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-   -   Pros & Cons of low profile tyres? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-alloy-wheel-section/1730-pros-cons-low-profile-tyres.html)

Can somebody please post pros & cons of using low profile tyres for a car?

How much more do they cost compared to the regular stock tyres?

Pros - looks good, excellent grip and responsiveness due to stiffer side walls
Cons - bumpier ride, sidewall/ rims more prone to bending on rough roads

And more expensive than stock supply

Well Ajmat and Rudra have pretty much covered everything.

Only other negative i can think of adding is that when you have a car with VERY low profile tires and leave it standing for a long period of time the tires develop "Heel and Toe" (?). Which basically means they slightly deform, getting flatter on the side making contact to the ground.

If you ever see cars with low-pro tires parked in storage for a couple of months or so they are genereally jacked up off the ground, one of the reasons may be to prevent this from happening.

Im talking about really low profile tires here, a 1" or 2" upsize will not raise this issue.

cya
R

ps - also, another negative - the fact that the tires have less cushioning also puts a strain on your suspension and their mountings. In the relation of, the less the sidewall height = the less the cushioning, therefore, the more the strain on suspension.

Here are some more points - (Keep in mind that the magnitude to which they have an affect greatly depends on how low profile the tire is)

Firstly, by definition, a low profile tire is a tire with a sidewall height of 70% or less of the tread width.

Additional Pros
They generally have a lower rolling resistance
They have superior sidewall stability under braking (eg. mistu lancer with stock "high profile" tires, everyone complains about the car wandering a bit under hard braking)

Additional Cons
Correct tire pressure is more critical
Lower load carrying capacity per tire (unless i've got it backwards!)
Less progressive breakaway

cya
R

Please explain this !

Hey Tarun,

Breakaway, simply put is when a tire spins rapidly, loosing traction. (Im not a 100% sure if the term breakaway can be used to define the loss of lateral traction etc.)

So less progressive breakaway is a negative because low profile tires tend to breakaway more suddenly, giving you less of a warning when you are loosing traction.

cya
R

are the low profile tyres more prone to puntures on indian roads?

I cant really think of a solid reason as to why they should be more prone to punctures....(than the same tire in a higher profile)

R

Tom, the profile of a tyre will have nothing to do with punctures. A puncture is simply an external object piercing the tyre causing a leak of air. Whether the tyre is a low pro one or not would not make a difference to that nail in the road.

However, low pro's are more susceptible to sidewall damage, if thats what you meant.

Rt

the biggest disadvantage of low pro tyres on indian roads is they make the rims bend and the ride harsh,and most of the indian cars doesnt have enuff grunt to utilise the cornering advantages provided by low pro tyres,

I dont really agree with that statement, as "grunt"/power has little to do with maximizing the utilization of low profile tires while cornering....

cya
R

so r u mean to say, if i put 20incher's on my safari along with low pro tyres, my cornering will be better?

Yep,
Your car will hold the line through the corner better....however your ride quality will be pathetic!!

I looked all over for this diagram i had seen on some site explaining this but i cldnt find it...!..will keep looking and post it if i find it...

cya
R

here's a nice link on vehicle dynamics. might be helpful:
Physics Of Automobile Handling