Hi,

I see many people looking for upgrading their rims/ wheels and I am sure most of them are not doing any research on this. They just want the car to look better or "COOL".

I think we should not upgrade for bigger rims/ wheels because the car gets demaged quicker, suspensions, Insurance goes up, etc.....


What is your advice on this?

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For now, this is what I copied from internet. It might help other people in making them thinking twice before upgrading:


Opinion No. 1 (information copied from internet)

Bigger wheels increase the risk of a roll over accident as the closer you put the wheel to the road surface the greater the likely hood of the wheel catching the road surface during cornering at speed. And they often raise the center of gravity which increases the likely hood of a roll over accident. The larger wheels can put unusual stress on the wheel bearings and suspension as well and give the vehicle a horrible ride.


Opinion No. 2 (information copied from internet)

Yuk! I don't understand why anybody would want to do this? Apart from the fact that it makes the car look vulgar and cheap (Like a Pimp Mobile) it is also going to make the car useless off road, the first pothole you hit will probably damage the rims as you have a serious amount of weight pushing down on only a small amount of rubber. Don't do it, please....


Opinion No. 3 (information copied from internet)

Bigger rims have no advantages. They are more weight and take more power to turn so they use more fuel. They will throw your speedo off unless you get low pro to make up for the size difference. If you get low pro then it's a pain in the ass to change the tires without a machine.


Opinion No. 4 (information copied from internet)

Advantages: Other people can see them and that's meant to be good if they look nice.

Disadvantages: They can be expensive, you can't see them while you drive, can put the speedo out, if they get stolen you might cry.


Opinion No. 5 (information copied from internet)

The engineers that designed that car are top notch. Do you think they made your car with 20" and not 22" for a resson ?


Opinion No. 6 (information copied from internet)

Advantages
Larger tires improve handling and cornering, due to wider tread faces and stiffer sidewalls. Wider tires may decrease braking distanceson dry pavement.
Larger wheels with lower profile tires are sometimes aesthetically or culturally desirable.

Disadvantages
Larger wheels typically cost more. Wider tires tend to be more expensive because they are less common, and there is less competition between brands.
Performance improvements beyond what is achieved in a Plus One sizing are minimal.
Lower profile tires tend to have stiffer sidewalls, which might decrease riding comfort.
During winter, wider tires perform worse. Narrower tires exert more pressure on the contact patch, maintaining better road contact through snow.
Larger and wider wheels decreases fuel efficiency and increases consumption. A larger tire footprint can increase the time taken for "return to center" (steering) after taking a sharp turn.

Controversial issues
The additional height and weight of plus sized wheels may increase vulnerability to rollovers, particularly by changing the center of gravity. During rapid tire deflation at speed, reduced sidewall height may encourage rollovers.Plus sizing tires may enhance the vehicle's value, but altering the vehicle from the factory specifications may reduce value.
Whilst some research suggests that Plus sizing may reduce acceleration performance and fuel economy, others would argue that the fewer revolutions required to cover the same distance makes poorer fuel economy somewhat questionable. While overall wheel diameter measured at the tread is unchanged, rotating heavier rims outwards from the axis of rotation increases rotating mass. This increases the energy transfer needed to accelerate or decelerate the wheel. When a vehicle's acceleration is limited by engine power, the corresponding result is a decrease in acceleration performance. Higher rotational mass also means increased inertia, potentially increasing heat.
Acceleration is a function of total vehicle mass & force at the tire patch. While wheel weight and mass moment of inertia does have a slight effect on vehicular acceleration/deceleration via inertia, the larger effect of increasing wheel diameter is torque loss. If you install a wheel/tire combo that's 20% larger in diameter, you will have 20% higher output/input effective gear ratio (like shifting into a higher gear), for accelerating and braking. This could make the vehicle accelerate more slowly depending on the torque available, but will also make the brakes feel weaker (more difficult to lock up). Total wheel weight (tire & rim) is part of the unsprung weight of the vehicle and will have a great effect on traction while traveling over uneven terrain as the wheel can respond quicker (lighter weight) to terrain changes. This allows the wheel to get back on the ground more quickly.



Opinion No. 7 (information copied from internet)

Getting bigger tires will increase friction with the road, which can mean your gas milage goes . But while increasing the surface you are bettering your grip to the road, which makes you turn and jump of the line better.



Opinion No. 8 (information copied from internet)

generally, larger rims weigh more, and increase unsprung weight...more rotational mass means it's harder to turn...
you also loose acceleration, because it essentially lowers your final drive ratio.....theoretically you would have a higher top speed though..



Opinion No. 9 (information copied from internet)

Big wide alloys are not good on 4x4's. A few years ago Clarkson et al did a feature for Top Gear where they took a few swanky new 4x4's like the Merc SL, Range Rover etc and tried to drive them up a wet grassy slope. They all failed miserably and had to be rescued by a 1960's land rover fitted with the standard skiny little wheels and tyres. The narrow grippy tyres performed much better as they cut into the surface whereas the wide alloys just skidded on the surface.



Opinion No. 10 (information copied from internet)

Bigger wheels tend to give a car a more sporty or aggressive look. When ordering bigger wheels for a new car, as you are doing, larger wheels require lower-profile tyres to keep the same rolling diameter (for speedometer accuracy and so on). Lower-profile tyres have stiffer sidewalls, and this is what makes the ride, handling and steering of cars with larger wheels all feel sharper.

For anyone buying larger wheels as an aftermarket accessory, you may have to alter the speedometer gearing if the rolling diameter is greater than the previous tyres.

The downside of buying bigger wheels is that the ride may feel firmer, so it's worth test-driving the car first to check it's still comfortable for you. They may also be more expensive to replace, should you need to.
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DON'T DO IT !!! RRS TDV8 !!!

Toni, I did the exact oposite and downgraded my wheels from 20" to 19", what made a hell lot of difference in driving comfort. So for me this is a no brainer but everyone to their taste. I only wander why would any one buy a 4x4 and make it useless off tarmac???

Sorry TT, I'm not reading all of that
Plenty on here have 22's fitted and love them.
Personally, I'm happy with my 20's and have no real desire to go for anything bigger, but if that floats your boat, go for it  ON THE WAY: BMW F21 M140i
MERCEDES GL350 - Metallic Navy Blue w/Grey interior

GOING: BMW F31 335D MSport+ xDrive Touring
GONE: Land Rover Discovery 4 HSE - Stornaway Grey w/Black Interior (wish we'd kept it )
GONE: BMW F10 520D MSport - Carbon Black
GONE:MY12 RRS SDV6 HSE Sumatra/Ivory/Grand Black Privacy glass

Downside on 22" is rim damage but if you like them go for it, we do see quite a few split and out of round.

I think 20" is the max but I would only go 19" for me.  Please call us 01737 241370 for the quickest response

www.ajstyres.co.uk

Judging from the problems you are having with the 'pond life' in your area Toni .... you need to fit the most unattractive wheels you can find.......  RRS TDV8 Buck Blue (no, not now in my dreams). ..........D3 TDclankety clankV6 ............BMW 318i

Texstar wrote:

Judging from the problems you are having with the 'pond life' in your area Toni .... you need to fit the most unattractive wheels you can find.......

Texstar wrote:

Judging from the problems you are having with the 'pond life' in your area Toni .... you need to fit the most unattractive wheels you can find.......

Haha that's some of the funniest and untrue things I've heard since I read the "replica wheels are dangerous..... Fact" post
People talk some nonsense on the internet with no facts at all to back up there claims.

As said above with 22" wheels with low profile tyres the biggest problem is hitting something which could result in the wheel being damaged due to the low profile tyres not providing as much protection. That's not to say that hitting a pothole at speed with a 19" or 20" wouldn't be damaged.
It's all about how you use your car, if your doing lots of off-road driving etc then your going to want a set of smaller wheels with decent tyres, if your using the car to nip to the local shop/using the car as a Chelsea tractor then chances are that you will be perfectly ok with 22" wheels.

C10KO wrote:

Toni, I did the exact oposite and downgraded my wheels from 20" to 19", what made a hell lot of difference in driving comfort. So for me this is a no brainer but everyone to their taste. I only wander why would any one buy a 4x4 and make it useless off tarmac???

Toni, are you saying that your insurance company wanted to charge you more for fitting 19in rims instead of 20in rims? How odd - 19in rims are original equipment so not sure how they can justify that... 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

I've ruined every set of 22's I've had, never again

Where I live in a rural area with roads full of potholes I'm considering going from 20" to 19" rims. I'm not really into ultra low profile tyres and think that a 4X4 should be able to go cross country without a wheel change.

Just my thoughts

Jim

Jim,

I agreed - which is why I did the same thing. I'm very happy on 19s. And it definitely works well off tarmac! 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

RRSTDV8 wrote:

Toni, are you saying that your insurance company wanted to charge you more for fitting 19in rims instead of 20in rims? How odd - 19in rims are original equipment so not sure how they can justify that...

The TDV8 had 20in fitted as standard but the 19in is the "off road" size. To call fitting a manufacturer option a "modification" is taking it a touch far, in my view. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed