Do low profile tires give better grip

wizzer

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Sorry 3 questions about low profile tires.

Do low profile tires give better grip

Is it the lower the profile the better the grip or is there a limit.

Any drawbacks to low profile tires.
 
In general no, they don't. It can even be inferior to a taller tyre as the contact patch often ends up being wide and short. Not that tall tyres are better either - but a compromise has to be sought. Anything over 55-60 profile these days looks ridiculous to be honest.
 
On major drawback to low profile tires is, if you happen to hit a curb or a pot hole or something like that, even some rocks or nails depending on how you hit them, it can severly damage your rims. i personally like a nice 16 or 17 inch rim with at least 2 inches of tire, preferable more.
 
answer to all 3 mate, ive saw this on the garage- - discovery channel

do they offer better grip??
yes they do because they have less distortion than a normal tyre when conering

the lower the better but the limits are dont have them so low that the tyre looks like a sheet of paper

is there drawbacks???
there is because if you hit a pothole you can very easily buckle the alloy
plus they make the comfort of any car less comfortable
 
I agree that having less distortion can assist in reducing heat build up. But having too little is defeating the whole idea of a radial tyre - ie. that it CAN flex to allow maximal road contact area.
 
My personal opinion is that around 40 - 55 % (of width) is the best compromise in looks, handling & wheel saving ability.
Just ask yourself this what are the fastest cars.. F1 and do they have super low profiles? No, because tyre, suspension, shocks body strength they all play a part in the handling of your car.
My advice is go for the stickiest tires you can afford. I'm running Toyo Proxys 225x45 on 17" rims & they've stuck my van to the ground on every corner so far.(not mocked it.)
 
225/45 in a 17" rim is a good standard. Plenty of choice of tyres as well.
il keep that in mind when i get tyres for my 17s

i currently have 15s and the tyre is 205/55/15
but the 17 alloys i have,,, have 215/45/17

when i put them on the car they were ok

now the tyres are burned and slashed so would this make a differance??
in the sense if they were pumped up, would i need to go a smaller size??:confused:
 
I've got a 40 profile on my tyres. Generally the less tyre the less comfortable the ride is. Another important point is that pot holes and kerbs will become your enemy!
 
Running 45's on my 17's... although I want to get some RS6 18" replicas next year so i'll end up running 40's to keep the rolling radius simmilar :(
 
One issue with ultra low profile tyres is progressive adhesion loss -there isn't any. The tyres will give you little or no warning that you are reaching the limit of their grip. One second you have grip, the next second you have none.

This is due, as I understand it, to there being virtually no 'give' in the very narrow, stiff side walls.
 
more important for grip is tread pattern and rubber compound, a 195/55/15 yokohama will be a lot better than a 225/35/19 lilnglong
 
Thanks Claymore, that's what I was getting at. You managed it in about 300 less words.

OG - yes, progressive breakaway is far easier to control than now-you-see-me-now-you-don't type of lateral grip.

This problem is exacerbated when people fit ridiculously wide and low profile tyres to something such as a base model Corsa which should be on 155 13" rubber. The body roll causes the wide tyre to tip onto the square shoulder and bingo, you have a contact patch about 20mm wide.

Rock hard suspension and dampers can reduce grip on anything rougher than racetrack quality tarmac as well.
 
A man from Compomtive told me that lopro's are good on larger cars but lighter vehicles need a bit more side wall compliance to help them grip the road, rather than just bounce along it. At least I think that's what he said, I've been to bed since then so... :toung::amuse:
 
low profile does stop the tyre flexing but then you loose so much comfort but i would only go low it iwas on a track on the orad you cant get the speeds or corners needed to use them sort of tyres

i have 245/50r16s on my 3rd gen trans am and 245/60r15s on the 2nd gen
need nice wide tyres to try and get the grip down stilldoes not get it down
 
You also get a lot more road noise on low profiles. I aim to stick to around 40's for the best compromise.
 
Currently running with 225/45/17.. when I get my new wheels they'll be 225/40/18. Lower profile than I want really - but I have no choice if I want the speedo to be accurate.
 
you could always go a little bigger and have the spedo adjusted. i did that with my truck. running 33x10.5x17 tires on 17" rims atm. had a roadside radar tell me i was doing 73 when my speedo said 65. promtly took her in and got it adjusted.
 

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