Low-Profile Tires vs. Potholes | Consumer Reports
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- Опубліковано 5 сер 2024
- Big wheels and low-profile tires are a popular way to add style to your car. But do tires with shorter sidewalls have any performance benefits? And how do they stack up when faced with the scourge of winter and spring driving - the pothole? CR experts evaluate how a low-profile tire on 18-inch wheels handles a pothole on our test track compared to a more traditional 16-inch wheel with a taller sidewall tire. We also share tips on how you can avoid suffering a blowout or tire damage when driving in pothole-prone areas.
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In my opinion, low profile tires are pure fashion over function. They make a sedan ride like a truck, and the rims they’re mounted on are expensive and easily dented or bent. The advantage of sharper handling is a dubious trade-off at best.
Like trucks?
I drive lowprofile tires all my life (10 years +) never had a bent rim or any other issues. It's al about driving style, most people can't be bothered being carefull with there cars and just want to bust through everything and sometimes everyone.
I mean I’ve got low profiles on my civic si and it helps a lot threw confers compared to my squishy winter tires I have a really good set of tires and I’ve hit some insaneeee potholes and I’ve never had a flat ever idk if that cause I’m lucky but these aren’t cheap they’re like 1000$ a set no issues for me
@@Jesko_VRS same never had an issue hit plenty of massive potholes and I’m still all good you just gotta buy quality tires not a 300$ set that’s when you get blowouts
Larger diameter wheels are needed to clear larger diameter brake rotors. I decreased the wheel size from 20 inch to 18 inch on my vehicle, but couldn't go any smaller because otherwise it would not clear my 380mm rotors.
Northern Alberta: “You call that a pothole?!?! 🤣”
In Detroit Michigan I’ve seen full on craters on roads there, and I drive through them with my 2006 Ford Escape and barely even feel the pothole there, even when a full foot deep!
Why not make pothole survivability part of the standardized testing for new cars? A failure in this category might get automaker's attention similar to how you affect scores for other safety related aspects like AEB, etc. I'm thinking you could use a simulated metal pothole that could survive and/or be replicated easily for the car to drive through at a set speed but thats just a starting idea.
Wish you tried a 18 inch run flat or a 20 inch for more extreme contrasting
Thank you CR.
I've been waiting for this since UA-cam was born.
It is a monumental day in UA-cam history!
My experience over the two decades; low profile tires always damage the aluminum wheels. It happens no matter how much you're being careful as long as you share cars with wife or reckless teens. And usually I figure it out after spending whole lot of money on unnecessary balancing, alignment, and even axels.
I was going to say just be careful BUT then I saw the wife and teen part. Yeah can't ever beat that
Or just stay single and don’t have kids.
@@LoneStarStinger Yeah but that's only a viable option if you're a sad, sad person.
@@ImmortanDan Sad it's needing someone else to be happy. Now that's what I call sad sad...
Agreed. I’ve had two bent rims since 2021 here in ny state on low profile wheels. Never again. I have a pickup now, a crossover, and our last ever car we’ll buy now has tire and wheel insurance.
This is why I love steel wheels with hubcaps. There’s always plenty of cushioning tire on those, and we need it here around Detroit!
100%..!! Exact reason I changed stock 20" wheels on my 4Runner Limited to 17" wheels. Bought stock 17" 4Runner wheels from TRD ORP trim.
In my opinion it's really stupid for a manufacturer to option out low profile tires on an off-road capable vehicle. Especially with how tiny the 4-Runner's break disks are.
@@Epotheros rear brakes on my 4Runners looks like they are for a corolla.. LoL.
Feeling pretty smug about the 16" steelies on my Camry.
They're criminally ugly, however.
thanks guys, thank you very much for the information.
A pretty good short take on a very interesting and important topic. Just adding, if you suspect wheel damage, or there is obvious wheel damage, immediately remove the wheel from service and have it inspected by a professional. You never ever use a hammer to "straighten" the wheel lip. The damage on an aluminum or alloy wheel can be deceiving and may lead to a sudden or catastrophic base material failure. Even damage that looks just like your typical curb rash may have a crack that you just can't see or may be cracked on the inside.
This video is a nice way of telling drivers they are making a mistake when buying those low profile, rubber-band tires. I’ll be more blunt; installing 22” rims on a SUV or pickup truck is just stupid. But with many new vehicles, if you choose a higher trim package they automatically come with 19” (or larger) wheels and you don’t have much choice other than having to buy smaller wheels and new tires afterward. I don’t think many buyers will do that.
Not always true. Many SUVs have 19 inch tires, but have full sidewalls because the rims are smaller. The only situation I know where this is always true is on performance model cars, generally cars like BMWs, Mercedes, Chevy Camaros/Corvettes and the like. In those situations you are correct - they give you bigger rims and smaller sidewalls for handling. You have to override and buy new, smaller rims if you have potholes like this. Also why cars like the Camaro are more popular in the warmer states in the south because rarely do they have potholes like the ones in New England - or where CR is located - in Connecticut.
I was just going to say, I don't think a lot of cars are even available with 16 inch rims anymore. Most come standard with 17-18 inch. Once you get into higher trim levels you get 19 inch or worse. If you think an 18 inch is going to have trouble with a pothole, what at about the 20 inch or bigger. Too much risk of damage, and a poor ride to boot.
As long as they still clear the brakes.
@@carljaekle So true. It used to be 13" 14" and 15" were the standard size rims/tires for cars. Some full size Fords had 14" tires. These days the smallest you typically find is 17", and 16" is getting rare. I'm not sure there are even cars with 15" anymore.
Well thanks for crushing my dream of pimping out my Accord!
I've just bought a BMW Z4 with 19" wheels and tiny sidewalls, and after watching this video I've bought a set of 17" wheels for it, as nice as the bigger ones look, I don't fancy damaging my car
Save Sidewall!!! We have two road seasons where I live - POTHOLE and CRATER. In either season sidewall is imperative so hopefully this low profile craze goes away sooner rather than later.
Yeah I’m in New York and I chuckled at the idea of pot hole season. It’s always pot hole season.
I recently went from a low profile summer tire in OEM size of 235/35R19 to a UHP AS tire in the same size and have found the AS tire to far better cope with potholes than the summer tire.
Thank you for the video CR, I'm tired of these oversized wheels with minuscule tires. If I'm on anything but a dedicated sports car give me a tiny wheel and a nice large tire.
Thank you, much needed information! I’m driving a performance car with low profile tires and sometimes can’t spot a pothole in my path and my entire car violently rolls over the potholes. I do check them when I get home or pull over.
Likewise
A very good video that everyone should watch.
Yup, can confirm. I've had to replace 3 low profile tires from bouncing through a pothole.
Would love to see a report on runflat vs normal tires and potholes!
Great video, but it would be nice to know what happens to the suspension also.
Surprisingly the same. No difference.
@@AwesomeAlex808 not the same since the 18nch wheels have more shock to the suspension
@@AwesomeAlex808 the low profile tires can't provide enough cushion and thus wear the suspension more quickly.
@@ghassassalas5927 that's the point Alex made.
Helpful info, thanks! Would have been useful to compare your wheels to the rapidly proliferating 20" wheel and ultra low profile tires that go with them. FYI it proved routine to spot Euro cars on the sides of California freeways, their tires blown and wheels bent, thanks to potholes.
Great information. Thanks CR
Glad it was helpful!
Good video. It would be nice to know how low the sidewalls can be to increase the risk of damage to tires and rims. I am against the current trend of car manufacturers making increasingly large rims + low profile tires as standard equipment on most models. Most large low profile tires also have reduced tread life besides cost more to replace and reduce ride quality for a small trade off in improved handling.
Great suggestion!
The ride is also much more punishing with large wheel/ low sidewall tires. We have the OEM 255/40 19 tires and they are hard on our SUV.
it would be interesting the specs of both tires and sidewall sizes.
Would love to see a tire forensic examination of the tire sidewall cords on the low profile tire. If the cords (internal structure of the tire is damaged, the tire will eventually fail. Hopefully the rapid are loss or tire carcass separation is at low speeds. Personally, that tire should come out of service.
What about RFTs with their reinforced sidewalls. Do those provide added protection? My thought is that they must, given the added structure. So RFT not only add post flat drivability, but also help prevent blowouts/incidents from potholes.
Maybe I missed it, but I did not hear "do NOT brake" once you hit the pothole. Stopping the wheel allows one spot to hit the pothole with full force, whereas rolling over it distributes the force. It is more likely that a wheel will be damaged if braking occurs at the moment of impact.
Anti lock brakes don't stop the wheels completely so it isn't one spot.
I have a 2022 BMW X4, with 21s and low-pros… I’ve had 2 flats in the past month. Sucks. Thinking about getting chunkier tires.
Heck in PA i have blown out AT tires on a truck, also seen lines of cars on the side road from one pot hole. The news had to put pressure on tne state to fix the road. Now geting road hazard to cover at tires good luck. They said i damaged the tire off-roading.
I need to point this out: low profile sidewalls don’t increase absolute traction, they actually tend to worsen it. They do make it feel more responsive in lower load scenarios, and they do give the tires a smoother breakaway when they lose traction, but larger sidewalls allow for better peak grip. For a good example of this in action, SCCA P1 is uncommon in that it regulates max tire width but not tire or wheel diameter, so on P1 cars you can see the ideal sidewall ratio.
low profile tires are better in corners since they do not flex as much. Not worth it for 99 percent of drivers.
Two weeks ago I was driving north on I-95 from Wilmington Delaware. There was an area were to payment was stripped for repaving. Along a few blocks there were 15-20 cars pulled over with flat, shredded tires, bent wheels and tow trucks. And for the next few miles there were cars pulled over with flats. Lots of pretty wheels! My 2004 TSX with snow tires did just fine. If you go up level trim, is it worth paying to have smaller tires? I can't imagine have insurance cheers you up when you are along I-95 and having to wait to have your car hauled away on a Sunday evening with your wife and kids in the car.
Is there any threshold aspect ratio to differentiate low vs high profile?
keeping optimum air pressure in the tires helps protect against potholes especially on low profile tires 1 to 2 psi over is better than being under which isn't as noticeable on low profile tyre compared to one with a higher side wall.. till u hit a pothole the rim just slices the tire or bends the rim instantly..
You should have run this test at increasing speeds until a tyre blow out to see what the damage was. I have seen cars with serious damage (tyres, rims and even broken springs) when fitted with very low profile tyres, e.g 40, 35, or 30 series.
My own kia Forte stock 17 inch rim is fine.
Is it??
Not one mention of increased chance of damage to your rim with low-profile tires ??? I came expecting some guidance on how 'low' is too 'low' for the average car-owner before there is a significantly increased risk of rim damage which, of course, is way more expensive and dangerous than a blown tire.
I see 60 profile on base trim cars. Thats about as tall as they get in cars now. My car has 35 with 19 inch rims. Very risky, but that's how they come now
50 or 55 should be the max. More than that and you'll end up looking ridiculous.
I know this is a year old, but I'd aim for no less than 110mm of sidewall for your average commuter, i.e. 215/55r17 would be ~118mm of sidewall. Personally I would avoid a tire/rim combo that put me under 100mm like the plague, if it's a daily driver.
Bring back regular tires and wheels for better comfortable ride, less repairs in curb rash, bent wheels from potholes, and theft of tire and wheels that are targets of car thieves. Also those tires cost more to replace and wear out faster🤑. It's purely a money maker for the auto industry in repairs and sales at initial purchase. Purely cosmetic to make those with $$$$ happy.
Low profile tires are best avoided but the truth is, a lot of us can't avoid them. I'll give you an example. I want a new Corolla sedan but I want the sport trim because it has the bigger more powerful engine and the upgraded transmission with a first gear. Unfortunately that comes standard with very low profile rubber band tires. This is true for most other mainstream cars too.
My suggestion is, if you can't avoid low profile tires like me, always buy the manufacturer backed tire and wheel package. You will potentially save thousands of dollars and also have peace of mind.
you can very easily sell those "sport wheels and tires" second hand to help pay for a tire and rim package to your specification
They are so prevalent these days. Low profile tires seem to be everywhere. Some new Hyundai cars come with low profile summer tires. So when winter comes, I have to replace them?
Always get the road hazard! It has saved me a ton of money!
A Moose Test would be interesting to see in slow-mo with the various rim sizes...
This is a good test and vid but no mention of the wheel itself being damaged
Also it makes less noise and the ride is more comfortable as well
Could increase tire pressure as well to give more cushion, but harder on the suspension. I agree, I would not run low profile tires, i would rather have robustness
Lots of cars with bigger rims have electronic or air suspension as well. I know my buick lacrosse has the touring package that adds an electronic hi per strut suspension and 19 wheels, so to be done right usually requires expensive suspension mods to ride smooth
Didn't know much about low profiles before purchasing a new vehicle recently. Hit my first really bad pothole yesterday and blew out a tire. My husband recommended run flats. Talk about money out the ssa. Smh!
It really depends on the area where you live. If you live in an area where there are a lot of potholes like in 3rd world countries, its better to drive vehicles with high profile tires. And if live an area with 1st world roads with almost no potholes, you have the option to drive vehicles with low profile tires as they provide better handling and stability. This is especially true when driving an SUV as low profile tires reduce the risk of a rollover.
It's this thing on?
Thank you! Low profile tires are so stupid, they make the ride worse/noisier and *reduce wet traction* too. It should be a track-only thing because that's where they have actual benefits.
then clearly you never bought the right tire. My low pro has great wet traction, yes there is a little bit of more bumps and road noise but the volume knob takes care of that.
Great video! What would you say is a better guide to whether a tire is low-profile or high-profile? The aspect ratio or the number of inches of sidewall?
As a tire gets narrower, its aspect ratio increases while holding the sidewall size constant. Does that help against potholes? Or is the sidewall height itself what matters?
I would think that what matters is the sidewall height. But online, I see a lot of recommendations to get a tire with a higher aspect ratio, not a taller sidewall. And that implies that a narrower tire with a higher aspect ratio but the same sidewall height is better, which doesn't make sense. So I just want to clarify.
You are correct. But a wider tire with the same amount of rubber above the rim will offer a little more protection. Think about it, put a narrow bike tire on a car vs a wide tire both with same amount of rubber over the rim. To get more rubber you need smaller rims and keep the same over all diameter. If you don't you will have speedometer issues and maybe tire scrub in corners.
would be nice to know the size
Did you see any difference in run flat tires? Great video!
We didn't perform this evaluation on run flats, just on the tires featured in the video, but that's certainly a good idea!
As a citizen of the worlds richest country, these potholes make us poor and in Philadelphia no end in sight.
I'm here in Philadelphia and I agree.
I'm from Philly as well, but have lived in Baltimore, Jacksonville, Denver & Minneapolis every city got the same dag potholes its like a disease😆🤦♂️
Nice to have seen a bigger pothole
how about the width of the tires? have they got the same width? I think this information is missing, isn't it?
I just bought a car and didnt realize or know about (my bad) that it has the low profile tires. Now i feel sick thinking im driving a dangerous car. I even bought an awd to be safe in the snow.
Are there any low profile tires that are better than others? Is it possible to switch from a low profile tire to a regular one? Tyvm
You aren't driving a dangerous car, but you do run a higher risk of getting blowout because of potholes. You can switch to a more regular profile tire, but it will require you changing your rims/wheels, and that's usually not worth it.
What PSI were these tires tested at? I know lower profile tires typically run at higher pressures. I figure that was accounted for here but curious to know
Tire pressures of 35 psi for the 205/65R16 95, and 35 and 41 psi for the 225/45R18 95, tires. We did not observe a visible difference between the 35 and 41 psi on the 18-inch tires going through the pothole. 41 psi could be used for an extra load tire.
Ahh, thank you!
In the UK the road condition is very poor, with potholes everywhere. In 9 months, I've had to replace 3 wheels and tyres due to pot holes. The county councils do minimal inspections (every year), even then don't detect all the defects, leaving the motorist paying for repair. Even when the councils are notified of road defects, it might take then 2 months to fix it. The UK is the an awful place to drive in if you have low profile tyres.
If you're driving your every day cars, take the smallest rims and maximum sidewall your brakes will allow as long as the tire diameter doesn't vary around 1%. Actually the sidewall of most racing tires is more than many low profile street tires these days. At least 4.5 inches of sidewall is needed as a minimum.
A UA-cam engineering expert hit a pothole in his Tesla with low profile tires. The damage was $2600.
I saw that video. Scary stuff.
That was at highway speeds on 20" rims - 2 rims and 2 tires destroyed. He subsequently switched to 18" rims.
That was a much better video on this topic than this one, but this one is short and to the point at least. Different audiences.
One might question why many car manufacturers sell vehicles with very low-profile tires - some as thin as 35 series sidewalls - if the risk of wheel damage were high. Not mentioned in this video was the..... tire pressure. That makes a pretty substantial difference in sidewall flex. Low profile tires need more pressure to compensate, which will result in a rougher ride..... a sacrifice to be considered if you want the "look".
Vehicle manufacturer warranties only cover tire and rim defects, not accidental tire or rim damage. And the “look” sells more vehicles. So overall it is a win for them until consumers wise up or fashion changes.
High profile tires actually increase grip if the road is not smooth.
I shoulda bought a 17 Corolla XLE instead of the XSE because the XLE has bigger side wall tires
Hi CR, what tire pressures did you use during this test in both tires?
We reached out to our tire experts, who told us: "Tire pressures of 35 psi for the 205/65R16 95, and 35 and 41 psi for the 225/45R18 95, tires. We did not observe a visible difference between the 35 and 41 psi on the 18-inch tires going through the pothole. 41 psi could be used for an extra load tire."
@@consumerreports What a perfect reply! You guys are truly the best! Thanks CR
Aw shucks, you're making us blush!
If you wanted to try 18s, then you should have used 215/50/r18 = because it matches the OE diameter and is closer to OE width while providing 7mm more sidewall height. According to a website called wheel-size.
What size tires were on the 18s? I run 215/40/18s.
225 45 R18
I bent one of my 18 inch tires because of a damn pothole.
My Avalon drove like a Cadillac beforehand
Now it has a shimmy to it
YAY 😩
What about a 17" wheel for this test as well?
You don’t need to be Einstein to know that its performance will be somewhere in between the 16” and the 18”.
Car sellers know all about how low profile tires are prone to blowouts, and like them because it brings vehicles into the shop more often. And in the shop is where they make the most money.
Imagining you were driving on a freeway next to a huge truck and all the sudden your 21 inch tires exploded… safety first:)
Hmm...
How about “Wide VS Narrow tyre track”
I will never in my life get another car with low profile tires. 2 flat tires within the last year driving on the interstate
From old school car I don't wanna use 17, just use the 15 to 16 for reason.
What really bothers me about this whole big rim, low profile tire trend is that you're often not given a choice for a smaller rim and higher profile tire. Or if you want more power, you have no choice but to get bigger rims from the factory. I get that pimp my ride and mid 2000's hip hop culture has convinced people that low profile = better, but for those of us with a brain should be able to downsize from the factory if we want to. Hell, you can even sell it as a "free" upgrade on the options list. Why does the Honda Passport, an SUV aimed for offroad use, have 20 inch rims with no option to downsize?
Thanks! I hate LPT. Real race cars (F1, Indy, dragsters, rally, ...) have substantial sidewalls.
Be good to kno what size sidewall tire u guys ran.
Factory sizes are 65/16 and 45/18, which is typical for most cars, and what I'm guessing was tested.
@@jnrbshp the 65 and 45 are useless without the tire width (if you want to calculate the sidewall height) , which is 225 for the 18 and 205 for the 16
America really needs to spend money fixing their roads. I thought Australia was bad I hardly see any pot holes.
Does Australia have freezing and thawing conditions on roads?
Full size SUV, heavy, Alum. Boat on roof rack, coolers, outboard motor, Gasoline, and a ton of gear, 70 Mph 31x10.5 x 15 tires, 45 psi ,will fly over potholes
Really..... 👍😎 People do low profile tires just for show..
Michigan + factory 19" tires on my m340i daily driver = I get to buy a new tire too often.
Both have benefits drivers want. Up to the driver what fits them best
The Santa Cruz not a truck. It is a confused Mini-Van, and no, it does not have the potential to be either a true truck or SUV. It's Front-Wheel-Drive platform doesn't allow it. The platform is designed to have structural deficiences that will never be able to do the same things for the same amount of time as the other two.
I live in PotHole City, Colorado, and just driving a mere Prius I’ve experienced a blowout driving over a pothole in the dark. WHY do auto makers go for looks, putting giant sporty wheels on cars to pickups, that negatively affect ride and fuel efficiency, just to please a UA-cam reviewer for slightly better handling and gaudy appearance?
Low profile tyres and large alloy time are mostly marketing driven "need". Unless you live in a country with fantastic sweeping curvy well surfaced roads with no speed limits and no traffic you're very seldom going to be able to exploit the performance "advantage" situation they offer.
what you're more likely to experience is a rougher noisier ride, increased rolling resistance, higher fuel consumption , increased risk of aquaplaning, side wall and rim damage. Then there's the broken springs and increased wear on bushes etc.
Fitting expensive quality low profile tyres doesn't make the above go away, it just lines someone else's pocket with YOUR money.
i sell my corolla hatchback 18 to buy 16 18 are junk in québec canada thanks for the video
We don’t have potholes here in Texas because we have infrastructure
Wish they tried 19”
Cali ? You needs to fix those roads man ... I feel like driving in country side roads ...
Wasn't this the company that lied about suzuki samurai?
It never occurred to me that someone who uses low-profile tires would swerve to avoid a pothole. That makes low-profile tires even more dangerous to everyone else on the road.
Hence 4wds used for off road travel have big sidewalls....then again the trend these days seems to be 20 inch black alloys and low profile muddies 🤦
try testing the potholes here in montreal canada i super dare you.
I guess a 17” rim is the best of both worlds? How did a 17” fare in this test?
Pot holes aren't a problem in Southern US because typically don't see cold weather. We had a cold winter a few years ago and that year the roads took a beating. The Northeast gets hammered every year.
@@kendavis8647 LAUGHS IN ALABAMA/MISSISSIPPI POTHOLES
Using a fitment guide I went from 16" wheels with regular tires to 18" wheels with Low-Profile High-Performance tires 20 years ago. AND I love THEM. They perform well in curves, get greater mpg than the maker's window sticker - have way less rolling resistance than regular tires, and greater stopping ability. The secret to effective response with LP HP tires is to pump them up to 80% of their psi capacity. My low-profile tires say on the side walls, "50 psi max". I run 40 psi (80%). The car handles extremely well. Used in conjunction with lowering struts (which dropped the car 1 &1/2 inches) they make the car look very sharp, too. One last thing, they have no trouble dealing with potholes.
Where do you live?
I hit a pothole in LA, in my stanced out bmw and now I’m selling it for a SUV
37" tires on 17" wheel.
Bring it on
Lol. Yeah agreed. I have 32" tires on a 17" wheel. Potholes = no problem.
It is funny....even Consumer Reports speak ignorantly when making reference to a tire, rim or wheel. A tire is just the rubber alone, the rim is just the rim alone and a wheel is a tire mounted on the rim complete. LOL!
I never understood why tire manufacturers charge more money for low profile tires when they use less materials than comparable taller tires.
Ryan is, as we used to say, “a Baldwin”.
Ah, the answer for a crumbling infrastructure! Don't fix the roads, handicap the cars...