Can we <em>please</em> just go back to using smaller wheels and tires?

And now, a rant about wheels and tires that are too big.

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[davey_w]

Are aftermarket replacements the only solution?
Then sell what came with the vehicle.

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

The effect on handling is a little more ambiguous—smaller sidewalls will be stiffer, and since larger wheels are usually wider, the tire's contact patch will be larger.

They used to be wider as you'd get bigger diameters. These days they are almost always the same width, at least on the EVs.


To get the upgraded seats on my Audi, I had to take the stupid range-sucking 20 inch wheels, too. So stupid.

 

[tytime]

I had replace a punctured tire on my car recently. At 15", there wasn't a lot of options compared to the much bigger 19/20".

 

[buckyrealtoo]

I had one car with moderatly low profile tires, blew them three times on potholes around Minneapolis freeways... never again. Normal tires are cheeper anyway!

 

[Fiendish]

But I can't help thinking all that stress could have been avoided if the car used smaller wheels and higher profile tires.

Or a freaking spare. This is a new problem endemic to EVs. None of them come with spare tires, and it's absolutely nuts.

 

[chiasticslide]

This was my only hangup when I bought the highest-trim version of the Kia Niro -- I had to opt for "performance" wheels and tires, with tiny sidewalls. If I hadn't been in desperate need of a car to drive immediately, I might have asked how much it would set me back to do a wheel swap to the smaller wheels on the base model Niro. Now I'm just waiting for one of the massive potholes in my crumbling city to make a dent in my wallet...

 

[MacBrave]

Needless to say, there is no spare tire in an Ioniq 5,

Another stupid trend. I refuse to buy a vehicle that doesn't have at least some kind of spare tire. And that fix-a-flat foam crap doesn't count.

 

[alansh42]

They need to bring these bad boys back.

 

[stefan_lec]

Amen Brother Gitlin! Preach it!

 

[ERIFNOMI]

Or a freaking spare. This is a new problem endemic to EVs. None of them come with spare tires, and it's absolutely nuts.

This started way before EVs. Cars have been ditching spares for years.

 

[varejao]

Kia puts 19" 225mm section width tires on the lower trim levels of the AWD and all RWD EV6s, but puts 20" 255mm section widths on the GT-Line AWD. This causes a hit in estimated 100% charge range from 282 miles to 252 miles - due to increased section widths + higher rotational moment of inertia. Same size battery.

 

[Coppercloud]

I had one car with moderatly low profile tires, blew them three times on potholes around Minneapolis freeways... never again. Normal tires are cheeper anyway!

Can confirm, the Minneapolis/St. Paul area will eat your tires.

 

[Blakflag]

The super-sizing of everything has really spoiled my high enthusiasm for my next vehicle which I promised myself would be an EV. The wheels is just the overly large cherry on the overly large mess of what manufacturers are forcing on us these days.
The massive over-complication of design is another issue. Recent radio broadcast says we are saying good bye to sub-1k repair bills. Next time your radio (or basicallky anything) gets wonky, look to spend multiple thousands because everything is stuck together inside the expensive control subsystem.

How is anyone who is not at least upper middle class supposed to thrive in this ecosystem?

 

[HexagonRuler]

Or a freaking spare. This is a new problem endemic to EVs. None of them come with spare tires, and it's absolutely nuts.

I have heard that it is a legal requirement in Italy to carry a spare tire, so if you chose a car that is also available in that country then it should at least have a space for a spare.

 

[ryanja]

Another stupid trend. I refuse to buy a vehicle that doesn't have at least some kind of spare tire. And that fix-a-flat foam crap doesn't count.

It does if you want to make lifelong enemies of your local tire shop.

(seriously folks, learn to use sticky rope)

 

[Legatum_of_Kain]

One problem is that you just can’t swap for smaller tires if your model is only set up for a certain size range, since the suspension is tuned for that, as well as the steering and braking systems.

It’s terrible.

 

[Snark218]

Heh, this just came up in the other thread.

The problem is, a lot of modern cars are tall and bulky and have long, tall front ends. Big wheels and tires go a long way to bringing those proportions back to something pleasing and sporty. Putting small wheels and tires on many modern cars would make them look like roller skates. Smaller wheels and fat tires are an underrated combo, though, especially if you like Safari All the Things.

I think the solution, if you're feeling strongly about this, is to sell the wheels and tires - which you can do for $500-700 a corner, easy - and buy what you want aftermarket. But do check TireRack and their visualizer tool, because your car might look....a little different than it does with big wheels.

 

[Baumi]

Or a freaking spare. This is a new problem endemic to EVs. None of them come with spare tires, and it's absolutely nuts.

Is there any sensible reason for this? I can understand the logic that heavy batteries might need strong brakes which would require big wheels, but surely there should be a place to store a spare wheel somewhere, even it’s just a kind of emergency replacement.

 

[clackerd]

They need to bring these bad boys back.

View attachment 61015

I would rock the hell out of some 15" whitewalls on my Ioniq5 (if they fit around the brakes anyway)

 

[Ed1024]

I downgraded the 21” wheels that were standard on my car and now have a better riding, better handling, lighter and more economical vehicle that is much more pleasant to drive and runs cheaper tyres! All positive and the aftermarket rims look more subtle than the originals.

The embiggification of wheels has to DIAF; Mr Gitlin is 100% correct. Where I live (UK) the roads are in such poor condition that you need as much sidewall as you can get for a smoother journey and less chance of buckling the rim...

 

[pavon]

Yes! You shouldn't need an SUV to drive on a reasonably maintained gravel road, but this trend of huge wheels and thin tires is horrible in rural areas.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

Or a freaking spare. This is a new problem endemic to EVs. None of them come with spare tires, and it's absolutely nuts.

And the reason none of them come with a spare is because the spare would be too large and heavy to package efficiently without losing battery or cargo volume.

 

[Quasius]

Is this like the phone trend of making them thinner and thinner until simply sitting down with them in your pocket bent them, but applied to cars? (i.e. weird and arbitrary aesthetics that seem to be as much about marketing feedback loops as they are actual consumer choice- making the end product worse.)

 

[TreeCatKnight]

I knew the car and trim level the instant I saw the first picture!

I recently purchased an Ioniq 5, and went with the mid level trim partly to avoid the larger (and uglier) wheels.

Someday logic will prevail in OEM wheel and tire design choices, but unfortunately today is not that day.

 

[SrJTX]

So. Much. Yes.

Swapped my Tesla M3P 20" wheels to 18" (which barely clear the brakes), The ride is so so so much better. You can still buy sticky tires (actually went up 10mm on width).

One impact bubble on the expensive 20" tires was enough. I just wish manufacturers would offer the option, even if there is no discount.

 

[Jackattak]

I have a hobby sport compact that I’m putting 13s on actually. Gonna look like roller skates when I’m done.

The electrics I thought would be better on smaller wheels anyway? Why are they even using that large of a wheel?

 

[davey_w]

I still drive a 2009 335D BMW and keep a doughnut spare in the trunk. I bought a jack at the same time but have now AAA and gave it away.

 

[Naughty Bits]

You had me at ‘no spare’. No way.

 

[Random_stranger]

I downsized my Stinger from 19" to 18" for my aftermarket wheels to get some larger sidewalls..
(also went from 225/255 staggered to 245/285 staggered).

 

[ERIFNOMI]

Is there any sensible reason for this? I can understand the logic that heavy batteries might need strong brakes which would require big wheels, but surely there should be a place to store a spare wheel somewhere, even it’s just a kind of emergency replacement.

Weight savings.

E: and if you want a fullsize spare, forget it. With modern wheels and tires, a spare means you have no trunk. I had to take one of the rears from my Mustang to get repaired because I picked up a roofing nail somewhere. It took up damn near the whole trunk of our Mach-E. And that's a pretty big cargo area. I can't imagine asking someone to figure out how to package that under the floor.

 

[Fabermetrics]

You forgot to mention the cosmetic cost of this large greeting surface for any and all friendly curbs and barriers. Hard to find a single large wheeled car in the lot that isnt scarred like a whale in a shipping lane. I assume part of this trend is the SUV driver's belief if they cant see something surely they can drive over it, but to be fair we all make mistakes.

 

[khawkins98]

Is there any sensible reason for this? I can understand the logic that heavy batteries might need strong brakes which would require big wheels, but surely there should be a place to store a spare wheel somewhere, even it’s just a kind of emergency replacement.

Argument against spares is that they add weight to the vehicle, are an additional cost, bulk, and are sometimes so rarely used that by the time you need it, it may not be road worthy.

Not sure how it holds up in reality, but that's thinking.

 

[barich]

It's definitely frustrating. I'd like a higher trim level vehicle for various features, but you're forced to take the bigger wheels and associated range and efficiency cuts that come with them. It's stupid. Especially on vehicles like the Prius where the efficiency is the entire point.

 

[ChosenName]

A few years ago I decided to get a set of winter tyres for my car. After some investigation, and taking into account that it costs c.£10 to change and balance a single tyre, I ended up with a set of 215/60R16s on steel wheels, very close in rolling circumference to the 235/45R18s on its alloys. The ride is noticeably quieter and I get better fuel consumption with the winter set on than I do when the summer set is on.

 

[roman]

$700? Come on. I had a leaking tire on my 2023 Ioniq 5 recently, and Les Schwab quoted me $214 for a replacement tire. Fortunately, it was fixable, but it sure wasn't going to be $700.

Sidewall damage typically isn't patchable. As for the rest... that's typical of "dealer service" pricing.

 

[citizencoyote]

$700? Come on. I had a leaking tire on my 2023 Ioniq 5 recently, and Les Schwab quoted me $214 for a replacement tire. Fortunately, it was fixable, but it sure wasn't going to be $700.

He had to go to the dealer, so this is obviously how they plan on making up for the loss of income on service centers for ICE vehicles.

 

[GenericAnimeBoy]

If there's one thing in the styling of my ID4 that seems weird it's the choice to go with 19" wheels. Like, I get that it's a 4700lb vehicle, and that is a lot of weight, but it just seems a bit unnecessary, proportionally speaking. I'm sure there's a reason they go that direction but I get the sense it's more to do with style.

The lack of an included spare can be solved for under $500, but it's pretty galling that it isn't OEM on a vehicle with an MSRP over $40k.