Soft Lip VS Stepped Lip. Any particular reason for either one?

[Motor City Impala]

I have noticed many different wheel/tire combos today have a Soft Lip... versus the stepped lip. any particular reason for a Soft Lip over Stepped?

Is this simply for looks or is there an engineering issue regarding bead retention under hard cornering? Or is there a tire/rim manuacturer that finds a soft lip more beneficial during manufacturing?

I can understand if looks wise you dont want wheel weights showing, but for someone who has installed tires for a living...weights on the outer edges certainly makes balancing much more precise. I have always prefered clamp on weights versus stick on. Piece of mind IMO.

Todd

[GNon18s]

Stepped lip is obviously the more traditional wheel style. What you are referring to as "soft lip" or "reversed lip" is for aesthetics. If you have an 18" step-lip wheel sitting next to an 18" "soft-lip" wheel, the "soft-lip style is going to look bigger because the wheel center is larger. also, the outer rim usually looks fatter/more dished because it is a large flat area. However, legit roadrace cars like ALMS run three piece wheels with a step-lip design probably because they are stronger. I also installed tires for a living and my opinion is clamp on wheel weights dont belong anywhere near high end wheels. OEM's use stick on weights now in a lot of applications.

[LS1-IROC]

It's an appearance thing. I love the reversed lip look myself just because it looks cleaner. Sometimes though, it's impossible to run a reverse lip wheel when a big brake/caliper is being used. The steeped lip generally allows for more room in the inside of the wheel.