The type of tires that you choose for your vehicle will affect its performance. You need to choose the right tires so that you get the reliable grip that you need while braking, turning, and driving. In order to stay safe on the road, you’ve got to regularly change your tires. Today, I’ll reveal what you need to know about changing tire size on the same rim.
After all, being able to change the tire size without having to get new rims would be an advantage. But is it possible?
Let’s get into it!
Key Takeaways
- Your tires must have the same internal diameter as your rims
- Find out the manufacturer specifications for tire you want to put on your car
- Only use tires that are appropriate for your vehicle type
Can I Change Tire Size on the Same Rims?
It is possible to change the size of your tires while sticking to the same rims.
There is one caveat, though: The rims and tires must still have the same internal diameter. Tires have flexibility, so even if their height or width varies, they may still work with your existing rims.
Always check the manufacturer’s specifications when choosing tires to make sure you get the ones that not only fit your rims but will work for your car.
Make sure you understand how tire specifications work. You’ll need that knowledge in order to choose the right tires for your rims and your vehicle.
All tire manufactures in the United States have systems to inform you about size and other important information.
Does the Internal Diameter of the Tire Match the Rim?
As I talked about earlier, it’s sometimes possible to have a different size tire with your existing rims. However, the diameter of the inside edge of the tire must match the diameter of the rims.
However, the width of the tires doesn’t have to precisely match the width of the rims.
You need to understand tire sizing and how to read tire size information.
It can get confusing, but there are three main measurements that you will need to consider when it comes to reading tire size.
The first is going to be in millimeters, the second one is recognized as a percentage, and then the last one should be read in inches.
Once you can figure these numbers out, you will find it is easier to know what you are looking for.
How to Read Tire Sizes?
Take a look at the side of a tire and you’ll notice certain numbers. An example of how this is going to look could be something like P250/55R17.
To make things more complicated, the width of the tire will be done in millimeters while the rim will be done in inches.
So, you may need to do some conversions to help get this done. But what do all of these numbers mean?
The P
The P will mean that this is a tire designed for a passenger vehicle. Some manufacturers will skip using this at all.
The First Number
The first number represents the width of the tire. Read this number as millimeters.
Second Number (After a Slash)
There will be a slash and then a second number for you to look at. This is known as the aspect ratio and will refer to the highness of the sidewalls.
This is represented in a percentage based on the width.
A Letter
You will then see a letter. This is often R, which stands for Radial.
This will tell you how the tire is constructed, and most of the tires you’re likely to purchase have that R.
Final Number
The final number refers to the inside diameter. This will be measured out in inches.
When you are checking to see whether it will match up with the rims that you have, you will need to make sure that the last number on the tire matches up with the dimensions that are on the rims.
You will have a bit of flexibility when it comes to the other numbers that are found on the tire.
Things to Consider Before Changing Your Tire Size
There are a few things to consider before you get a new tire size.
While a wider tire could provide you with more contact to the road and some better handling, you must be careful not to go overboard or you won’t be happy with the performance.
Two major factors to consider when you want to change the size of your tires are:
- The wheel well
- That size affects performance
Let’s take a detailed look at these considerations.
The Wheel Well
Take the time to be mindful of the amount of room the tires have in the wheel well. Tires need some room to spin, jostle around a bit and even turn.
You also want to save room to make sure the tires won’t rub against the metal that is found in the wheel or your brakes.
That Size Affects the Performance
Wider tires are able to help increase friction, which means there will be less fuel efficiency and more noise on the road.
Changing the diameter on the outside of the tires can also affect the way that the transmission works, while also throwing off the odometer and the speedometer.
Talk to a mechanic and ask which tire size is best for your vehicle and rims. Once you know what you need, you can look at what online retailers have available.
Reasons Why Drivers Change Tire Size
There are many reasons drivers may choose to change the tire size on their vehicle.
The biggest reason is that they want more performance when they drive. Your tires are meant to create four places of contact with the ground.
The larger these contact points, the more grip you can get out of your tires when you turn, accelerate, or brake.
There are two major ways that you can help expand these contact patches, including:
Increase the Tire’s Outside Diameter
Increase the outside diameter of the tires to help make the patches longer. This can be done with an increase to your aspect ratio.
Consider a Slightly Wider Tire
Find a tire that is slightly wider, helping to increase the contact with the ground more. Make sure it’s still compatible with your vehicle and rims, though.
Some drivers will also pick a different tire because they like the way that it looks with their vehicle. Larger tires can sometimes be more appealing.
Depending on the type of vehicle that you have, you may find that larger tires are going to help fill up the area between the wheel wells and the axle more. Some drivers think this makes their vehicle look more stylish.
Overly narrow tires tend to make things look unattractive and cheap.
And finally, you may choose to change out your tires to get better handling. This is when you will want to go with a smaller tire.
You may find that this is more common when you want to install your snow tires in the winter.
When you have a lot of heavy snow all around you, the smaller tires will make less contact with the snow. This lets you slice through it and avoid issues with hydroplaning on wet roads.
Effects of Changing Tire Size
There are different things that happen when you change the size of the tire you use on your vehicle.
The exact effects will depend on what type of tire you go with.
Taller Tires
You may choose to have taller tires put on the vehicle than the original ones.
When you choose to do that, you will have the benefit of a much smoothly ride, can enhance the clearance you have with the ground to avoid issues, and will even reduces the gap that occurs between the fender wells.
There are some drawbacks to choosing this type of tire though. It can make the ride worse on the pavement, the taller tires are not good for your stopping power, and you will see a decrease in the amount of torque when driving.
Wider Tires
You can also choose to put wider tires on your vehicle as well.
These can provide you with more of the lateral grip that you want and even more grip when you need to do some of those hard brakes while driving.
They also provide less roll when you are on corners and the low-profile appearance can be aesthetically pleasing to many drivers.
However, these wider tires are going to make your drive noisier.
Also, you’ll have a reduced turning radius overall, and you may deal with a higher resistance to rolling. That means you end up using more gas, reducing your fuel efficiency.
When Should I Replace My Tires?
The best time to find new tires to fit with your rims is when your old tires are wearing out. Don’t wait too long, as you don’t want to rush the decision.
You may find tire lifespan varies depending on how much you drive and how well you maintain your tires.
Most tire manufacturers say you shouldn’t use tires that are older than six years old. This is true even if the tires have never been used.
However, your tires will obviously wear out more quickly the more driving you do. There are other factors that impact how long your tires will last.
Here’s TireTim’s list of factors that may shorten your tire life:
- Aggressive driving
- Where there are pinholes in the tires
- Where you chose to drive the tires
- How the tires were stored
- What kinds of temperatures the tires were exposed to
Does the Size of the Tire Really Matter?
Yes, tire size is important. You must make sure your tire size is appropriate for the vehicle and fits the rims.
If you choose to go with a large tire, you’ll be able to cover more surface area on the road and get more grip.
But you may give up some of the performance that you would like in the process.
While the tire size does matter, you may then wonder whether the wheel size will matter and the answer to that is, it depends.
Tires and wheels are not interchangeable words here. The tires will be just part of the setup for the wheel.
As I mentioned earlier, rim size is crucial.
If you’re determined to get tires that don’t match your rims, you’ll have to get new rims.
Final Thoughts: Changing Tire Size on Same Rim
You will be able to change the size of your tires while keeping the same rims, as long as the tires match your vehicle and your rims.
Consider some of the other features and then look at the tips above to make sure that you get tires that match your rims and that enhance your ride.