Performance: Are Wider Tires Better?

Author: Jason / Date: August 9, 2022 / Tags: cornering

(RareCarMarket.com) – While some car enthusiasts just like their ride to look nice and turn heads, others are more about performance. Typically people associate performance with spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on upgrades to the car’s major components. The question is: can you upgrade performance with wider tires? 

The short answer is yes — and no. While a person may see their car’s performance improve in some aspects, they might see it decrease in others. One advantage to a wider-tire setup is better grip and traction. Drivers with wide tires will also see improvements in their vehicle’s ability to take corners. Additionally, wider tires will provide better braking capabilities due to their increased contact with the ground. Finally, wider tires can also make a vehicle look better — it’s not all about performance, after all. 

With those points in mind, there are also disadvantages to wide tires, including: 

• Decreased Fuel Efficiency
  
• Slower Acceleration
  
• Speedometer Errors
  
• Faster Tread Wear
  
• Cost

Wider tires typically cost more because they use more material to produce. More contact with the road means more wear and tear and more friction and weight, slowing the car down. More weight and friction equate to greater fuel consumption. 

Additionally, factories calibrate the car’s speedometers to the standard tire sizes, and using oversized tires may result in fault codes and errors. While placing wider tires in the rear of a vehicle has its perks, making all four tires wider can result in worse handling, making the car hard to steer and less responsive overall.

As with most modifications, it all comes down to personal preference and purpose — what you want to do with your car. Although it seems upsizing your tires, at least in the rear, could pay off, ultimately, the answer to whether wider tires are better remains in the eye of the beholder.

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