I found a great deal on 4 285/60 R18 tires. A friend at my gym runs the same size tires and I must admit that size looks way more impressive than my 245's. however he warned me that the bigger tires might be a bit more of a strain on the suspension, but that was just a hunch he had. So, besides making a slight trim to the wheel well cladding, have any of you regretted opting for he larger tires? Any major (non-cosmetic) drawbacks? Thanks
No
I'll try to keep it simple::confused: When you go with a taller tire, you are inadvertingly "changing" you axle's gear ratio. Taller tires take more forward distance to complete a rotation than the stock ones did; this means that it will take more rotation from the drivetrain to turn the tire one complete rotation. This has the same effect as if you "raised" your gear ratio (which is actually a lower numbered ratio). This will make the make the VX feel like it is harder to get going from a stop or at slower speeds. Also, your speedo will be off as well, now you will actually be going faster then the speedo says. Not to mention the fact that bigger tires weigh more and are usually wider as well, which opens a whole new can of worms dealing with drive train wear and tear, greater surface friction and resistance, and less gas mileage. Obviously, the larger you go the more these factors come into play. On the plus side, once you are at highway speeds, the engine's RPMs will be lower than before at that same speed and they sure look cool too.
After you get to about 60 mph you'll be about 5 mph off...so 70 on the speedo will be about 75 actual speed. It's a 6.5% difference.
When you calculate your gas mileage you'll need to add about 6.5% to your miles traveled before you divide by the gallons of fuel that you used to get an accurate figure.
You'll find that your braking distance may increase slightly so be careful until you get a good feel for it...:bwgy::bgwo::smilewink:bgwb:
Wow! Thanks guys. Great advice all around. Great explanations also. Again, thank you.
So what's the biggest tire size upgrade you guys would recommend without any if these mileage, sluggish start,or drivetrain strain issues?
Only way to avoid any mileage issues is to stay stock...it's really not a big deal.Quote:
Originally Posted by psychonectar
I ran 275/60 for 4 years and now have 265/60. Stock tires just look too small on the VX in my opinion...:smilewink:bgwb:
The 265's and 275's didn't require any cutting of the wheel well cladding did it?
For me they did since I'm running aftermarket rims with a -6 offset, vs. the OEM of +38. Just too much tire outside the fender-well to avoid any trimming.Quote:
Originally Posted by psychonectar
I see. But stock 18" rims on 265/60 stires shouldn't require any cladding trim though right?
I run 265/60 Kumhos on stock rims, and stock lift, with no trimming. I have also run 285/55 Pirellis with no trimming, but felt they were too wide for the stock 7" rims.Quote:
Originally Posted by psychonectar
I know that math tells us that it should be 6% change in measured distance, but checking against a GPS, I get 8%. Might be due to the fact that I am using a stock wheel, which is a bit too narrow (that can cause taller to be a bit taller).