Putting Larger Wheels on Your Vehicle

Plus Sizing, the process of changing wheels and increasing the diameter, is a great way to enhance the look and performance of your vehicle. What is plus sizing and how does it work? This involves changing the tire and/or wheel size from the original size in a controlled manner so as to maintain certain critical dimensions.

When creating a Plus Size fitment, the section width of the tire increases and the sidewall height decreases. The contact patch of the tire changes shape by becoming shorter and wider. While the shape changes, the size (area) of the contact patch remains relatively unchanged.

·         High aspect ratio = tall and narrow contact patch

·         Short aspect ratio = short and wide contact patch

What does this mean?

The tread blocks with a taller, narrower profile have more deflection than tread blocks on a lower profile tire. Less deflection results in more cornering force and capability. This assumes all other things are equal, i.e same tread compound, design, etc. Installing a Plus Size Tire & Wheel Package changes the shape of your contact patch, resulting in improved cornering, improved steering response and a decrease in ride comfort due to the shorter sidewall.