Are you an off-road fan? Then you understand the importance of having good ground clearance to get over any obstacles that stand in your way. Getting bigger tires is an excellent way for many truck enthusiasts to add height to their SUVs.
4x4s with massive tires have become a symbol for rough terrain adventures. You might also notice that some smaller cars have also picked up the trend. However, we cannot help but ask, is bigger always better?
Upgrading your stock tires to bigger ones can work great for your truck. However, there are a few disadvantages to adding bigger tires to your SUV. It is always essential to research what kind of tires fit your vehicle and how they affect performance.
Why Should You Get Bigger Tires for Your Truck?
Upsizing your tires is a good idea for many people looking to crawl over rocks. There are a variety of aftermarket wheels and tires that can help you get over obstacles quicker during your trip. Assuming you have done your research, let us look at some advantages of larger tires for your truck.
Increased Ground Clearance
You do not always need to get a lift kit for your SUV. Larger tires are an excellent way to increase your car’s ground clearance for a wilderness excursion.
Upgrading to bigger tires increases the height of your truck for better ground clearance. With a higher ground clearance, you are guaranteed that the underside of your SUV is protected from rocks or logs that might damage it.
Improved Grip and Traction
Secondly, bigger tires offer a better grip on the road. Tires are the only contact of your car to the pavement. That being said, huger tires provide more surface area for better contact.
In addition, larger tires are also heavier and have deeper threads. By upsizing your wheels and tires, the 4×4 has better traction on rough terrain, making it sturdier for an enhanced driving experience.
Improved Off-Roading Experience
You are assured of tackling rough terrain with higher clearance and traction. Bigger tires make it easier to go over logs or crawl over rocks on your track.
In addition, the upsized tires also add to the weight of the SUV. This gives you a better grip and traction on snow or muddy terrain.
Improved Water Fording
Getting into a few puddles along your trip should not be a problem. Though water fording is not recommended, upsizing your tires will give you a fighting chance.
Bigger tires add to the height of your truck, making it easy to drive through streams and other shallow waters. With a higher clearance, you are assured that water will not get lodged into the exhaust or under the hood.
In addition, the added weight and huger threads in your tires make it easy to displace water and prevent hydroplaning.
Better Aesthetics
Big wheels and tires always look better. If you want to give your truck an easily recognizable personality, you should probably upsize your tires.
Larger tires give your SUV an intimidating and aggressive look. It might be why bigger wheels and tires are popular among off-road enthusiasts. They make the truck stand out with their beast mode vibe.
Are There Any Effects of Large Tires on Performance?
Like any other car component, you should know that upsizing your tires has some effects on the overall performance of your truck. Stock products in your SUV are manufactured and assembled to optimize your vehicle’s performance. However, any upgrade to your 4×4 tires might lower its performance without proper research.
Here are some of the cons of upsizing your tires:
Slower Acceleration and Steering
One of the changes you might notice is reduced acceleration in your truck. This happens due to the increased weight of the tires. Your engine will need more force to make the tires roll along the road.
Furthermore, upsizing your tires also reduces the SUV’s handling. The larger tires rotate a longer distance making it harder to take tight turns. The wheels and tires also need more braking torque to stop the car.
Thirdly, larger tires might limit your truck’s steering angle. If your upsized tires do not fit into the wheel well, it can negatively affect the maximum angle you can steer.
Lower Fuel Economy
With bigger tires, you can always expect to have reduced fuel economy. As we saw before, bigger tires are heavier. In addition, though the wheels offer better traction, their large surface area increases the friction on the road.
Your truck’s engine needs more torque to push the extra weight and get them rolling. In addition, you also need to use more braking power, which can cause additional strain. This will upset the fuel consumption of your SUV, leading to lower fuel economy.
Quicker Tire Wear
Thirdly, you might also notice that larger tires wear out more quickly than stock tires. This mostly happens on the inside of your tires near the sidewall.
Heavier steering and your tire rubbing against the wheel well and body panel can cause friction leading to quicker tire wear. In addition, having mismatched wheels and tires on your 4×4 can also increase the chances of your tires getting worn out quickly.
Error In Speedometer Readings
After upsizing to larger wheels, you might also notice that your truck’s speedometer reads slower than before. The reason this happens is due to calibrations on your speedometer.
Your speedometer measures the speed of your truck based on the revolutions of your tires on the road. These calibrations are set for the stock tires for your car.
However, getting bigger wheels means the tire travels a larger distance, throwing your calibrations off.
Taking your 4×4 for a speedometer recalibration is always recommended to match the new wheels.
Safety Warning Lights System
Lastly, your truck’s safety system can also register errors after installing bigger tires. You might notice your ABS, traction control, and EBD light warning are on while driving.
The system is calibrated for stock or standard wheels and tires. With the extra weight of the larger tires, the system may fail to respond accurately, causing the warning lights to turn on.
Always get tires and wheels close to the stock set to prevent any errors in the system.
