So they could fit a 'more suitable sidewall height' tire. The rolling diameter between the 16" lower profile tire & the 15" higher profile tire is close enough to the same so as to be insignificant re the gearing &/or stability/traction control systems, but the greater sidewall height you get from running the 15" rim & a higher profile tire means the suspension can work better with it and the tire will not only be able to safely absorb more 'shocks' from the rocks & rubble often on rougher roads (incidentally, also increasing the tire's puncture resistance) but it also allows for the sidewalls & tread to flex more & by doing so to maintain a better sized contact patch with the road surface under adverse conditions as well as higher cornering loads & angles!
hyea:Reducing sidewall height can mean that you get a 'more direct feel' & less tire squirm during hard cornering; but this comes at the expense of tire & suspension 'compliance' (so you get a harsher ride & to compensate, everything else has to work harder/more efficiently, or amongst other things, the tire either just 'skips' over the top of the high spots on the road surface that are always there, even if microscopically, thereby reducing traction; or if the suspension is too firm, it holds the tire down so that a relatively small stone/obstacle can just punch straight thru the tread & blow the tire!!) and the tire's ability to keep most of the tread face on the road surface whilst being subjected to cornering loads & angles that try to lift one edge... which further reduces traction as the contact patch shrinks & the forces necessary to overcome the little grip remaining also shrinks!! :shocked:
It's a very fine balance between giving the driver the 'more direct feel' they've been talked into coming to expect from running low profile high pressure tires on relatively smooth, well drained, high traction roads, often at 'low-ish' speeds too, where the risk of traction loss &/or road debris puncture et al is less; and the 'slightly less direct feel' that comes with the better tire & tread compliance that works in concert with the suspension to provide much greater traction & high speed cornering ability, especially on 'less than ideal' surfaces!! :shocked:
Ever wondered why the tires run on F1 cars are all relatively 'high profile'?? :dontknow: Or why so many other vehicles that run pnuematic tires where 'ultimate performance' in areas such as traction, ride, handling, &/or longevity is significantly more critical than 'how sick those rims look' tend to run higher profile tires too?? :dontknow: Apart from physically making room for bigger/better brakes inside the wheel rim, just about everywhere that the vehicle &/or driver is more concerned about the tire's actual 'in-use' performance than they are about how good the rims & tires look, the tire profile's they run is very likely to be higher..... :shocked: There's lots of good reasons for that!! :lecturef_smilie: Most of them to do with 'better tire performance' in one or more of those aspects previously mentioned.... cos we don't all ride on perfectly smooth, high traction, well drained roadways with few really tight curves to contend with! :thumbup:
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