Track Width: Impact on Vehicle Handling

Hello,

I recently purchased a set of 16-inch alloy wheels for winter use, but they have an unattractive offset.
The 17-inch summer wheels are sufficiently wide per axle and fill the wheel wells well, extending almost to the edge of the fender, giving the car a sporty appearance. However, even more width could be added for an even better look.

The car now looks like it belongs to a retiree with the winter tires on. The tires disappear so far into the wheel wells that it looks grotesque. Unfortunately, BMW, unlike Audi for example, pursues a nasty, pragmatism-disregarding design policy. If you don't order a 6-cylinder engine and avoid the unreasonable, completely overpriced 17-18' alloy wheels, you're supposed to look bad. (Compare this to the chrome accents that Audi drivers, just like the truck exhaust system, get as a free 'poser' feature.)

Okay, now I, as a self-proclaimed 'cool guy,' want to go all the way and add wheel spacers to the car, making it as wide as possible, even wider than it already is.

What kind of impact on handling can I expect? If I lengthen the lever arm or increase the track width, the car should automatically lower further, or so it seems. Small forces, in my opinion, would then cause the suspension legs to deflect further. This would inevitably affect the spring and damper setup, which is already exceptionally good as standard on BMWs. However, I can't predict whether this would be good or bad in terms of sportiness or comfort. Are there any rules or general experiences to consider here?

How does this affect the vehicle's body roll? What happens to the steering geometry? Or is it completely negligible due to the few centimeters, let's say 8 per axle?

The difference between summer and winter tires leans towards being less stable and less sporty, but more comfortable. However, this could also be due to the narrower tires, the higher aspect ratio, and the lack of run-flat technology.

I would be grateful for any tips and experiences you can share.

Best regards,

For me, the most important aspect is the turning radius.
If you move 2 cm outwards on the wheel, your steering will follow every groove in the road, and when you brake hard, you'll be pulled towards the outside of the curve, which is not where you want to be – it's not fun at all!

Hello Klaus,

Thank you for the feedback. I hadn't even thought of that.
The wider the tire, the more I naturally need to adjust the alignment, both inward and outward from the center of the steering geometry, in order to maintain a neutral handling balance.

So, if it's going to be done, then only on the rear axle!

Thank you.

They don't necessarily have to be 195s.
Perhaps there's a compromise to be found between drivability and appearance?

Hello!

Try it out!

For Golf 4 and similar models:

A track widening of 10-15mm per side can bring significant improvements!

BYE
TDI mechanic.

My wheel spacers were replaced with other aluminum summer wheels with wider tires. From 175/65 R14 tires on 5.5 x 14 inch rims with an offset of 34 to 195/50 R15 tires on 6.5 x 15 inch rims with an offset of 18. The difference in handling is enormous. I continue to use the standard steel rims with winter tires in the aforementioned size, but the somewhat spongy handling of the winter tires is added to the equation due to their extremely soft sidewalls. }

The investment in the summer alloy wheels and the 195 tires was worth it. The small Peugeot hadn't had such excellent road grip and straight-line stability before. While I may have compromised a detail of this vehicle's fuel-saving concept, the more relaxed rolling behavior was worth it to me. Since I'm not a speed demon, the increased fuel consumption due to the wider wheels is hardly a significant issue for me.


Back to the original topic!! Someone in my circle of friends drives an Audi 100 C4 with these completely uncool 14-inch steel rims with 185 tires. It looked modest and felt like driving on eggshells. As far as I know, he then installed 10 mm wheel spacers. It looked a little less extreme visually, but it had a significant impact on the handling. The car had a more stable road feel and better straight-line stability, but it also had a tendency to follow ruts more strongly. But that's something everyone knows who drives with slightly wider tires... }

Hello Hatrider, thank you also for your experiences and comments.

Thanks to Klaus' objection and the question about the price, I'll refrain from doing it on the VA panel, especially since the image quality wouldn't really suffer significantly there anyway.

I'm using 20mm spacers on each side of the rear axle, which means they can stay on even in the summer. With the mixed tire setup on my previous car (225 at the front, 245 at the rear), the car was very sensitive to crosswinds. This wasn't the case in the winter when I was using the same 195 tires all around.

Whether the wider rear track and the resulting offset of the wheels have any particular effects on steering and handling remains to be seen.

'In any case, ideal driving characteristics and safety are the top priorities in the specifications, with aesthetics coming second. In the worst-case scenario, I'll have to settle for the unattractive appearance. If necessary, I'll return the items and get a refund.'

Best regards,

Hutfahrer wrote:

Back to the original topic!! Someone in my friend group drives an Audi 100 C4 with these completely uncool 14-inch steel rims with 185 tires.

Do you mean a C3?

No, that model series is called C4, and it was only slightly modified when it was first released as the A6.

<Audi>

<Audi>

Hutfahrer wrote:

No, the model series is called C4, and it was only slightly modified when it was initially released as the A6 series.

Christians switched to a C3 for a very simple reason:

The Audi 100 C4 has front brake discs that are at least 288mm in diameter and 15mm thick, which requires a minimum wheel size of 15 inches.
MKB:
ABB 1.6L 4-cylinder B engine, 75kW, March 1992 - July 1993.
AAE 2.0 4-cylinder engine, 74 kW, December 1990 - July 1994.
ABK 2.0 4-cylinder engine, 85 kW, January 1993 - July 1994.
ACE 2.0 4-cylinder B 103kW, January 1992 - July 1994.
AAS 2.4 5-cylinder D 60kW May 1991 - July 1994.
AAR 2.3 5-cylinder B 98kW December 1990 - July 1994.
AAD 2.0 4-cylinder B 85kW December 1990 - December 1992.
AAT 2.5 5-cylinder D 85kW August 1991 - July 1994.

The C3, on the other hand, was also available with 14-inch wheels.

Best regards,
Munch.

...then I might be wrong, and they could be 15-inch wheels. At least, they appear to be 15-inch with narrow 185-size tires and a balloon-like tire height. I'm certain about the C4.