Wheel sizes getting silly?

[MC Bodge]

thinfourth2 said:

Nothing wrong with a set of 20" rims if fitted to the right vehicle


A 17" alloy off the wifes Honda to give a an idea of the wheel size.
The side of the tyre of the mog sayes 335/80R20 giving a height of roughly 42"

A Unimog is not a car is it?

[900T-R]

MC Bodge said:

A Unimog is not a car is it?

But it is most definitely 'a vehicle'.

[Jaguar steve]

slipstream 1985 said:

everyone forgetting that cars are getting bigger, thus tyres have rose in size to keep up

My thoughts too.. Much of the current design language is for larger, rather overstyled (IMO) cars with more than a hint of aggression about them - not to my taste but each to his own. As a part of that there's also a trend towards fitting bigger wheels, both to keep in proportion with the bulk of the car and to create the impression you're driving somthing that's really powerfull.

Big wheels call for lower profile tyres - simply to get the wretched things under the arches - and with the too firm suspension to give the "sporty" ride people seem to want then sure, that's a recepie for high levels of grip on a smooth surface but drive the the same car fast on the broken, potholed mess our local authorities are pleased to call roads and it'll bounce around like a frog on a pogo stick, scare you stless and shake itself and you to bits.

First thing I did when I bought my luxobarge was buck the trend and got rid of the 17" rims and the eye-wateringly expensive 50 profile tyres they needed and went down to a much cheaper set of OE 16" ones and 60 profile tyres that curiously enough nobody else wanted. Not really much difference to the levels of grip between the two sizes, but it's transformed the ride quality and noise level.

[XJSJohn]

the RUF speedlines on my Porker (turbo body) are 245/45 R17's at the back, and bloody hard to find because of being 17's.

The fronts on my 370Z are 255/35 R19's!!!! The front tires on my 370Z are bigger in all dimensions (except profile) than a bloody 1980's Turbo porsche rears


they do look good though

[anonymous-user]

Gone back to 15's on my E class after having 17's on for a couple of years. The difference in ride comfort is night and day. The tyres are half the price as well.

[stuckmojo]

I agree with the OP, wheels are getting to big, as a consequence of cars getting too big.

Nothing wrong with normal size wheels. I love the look of the 987 boxster on 16 inches wheels, for example

[shoestring7]

g3org3y said:

19 inch vs 16 inch.



I think that photo sums up a lot about how the car industry has 'progressed' in the last 15 years or so.

Edited by g3org3y on Wednesday 27th April 09:42

ISTR my E30 M3 was delivered on std 15" BBS rims, although I did also have a rather nice set of 16" Hartge alloys.

SS7

[Vladimir]

So I'd say most agree with me (rather a unique experience!) and I'd also say there is a good cross section of motoring enthusiasts on here.

So who are these oversized wheels aimed at?!

It reminds me ever so slightly of chavvy mods that haven't been done properly - cars "slammed" so the tyres scrape the arches, massive exhausts hanging on by string (almost), sun visor strips that actually block your view of the road, lights half hidden with tape to look aggressive, etc, etc - just for looks, not for making the car drive better.

I remember when the M3 CSL came out - it was widely criticised for it's bone cracking ride. Now it seems normal and is widely revered. And on the same note - without exception every review of the E46 M3 said is was better on 18s - how many do you see on them? Hardly any. Almost all had the inferior riding 19s and dealers claim shifting one on 18s is very tricky.

I think priorities have changed with a lot of marques - it seems essential to fill them with tech that doesn't enhance driving at all, stick stupid wheels on to try and make them look good, go to massive lengths to make a family saloon look like a full on BTCC, car, etc, etc. Weight doesn't seem to matter - it's all gizmos and aggressiveness. Audi, BMW, Lexus, to some extent Jaguar, Vauxhall and many others are at it. How about trying to shed a couple of hundred kgs instead of loading every car with Shatnav, i-drive-worse-because-I'm-not-concentrating-properly, auto everything, etc. No wonder the bhp of your average performance car is probably double what it used to be - it is needed to shift all these daft wheels and NASA space computers around!

Pointless rant over.

[thebigmacmoomin]

stuckmojo said:

I agree with the OP, wheels are getting to big, as a consequence of cars getting too big.

Nothing wrong with normal size wheels. I love the look of the 987 boxster on 16 inches wheels, for example

Those wheels have shrunk in the wash. They look terrible, waaaay to small, some 18" wheels would do perfectly.

[MC Bodge]

Vladimir said:

So I'd say most agree with me (rather a unique experience!) and I'd also say there is a good cross section of motoring enthusiasts on here.

So who are these oversized wheels aimed at?!

It reminds me ever so slightly of chavvy mods that haven't been done properly - cars "slammed" so the tyres scrape the arches, massive exhausts hanging on by string (almost), sun visor strips that actually block your view of the road, lights half hidden with tape to look aggressive, etc, etc - just for looks, not for making the car drive better.

I remember when the M3 CSL came out - it was widely criticised for it's bone cracking ride. Now it seems normal and is widely revered. And on the same note - without exception every review of the E46 M3 said is was better on 18s - how many do you see on them? Hardly any. Almost all had the inferior riding 19s and dealers claim shifting one on 18s is very tricky.

I think priorities have changed with a lot of marques - it seems essential to fill them with tech that doesn't enhance driving at all, stick stupid wheels on to try and make them look good, go to massive lengths to make a family saloon look like a full on BTCC, car, etc, etc. Weight doesn't seem to matter - it's all gizmos and aggressiveness. Audi, BMW, Lexus, to some extent Jaguar, Vauxhall and many others are at it. How about trying to shed a couple of hundred kgs instead of loading every car with Shatnav, i-drive-worse-because-I'm-not-concentrating-properly, auto everything, etc.

In a crowded marketplace in which all cars are actually quite reliable and safe, he who has the most toys (and baubles) wins.

Joe Public do not drive their cars hard (other than a 5-50mph dash from the lights and mucho stabbing of the brakes whilst tail-gating), they do not understand much physics or engineering and many people in the UK are obsessed with 'image'. 'Image' is carefully cultivated by marketing types and it becomes a bit of an arms race. Company X has 19" wheels, Company Y introduces 20" wheels. The end point is wheels so big that the doors have to be made smaller....

[va1o]

thebigmacmoomin said:

stuckmojo said:

I agree with the OP, wheels are getting to big, as a consequence of cars getting too big.

Nothing wrong with normal size wheels. I love the look of the 987 boxster on 16 inches wheels, for example

Those wheels have shrunk in the wash. They look terrible, waaaay to small, some 18" wheels would do perfectly.

I disagree, look good to me. I'm surprised they are only 16" don't look small in the picture.

[djbdjb]

They are! I have a Merc R class - with 21" wheels & 40 wall tyres (basically a large dia sport/racing tyre on a 4x4) PRETTY on the road, firm ride - especially with air suspension (yes, I know Merc say you cant have 21" wheels on air susp - but they built it!!!) but ... completely & utterly useless, off road - well at £350/corner for tyres alone - you dont even try it. Big wheels, big-budget replacement costs. But if they float your boat and take you where you need them to take you - go for it