With the arrival of cold weather, choosing winter tires becomes especially relevant. As you know, the cost of winter tires is higher than summer ones, so their selection should be taken more seriously. It is important that both the size and the tread meet the requirements, and the tread depth is at least 6 mm. In other words, in the cold season it is especially important to adhere to the parameters set by the car manufacturer.
These rules are familiar to most drivers, but not everyone follows them.
Why this is needed
First, as usual, let's figure out what makes people deviate from factory recommendations? It doesn't matter what season we are talking about.
The first and most common reason is the desire to stand out from the general flow, to be different from others. For example, you purchased larger diameter wheels and installed low-profile tires on them. The car immediately acquired a sporty look, but this is only an external effect. We will talk about the practical side further.
The second reason is a limited budget. As a result, cheap used tires are bought (or given for free), selected on the principle of "just so it goes."
The third reason is that a person has their own opinion about which wheels are best suited for their car.
Now let's see what such decisions can lead to.
Small nuances
The most harmless case is that non-standard size wheels lead to speedometer and odometer errors. Moreover, this applies not only to the rims, but to the wheel as a whole, that is, the rim together with the tire. The pattern is simple: the larger the outer diameter of the wheel, the higher the maximum speed and the worse the acceleration dynamics — and vice versa.
It is clear that in one revolution a large wheel covers a greater distance than a small one. However, it has significantly more inertia, and the engine finds it harder to spin it up.
Drivers' opinion
There is a widespread belief that for snow and off-road, narrower tires should be chosen, and for asphalt — wider ones. If a driver switches to a different size — say, wider — then in the case of summer tires, the car gets a slight advantage in handling and directional stability.
As for winter tires, when driving on asphalt, no improvement in characteristics from changing the size is observed at all, and on ice and snow they are barely noticeable. Although in some cases, a competent selection of wheels can indeed increase the stability of the car, improve handling, and even reduce fuel consumption.
Factory recommendations
Sometimes for one car model with different engines, the manufacturer recommends tires of various sizes. There are special reference books that accurately list all suitable tires with sizes for a specific car.
This information can also be found on the inside of the driver's door. There is a plate with data on recommended tire sizes, permissible load and speed indices, as well as optimal pressure. This information can be trusted and safely followed.
Wide tires
If you decide to install wider tires, check that when turning the wheels and at full load, they do not touch suspension elements and wheel arches.
However, it is worth remembering: installing non-standard size rims and tires can noticeably accelerate the wear of individual suspension and steering components. For example, rims with an offset greater than the calculated one can quickly disable the front wheel hub bearings.
High profile
Let's consider installing larger diameter wheels. What often attracts drivers — such wheels allow increasing ground clearance and saving a little on fuel, because a large wheel covers a slightly longer distance in one revolution.
But there are also subtleties here. For example, if the car's engine is weak, it will need more effort to spin up a larger diameter wheel, which means fuel consumption will increase.
Smaller diameter
Obviously, when installing smaller diameter tires, the car's ground clearance will noticeably decrease. This can lead to frequent impacts of the underbody against curbs or other obstacles. In addition, a smaller wheel will not last long.
When creating a car, developers take into account the tire diameter, so there are certain standards for each brand, taking into account the speed and mass of the car. Naturally, smaller wheels must withstand the same load, but their safety margin is not designed for this, so the tires will quickly fail.
Conclusion
Considering all the above, it should be understood: only strict adherence to the operating instructions and the installation of wheels of the recommended size and characteristics will allow not only to feel confident behind the wheel, but also to significantly extend the service life of the tires themselves and the entire car.
