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

"George W. Frost" <frosty@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:4mCWj.1060$IK1.290@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> "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

George, I guess I was saying two things: big sidewalls and tyre footprint
almost negates the need to dodge potholes,...not that I would just ignore
them,..while two, the skinny R10 rubber, from which we can to some extent
a
parallel to modern ultra low profile tyres, are problematic on rough
bitumen
roads. No doubt modern rubber have much stronger sidewalls,..but what
happens if they drop into a pothole or as was the case with one of my R10
tyres, split the sidewall driving up the chamfered edge of a road
centre-nature strip.

Jason