Low Profile Tires - Not For Me

[George7941]

I have 245/70/17 tires on my Sierra. I miss the 235/85/16 that I had on my previous truck, a 1986 F250. The 235/16s were larger in diameter than the 245/17s.
Large diameter tires are good for hopping curbs, driving over snow banks in the winter and the wheels are much less likely to suffer damage from pot holes. I come across drivers slowing down to a crawl when going over pot holes where I have no concern over damage to my wheels.

I am paying, through my property taxes, for the claims drivers file for wheel damage caused by pot holes.

I realize low profile tires have their advantages- better handling, better car aerodynamics and space inside the wheels for larger brakes. For me the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

Current van (like the Transit) tires look puny to me. It looks out of proportion.

 

[bullwinkle]

LT tires NEED to be at least 75 series in my book! I'm amazed by the number of 4X4 pickups that appear to be running 50 & 60 low profile tires on alloys... A recipe for disaster!

 

[Chris142]

One of my neighbors put banana peel tires on her Civic. Those got all bent up in a matter of weeks.

 

[bullwinkle]

I have 245/70/17 tires on my Sierra. I miss the 235/85/16 that I had on my previous truck, a 1986 F250. The 235s were larger in diameter than the 245s.
Large diameter tires are good for hopping curbs, driving over snow banks in the winter and the wheels are much less likely to suffer damage from pot holes. I come across drivers slowing down to a crawl when going over pot holes where I have no concern over damage to my wheels.

I am paying, through my property taxes, for the claims drivers file for wheel damage caused by pot holes.

I realize low profile tires have their advantages- better handling and space inside the wheels for larger brakes. For me the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

Current van (like the Transit) tires look puny to me. It looks out of proportion.

I have put ~300K miles on 3 different Transit 250s running LT235/65R16C tires over the highway moonscape here in greater Cincinnati, I haven't had a wheel bend or blown a tire yet, though.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

oh, a big truck! Yeah, otherwise, 70 wouldn't be considered low-profile

I have 70-series tires on my car (which is much smaller than a Sierra!)

 

[JeffKeryk]

I hear some Tesla owners are swapping wheels down an inch (more?) and increasing tire sidewall. They claim to net 40+ mile range. And comfort. as the 1st gen 3/Y rode harder than some cared for.

 

[GaryMX5]

I guess it depends on the size of the PU and what you want to achieve. I have 70's on my Frontier and they're just fine for that truck. The profile is directly related to the aspect ratio and tire width. All the numbers (especially wheel diameter) need to work together to optimize sidewall height if that's the key goal.

 

[JunkdrawerDog]

Even for grocery getters, I always choose the trim level that offers the smaller rim diameter coupled with a taller sidewall. Generally better ride and cheaper replacement tires.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

With so many hybrids on the road the brakes are shrinking to getting bigger so that is not a concern?
Handling? Maybe theoretically if you are doing a track day, if its your daily driver? Not making any meaningful difference.

 

[jadmt]

LT tires NEED to be at least 75 series in my book! I'm amazed by the number of 4X4 pickups that appear to be running 50 & 60 low profile tires on alloys... A recipe for disaster!

I run a set of Pizza cutters ie 255/85-17 35x10's. most don't care for the look but they perform well under most conditions.

 

[Prison_Mike]

banana peel tires

I always heard them referred to as bacon skin tires lol

 

[MParr]

I wouldn't consider those as low profile tires.
I assume that you have a Sierra 1500. If so, that's a 1/2 ton truck. The F-250 is a 3/4 ton truck that came standard LT tires with an E load rate.

 

[George7941]

I wouldn't consider those as low profile tires.
I assume that you have a Sierra 1500. If so, that's a 1/2 ton truck. The F-250 is a 3/4 ton truck that came standard LT tires with an E load rate.

All you say is true. If GM had offered 235/85R16 ( not LT) as an option when I bought my truck, I would have picked it over the 245/70R17

 

[GaryMX5]

I always heard them referred to as bacon skin tires lol

AKA....... rubber band tires

 

[FZ1]

Even for grocery getters, I always choose the trim level that offers the smaller rim diameter coupled with a taller sidewall. Generally better ride and cheaper replacement tires.

Yep. That's why I bought the '17 Camry LE model. 65 vs. 55 on upper models. Lotsa pot holes down here.

 

[Fabulous50s]

I think it must be for looks that OEMs are going with larger and larger wheels and rubber band tires. It hurts fuel economy, but improves handling.

Suprising all the "economy cars" get 18+" wheels and 55-65 aspect ratio tires.

An economy car used to come with 12 or 13" wheels. Netting cheaper tire replacement and better ride/fuel economy. But that thinking is long gone by most it seems.

 

[JunkdrawerDog]

An economy car used to come with 12 or 13" wheels. Netting cheaper tire replacement and better ride/fuel economy. But that thinking is long gone by most it seems.

All of the econo cars my wife and I owned back then came with 13 inch wheels. One of the more popular sizes was 185/80 - 13. I remember buying a set of four tires, of that size, mounted and balanced for around $125. That would be $378 in today's money. That's pretty cheap.

 

[robbobster]

Both of my trucks (2015 Silverado, 2018 Suburban) came with 18s, with a factory option for 20s.

They both currently have 285/70-17, both ride like Caddys and I have no desire to increase wheel diameter on either of them.

 

[dogememe]

Don't get me started on the stupid 21" wheels that came on our Equinox EV. I had a whole saga with that trash and now it has 18" wheels off a Blazer lol.

 

[jmo42]

My 2024 Honda Accord Touring came from the factory with 19" wheels and 235/40R19 tires.

I lived with those for about a year a half before I finally had it with the bone-jarring bumps from potholes, road construction, and other imperfections in the road.

I downsized to 17" x 7.5" Enkei RPF1 wheels and 235/50R17 Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires at the end of last year and couldn't be happier. The ride quality difference is just night and day. It feels like my Accord is floating over bumps in the road now. When selecting new tire + wheel sizes, I carefully calculated the downsized tire diameter to only be a -0.15" difference, so impact on my speedometer accuracy is negligible.

It doesn't matter how good low profile tires supposedly look. I drive my car way more than I look at it, and low profile tires make for an unpleasant driving experience in my (not so) humble opinion.

As a bonus, I shaved off about 60 lbs total of unsprung weight by downsizing and going with super light RPF1 wheels. Not only is the suspension and acceleration/braking performance noticeably improved, but my trip meter has recorded a pretty consistent 1 - 2 mpg improvement over the past few months.

I'd downsize to 17s again in a heartbeat.