[Sodo]

My car was recently leaking anti-freeze so I borrowed a family members 2012 Civic LX while mine gets repaired, but we both noticed that my car was notably harder to turn. The only difference between the two cars is that I replaced my steelies with 16" rims, but I don't see how that would make the steering harder.

 

[bamathrasher]

You'd be surprised at what differences wheel weight can make. Turning, Handling, Acceleration, etc can all be effected by increased wheel size/weight.

 

[Andex]

Yeah, just changing tires, or even correcting underinflation changes everything.

 

[Sodo]

I'm just using stock CR-Z wheels and tires on my Civic, nothing special. Since the EX comes with 16" wheels vs 15", wouldn't the EX also handle worse if that were the case?

 

[mauibuilt2003]

the 2012 Civic LX comes with shitty low-rolling resistance tires designed for fuel economy. Even though the CR-Z's stock tires have the same tread width (195) and are also all-seasons, it's a more aggressive tire. Since more grip = more friction with the road, it would make sense that the steering wheel would be harder to turn, as the extra grip creates more resistance.

 

[Chunky]

also going from 15 to 16 inch wheel, you narrow down side wall height = less body roll.

i went from stock 15s to 18s on my sedan. handling and turns improved alot!!! but mpg went down a little

 

[Sodo]

thanks for the explanations