Large Wheels uncomfortable - why ?

justworriedabit

Larger sidewalls means a softer ride and as others said, often larger wheels have lower profile tyres.

I find winter tyres softer in all sizes.

Supersonos

My car has 18" wheels with tyres that have 7" of sidewall and it needs to be a pretty large bump for me to feel it.  I also have air suspension so the ride is incredibly smooth.

As good as they look, low profile tyres and cars with sports suspension make for very unrefined, jiggly cars to use day-to-day.  I used to have a BMW M4.  Sold it after just a few months as the ride was just too hard for me.

justworriedabit

Supersonos said:

My car has 18" wheels with tyres that have 7" of sidewall and it needs to be a pretty large bump for me to feel it.  I also have air suspension so the ride is incredibly smooth.

As good as they look, low profile tyres and cars with sports suspension make for very unrefined, jiggly cars to use day-to-day.  I used to have a BMW M4.  Sold it after just a few months as the ride was just too hard for me.

That's interesting. Please could you advise what car you have and the tyre size please as your car sounds comfy.
Many thanks.

GeordieGeorge

To put what others have written a slightly different way, any given model of car will rend to have the same tyre diameter irrespective of wheel size, so the bigger wheel doesn’t mean a bigger external diameter on the tyre, it means a thinner tyre, which allows far less “squish” to absorb bumps.

High performance cars have big wheels to be able to fit bigger brake discs, which is why they’ve come to be seen as “sporty” and fashionable.

[Deleted User]

I used to drive a 2cv many years ago
That was the ultimate proof
It had 15 inch wheels with 82 profile tyres and you didn't feel a single bump 

NaughtiusMaximus

Grumpy_chap said:

Also chose the option (from standard choices) that has the smallest wheel diameter and largest tyre diameter - it may not look "bling" but it will be the most comfortable and the most fuel efficient.

All well and good if you're not interested in any of the other features that go with a higher spec model. To get the better ride and longer tyre life which go along with proper wheels I would have had to have sacrificed the sunroof, memory seats, heated/ventilated seats, upgraded audio etc

Being stuck with crap wheels if you want a higher spec is right at the top of my list of peeves when buying a new car.

BOWFER

Deleted_User said:

I used to drive a 2cv many years ago
That was the ultimate proof
It had 15 inch wheels with 82 profile tyres and you didn't feel a single bump 

Yeah, but you also felt seasick around every corner.
I've been in plenty of them, a friend was a Citroen fanatic and even had a James Bond replica 2CV complete with the bullet hole sticker pack.

BOWFER

GeordieGeorge said:

High performance cars have big wheels to be able to fit bigger brake discs, which is why they’ve come to be seen as “sporty” and fashionable.

Yup, but the fashion has now spilled over into less sporty cars and you're seeing teeny tiny discs through the wheels.

NaughtiusMaximus

BOWFER said:

GeordieGeorge said:

High performance cars have big wheels to be able to fit bigger brake discs, which is why they’ve come to be seen as “sporty” and fashionable.

Yup, but the fashion has now spilled over into less sporty cars and you're seeing teeny tiny discs through the wheels.

Or even sillier, low profile alloys which show off drum brakes.

Funny how styling features which 15 years ago would have been laughed at on Barry Boys are now factory fitted to certain cars.

AdrianC

Deleted_User said:

I used to drive a 2cv many years ago
That was the ultimate proof
It had 15 inch wheels with 82 profile tyres and you didn't feel a single bump 

The irony is that 2cv tyres aren't that tall, because they're very narrow.

Michelin 125s are nearer 90% profile than the nominal 82, so 112mm sidewall. That's less than a 255/45...

Tyres are (or, rather, should be) a secondary absorber of road shocks - the suspension springs are the primary. Most modern cars have very firm suspension, which makes the tyres relatively more important.

And, yes, the springs absorb the shocks. Dampers damp the movement of the springs. Calling dampers "shock absorbers" is a pet peeve.