Rubber or Rim?

herculesksp · 16th December 2006, 21:49

I had a certain thought in mind and I wanted to know how the rest of the auto community feels about it.

Of late I have been seeing a lot of Tata pickups around Bangalore. Not that the number has changed but I am paying a lot more and closer attention to detail these days. And, the first thing that grabs my attention when I see the pickup are those humongous front tyres. The tyres are nothing special, just 16" rims and fat rubber.

I have read in so many places that alloys improve the look of the car and one would prefer more rim and less rubber to show off and make that impact in the looks department. In fact 99% of those who upgrade to alloys do so only for the looks and not for any other advantage that alloys might offer. Of course I do agree that alloys improve the looks of a car and tend to give that certain character to the car. Not to mention the uniqueness that it provides.

But I for one love seeing more rubber that rim. I just love to see a car with fat rubber and showing off that gleaming black around shining rims. I dont know how many of you feel this way but I think thats what gives the vehicle character. I have seen pics of swifts with 17" rims and thin tyres and I feel it looks skinny. Much like those models that walk the ramp. No stuff and just hype, they look so skinny and weak. The same goes with cars. I feel that a decent sized alloy should do good and the rest should be taken up by the tyres. Nice wide "phat" tyres with a moderately large sized sidewall. Thats what has been giving jeeps their character and that what will give any car its character.

What do the rest of you think?

PS: Mods, kindly do the needful if this is in the wrong section. Sorry for the trouble.

theMAG · 16th December 2006, 22:18

Interesting PoV. Big tyres look good on big vehicles. Put an 85 profile tyre on a 1 ton personal car, and while the ride is ultra-lux, it would resemble a sprint runner with gum boots. Larger vehicles like SUVs, pikups etc look surefooted with high-profile rubber; and in many cases with snazzy alloys too

hydrashok · 16th December 2006, 22:33

The muscle cars of yore (well, ok the '50s) used to follow mostly this concept. Fat donuts, lesser rim.

Personally I'm the more-rim-less-tyre kind of guy. But not when this goes overboard. Some of the bling machines we see in shows (usually SUVs with 22" rims with real thin rubber) do look overdone to me, in the alloy dept.

Vid6639 · 16th December 2006, 22:38

Yeah until a point the more rubber works but after that bling and overdone. I changed my lancer tyres to a higher profile on stock 14"rims and found that the car looked much better than the previous lower profile rubber.
If you really go low with the profile and put huge rims you have to remember the car will look good with a body kit and not on the stock exteriors.

sreenivass · 17th December 2006, 00:05

Interesting topic,

I agree with you that oversized wheels with skinny rubber looks terrible, but it changes based on taste. To me Amby, Jeep, Qualis, Most of Maruti stock wheel/ tire combination looks terrible. The tires look very thin and I am not sure if they help braking well.
The stock tires of Accent Viva, Petra seem to look pretty good and well balanced. Infact Accent viva's 185/60/R14 on that car seems to be giving better look than 175/65R14 on my Petra.
Its probably the combination of car size/ shape and tire combination that gives them look as well as required safety.

Its like a thin guy with strong legs or a heavy guy with thin legs, where is the balance may be more of personal choice/ taste.

BTW I read some where wider tires offer batter lateral stability to the vehice.

WasavaTyres · 17th December 2006, 17:10

Rubber anyday

only thing keeping you glued when u zip thru those corners skidding sideways

elf · 17th December 2006, 18:34

Hate the showcars with >40 series rubber. Don't much care for the Indian cars with higher profile skinny rubber for cost savings. Methinks a well balanced mix (45 - 60 series) is great for everyday conditions & rides.

Buffetfan · 17th December 2006, 22:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

Rubber anyday

only thing keeping you glued when u zip thru those corners skidding sideways

what was that..a low profile will help you better when you corner sideways...less sidewall flex..

Personally.. to me..any profile <50 looks overdone... and profiles between 50 to 65 is what looks best...
beyound 65..(which to me is the ideal tyre/rim ratio)..the wheels again look bad to me and seem to have too much rubber on them..

guess it is all personal choices

esteem_lover · 17th December 2006, 23:42

the sign of the times, i guess, but the skinny flat tyres do really look dull & boring. i prefer the rim to be slightly bigger & the tyre to reduce just that little bit to accomodate the lost radius.

16th December 2006, 21:49	#1
herculesksp BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 373 Thanked: 241 Times	Rubber or Rim? I had a certain thought in mind and I wanted to know how the rest of the auto community feels about it. Of late I have been seeing a lot of Tata pickups around Bangalore. Not that the number has changed but I am paying a lot more and closer attention to detail these days. And, the first thing that grabs my attention when I see the pickup are those humongous front tyres. The tyres are nothing special, just 16" rims and fat rubber. I have read in so many places that alloys improve the look of the car and one would prefer more rim and less rubber to show off and make that impact in the looks department. In fact 99% of those who upgrade to alloys do so only for the looks and not for any other advantage that alloys might offer. Of course I do agree that alloys improve the looks of a car and tend to give that certain character to the car. Not to mention the uniqueness that it provides. But I for one love seeing more rubber that rim. I just love to see a car with fat rubber and showing off that gleaming black around shining rims. I dont know how many of you feel this way but I think thats what gives the vehicle character. I have seen pics of swifts with 17" rims and thin tyres and I feel it looks skinny. Much like those models that walk the ramp. No stuff and just hype, they look so skinny and weak. The same goes with cars. I feel that a decent sized alloy should do good and the rest should be taken up by the tyres. Nice wide "phat" tyres with a moderately large sized sidewall. Thats what has been giving jeeps their character and that what will give any car its character. What do the rest of you think? PS: Mods, kindly do the needful if this is in the wrong section. Sorry for the trouble.
	() Thanks

16th December 2006, 22:18	#2
theMAG Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Avon, CT Posts: 7,217 Thanked: 1,807 Times View My Garage	Interesting PoV. Big tyres look good on big vehicles. Put an 85 profile tyre on a 1 ton personal car, and while the ride is ultra-lux, it would resemble a sprint runner with gum boots. Larger vehicles like SUVs, pikups etc look surefooted with high-profile rubber; and in many cases with snazzy alloys too
	() Thanks

16th December 2006, 22:33	#3
hydrashok Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: In my Office Posts: 2,528 Thanked: 17 Times View My Garage	The muscle cars of yore (well, ok the '50s) used to follow mostly this concept. Fat donuts, lesser rim. Personally I'm the more-rim-less-tyre kind of guy. But not when this goes overboard. Some of the bling machines we see in shows (usually SUVs with 22" rims with real thin rubber) do look overdone to me, in the alloy dept.
	() Thanks

16th December 2006, 22:38	#4
Vid6639 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,728 Thanked: 43,463 Times View My Garage	Yeah until a point the more rubber works but after that bling and overdone. I changed my lancer tyres to a higher profile on stock 14"rims and found that the car looked much better than the previous lower profile rubber. If you really go low with the profile and put huge rims you have to remember the car will look good with a body kit and not on the stock exteriors.
	() Thanks

17th December 2006, 00:05	#5
sreenivass BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bangalore India Posts: 932 Thanked: 44 Times View My Garage	Interesting topic, I agree with you that oversized wheels with skinny rubber looks terrible, but it changes based on taste. To me Amby, Jeep, Qualis, Most of Maruti stock wheel/ tire combination looks terrible. The tires look very thin and I am not sure if they help braking well. The stock tires of Accent Viva, Petra seem to look pretty good and well balanced. Infact Accent viva's 185/60/R14 on that car seems to be giving better look than 175/65R14 on my Petra. Its probably the combination of car size/ shape and tire combination that gives them look as well as required safety. Its like a thin guy with strong legs or a heavy guy with thin legs, where is the balance may be more of personal choice/ taste. BTW I read some where wider tires offer batter lateral stability to the vehice.
	() Thanks

17th December 2006, 17:10	#6
WasavaTyres BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Indore Posts: 816 Thanked: 449 Times View My Garage	Rubber anyday only thing keeping you glued when u zip thru those corners skidding sideways
	() Thanks

17th December 2006, 18:34	#7
elf BANNED Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,039 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Hate the showcars with >40 series rubber. Don't much care for the Indian cars with higher profile skinny rubber for cost savings. Methinks a well balanced mix (45 - 60 series) is great for everyday conditions & rides.
	() Thanks

17th December 2006, 23:42	#9
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	the sign of the times, i guess, but the skinny flat tyres do really look dull & boring. i prefer the rim to be slightly bigger & the tyre to reduce just that little bit to accomodate the lost radius.
	() Thanks