How to choose tires for rims?

Buying new tires? Do you want to choose wider tires for the rim? Don't know what tires will fit your rims? Learn the basic rules for choosing tires for rims.

Every driver needs to buy a new set of tires from time to time. Sometimes these can be tires for winter driving or a model with a lowered profile. So how do you check if they will fit the rims you already have? It's not difficult. It is enough to learn the basic rules of connecting rims with tires to be able to check for yourself what will match what. So, learn some important information that will allow you to avoid mistakes and assemble a reliable rim and tire set that will work in your car.

The choice of tire and rim is a very important matter and you should approach it with the right knowledge, without which you can make the wrong choice, resulting in serious consequences for your car and your safety.

Does every tire fit the rim?

You must remember that the rim and tire are a set that must be properly matched to work well together. The tire should be designed to operate with a rim of the specified diameter in inches. When adjusting the width, there is some margin to move around. However, the best solution is to use tires recommended by the car manufacturer.

If you're changing both tires and rims on your car, remember that you can't change the overall diameter of the wheels by more than 2 percent for minus or more than 1.5 percent for plus . Cars are designed within these limits and exceeding them can result in many problems.

What to consider when choosing tires for rims?

When choosing tires for rims, you should first of all be guided by whether they are designed to work with this rim size. The next task is to match the width of the tire to the rim. Matching widths are listed in the table in the next paragraph. In many cases it is possible to exceed the given range, but it is not recommended for many reasons listed below.

Be sure to choose tires from reputable manufacturers. They guarantee proper operation for a long time. For example, great Goodyear tyres.

Don't forget about other equally important tire parameters. Too low values of the load index or speed index can be very dangerous. If the tires are too weak for your car, apart from their faster wear, there may also be an unexpected failure while driving. And such a failure is a straight road to a very serious accident in which you, your loved ones and completely random people can suffer. Safety is the most important thing and you cannot give it up for financial or other reasons.

How to choose the right tire size for the rim?

Each tire is very clearly marked with the appropriate parameters. These are numbers and letters denoting specific dimensions. An example of a tire designation is:

215/55 R16 91V

where:

• 215 – tire width in millimeters;
• 55 – profile – height of the sidewall as a percentage of the width;
• R - radial construction, in agricultural machines it is also sometimes D - diagonal;
• 16 – the diameter of the rim to which the tire fits;
• 91 – load index;
• V – speed index.

You can find the appropriate notation in many places in the car's manual, on the driver's door pillar, in the glove box and on the filler flap. Of course, this applies to a car with original rims, if someone has already replaced them, you need to check the markings on the rim.

How to choose tires for rims in Poland? The same as everywhere, using the appropriate size tables. These can be, for example, Kormoran tires from a Polish manufacturer. When choosing a tire for rims, the most important thing is the rim diameter indicated on the tire to which it fits. The table below shows the tire widths that match the rims. Choosing a tire for a rim - calculator:

By checking the table, you can be sure that you have chosen the right tire size for the rim.

Wrong tires - consequences

Ill-fitting tires can have a number of very unpleasant consequences, of which premature wear is the most common. And it is the least dangerous of the consequences of the wrong choice of tire for the rim. The risks posed by a wrongly selected tire include:

• accelerated tire wear;
• degraded performance of ABS and ESP systems;
• reduce adhesion;
• less driving experience.

That's why tire-rim matching is so important to avoid these negative effects. A wrong choice changes what has been checked by the engineers of the company producing the car model and may result in such consequences.

Too wide a tire for a rim is a common mistake, but also intentional by some people. Wider tires have many advantages, such as better handling, better grip and shorter braking distances. Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages of this solution, i.e. higher fuel consumption, higher volume, possible problems in large ruts. So if you fit within the tolerance (given in the table above), you can put on wider tires, if not, you should change the rims together with the tires. However, if you put a tire that is too wide on the rim, this can significantly reduce (for example) the drainage of water through the grooves located on the sides of the tire. In this way, you expose yourself to the very dangerous phenomenon of aquaplaning, i.e. "running into water" and complete loss of control over the vehicle.

Some tuned cars have so-called stretch tires. This involves the use of a tire much narrower than the rim. Here it is only about the interesting, according to some people, appearance of such a solution. However, driving on such tires is dangerous, as they can jump off the rim and lead to a dangerous situation.

The comfort of driving on such tires is also significantly reduced. The tire then loses its semi-circular shape, which will cause uneven wear of its tread and a much faster need to replace such a tire. The width of the tire to the rim should be selected carefully and as close as possible to the recommended value.

If you are looking for tires for your car, check out the renowned Bridgestone tyres. If you also want to replace the rims or buy a second set to change with winter tires, also choose the appropriate alloy rims for your car. A second set of tires with rims is a common solution. Storing a complete wheel takes up no more space, and changing wheels is quicker than changing whole tyres. Frequent or incompetent removal of the tire from the rim can lead to damage to both of these elements.

Also remember that according to Polish law, the rim cannot protrude beyond the outline of the car. For such a modification, you can pay a heavy fine and lose your registration certificate. Each car manufacturer also provides the depth of the wheel arch, which directly determines the maximum size of the wheel that will fit in such a wheel arch when turning. The rubbing of the tire against the wheel arch in any position will lead to rapid destruction of the tyre.