Why does your car look higher with 17" wheels than 16's?
09-12-2006, 03:41 PM
#1
Why does your car look higher with 17" wheels than 16's? Factory wheels and tires of course. Car's on 17's look like 4x4's and the 16's look like they have less fender gap. With the lower profile of the 275/40 tire the tires are almost the same size. (245/50-16 vs 275/40-16)
09-12-2006, 10:15 PM
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I think it's because there is less tire there. When you upgrade to bigger rims you whant to keep the overall size of the wheel(rim and tire) the same as stock, therefore you use a tire with a smaller profile, in other words a shorter sidewall. This smaller sidewall is probably what gives the illusion that there is a bigger gap between the wheels and fenders, when in reality it's probably not much different than stock.
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09-13-2006, 11:44 PM
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Originally Posted by B.W.
Factory wheels and tires of course. Car's on 17's look like 4x4's and the 16's look like they have less fender gap. With the lower profile of the 275/40 tire the tires are almost the same size. (245/50-16 vs 275/40-16)
Can you tell me where to find a Nice Set of Tires to fit on 16's tho?? in that SIze??
I have allrdy Looked and could not Find was stuck going with a 245/50-16 From a Nitto
09-14-2006, 09:33 PM
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It's just an illusion. The more black sidewall from a 16 blends into the fenderwell more making the gap less apparant. When you put a larger wheel on with a smaller sidewall there's less black tire and more shiny wheel so it looks even higher. I run 16's for drag wheels and the gap doesn't actually change...it just looks that way.
09-17-2006, 07:05 PM
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Your car is higher with 17" wheels than 16" wheels if you have equal sidewalls. 1/2" higher off the ground to be exact and will have 1/2" less fender gap.
With a 50mm sidewall, your car will be 5mm higher off the ground and will have 5mm less fender gap than with a 40mm sidewall.
With a 50mm sidewall, your car will be 5mm higher off the ground and will have 5mm less fender gap than with a 40mm sidewall.
09-17-2006, 08:32 PM
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Originally Posted by B.W.
Why does your car look higher with 17" wheels than 16's?
09-17-2006, 08:59 PM
#14
Originally Posted by BlackHawk T/A
Because it is. Ever wonder why cars sit so high on 24's? Because they are 24" tall! Simple.
most people running 24"s have to lift the car suspension wise to clear them. as long as the OD's the same, its no difference. we went from 17's to 20's on our suburban, keeping the OD within .25" and the speedo's the same, as well as the ride height.
09-18-2006, 05:02 AM
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And on those 24's (which I just threw in there for comparison) you have 12 inches in every direction from the center of the wheel. On a 17" wheel, you have 8.5" from center. Any vehicle without a change in tire height will have a change in ride height.
09-18-2006, 02:11 PM
#16
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The side wall is not as tall on 17" rims vs a 16". So, there is less side wall flex. They will sit a little higher when the car is setting still. Running... they should be about the same.
