Does Size Matter When It Comes To Custom Rims And Tires?

Does Size Matter When It Comes To Custom Rims And Tires?

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Yes it does. However, before one delves further into the subject, one has to understand tire codes. Altering a vehicles tire sizes, unlike customizing truck floor mats, dashboard covers, and car seat covers, is not something to be taken lightly.

Unfortunately, a lot of people cant make heads or tails out of the codes labeled on their tires and therefore do not know what P225/50R16 91S means. Tire codes are very important if one intends to change his or her vehicles tires. Unlike changing truck floor mats, changing tires without knowledge of what one is doing could bring about adverse affects. Heres a breakdown of the sample tire codes:

The P means the tire is meant for passenger vehicles like mini vans cars, small trucks, and SUVs.
The 225 is the measurement of the widest point of the tires outer sidewall to the widest point of its inner sidewall when installed.
The 50 is the percent of the sidewall height relative to the width. (In this example, since the width is 225 millimeters, the sidewall height from the rim to the tread is 112.5mm)
The R denotes how the internal construction of the tire was fabricated. In this example, R means radial.
The 16 is the size of the rim.
The 91S is the service description of the tires. The 91 is the number that rates how much load the tires can handle. (The 91 in this example means that the tire can handle 1356 pounds.) The bigger the number, the greater the tires capacity.
The S is the tires speed rating. (An S speed rating denotes that the tire can operate safely at speeds up to 112 miles per hour. The further down the alphabet, the higher the velocities that are safe for the tire.)

So what does this all mean? Typically, a car thats made for speed will have a wider width with a low alphabet letter (generally W, Y, or Z) and a low percentage of sidewall for optimal handling and steering capabilities. A passenger vehicle, meanwhile, will have a medium width and a higher percentage of sidewall for a more luxurious style.

Tinkering with tires without knowledge about tire sizes is a dangerous thing to do. Here are some of the reasons:

Odometers and speedometers are calibrated based on the height of a vehicles tires. Taller tires make speedometers read slower than the actual speed of the vehicle.
More recent vehicles have built-in computers that base calculations on the height of a vehicles tires. Changing tires could result to a vehicles components malfunctioning.
Stock suspension systems could suffer additional stress with taller tires, resulting in accelerated wear, tear, and/or failure. If one makes substantial changes in tire height, one should upgrade and bolster the vehicles stock suspension.

Below is a list of different tire sizes and what vehicle classes should use them.

34" x 8" Class A Motorhome
31-1/4" x 12" - Class C Motorhome
30 3/4" x 10" Isuzu Rodeo, Honda Passport
29-3/4" x 8" Blazer II 4X4, Jeep Wagoneer
30" x 10" Jeep Liberty
29" x 8" Econoline 150 GM Ton, Dodge Raider, Chevy Van
35" x 12 -1/2" - Hummer H2
27" x 8" - S10 Blazer, Cherokee Laredo 4X4, GMC S15, Honda CRV
25-1/2" x 8" = M - Astro, Safari, Geo Tracker
24" x 8" - Pop-up Campers
21 1/2" x 8" - Pop-up Campers
32-1/4" x 12" Off Road Extra Wide Tires

About the Author:
Dan Bodrero has owned and operated his own store, manufacturing and selling seatcovers and dashboard mats for nearly every make and model of car truck or SUV. Dan takes pride in the quality of his workmanship. Each custom made seat cover is hand crafted from quality materials and is guaranteed to protect your automobile and fit securely and snugly.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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