One thing that constantly bugs me (the other is the grill, as I"m sure you've seen from my other posts) about my Rogue is the large wheel wells that make even the SL's 17" wheels look too small.
I've found keeping the wheel wells nice and black with tire shine does help a lot. One real solution is getting shorter springs to lower the car - I believe Eddnog did that, and it looks awesome. Another option would be larger wheels. But I'm too cheap for both of those.
So I've been thinking, how would taller (larger diameter) tires looks? That is if they'd even fit on the vehicle. Has anyone tried or thought of this?
Taller tires to fix the wheel well gap?
Re: Taller tires to fix the wheel well gap?
One thing that constantly bugs me (the other is the grill, as I"m sure you've seen from my other posts) about my Rogue is the large wheel wells that make even the SL's 17" wheels look too small.
I've found keeping the wheel wells nice and black with tire shine does help a lot. One real solution is getting shorter springs to lower the car - I believe Eddnog did that, and it looks awesome. Another option would be larger wheels. But I'm too cheap for both of those.
So I've been thinking, how would taller (larger diameter) tires looks? That is if they'd even fit on the vehicle. Has anyone tried or thought of this?
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Hello gpsmoucer...Just my two cents...
The gap in the wheel wells of the Rogue (really any SUV) is necessary for the proper wheel travel when the vehicle goes over bumps, etc. and is really part of the design by the engineers. As such, it's not really something to be "fixed" and shouldn't bug you.
I agree, it may not be visually attractive, but if you lower the Rogue to relieve your annoyance with the gap, you run the risk of damage to the wheel wells and/or the tires from bottoming out due to potholes, etc. Not to mention the comfort of the ride will likely suffer. And the suspension geometry will probably be affected as well, unless you're really careful on how you lower it.
Of course, if you install shocks (or struts, or whatever is appropriate) that are so stiff that no bottoming is possible, the gap will be closed, but the ride will definitely suffer!
My suggestion is you should carefully weigh the importance of the gap vs. ride comfort and possible premature suspension wear-and-tear.
Just my two cents...
I've found keeping the wheel wells nice and black with tire shine does help a lot. One real solution is getting shorter springs to lower the car - I believe Eddnog did that, and it looks awesome. Another option would be larger wheels. But I'm too cheap for both of those.
So I've been thinking, how would taller (larger diameter) tires looks? That is if they'd even fit on the vehicle. Has anyone tried or thought of this?
************************************************************
Hello gpsmoucer...Just my two cents...
The gap in the wheel wells of the Rogue (really any SUV) is necessary for the proper wheel travel when the vehicle goes over bumps, etc. and is really part of the design by the engineers. As such, it's not really something to be "fixed" and shouldn't bug you.
I agree, it may not be visually attractive, but if you lower the Rogue to relieve your annoyance with the gap, you run the risk of damage to the wheel wells and/or the tires from bottoming out due to potholes, etc. Not to mention the comfort of the ride will likely suffer. And the suspension geometry will probably be affected as well, unless you're really careful on how you lower it.
Of course, if you install shocks (or struts, or whatever is appropriate) that are so stiff that no bottoming is possible, the gap will be closed, but the ride will definitely suffer!
My suggestion is you should carefully weigh the importance of the gap vs. ride comfort and possible premature suspension wear-and-tear.
Just my two cents...
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philipa_240sx
- Posts: 3808
- Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:30 am
- Location: Canada
Re: Taller tires to fix the wheel well gap?
Another issue with larger wheels:
If you go to large, it can throws the calibration of the wheel speed sensors off. This impacts several computer systems including TCS, ABS, VDC, and the AWD.
As a general rule, +/- 3% is considered the limit for safely changing tire diameter.
If you go to large, it can throws the calibration of the wheel speed sensors off. This impacts several computer systems including TCS, ABS, VDC, and the AWD.
As a general rule, +/- 3% is considered the limit for safely changing tire diameter.
Re: Taller tires to fix the wheel well gap?
I'm definitely not looking into getting larger wheels or shorter springs. Although it looks nice, the reasons you guys stated + the considerable money required are easy reasons to not go there.
But on one point I have to disagree: The extent of the wheel well size on the the Rogue isn't necessary... yes, the suspension may be currently adjusted to take advantage of all that travel, but I'd be surprised if I (or most) ever took my Rogue into a situation where I'd take advantage of all that travel. Going one further, some other CUVs don't seem to have this much wheel well room - RAV4s (limited and sport) don't appear to, and Mazda CX-7 definitely don't have much room at all.
Back to fixing the aesthetic "problem," would +3% larger tires make any noticeable difference? And is that even a tire size that is made?
(One tangential question... since any modern car's various safety systems rely on known wheel size, how do all the people who upgrade their wheels drive safely? There must be a way to adjust for this, at least in high-end cars where it seems huge wheels are an OEM new car option.)
But on one point I have to disagree: The extent of the wheel well size on the the Rogue isn't necessary... yes, the suspension may be currently adjusted to take advantage of all that travel, but I'd be surprised if I (or most) ever took my Rogue into a situation where I'd take advantage of all that travel. Going one further, some other CUVs don't seem to have this much wheel well room - RAV4s (limited and sport) don't appear to, and Mazda CX-7 definitely don't have much room at all.
Back to fixing the aesthetic "problem," would +3% larger tires make any noticeable difference? And is that even a tire size that is made?
(One tangential question... since any modern car's various safety systems rely on known wheel size, how do all the people who upgrade their wheels drive safely? There must be a way to adjust for this, at least in high-end cars where it seems huge wheels are an OEM new car option.)
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takeshi
- Posts: 313
- Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:55 am
- Car: 2008 Nissan Rogue SL AWD
- Location: Houston, TX
Re: Taller tires to fix the wheel well gap?
I doubt it. You can calculate out what 3% plus your current tire would equal.gpsmoucer wrote:Back to fixing the aesthetic "problem," would +3% larger tires make any noticeable difference? And is that even a tire size that is made?
By adhering to the same +/- 3% rule that philipa_240sx pointed out. If you increase the wheel size then you have to choose a proper tire size to remain within that margin. IIRC, this is referred to as "plus sizing".gpsmoucer wrote:There must be a way to adjust for this, at least in high-end cars where it seems huge wheels are an OEM new car option.
Re: Taller tires to fix the wheel well gap?
(One tangential question... since any modern car's various safety systems rely on known wheel size, how do all the people who upgrade their wheels drive safely? There must be a way to adjust for this, at least in high-end cars where it seems huge wheels are an OEM new car option.)
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The easiest way to upgrade your wheels and/or tires is to use the optional sizes listed in the specs of wherever you buy tires/wheels. A good example is Discount Tire. (I hope I'm not violating any rules by mentioning a specific company). Besides having a database of optional wheel and tire sizes for all cars and trucks (i.e. you can buy them without worrying about problems, because they are already calculated for the safe margins), which all aftermarket distributors have, DT also has a "preview" function for your vehicle. You can see what your desired wheels/tires will look like on your vehicle.
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The easiest way to upgrade your wheels and/or tires is to use the optional sizes listed in the specs of wherever you buy tires/wheels. A good example is Discount Tire. (I hope I'm not violating any rules by mentioning a specific company). Besides having a database of optional wheel and tire sizes for all cars and trucks (i.e. you can buy them without worrying about problems, because they are already calculated for the safe margins), which all aftermarket distributors have, DT also has a "preview" function for your vehicle. You can see what your desired wheels/tires will look like on your vehicle.
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philipa_240sx
- Posts: 3808
- Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:30 am
- Location: Canada
Re: Taller tires to fix the wheel well gap?
Eddnog has produced a very nice chart listing all the possible wheel and tire sizes for the Rogue:TonyJohn wrote:The easiest way to upgrade your wheels and/or tires is to use the optional sizes listed in the specs of wherever you buy tires/wheels.
zerothread/293478
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Briguy1027
- Posts: 38
- Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:58 pm
Re: Taller tires to fix the wheel well gap?
I don't think they make a bigger diameter tire that works to fill in the wheel well gap - you'll mess up your odometer right away if you do that. Plus sizing involves getting a bigger wheel and a correspondingly thinner tire so that the outer diameter remains as close to the same as it was with the OEM set up. The only way I know to decrease the gap is to change the springs. Something I would never do . . . on this car.
Re: Taller tires to fix the wheel well gap?
Any car manufacture putting wheels a little bit smaller than the car can handle without any issues. You always will be safe if you go with 1" bigger or smaller diameter. Also I heard Chevy would void the warranty on half of the car if they see non-stock wheels on the car (I don't know if this is 100% true).Briguy1027 wrote:Plus sizing involves getting a bigger wheel and a correspondingly thinner tire so that the outer diameter remains as close to the same as it was with the OEM set up.