Tyre upgrade to increase ground clearance of my Honda CR-V

I'm clear on the 'hit' on handling/cornering. I do not use this car for fast driving / cornering. It's a cruiser to those remote resorts and I do not want to worry about ground clearance. I'm well aware that the CR-V is no off-roader, and we are talking soft-roading here.

BHPian noufal.ps recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi folks,

Background:

I recently acquired a pre-worshipped (a real one) 2014 Honda CR-V AWD. Everything is good with the car starting from the revs to ride comfort. However, I do have one specific concern where I'm seeking recommendations.

I'm evaluating upsizing the CR-V (2014 AWD) tyres to bump up some ground clearance (GC). Anyone has tried this in the past?

I'm clear on the 'hit' on handling/cornering. I do not use this car for fast driving / cornering. It's a cruiser to those remote resorts, and I do not want to worry about ground clearance. I'm well aware that the CR-V is no off-roader, and we are talking soft-roading here.

• Current wheel: 225/65/R17.
• Minor upgrade: 235/65/R17 - This gives 6mm uptake on GC, making it 176mm.
• Major upgrade: 255/65/R17 - 22mm uptake, and pretty good GC.

I have restricted wheel sizes to what is available in Bangalore.

My questions are around a major upgrade. Can the CR-V manage the height increase without suspension change? Can we accommodate 255 width?

Here's what BHPian IshaanIan had to say on the matter:

Coming from personal experience: Do not mess with tyre upsizing. When you say your car is pre "worshipped" is it simply clean? If it has logged many miles without a suspension overhaul, it might be what you need to ensure your car doesn't sag too much. Your car's suspension is designed assuming a certain mass, size and rolling characteristics of unsprung weight. If you alter this, your rebound and damping characteristics will go for a toss, unnecessary load might end up having to be borne by the chassis (the mounts and then the front aprons) and your car's "tight" feeling will slowly but surely evaporate. The better thing to do would be to change your suspension itself and look into aftermarket suspension kits for your car.

It is very simple when it comes to these things; don't cheap out. If you want to go over rough terrain, spend the time to fabricate skid plates, and buy yourself proper adjustable suspension.

Here's what BHPian Jaggu had to say on the matter:

I would say stick to stock or 235, 255 chance of fouling especially at rear are there, plus the amount of transmission bog with 5.6% increase in diameter and 12% increase in width is going to be substantial, and then the hit in fuel efficiency.

Thumb rule of upsize is stick to 3% variance in diameter, 235 65 17 is 1.8%. Use a tyre size comparison tool from here to figure out the changes.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.