Off road tire or street tire for comfort ?

[fltekdiver]

We ride on sidewalks mostly, crossing streets, no off road.


I'm looking at a 14" rim, I like that look


I was told today the off road tires ride softer, as they have more sidewall then street tires, and street tires have a stiffer sidewall?


True?

[TahoeDawgZ71]

The type of tread is not nearly as important as the sidewall. The more sidewall exposure you have, the softer the tire will ride because the rubber acts as a dampener. A lower profile tire will have much less sidewall flex and will ride much rougher than a tire with a larger sidewall. Wheel size is irrelevant. Low profile tires that are 18 inches in height mounted on 14" wheels will ride rough. 25" tires mounted on the same 14" wheels will ride much better because the rubber can flex.

Let's say you want to run a tire that's 20" tall and 10 inches wide. You can get that tire in a size made to fit on a 10, 12, and a 14" wheel. On the 10", you're gonna have 5" of sidewall. On the 12" you're gonna have 4" of sidewall, and on the 14" you're only gonna have 3" of sidewall, yet all three tires are the overall same height and width. The 10" tires will ride the best, but won't handle as well. The 14's are just the opposite and the 12's are somewhere in between.

I remember when lifted carts first started getting popular. I was a kid. We had an E-Z-Go Marathon with a lift kit on it, with 22x11x8 tires. The wheels were so tiny and the tires looked like balloons, but they rode great. It handled like a dump truck though.

[fltekdiver]

Thanks !

So the question is.......

Is it worth it to drop down to. A 12" rim vs 14" rim, to gain more sidewall. Is the ride really going to be noticable difference ?

I really like the look of the 14" rims on a 23" tire

So a 14" rim with 23" tire street tire, not low pro, will ride the same as an A/T tire?

[TahoeDawgZ71]

Originally Posted by fltekdiver

Thanks !

So the question is.......

Is it worth it to drop down to. A 12" rim vs 14" rim, to gain more sidewall. Is the ride really going to be noticable difference ?

I really like the look of the 14" rims on a 23" tire

So a 14" rim with 23" tire street tire, not low pro, will ride the same as an A/T tire?

To me it's a huge difference. I had 23x10.5x14s on my personal cart a few years back and it was fine in the neighborhood. I attempted to take it deer hunting with me and I swore I'd never run a 14" wheel again. I build a car every year to take hunting and then I sell it in January. I have a set of 23x10.5x12" wheels that I keep in stock just to use on my hunting cart every year. The ride quality off-road is 100% better with the 12s. In the neighborhood it's not nearly as noticeable.

To answer your last question, and some may disagree with me on this... I think the All Terrain tires ride better than street tires when comparing equal sizes. The tread is much softer. Street tires tend to have much harder rubber compound.

[fltekdiver]

Hmm, that's some good feedback. How do the 12's look

I live in a golf cart friendly town, where everyone rides their golf carts around on the sidewalks, to the mall, dinner, out to eat , movies etc.

Most I see are running 14" rims on lifted carts with street tires

[TahoeDawgZ71]

They look good. RHOX has several good looking 12" wheels on their site. They can ship from Jacksonville if they're in stock. Shipping won't be too terrible since you live in Florida.

[dannyre]

Originally Posted by TahoeDawgZ71

They look good. RHOX has several good looking 12" wheels on their site. They can ship from Jacksonville if they're in stock. Shipping won't be too terrible since you live in Florida.

As far as off road vs. street tires go, if the cart is being used for street use, the noise level on a street tire is far quitter.

[TahoeDawgZ71]

Originally Posted by dannyre

As far as off road vs. street tires go, if the cart is being used for street use, the noise level on a street tire is far quitter.

I agree.

[E36Racer]

I only drive on the street and went from the common “Sahara” style off road tire to Street Fox tires. Not only are my new tires silent the ride quality over bumps is actually better than my old tires at the same pressure. I was a bit surprised since the tread and side wall are softer on the off road tires, but it was a noticeable improvement. Since I hardly even drive on grass I’ll never go back to noisy off road type tires. Just my .02

[fltekdiver]

Thanks I appreciate the feedback

I think Roadhawk sells a 22" steer tire, not sure on the street fox.

Allot of people around here ring street fox on a 6" lift