Chinese people have always liked big things, such as buying big phones, buying big houses, and so on. Take buying a car as an example, not only should the space be spacious, the sunroof should be large, the appearance should be large, and there should be large wheels. Of course, a large space and sunroof can bring us a better driving experience, but does the wheel hub have to be as big as possible? Let's take a look together.

As we all know, a wheel is composed of two parts, a tire and a hub. Different car models are equipped with different hub and tire models. For example, off-road vehicles have thicker tires than usual, but the contours are not too large, while sports cars usually have tires with thinner tire walls and very large hubs. Our ordinary family sedan wheels are generally not very large, and the tire walls are also relatively thick. However, different configurations of the same car can also have different sizes of wheels to choose from. So what is the difference between them? Is it because the wheels are larger and the tire wall is thinner, or is it because the wheels are smaller and the tire wall is thicker? We first need to understand the specifications of the wheel hub size.

At present, there is a unified standard for tire size internationally, generally consisting of the following six data points: tire width, tire flatness ratio, tire type code, hub diameter, load index, and rated vehicle speed. Let's take 225/55/R16 tires as an example, 225 refers to the width of the tire cross-section, 55 refers to the flatness ratio of the tire, and 16 refers to the hub diameter.

For the same model, the exterior of the tires cannot undergo significant changes, otherwise the speedometer on the dashboard will be inaccurate. Therefore, if you want to replace the large wheels, you should choose flat and relatively small tires.

For example, the original factory had 16 inch wheels with tire sizes of 225/50/R16. If you want to upgrade to 17 inch wheels, the tire model should be 225/45R17, and the flatness ratio should be reduced from the original 50 to 45. Even so, the two cannot be exactly the same in terms of tire outer diameter, allowing for a 3% error.

So, the wheel size of the same model is not fixed, and many brands also adjust the wheel size to distinguish configurations. So, is it better to have larger wheels? Actually, it's not necessarily the case. Big wheels have their advantages, and small wheels also have their advantages. Let's take a look together.

Advantages of large wheel hubs

1. It has a very good visual impact, with large wheels that complement the body more fully. In terms of wheel rim design, it presents more styles and highlights the visual effect.

2. Can improve handling, under the same specified tire outer diameter, the larger the hub, the lower the flatness ratio, making the tire wall thinner and providing clearer feedback on road conditions; When cornering at high speeds, wider tires are less likely to deform, giving them a larger contact area and stronger grip.

3. The modification space is larger, and the larger wheel hub means that the internal space of the wheel hub is also larger, which can accommodate larger brake discs and calipers, improving the braking effect of the vehicle.

Advantages of small wheel hubs

1. It has high comfort, and with the same outer diameter of the tire, the smaller the tire wall and the smaller the wheel hub, which means that the tire has better shock absorption ability and can filter out some smaller bumps on the road surface.

2. The cost is lower, and the materials used for small wheels are less than those for large wheels, so the cost is lower, and correspondingly, small-sized tires will also be much cheaper.

3. Lower fuel consumption, due to the lighter weight and lower rolling resistance of small wheels compared to large wheels, resulting in lower fuel consumption.

The above are the advantages and disadvantages of both. Comparing them, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. If we focus on visual effects and handling, large wheel hubs are stronger than small wheel hubs. When it comes to comfort and economy, small wheel hubs have more advantages.

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