do you recommend upsizing tires for better handling?

[Konig]

Im thinking of getting 17" tires instead of the standard 16" ones for my camry but im not really sure if increasing one size up make any difference at all. I would like to know if any automotive enthusiasts can give me some advice regarding this, preferably from 1st account experience. Im more concerned about safety than about the additional cost. One thing im concerned is with the aspect ratio, since the current aspect ratio of my tire is 60 while the 17" ones are 50, i wonder if this will pose any significant danger.

 

[kg21]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Konig /img/forum/go_quote.gif Im thinking of getting 17" tires instead of the standard 16" ones for my camry but im not really sure if increasing one size up make any difference at all. I would like to know if any automotive enthusiasts can give me some advice regarding this, preferably from 1st account experience. Im more concerned about safety than about the additional cost. One thing im concerned is with the aspect ratio, since the current aspect ratio of my tire is 60 while the 17" ones are 50, i wonder if this will pose any significant danger.

I have done it personally, switched back between many different sets 16/17/18 etc. You won't see a huge jump in feel going to 17 but it should be better, if you really want to improve performance get aggressive summer tires, or if the weather is not ideal then high performance all seasons. Going from crappy tires to high performance summer tires will make your camry feel like a new car when it comes to handling/braking. Theres no danger going with 50 for the sidewall instead of 60, the only thing you have to think about is how close the rolling diameter is, if its off your speedo will read higher or lower than your real speed. In theory the stock 16 would also be slightly better for acceleration. I highly recommend the falken azenis rt-615 if your local weather allows it, best bang for the buck max performance summer.

 

[fat pat]

as long as the overall diameter of the tire is the same, a lower profile tire will be better for handling. there is less stress on the tire itself and will resist better to rolling over or flexing in the turns or in braking. the main thing to consider is whether your new rims are much heavier than your old ones? a bigger rim, even with a lower profile tire that is much heavier will negatively effect braking and handling. unsprung weight lb or lb is about 3 times greater than sprung weight. if you can get a realtively similar weight wheel and a lower profile tire, as long as it is the same or better compound and tread than your standard tire will yeild you much much better results

tires are the easiest, and greatest effective handling/braking/driving mod you can make to your car $ for $

 

[Konig]

umm so it sounds like its not worth getting a bigger size of the same tire but its worth getting the 16" high performance tires.

What about getting the bigger size of the high performance tire? I heard that having one size larger actually accelerates thread wear, so in that case 16" high performance shld be enough, since its hard to tell 16 and 17 apart?

 

[kg21]

size doesn't affect treadwear afaik, never heard that before. The performance tires will have a softer compound however they will definitely wear faster especially if you take advantage of your improved handling. I think the bigger wheel thinner sidewall thing is overrated unless you make a huge jump like 3 inches, meaning I don't think going from 16 to 17 is a big deal for steering feel and overall grip, the tire itself comes first for me not the size. It is worth it to get the widest tire that fits safely onto your rim however, like on my car the stock size is 205/55/16 but people put on 225/50/16 and its definitely an improvement.

 

[fordgtlover]

The rate of tread wear is not related to the size but to the softness of the compound (in addition to wheel balance, wheel alignment, road surface weather conditions and driving style). As already stated you should aim to get the same (or as close as possible) overall tyre diameter with any larger wheel and tyre combination.

Regarding handling - yes, all things being equal (same compound) a larger diameter tyre will handle slightly better because of less tyre wall squirm, but this will probably only be noticable if you are driving aggressively. For daily driving you'll probably never notice the difference.

The down side is that they will reduce the ride comfort for the same reason (side wall flex). Manufacturers included the flex of the tyre in their suspension setups.

You can get performace 16" tyres that will give you better grip. Pirelli P600 series are a great tyre with a combination of good dry and wet grip and they last reasonably well.

And, sorry to overstate the obvious, but I assume that you do know that you will need new wheels to put 17" tyres on.

The only real reason to look to change tyre size would be if you are looking to buy new wheels to achieve a different look for your car anyway. Tyre size shouldn't be reason for a wheel upgrade.

Talk to a few different tyre and wheel shops in your local area.

 

[taylor]

One thing to note however, is that it is better for the car to have softer handling tires and a stiffer suspension than it is for the car to have 'rubber band tires' and a loose suspension.

I believe NASCAR cars use very lightweight 15" wheels.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Konig /img/forum/go_quote.gif Im thinking of getting 17" tires instead of the standard 16" ones for my camry but im not really sure if increasing one size up make any difference at all. I would like to know if any automotive enthusiasts can give me some advice regarding this, preferably from 1st account experience. Im more concerned about safety than about the additional cost. One thing im concerned is with the aspect ratio, since the current aspect ratio of my tire is 60 while the 17" ones are 50, i wonder if this will pose any significant danger.

With all due respect, why go through all this trouble for a Camry! Yes the Camry is a very dependable family sedan but going up to +P or +P2 etc will not make that much of a difference in performance. Now if you are doing it for looks, go for it!

 

[oicdn]

Remember, what you gain in handling from getting bigger rims (presumably the same outer diameter, just lower profile tires and bigger rims), you lose in Horsepower.

How? Rotational inertia of a heavier rim does wonders for sucking HP away from you. Larger rims, generally are heavier than smaller ones. But your handling will increase, and if that's what you're after, who cares about the HP lost. It won't be much, but there will be a loss, and it all depends on how much heavier your new set-up is.

 

[ken36]

I knew there must be an engineering reason for those little Camry and Avalon tires. Thanks.

 

[Konig]

thanks for all the feedback, im getting a 16" high performance tire to replace my current one.

 

[bhd812]

Quote:

Originally Posted by taylor /img/forum/go_quote.gif I believe NASCAR cars use very lightweight 15" wheels.

Yeah but they only turn left...

 

[pne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhd812 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah but they only turn left...

they turn right when they're going down the straight!

 

[archosman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif With all due respect, why go through all this trouble for a Camry! Yes the Camry is a very dependable family sedan but going up to +P or +P2 etc will not make that much of a difference in performance. Now if you are doing it for looks, go for it!

Hey it's not Ferarri... but don't go slaggin' the Camry!


I went with a BBS 16 on mine...

 

[MD1032]

Man, those look fancy.

My dad got some cheap but decent tires for my Civic right before it was totaled. They were "prime well" brand. Definitely not the best tires on the market, but they were absolutely amazing in the rain. I could literally drive normally, even slam on the brakes in the rain, and they would never lose traction. In my opinion, this was an invaluable feature. They did have a problem of losing air too fast, though.