13 inch versus 12 inch wheels for the ZEN

[raghuram.cg]

Hi everyone,
As the subject suggests, I want to know why Maruti reverted to the 12 inch wheels with the MPFI ZENs.
2)Where there any specific disadvantages ?
3)Is it safe to replace the 12 inch wheels with 13 inch wheels?

This may have been discussed on the forum already, if someone could direct me to that thread, it will be great.

Thanks in Advance

Raghu

[Mpower]

The 13 inchers were getting banged up due to the low profile tires. So they went to 12 with higher profile.

[karthik247]

12"ers means higher profile tyres means better ride.
13"ers means lower profile tyres means better handling.

So u do the math...

[Kaizer Sozay]

Hi i have upgraded to 13 inch tubeless tyres on my zen. Ride is great after that, not encountered any problems in the past year. Go in for tubeless tyres they are better

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by Mpower

The 13 inchers were getting banged up due to the low profile tires. So they went to 12 with higher profile.

Also the cost factor.....
12" rims - 400/-
13" rims - 600/-

[Ram]

Originally Posted by raghuram.cg

I want to know why Maruti reverted to the 12 inch wheels with the MPFI ZENs.
2)Were there any specific disadvantages ?
3)Is it safe to replace the 12 inch wheels with 13 inch wheels?
Raghu

Raghu, manufacturers do not make the typical Indian family saloon for the race track. They are made for normal city roads, with the occasional loose road metal of heterogenous sizes.

If we're lucky enough to only drive on mirror-flat roads (such as race-tracks and expressways), we can afford:

1. Very low ground clearance.
The lowering of center-of-gravity will benefit stability tremendously.

2. Very low profile, very wide tires.
With lower profile tires, we must use bigger wheels to maintain a sensible overall outer diameter(OD).

This will let us take corners at much higher speeds. And since the race-track is free of pebbles, it won't rattle our teeth and bones.

Ferraris, Maseratis and Aston Martins are made for the race track and race-track-quality roads. So they have low ground clearance, low profile Z-rated directional radials and huge alloys.

We see pictures of these cars, get "alloy-happy" and mindlessly equip our four-door economy saloons with "upsized" big alloys and low-profile wide tires. Just to match the looks. And then we suffer terribly rattly rides wondering why?

In fact, I've upgraded from the lower-profile (70%) tires Goodyear 145/70R12-69S on my Maruti 800, to the more comfortable, higher-profile (80%) tires MRF ZVTS 145/80R12-74S.

Positives:
The car now drives like a dream. The ride quality, absorption of noise, vibration and harshness is decidedly superior.
The rough and patchy roads of Pune, are less likely to ding and dent the wheel rims. I plan to change to 12" alloys next.
The ground clearance has gone up by 1.45 cm.
And the overall gearing is now 5.7% taller, so there will be better fuel economy.

And importantly, the bigger wheels don’t interfere with the wheel-wells, neither while steering nor while bouncing over a speed-bump. An initial concern which turned out to be a non-issue.

Negatives:
The overall diameter has increased from 507.8 mm to 536.8 mm. This means that the speedometer and odometer indicate readings 5.7% less than actual. When the speedo indicates 100 km/hr, the car is actually doing 105.7 km/hr.