IS THIS YOU???
does anyone have stories to tell about big rims=BIG PROBLEMS...??
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http://www.kirotv.com/consumer/2851013/detail.html
Big Tires Could Lead To Big Problems
Wayne Havrelly KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator
POSTED: 3:11 pm PST February 16, 2004
UPDATED: 3:58 pm PST February 16, 2004
Watch KIRO 7 Consumer Investigations weeknights on KIRO 7 Eyewitness News at 5
Sign Up To Receive Our Daily Consumer News Email
E-mail your consumer tip
Looking for more?Read more consumer news.
It's a new trend with car buyers: More and more of you are buying extra large tires and wheels.
They may look cool, but KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Wayne Havrelly discovered they have serious drawbacks.
These huge tires and wheels have really taken off.
In fact, Americans are now spending $2 billion on the shiny extras.
Before you spend your hard-earned cash on them, there are some things you need to know.
Wheels are going high style and they're getting a lot bigger. When you switch to bigger wheels, it's called plus-sizing.
"You can see this is the original tire that came on this car, [a] 16-inch wheel, quite a large bit of sidewall. But when you go to this 19-inch size, much larger wheel but a much shorter sidewall," said Jennifer Stockburger of Consumer Reports.
Out on the track, Consumer Reports tested to see what happens to a car's handling when you put on those plus-sized rims.
"Some of these larger sizes actually have better cornering grip than the original sizes, meaning they can hug the corners a little tighter than the original sizes," said Stockburger.
MORE ON THIS STORY
More Plus-Size Wheel And Tire Information From Consumer Reports
NHTSA's Ratings Of Tires
Braking tests on dry pavement show plus-size wheels also stop a little quicker.
But there are drawbacks. Plus-size wheels and tires don't do as well on wet pavement. They're more likely to hydroplane. And when you drive on poor roads, plus-size tires make the ride a lot rougher.
"You can feel pretty much every bump as you're coming through here," said Stockburger.
Potholes pose an even bigger problem. At just 20 miles an hour, the plus-size tire was ruined.
"You can see that this tire has rim damage and a bulge in the sidewall, which signals that it has internal failure. It needs to be replaced and could be an accident waiting to happen," said Stockburger.
Nicole Alexander, who plus-sized her wheels, knows the problem.
"You go over one pothole and it's done. You have to get a new tire, even a new rim," said Alexander.
The drawbacks get worse the bigger the wheels, so experts say if you do want to plus-size only go up an inch or two.
Plus-sizing isn't cheap. Just going up one size on a sedan will usually cost you about $800 for all four wheels.
That's cheap compared to the $5,000 many people are paying to put on those huge fancy wheels you see on many SUV's.
I guess it's just the price of looking cool.
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MY HOMIE WENT to 19's on his new Altima....
HE SAYS HE CAN FEEL EVERY DAMN BUMP N THE ROAD
ALSO, WHEN ONE HOMIE IS IN THE BACK, THE WHEELS RUB THE WHEEL WELL....
does anyone have stories to tell about big rims=BIG PROBLEMS...??
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.kirotv.com/consumer/2851013/detail.html
Big Tires Could Lead To Big Problems
Wayne Havrelly KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator
POSTED: 3:11 pm PST February 16, 2004
UPDATED: 3:58 pm PST February 16, 2004
Watch KIRO 7 Consumer Investigations weeknights on KIRO 7 Eyewitness News at 5
Sign Up To Receive Our Daily Consumer News Email
E-mail your consumer tip
Looking for more?Read more consumer news.
It's a new trend with car buyers: More and more of you are buying extra large tires and wheels.
They may look cool, but KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Wayne Havrelly discovered they have serious drawbacks.
These huge tires and wheels have really taken off.
In fact, Americans are now spending $2 billion on the shiny extras.
Before you spend your hard-earned cash on them, there are some things you need to know.
Wheels are going high style and they're getting a lot bigger. When you switch to bigger wheels, it's called plus-sizing.
"You can see this is the original tire that came on this car, [a] 16-inch wheel, quite a large bit of sidewall. But when you go to this 19-inch size, much larger wheel but a much shorter sidewall," said Jennifer Stockburger of Consumer Reports.
Out on the track, Consumer Reports tested to see what happens to a car's handling when you put on those plus-sized rims.
"Some of these larger sizes actually have better cornering grip than the original sizes, meaning they can hug the corners a little tighter than the original sizes," said Stockburger.
More Plus-Size Wheel And Tire Information From Consumer Reports
NHTSA's Ratings Of Tires
Braking tests on dry pavement show plus-size wheels also stop a little quicker.
But there are drawbacks. Plus-size wheels and tires don't do as well on wet pavement. They're more likely to hydroplane. And when you drive on poor roads, plus-size tires make the ride a lot rougher.
"You can feel pretty much every bump as you're coming through here," said Stockburger.
Potholes pose an even bigger problem. At just 20 miles an hour, the plus-size tire was ruined.
"You can see that this tire has rim damage and a bulge in the sidewall, which signals that it has internal failure. It needs to be replaced and could be an accident waiting to happen," said Stockburger.
Nicole Alexander, who plus-sized her wheels, knows the problem.
"You go over one pothole and it's done. You have to get a new tire, even a new rim," said Alexander.
The drawbacks get worse the bigger the wheels, so experts say if you do want to plus-size only go up an inch or two.
Plus-sizing isn't cheap. Just going up one size on a sedan will usually cost you about $800 for all four wheels.
That's cheap compared to the $5,000 many people are paying to put on those huge fancy wheels you see on many SUV's.
I guess it's just the price of looking cool.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MY HOMIE WENT to 19's on his new Altima....
HE SAYS HE CAN FEEL EVERY DAMN BUMP N THE ROAD
ALSO, WHEN ONE HOMIE IS IN THE BACK, THE WHEELS RUB THE WHEEL WELL....
