Larger Wheels Without Lowering

[Moodz]

Hi All,
I am fairly new to this whole wheel/lowering obsession that many people seem to have but I think the larger wheel does improve the look of the van.
I have a 2017 T32 and would like to ask the question: If I fitted 19 or 20" wheels to my van but did not lower it how does this affect the driving of the van?
Neither myself or Er indoors notice any bad driving characteristics with the standard 17" wheels that are fitted now and are a bit bewildered at the reports of people feeling motion sick or whatever or is it the lighter vans that suffer from this?

Cheers for any advice

 

[Tourershine]

Hi All,
I am fairly new to this whole wheel/lowering obsession that many people seem to have but I think the larger wheel does improve the look of the van.
I have a 2017 T32 and would like to ask the question: If I fitted 19 or 20" wheels to my van but did not lower it how does this affect the driving of the van?
Neither myself or Er indoors notice any bad driving characteristics with the standard 17" wheels that are fitted now and are a bit bewildered at the reports of people feeling motion sick or whatever or is it the lighter vans that suffer from this?

Cheers for any advice

I'm not sure about motion sickness, but depending on your tyre profiles, you have a slightly less compliant drive when compared to standard 17s.

 

[Moodz]

Hmm, I did expect a change in cornering but not much else. Anyone have experience of driving on bigger wheels before lowering?

 

[Stooble]

I've fitted 20" wheels with 275/40s & no plans to lower it.
However you can drop 40mm with no clearance issues although most recommend coilovers which aren't as cheap as just shorter springs.
For the moment I like the stance & the ride is just fine.

 

[Moodz]

Thanks Stooble,
So did fitting the 20" wheels gave you no noticeable difference in road handling? Just raises the vans height by an inch and a half?

 

[Stooble]

Not really, the steering feels slightly more weighted but as standard it's pretty light.
My van is still pretty standard although it's booked in for a camper conversion.
I figure when it's kitted out It'll be carrying a bit of weight.
I'm expecting it to sit a bit lower then.

 

[DaveD]

Moodz, going from a 17" wheel to a 20" wheel might or might not increase the vans height, the world of wheels and tyres isn't that straightforward!
A 17" tyre with a "normal" sidewall will be similar in height to a 20" tyre with a very low profile or sidewall.
When you look at tyre sizes the middle figure represents the aspect ratio, i.e. the size of the sidewall as a percentage of the tyre width.
So if you wanted to go from, say, 215/60/17 tyres to 255/40/20 tyres the ride height of your van would increase by only 11mm, as the tyre would stand 22mm taller.
Like I say, not straightforward!

 

[Moodz]

Blimey! Thanks for that Dave. I think I need to look further into this. Cheers

 

[Big.mac]

Blimey! Thanks for that Dave. I think I need to look further into this. Cheers

Look here:
Tire Size Calculator
You can compare rolling circumference of different wheel size/tyre combos. Ideally you should be looking to keep the circumference as close as possible to the standard fit wheel/tyre combo.

 

[Moodz]

Thanks Big.mac

 

[T6Paul]

The common misconception is that bigger wheels will fill the arch gap... it wont! a bigger wheel will just have a slimmer tyre wall, ideally you want the overall rolling diameter to stay about the same, maybe 3% over or under the original - otherwise you will start to affect the gearing and speedo reading. If you want to reduce the arch gap you need to lower the van there are many options available to suit all budgets - a quick search of this forum will help!
IMO standard wheels on a low van look better than big wheels on a standard van but everyone has their own opinion...
Lastly don't forget you are a T32 so will need load rated wheels and tyres which can limit the ideal sizes...

 

[Moodz]

Thanks for the info Paul. I will look into it