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When choosing winter tires and rims, every motorist is faced with a choice between studded and friction wheels. But in relation to winter tires, there is one more important question: what to buy, narrow or wide? It is immediately important to say that the rims and tires must match in size, and it is also necessary to use exactly the standard size recommended by the manufacturer. You can find it by following the link https://ascania-shina.com/. But it often happens that there are several recommended sizes, so the driver has to choose.
What is the difference between narrow and wide tires?
Wide tires have a longer total length of lamellae. These are thin slits located over the entire surface of the tread. They provide traction on slippery surfaces. Therefore, a wide tire brakes and accelerates better on ice. Slats with a greater total length really improve traction properties on ice.
But when braking on snow, the effect is exactly the opposite. Here, the lamellae are of little use, and the tire begins to slip under braking. In addition, difficulties with driving out of the snow lead to an increase in rolling resistance, which causes an increase in fuel consumption.
When driving on a snow-covered surface, the smaller contact area with the road surface, which narrow tires have, becomes a strong argument. This provides a greater specific pressure and allows the tire to push the snow harder, due to which the checkers of the tread sink deeper and help the wheel to stop. Moreover, the difference in braking distance is significant - at a speed of 50 km/h, it becomes shorter by 1,5 m.
Acceleration dynamics on snow are the same for both wide and narrow tires. In winter, they do not matter too much. But still, it is worth considering that a wide tire wins. It is more effective in acceleration on ice, and in acceleration on snow it is not inferior to a narrower tire.
What tires to choose anyway?
Thus, when choosing car rims and tires, it is necessary to take into account the surface on which the car will most often drive:
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If it is ice, it is better to take wide tires. They have smaller input angles, they do not break during maneuvering and better grip the ice during acceleration and braking. If the roads are cleaned in your region, the car will feel better on wide tires.
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If the road is covered with snow, it is narrow. Such tires will better pave the way on snow-covered asphalt and snow slurry.
But this again concerns the extremes: very narrow or very wide tires. In reality, the "truth" is somewhere in the middle, since the manufacturer has already indicated the recommended sizes.
Regardless of the chosen tires, in winter it is necessary to drive at a lower speed and keep a distance from the car in front. Another important nuance when choosing tires is the height of the profile. For winter, it is better to take high-profile tires. They better absorb blows from ice and potholes, which are not so rare on winter roads. Unlike them, tires with a low profile do not absorb the energy of wheel impacts on road surface defects.
