# Boofy cars with thin tyres **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519 "2003-11-27T03:32:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/1 "2003-11-27T03:32:39Z")
Why do revheads and bogans put those wheels with really thin tyres on their cars? Does it improve the performance or is it just an SPS\* thing? - Small Penis Syndrome ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/2 "2003-11-27T04:07:48Z")
Please… only a few of us here know your Commonwealth slang. Please translate. The words I didn’t understand were revheads (though I think I can guess that ones), boofy, and bogans. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/3 "2003-11-27T04:09:44Z")
Not sure what a “boofy” car is or what “bogans” are, but sports cars often have large diameter rims with wide, thin tires as the stiffer sidewalls provide better handling and the greater surface area provides greater grip. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/4 "2003-11-27T05:03:22Z")
I believe what you are describing a low-aspect tires. Having so little space between the rigid rims and the road cuts down on tread squirm and sidewall flex, delivering razor sharp handling at the expense of a smooth, comfy ride. ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/5 "2003-11-27T12:13:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Enola Straight \* > \*\*I believe what you are describing a low-aspect tires. > > Having so little space between the rigid rims and the road cuts down on tread squirm and sidewall flex, delivering razor sharp handling at the expense of a smooth, comfy ride. \*\* It also causes you to have to replace your tires sooner. My twin had a car which in the states is often known as a “rice rocket” (because in California at least, it is guys of Asian descent who “imrpove” (screw up) their cars to make them “faster” hence, rice rocket). Anyway, he drove his rice rocket from New Mexico to California (a 22 hour long drive) on wheels like that (low profile) and his wife said that was the worst road trip she ever took. Bumpy, uncomfortable, and the tires were shot by the time they got here. He had to replace them before they could drive back to New Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/6 "2003-11-27T12:53:18Z")
**Boofy:** macho, meat-and-potatoes, male. **Bogan:** white trash, mullet owner. **revhead:** Car enthusiast, young dickhead who drives too fast. ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/7 "2003-11-27T14:29:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doobieous \* > \*\*It also causes you to have to replace your tires sooner. \*\* This is correct to a certain degree. What most people who do this to their cars fail to realize is that those new snazzy 19" rims have an offset and weight that will throw their suspension geometry way off. This can have the effect of putting abnormal stress on components that were designed for a 15" tire/wheel combo. This wears out hub (and suspension?) components out faster, thus causing tire wear problems. It’s also easier to bend wheels on potholed roads when there isn’t so much tire to absorb the impact. I should also point out that the tires designed for these size wheels are usually performance-oriented and have treadwear ratings approaching that of a racing tire, so it really doesn’t matter what size and aspect ratio they are, their composition is so soft to begin with. My GTI came factory-equipped with 40 series 18" Michelin Pilot Sports. Great fun on the twisty mountain roads here, but I have to watch carefully for potholes/road work. And I doubt I’ll get 20,000 miles out of the tires. Some people do it for looks, some do it for performance. Either way it’s a matter of compromise. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/8 "2003-11-27T15:05:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by peritrochoid \* > **My GTI came factory-equipped with 40 series 18" Michelin Pilot Sports.** 337, I presume? My Jetta came with 60-series 14-inch tires, and I upgraded to 45-series 16-inch Kumhos a long time ago. The thinner sidewall definitely helps with handling performance. The ride is less smooth, but performance usually comes at the expense of comfort. Lincoln Town Cars don’t handle, and Porsches aren’t cushy. I’ve nad no real problems with tire wear. Thin-sidewall tires are usually high-performance rubber, which means they’ve got a higher speed rating, often “Z.” That means softer rubber so that they can stick better. So they will wear faster than a most “normal” passenger tires. But I’ve gotten over 25,000 miles out of each pair of the Kumhos I’ve had. Not bad for a “race” tire. Plus, cosmetics have a lot to do with it. It just looks better. [Before](http://www21.brinkster.com/wvuvw/jetta/images/012602side.jpg) [After](http://www21.brinkster.com/wvuvw/jetta/images/040102/driver.jpg) If you get a proper alignment, and don’t change the offset and overall size of the wheel/tire combo, you can run skinny tires with no problems. It’s people who go to the extreme that ruin wheel bearings and have excessive tire wear. ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/9 "2003-11-27T15:17:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by audilover \* > **337, I presume?** More or less … US market version of it; 20th AE. And my post was a bit of a blanket statement. Everything you mentioned about making sure of offset and wheel/tire diameter, and getting an alignment afterward is the way to approach an upgrade. It can work right and look sharp if people do their homework. ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/10 "2003-11-27T15:19:09Z")
Oh, and your links aren’t working for me, **audilover**. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/11 "2003-11-28T04:12:14Z")
The US market got both [337s](http://www.vw.com/GTI337/#) and [20th Anniversary Editions](http://www.vw.com/gti/20th/). The 337s came out a little bit before the 20AEs. I just knew the 337s had 18" wheels stock, but didn’t know about the 20AEs. Anyway, sorry about the links in my first post. You can “Copy Shortcut” and paste the address into a new browser window. I forgot that the host with those pics is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/12 "2003-11-28T13:20:39Z")
Besides the obvious benefits of rattling your passengers’ teeth and making your car look like a roller skate, (heyyy, that’ll bring in the babes!) those wide, low tires become especially entertaining in heavy rain. If your tires stick out beyond your fenders, they’ll throw up rooster tails that form curtains of water on both sides. The extra-wide shoes also lower the speed at which you’ll hydroplane. Let’s be careful out there, okay? ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/13 "2003-11-28T13:54:43Z")
Well, first of all, who cares about passengers? 😃 In all seriousness though, **AskNott** , what you describe is typical of today’s mis-informed Fast-and-Furiousl crowd. I autocross with the local SCCA, and it’s always annoying to me to see these cars. In addition to the roostertails, if the tires stick out beyond the fenders, you’ve probably got other problems to worry about too … the problems associated with the odd geometries from the offset are especially prominent on those cars, not to mention the possibility of cutting the tire on sheetmetal when the suspension compresses. Slightly off topic, but as I understand it, the hydroplaning has just as much to do with the tread pattern as the tread width. From personal experience, I can say the 225/40-ZR18 Michelins that came on my car are drastically better in the rain than the 195/65-HR15 Continentals that were on my first Golf. Very few tires (if any) are going to excel in all conditions, but wet weather performance can be engineered into a tire to some degree. Thanks for the link to the 337, **audilover**. I had no idea there were any imported. From what I can tell, they’re essentially the same as the 20AE, with some minor trim differences. And the 20AE’s got the R32 wheels (PITA to clean, but better looking IMHO). But I love the Reflex Silver. _sigh_ And your Jetta looks sharp with the new wheels. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/14 "2003-11-28T15:37:55Z")
My [Jetta](http://home.comcast.net/~flaroe/jetta.jpg) came with the thin tires, it wasn’t any decision on my part. I have noticed squirrliness in heavy rain. They seem OK in snow. Do I need to replace them with similar tires when the current ones go? Tires are one thing that truly confuse me. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Goofus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@Goofus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goofus)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/15 "2003-11-28T16:19:55Z")
I thought another practical reason for the big wheel/thin tire combo was to fit larger brakes inside the wheel. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/16 "2003-11-28T16:45:23Z")
I’ve often valet-ed several “boofy” cars modified by the owner to run on low aspect, steam roller tires…often undersized to give a “low-rider” stance…and of course absolutely no modifications were done to suspension or steering geometry. End result; anything other than a straight line, and the tires bind and rub the inner fender walls ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/17 "2003-11-28T16:53:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by peritrochoid \* > \*\*This is correct to a certain degree. What most people who do this to their cars fail to realize is that those new snazzy 19" rims have an offset and weight that will throw their suspension geometry way off. This can have the effect of putting abnormal stress on components that were designed for a 15" tire/wheel combo. This wears out hub (and suspension?) components out faster, thus causing tire wear problems. > Some people do it for looks, some do it for performance. Either way it’s a matter of compromise. \*\* _sigh_ Yes, morons and Ricers will throw some 17’s on their car, and not pay attention to anything else. Or they will cut a coil or 2 off of their springs to get it lower. Those people are stupid. Ideally, you need shocks, new spring, and a Camber Kit when you lower your car. I know that what all my friends do, and what I will be doing in February. We’re not all “Ricers”. ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/18 "2003-11-28T19:27:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boscibo \* > \*\*My [Jetta](http://home.comcast.net/~flaroe/jetta.jpg) came with the thin tires, it wasn’t any decision on my part. > > I have noticed squirrliness in heavy rain. They seem OK in snow. > > Do I need to replace them with similar tires when the current ones go? > Tires are one thing that truly confuse me. > ☹ \*\* Nice car. When you’re ready to buy new tires, you want to be sure to replace the originals with the same size tire. Judging from the snow in the photo, I’d guess you want a good all season tire, unless you have dedicated winter tires. Check The Tire Rack. Even if you don’t buy your tires from there, for most tires they have reviews by customers for dry/wet traction, snow traction, etc. that might help your decision. **Goofus** , the additional room for bigger brakes is a side benefit, but since brake upgrades are usually an expensive undertaking, for most street drivers it’s not the primary reason. **Tristan** , you’ve nailed it. Good to hear you’re doing your homework. ---
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/19 "2003-11-29T09:18:57Z")
So the size of the wheel has nothing to do with the size of the penis? There’s no magic ratio? ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519/20 "2003-11-29T13:59:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by boofy\_bloke \* > \*\*So the size of the wheel has nothing to do with the size of the penis? There’s no magic ratio? \*\* Unfortunately it seems not to. As my wheel size increased many times, my penis size remains the same. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boofy-cars-with-thin-tyres/215519.md?page=2)