[ggeorgie]

Hey Guys and Gals,

I have been on this forum for a while, don't get me wrong, I like raised trucks or lowered, and many different wheels as well, and I have seen many pictures of beautiful 20 to 24 inches wheels on the Armada and Lift kits for the Armada from 2 to 6 Inches and more. my question is, and I hope somebody can backup this with some charts or readings. Did Nissan do the crash tests or the rollover tests or any other tests with these modification in mind? please enlighten me?

 

[FL_Crushin]

I doubt it.

Nissan or any other manufacturer for that matter would most likely only test their vehicle with the stock layout. They would be testing for years if they tested for every suspension, drivetrain, wheel, brake, etc. mod on the market for their vehicle. However the laws of physics do always apply. Lower vehicle lower center of gravity (normally a good thing) usually means less tendency to roll (vice versa for raising COG). Less sidewall gives less tire roll, wider tires better grip (these combined could make it more likely to grip and increase tendency to roll, instead of understeer and slide). There are way to many variables to test. Common sense should apply with all mods. Just because your new tire and wheel combination will handle more g's, doesn't necessarily make it a good idea to try in an SUV.

 

[ggeorgie]

Just because your new tire and wheel combination will handle more g's, doesn't necessarily make it a good idea to try in an SUV.

I agree, different wheels does not mean better ride, except for maybe changing the contis on the wheels, although, I had no issue with those so far, there are beautifull wheels out there more than 18 inch that I would like to mount on the Armada, but I still feel when you start messing around w/factory setup. and yes the laws of physics do apply in all cases, thats why Nissan or any other manufacturer test their vehicles with stock.

 

[Nav400]

If you have safety concerns ---don't do it. You are not going to find charts and backup data from Nissan testing the "possible" aftermarket things people might do to their vehicles -- but I am assuming you already knew that and it was more of a rhetorical statement.

I have 22's on my Armada and am not too concerned about the saftey implications of my change. I do have more grip, since I have a much wider and stickier tire than the stock tires. It is possible that the increased grip could increase the roll over factor, however it is also possible that the increased grip could allow me to steer around the hazard safely without getting into a roll over situation. It is impossible to know what "hazard situation" may lie ahead. Remember that all of the "safety electronics" still work with larger wheels. Additionally, I don't think anyboy would comment that going with larger wheels would somehow improve the ride of the vehicle, I think that it improves the looks. And no one is going to say that a 6" lift is going to increase the cornering either.

Use common sense for what you perceive as risks.

 

[ggeorgie]

thanks for the response, definetly I am not changing the wheels, although I prefer to have the looks of larger wheels, and am not getting a lift, the Armada is staying stock as for those two things. as for performance it makes me wonder if I should drop $500-$800 on a Catback system and CAI, and gain another 15-20 HP, when the speed limiter is gonna stay the same at 112MPH

 

[92TripleBlack]

Hey Guys and Gals,

I have been on this forum for a while, don't get me wrong, I like raised trucks or lowered, and many different wheels as well, and I have seen many pictures of beautiful 20 to 24 inches wheels on the Armada and Lift kits for the Armada from 2 to 6 Inches and more. my question is, and I hope somebody can backup this with some charts or readings. Did Nissan do the crash tests or the rollover tests or any other tests with these modification in mind? please enlighten me?

Raising makes the vehicle more tippy, though rollover is far less likely than SUVs of 10 years ago even with a lift. Lowering hurts the ride, increases handling, hurts towing, etc. The bumpers are lower when lowered, higher when raised, but should still be at an acceptable height. Wheels also hurt mileage, ride, comfort, etc. Low profile tires will make the ride more harsh, which over time will loosen up the entire truck causing rattles, etc. You gotta pay for looks. They also hurt the tow rating. As for safety, they should be fine. Crash tests shouldn't change much either way as the only real difference will be the bumper height. Still, I'd rather be in a raised than lowered vehclie in a crash.

 

[Armadaof1]

Physics of car handling is a tricky subject. A few years back, I believe it was Nissan/Infiinity or Toyota/Lexus that ran into a problem where the luxury version of the SUV was much more prone to rollover due to a change in spring/shock settings. If the liklihood of rollover can be significantly affected by that subtle change, you can well imagine what a 4" lift kit will do, or a sidewall reduction of 50%.

Changes in suspension and tire/wheel size improves looks (according to some) and provides a definite change in feel for how the car drives. But seat of the pants improvements are many times not born out on the skid pad or at the track.

So the long and short - yes, folks are compromising safety for apparent performance and looks. It's your call on whether an investment in this direction is worth the potential consequences.