I’ve noticed this happening for the past couple of years, and wonder about what the benefits might be. Somehow I don’t think it’s to save on rubber.
It makes a lot of cars look racier, but I don’t think it’s been restricted to sports cars.
I’m not sure we’re on the same page with your use of the term “rims.” Do you possibly mean sidewall heighth?
I think he means the diameter of the wheel (the metal portion) is larger while distance from the edge of the wheel to the edge of the tire is smaller. I have noticed this too. It seems that the sportier the car the more this holds true.
I guess there is some clarity needed. I read ths as simply hub diameter vs wheel diameter, excluding the rubber tire. In other words, the spokes are getting shorter proportional to the overall diameter.
flight has it right.
The hub part of the wheel (i.e. the part that the hubcap makes up) has been getting wider in diameter, and therefore the distance between that and the edge of the tire, which I have called the rim, is narrower.
I’m surprised you aren’t more aware of what I’m talking about. Maybe it’s not that common everywhere.
Clarification is needed. I thought the OP was asking about wheel/rim width (not diameter) combined with the lower profile tires (sidewall height).
I got a Ford Focus SVT a few months back. It is a souped up version of the Focus. This effect is very noticeable on my car.
-
It looks sportier
-
The car handles better (less sidewall flex when cornering)
but the downside is that the ride is a lot harsher with thinner tire sidewalls.
OK
It’s just a combination of larger diameter wheels and low profile tires.
The auto mfgs have been increasing the wheels size for some years now. Used to be that most full size cars always had 14 inch wheels and compacts had 13 inch. Now 16 inch is more of the standard and some are even larger.
As for the low profile tires, other than there being less space for the sidewall to “roll” while in a negotiating a curve, I’m at a loss as to what the advantage is (other than simply looks).
Guanolad what you are talking about is the trend towards what are called lower profile tyres (ie less sidewall to the tyre) and consequent increases in wheel diameter. The less sidewall the less flex in the tyre. The less flex, the better handling but the harsher ride. What I can’t answer is whether there is a trend towards sportier less comfortable cars, or whether tyre/suspension technology is improving such that you can get away with lower profile tyres while still achieving comparatively good ride.
Style, to many. 
Peace,
mangeorge
If you run your car on the track (like I do), low profile tires (or tyres, if you prefer) do make a difference to handling and lap times. For street cars it’s just for looks, since even in “exuberant” driving on twisty roads the difference is not likely to be noticed by the average driver.
Well, that’s kind of what I thought. Like rear spoilers and extra headlamps, it’s all just superficial coolness amplifiers.
Though I hope they aren’t detrimental to inner city driving.
Escalade w/Performance Package.
Big rims are detrimental to innter city driving, assuming your inner cities are like mine and have bad potholes. As the wheel gets bigger and the tire gets smaller, the ride gets worse and your chances of breaking a wheel on a pothole go up.
I live up a winding mountain road that I must travel every day to get to and from work. I assure you that the “average” driver will notice the benifits as the “average” driver is a maniac. Not only does it increase performance, but it increases gas mileage. Believe it or not, it’s not just for looks.
The low profile tyres can get incredibly expensive as well.
Strange isn’t it that less rubber costs more?
What the tire is lacking in sidewall, it is making up for in width. I doubt that there is that much less rubber in a super low profile tire.
Whiloe it is true that you can bust a rim on a pothole with LP tires, it is much more common to put a hole in the sidewall of a $400 tire. The sidewalls of some high performance tires seem to made out of tofu or someothe equally puncture resistant subtance. :eek:
According to this site, low-profile tires actually decrease gas mileage, along with tread life, and the reasons given make sense: