Have you noticed how big car wheels have gotten?

Have you noticed how big tires have gotten? As I was walking through the shop today, I passed a 1991 Volvo 240 wagon with 14" wheels. They looked nice but also seemed extremely small next to these 16" wheels from a nearby 2009 Volvo wagon. Why is it that wheels have gotten so big? Were engines not big enough to handle the circumference of larger tires? In some cases, that was probably the case. Remember…

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Volvo to use F1 technology

According to Motor Authority, Volvo has been testing a prototype KERS flywheel system hooked up to the rear wheels of an S60 T5 FWD. The flywheel is powered by the force of braking and can rev up to 60,000 RPM. On take-off, that power is channeled to the rear wheels with up to 80 hp of thrust. In testing, the 0-60 mph time was reduced by 1.5 seconds and fuel economy was boosted by 25%. Not bad for a 130 lb. unit.

See Extreme Tech's article for more details.

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