap tires so my ride has improved". "cheap" tires will have softer sidewalls, thinner tread, etc. to make them lighter and more flexable.

I remember when Toyo tires were real popular a few years ago as people starting replacing the OEM Bridgestones. Everybody raved at how much better their car rode. Then they tried to track them or had to make an emergency manuever and they shockingly discovered how soft the sidewalls were. Steering response was terrible.

 

Very good lesson to be learned here. ALL tires have something called rolling resistance. It's a function of the compound and the amount of rubber meeting the road. While you get great traction with wide tires, you also pay a penalty in gas mileage. When I went from 18" 225/245 OEM tires to 19" 255/285 tires I saw my gas mileage drop about 2mpg. Several months later, I was lucky enough to get it back by changing my trans and diff fluids to synthetics.

 

sidewall height shouldnt change with width but with diameter. you might go a bit smaller since they only offer them in 5% increments though.

 

^^ true. Most people are upsizing the wheels so they can fit wider tires.

 

sorry Dr. Dave for poor english skills or maybe i should say.... Dr Dave, I deeply apologize for my ignorance. Next time im on da interwebs ill do da spell check

 

No. Way too many factors to consider besides width. Some brand tires are more comfortable than others.

 

I wasn't correcting your grammer or spelling, I was rebutting your argument. Read both yours and mine again. You stated that "you don't have cheap tires so you ride has improved". I'm saying your ride has improved because of cheap tires. High quality, high performance tires will likely ride worse than cheap ones.

I would never claim to be an english scholar - I know my spelling an grammar suck occasionally. It's natural, I'm an engineer.

 

misunderstanding sorry holmes however im rocking nitto Nt05 Rears(expensive) and nittos up front and my ride has improved from stock, general exclaims, however not better then my G forces

 

I think you ask a very good question, and I would like to add my experience.

When I went from 225/45-18” front and 245/45-18” rear to 245/40-18” front and 275/40-18” rear (and wider wheels with the wider tire setup), I did notice better handling; but not much (if any) improvement in ride quality. The upsizing also cost me in less mileage, and the tire noise was greater.

What is more interesting is that my winter tire/wheel setup (225/55-17” all-square studless snow tires) provides a significantly more comfortable ride than my wider summer-performance tire setup on 18” wheels (no matter how wide the summer performance tires).

My experience is that higher sidewalls (and even with a narrow tire) provide a softer ride than wider tires with a lesser sidewall height.

--Spike

 

 

255/55 Eagle F1's on the rear, EXPENSIVE w/great comfort good luck on sayin these aint the best ride ur gettn - falken's up front n they mint aswell

 

There is no yes/no answer to this - even if you compare ride across wider/narrower versions of the same brand and model tire.

 

Thanks for the responses gang. Looks like the answer to my question is no.