Upsizing tyres is exactly that – going up a tyre size. After buying a new car, many people look at upgrading the wheels and tyres as they consider it more visually appealing. If you want to improve the aesthetics of your vehicle, you might be thinking about upsizing your tyres, but should you do it? Safe T Tyre is a trusted supplier of high quality tyre pressure monitoring systems, helping Australian motorists say safer on the road. Read on to learn more about upsizing and things you need to keep in mind before you make the decision to upgrade your wheels.
Why Upsize Tyres?
The main reason is to enhance a car’s aesthetics. Many car enthusiasts believe upsized wheels add visual appeal and elevate the look of a car to the next level. Performance-wise, a wider tyre also provides more surface area for the car’s weight to be distributed on the ground, which can increase grip and traction.
Is It Safe to Upsize Tyres?
Every car manufacturer offers a standard size of tyre and wheel rim on a particular car model, this is because the car’s wheel and tyre sizes have been chosen to perfectly balance performance dynamics, fuel efficiency, ride and handling. Changing from the standard size, one or all of these qualities will change. However, that’s not to say it shouldn’t be done. If done properly, upsizing tyres is perfectly safe. The key is going up a tyre size without significantly changing the overall diameter. For the safest upgrade, the tyre size should not be increased by more than 3% of the car’s original total tyre diameter. Any increase above this will result in a noticeable drop in fuel efficiency and compromise ride and handling.
How to Get the Right Sized Tyre?
If you get the size wrong, not only the ride and handling of your car suffer, but it could also damage your car. There’s a simple formula that you can use to make sure the overall diameter will be relatively the same. Essentially, for every 1 inch added to rim diameter add 10mm to the width and decrease the sidewall height by 5-10%. This is often called the “Plus 1” formula, and for it to work best, you need to know your original diameter.
If I Upsize My Tyres Do I Need to Upgrade Anything Else?
If the new tyre size is correctly calculated and the tyres have the space to properly perform their function, it is not necessary to change or upgrade any other parts of the vehicle (except of course for the rims). If you are looking to upgrade the overall performance of your vehicle, your mechanic will be able to suggest safe and appropriate upgrades to optimize performance capabilities.
Is There Anything to Be Careful of?
Upsizing tyres generally results in a wider tyre with a lower profile. The lower the tyre profile, the more careful you need to be with bumps and potholes. When driving with upsized tyres of a low profile, don’t go flying over speed bumps and be careful of potholes as you could risk damaging your tyre, rim and other parts of your vehicle.
Will Upsizing Tyres Affect My TPMS?
When a new wheel and tyre package is fitted, the TPMS and sensors should be considered. If you are upsizing the tyres on a vehicle, it’s vital you look at any changes to the recommended inflation. Adjusting to the correct inflation for the new tyres may cause the TPMS to give an alert because it senses under- or over-inflation.
If you are looking for an after-market TPMS to keep your vehicle safe by continually monitoring inflation of the tyres, Safe T Tyre has a range of high quality tyre pressure monitoring systems suitable for all types of vehicles. Get in touch with us online or give us a call today on 1800 876 700.