Tyre Upsize Guide. Risks, Rules to know before Upsize else your Car Handling will be Impacted

Considering Tyre Upsize  Your Guide to most Important dos and donts before going for Tyre Upsize to know Differences in Handling, Mileage, Suspension of Car

Tyres Upsize : Worth or Waste

Tyres plays a key role in Car Drive-ability, Handling, Maneuverability. Remember your Car Contact Pitch on the road is done in form of Tyres and Correct Tyre Pressure plays a key role in the drive response and feedback.

Designed for Different Terrain Conditions, apart from Regular Use, Tyres also available in different classification for those having Specialized needs. For Instance

• MT Tyres - Essentially means Mud Terrain tyres. For those looking for extreme Off roading or in profession like Wild Life Photography, Mountain Drives, Farms will have the best choice as Mud Terrain Tyres

• AT Tyres: All Terrain Tyres. Care for driving on Off Roads along with Good Highways. All Terrain Tyres to be your choice

• HT Tyres: Default Choice. Regular Tyres For City and Highway Drive

Tyre Tread varies a lot to determine the best basis drive, condition.

Similarly is Tyre Size. For those having drive

• Maximum In City Drive: If you are buying Car for Local or within city Commute. Should prefer a Smaller Tyre with Higher Sidewall. For Instance a 14 Inch Wheel with R14 175/70 will be a better pick against R15 185/60 as Smaller Tyre will deliver Better Mileage and Sidewall is around 10% larger compared to 15 Inch wheel. This offers More Plush Ride

• Mix of Highway Use: Choose Wider Tyre, Bigger Wheel as they offer Better Grip and improved Handling on Higher Speed

If you are looking to choose New Tyres, refer below on what to look for

• R: implies Radial Tubeless Tyres and needless to mention are default choice in all modern age tyres.

• RIM: Here R14, R15 Implies Wheel Size means 14 Inch Wheel, 15 Inch Wheel. Normally it is the most important factor

• Size of Tyre - R14 165/65 - It implies that Tyre comes in 14 Inch Wheel having 165 mm Width and 65% as Sidewall Aspect Ratio.

• Load Index: If you read Tyre Size completely, you will read it as R15 185/60 85 V - 85 Implies Load Index and in a car normally most of branded tyres have atleast 85 and above load index

• Maximum Speed: V signifies Maximum Speed like V is for 240 km, H for 210 Km , W for 270 and Y for 300 Km. Tyres with Higher Speed Rating Generally are preferred in.

Important Consideration in Choosing Tyre

Now very Important on while Selecting Tyre is check on

Sidewall Aspect Ratio: It determines the Height of Tyre. Higher the Tyre Sidewall aspect ratio - plush the drive is in City Condition. Anything at 50% or below is Low Profile Tyres and such Low Profile Tyre fit in Wider Tyre which looks good for aesthetic reason and known for Better Braking, Better Stability as the Tyre width is on higher Side.

Change in Tyre Width: Wider Tyres aids better Grip and Handling on Cornering, Highway, Bad Roads, While Smaller Width Tyres offers better for In City Day Use

You can now Calculate Tyre Upsize in Seconds

How is Tyre Upsize Done

There are generally 3 Ways in which upsize are done by Car Owners :-

• Retain in Existing Wheels, Only Upsize Tyres of Higher Width - Upsize should not be beyond 2% Deviation in Circumference Wider Tyres
• Upsize Both Wheels and Tyres - Generally under 2%, but to play Slight aggressive - upto 2.5% max Deviation
• Upsize and Replace Steel Wheel with Alloy Wheels and Upsize Tyres too - This is the Most Expensive replacement and costs Significant sum Generally 2% Deviation, but to play Slight aggressive - upto 3% max Deviation

If you choose an aggressive Upsize of over 3% - your Car Handling will be Impacted along with drop in Car Mileage and impact to Car Suspension 

Key Difference - Smaller Tyres Vs Wider Tyres

In terms of Tyre Upsize - Make a tradeoff basis requirement and Benefits Mentioned

Below are the Downside Risks of Upsizing Tyres and Retaining Existing Smaller Tyre

Prominent Tyre Brands / Companies : 

We Love Michelin, MRF, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Yokohoma Tyres . Go Always with the Brand.

What are Low Profile Tyres ? Is it Recommended

Although Globally Accepted Practice is when Tyre Sidewall Ratio is 50% or less than Tyre Width then it can be called as Low Profile Tyre. For Instance R17 225/50. It means Sidewall is 50% of Tyre Width means 112.5 mm

But for Indian Road Conditions where roads are not in best shape in many areas - we feel that anything under 55% Sidewall Aspect Ratio falls under Low Profile One

The higher the Sidewall aspect ratio, Sidewall is longer and it turns in Plush Ride Experience in City Condition. Lower the sidewall aspect ratios lead to slight Stiff ride. On Bad roads - if a Car with say 50% Aspect Ratio or lower drives on speed then driving on Pothole on such a speed can damage the wheel / tyre because of lower Aspect Ratio

Even the Vehicle Suspension System should be checked in as many customer even go in with Aggressive Upsize in Sedan, Hatchback Cars where suspension tuned for comfort but reducing Tyre Sidewall Profile Ratio to 55% in Sedan, Hatch cars can end up making ride Stiff and Rough.

Low Profile Tyres are what on demand of Enthusiastic Driver who love better Cornering, Better Higher Speed stability and most important are recommended only in SUV Range where Performance Orientation is best seek for. However - one should also know that Suspension of Car should support in to get in the Best from Low Profile Tyres, else the ride can turn out more on Firm side impacting drive aspect of Car.

If Buying New Tyres - its important to buy in Tyres with Latest Manufacturing. Know -  how to decode :-

Find Tyre Manufacturing Date

Note - if you choose bigger Inch Tyres - you will be required to change Wheels too. Though - its best to choose Tyres in Same Size having More Width - if tyre size is smaller, but 13 Inch Tyres Specs is relatively smaller to our view - its best to Upgrade to 14 Inch

Tyre Prices

Indicative Range of Tyres basis Common Size is listed below - Each Tyre Cost