Do 16 inch wheels give a softer ride, (like for like) (Fiat et al, pvc)

[Bertilak]

I'm about to switch our MWB Ducato to all-season tyres, and wondering if I'm missing a trick not spending on some 16" steel rims first...

During a recent continental foray I noticed how the majority of Sevel light chassis panel vans had 16" wheel rims fitted.
I'm talking recent branded conversions, still as they left the factory; both steel and OE alloys.

I feel the bigger wheels does make them look better, and more proportionate; IMO the 15s are a bit tea-trolley-ish...

However does anyone have any experience if this makes them handle better or gives a softer ride?
- I assume a bigger tyre has a bigger capacity which allows lower pressure at the same weight...
- or is the whole thing just vanity?

All views welcome!

 

[Guigsy]

16" wheels do end up being a bit taller overall, so you get slightly better roll-over bumps, but it's not a huge difference. 16" alloys are heavier than 15" steelies, which is a negative for suspension. The sidewall ends up being about the same, so that doesn't make much difference. The biggest difference is the tyre pressure, and how low you can go for your axle weight mostly depends on the load rating of the tyre. So a higher load rating might allow you to go quite a lot lower pressure. But that's offset by it being heavier and having more reinforcement plies, which takes away the compliance again.

Overall, I'm not sure there's a clear argument for 16" wheels being more comfortable. It's mainly a vanity thing.

One big difference is switching from CP "camper" tyres to standard C "commercial" tyres... Normal van tyres are generally much more compliant.

 

[Landy Andy]

I would think that the smaller the wheel and the bigger tyre, would provide the softer ride. A bigger wheel is less sidewall, so less give in the tyre.

 

[DandJ]

If you go to a larger rim, you may have to go down 1 size on the ratio to keep your speedo reading properly...so a 215/75-15 tyre and wheel may be a 215/70-16. The /75 or /70 is the ration of the sidewall of the tyre to the width of the tyre. If you look at sports cars, they have what look like rubber bands on...285/30-20....a higher /no generally meas a softer ride (but there is also tyre choice for ride quality too)
Have a play on the 'tyre comparison' part of the below (If your speedo currently reads 70mph but a GPS shows 65...you have a little leeway)

Tyre Size Calculator

A better easy to use tyre size calculator. Use our tyre size calculator to find tyre diameter, width, sidewall, circumference, and revolutions per mile.

tiresize.com

 

[Boaty]

Too simple a question. 15" to 16" for some maybe vanity - but eye of the beholder.
However, Fiat eg. offers 16" with 118 or 130 pcd.
Different loading and axle.
Wheel width and offset also affects discs brakes, suspension and handling.
One thing for certain changes from 15" to 16" is never like for like. The same goes for driver and van setup.