Re: Why more 17& 18 inch wheels on new vehicles

"Jason James" <at@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:4829f9e2$0$80733$c30e37c6@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> "Daryl Walford" <dwalford@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> news:9pmdnd0_U5y-3bvVnZ2dnUVZ_rrinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> Kwyjibo wrote:
>> > "Daryl Walford" <dwalford@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>> > news:zsydnUjwaOHVHrjVnZ2dnUVZ_v3inZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> >> George W. Frost wrote:
>> >>> "Just JT" <JohnnyThor@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>> >>> news:482508a8$0$32478$9a6e19ea@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> >>>> "Pit" <spamlister@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> >>>>> Just doing some tyre kicking and notice  a lot more vehicles now
>> >>>>> coming out with 17 & 18 inch tyre sizes .
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> In reality what are the advantages over 16 inch .Which have a lot
> less
>> >>>>> orphan sizes and far cheaper to  run .
>> >>>>> $98.00 for decent safe 16  inch tyre against $259 for  17 inch
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> going through 2 or 3 full sets of tyres  a year   this all adds
up 
>> >>>>> .
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Serious question based on tyre size ignorance .
>> >>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> >>>> That's why I opted for 16" wheels on my baby Lexus instead of the 
>> >>>> 17"
>> >>>> and 18" ones.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> --
>> >>>> Cheaper.to.replace.and.better.ride.quality.
>> >>>
>> >>> Wrong, better ride quality on the larger wheels
>> >> I'd say the opposite is true because on cars bigger wheels usually 
>> >> have
>> >> low profile tyres which usually give a poorer ride.
>> >
>> > We must all be wrong though, as Noddy says otherwise........
>> >
>> I think what Noddy meant was that a bigger dia wheel and tyre
>> combination ride over rough stuff better and I agree but the effect of
>> the larger wheel tyre combo is negated by lowering the OD by fitting
low
>> profile tyres.
>
> I dont know about anyone else, but the best *ride* I've experienced have
> been 225/14/65 on 7" front and 245/14/65 on 10" rear on the LTD. No
nasty
> pothole damage on trips. A bit like a tractor to look at tho. OTOH,
> 155/15/75 (I think they were 75s) on a Renault 10, Michelin X, more than
> once suffered tyre side-wall pinching against the rim with the tyre a
> write-off. Totally hopeless tyre/rim combination. The rims were
steelies,
> but must have been only just steel, as they would dent the rim-lip
*very*
> easily.
>
> Jason


Jason, those tyres you are comparing are really nothing to compare
first you have a 225 and 245 x 14"
then you compare it to a 155x15"
****, the 155 isnt much bigger than a wheelbarrow tyre
Also, you are comparing the ride between a Renault 10 and a Ford LTD
Muchly different wheelbase and it is in that wheelbase where you get the 
different rides.
Your LTD would have almost twice the wheelbase as the Renault, therefore 
giving you a far better and softer ride.
Give me the LTD any day over most cars.
Travel over a railway crossing on the Renault at 30kph and you get a 
bump/rattle......bump/rattle
travel over the same crossing in an LTD at the same speed and you get, 
smooth bump.............smooth bump

see?, different ratio of bump