![]() ![]() If you’re trying to accelerate, then the weight of your wheels and tires will work to resist your engine’s power, ultimately reducing the amount of horsepower that reaches the road. ![]() The heavier your wheels and tires are, the harder your car will have to work to change their velocity. Unsprung weight also impairs a vehicle’s ability to accelerate and brake. This is what you feel every foot of every mile you drive. Hit a bump in a car with heavy wheels and tires, and the force those parts generate will have a lot of effect on the vehicle. Hit a bump in a car with light wheels and tires, and the force those parts generate as they move up and down will be minimal in comparison to the weight of the vehicle itself. The more unsprung weight a vehicle carries relative to its sprung weight, the greater the influence those unsprung components will have over the vehicle’s passengers. Unsprung weight is anything below that suspension-the wheels and the tires, basically.Įver wondered why big, heavy SUVs and luxury sedans ride so comfortably? Why they seem to smooth out bumps and potholes that smaller, lighter cars bounce harshly over? Well, it’s due to the ratio between sprung and unsprung weight. Sprung weight is anything carried above the vehicle’s suspension-the body, the frame, the passengers, and their luggage. When we talk about the weight of any vehicle, we need to talk about two types of weight: sprung and unsprung. Why? Because they totally ruined the car. ![]() I actually ran a set of K02’s on that old Outback for about a month but ended up pulling them off and remounting the 771’s at the first available opportunity. So most readers bought something else: something like the BFGoodrich K02. So, seeking more grip and puncture resistance off-road and improved wet-weather performance, I fitted a set of lightweight all-terrain tires, with an emphasis on “lightweight.” What I got wrong was that I used and then wrote about a tire-the Maxxis Bravo 771-that can’t be found at most mainstream retailers, online or off. But tires are the most important component on any vehicle, the major determining factor in that vehicle’s capability on-road, off-road, and through inclement weather. The bargain all-season road tires that Subaru sells on its cars aren’t made for much more than a gentle commute. The key disparity between my intention and their reality was tires. Judging by all that interest and the number of cars I see on the road and on Instagram that have been modified nearly identically, a lot of people have copied that build. Detailing the modifications involved turned into one of the more popular articles I’ve ever written, and one I still receive almost daily questions about. The end result turned out pretty well: it was a car that made camping trips possible but was still easy to use in a congested city and on long road trips. Let’s look at the reasons why such modifications utterly ruin your car, then talk about stuff you can do that might actually help it.įive years ago, back when I lived in Los Angeles, I bought a Subaru Outback, then promptly set about fitting it with all-terrain tires, some flashy wheels, a few protection parts, and a ginormous roof rack. It’s trendy right now to buy a Subaru or similar all-wheel-drive crossover and modify it so it looks like it can go off-road. ![]()
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