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What's the ride quality on 19 inch wheels?

quickit

quickit

Ready to race!
Thinking of replacing the stock Talledaga wheels with something else. I like the RSe14s but they only come in 19s and the RSe12s don't look right to me with only 6 spokes. The V710s are also nice but they look best in 19s as well so I can't make up my mind. Staying with the 18in size would also mean I get to keep my current PZeros and save money on tires.

Anyways, what is the ride quality like on 19s compared to the stock 18s? It looks like the tires are rubber-bands and that the ride quality would really suffer. I'm in my 40s now so I want a comfortable ride. I will keep the suspension stock or just get OEM ROW springs.

Any input from peeps riding on 19 inch wheels?
Thanks,
 
R

rj45

Passed Driver's Ed
The ride will definitely suffer a bit. I'm also in my 40's and I use the car daily. The stock R rides well. It's a good ride/handling compromise. If the ride were any firmer or if it banged more, I wouldn't like it. That said, if it was a weekend-car then I wouldn't mind if the ride was more firm.
 
lemarin

lemarin

Ready to race!
I ride 19's and I'm quite happy, and believe me, roads cannot be worst than here (province of Quebec).
I choose Michelin Pilot Supersport, as Michelin has the reputation of being not as stiff as some other brand (Bridgestone Potenza per example), but still handle as good as the other ones. But they are pricey.

Also, I choose 235/35ZR19 instead of 225's, as 235's are the optionnal OEM size for the R in Europe, and it gives little more rubber thickness between the rim and the road (more comfortable ride). The difference is only 1.8% bigger diameter compare with OEM 18's tires.

I definitely prefer 19's.
 
AXO

AXO

Go Kart Champion
My ride improved when I went with 19s! I also upgraded to better softer tires. Night and Day improvement!
 
KanDyWyte1

KanDyWyte1

Ready to race!
Continental DW tires on 19" wheels with mild stretch basically felt stock as far as comfort. With the addition of DG springs 2 weeks later; race-car! Haha! The ride got much more stiff, especially over time and many loops of damn brick paver crosswalks in my city (Feels like potholes that are unavoidable. I am so over due for another balancing). I cannot blame the springs alone, nor the wheels alone, just the combination. My buddy has DG springs on huffs and they ride as if stock.
 
joe_vella

joe_vella

Banned
lemarin said:
I ride 19's and I'm quite happy, and believe me, roads cannot be worst than here (province of Quebec).
I choose Michelin Pilot Supersport, as Michelin has the reputation of being not as stiff as some other brand (Bridgestone Potenza per example), but still handle as good as the other ones. But they are pricey.

Also, I choose 235/35ZR19 instead of 225's, as 235's are the optionnal OEM size for the R in Europe, and it gives little more rubber thickness between the rim and the road (more comfortable ride). The difference is only 1.8% bigger diameter compare with OEM 18's tires.

I definitely prefer 19's.
Click to expand...

:bow: how do u do it?

I drive with stock 18 inch detroits and koni coilovers and it drives me nuts!!! lol
every time i see people saying "our roads here are terrible" and they live in the US i die of laughter.
 
EJBGTIVI

EJBGTIVI

Autocross Champion
I'm also in my 40s and have 19s with VWR springs. The ride quality is fine. The roads in my area are in excellent condition though, if your roads are really bad you may want to stick with 18s.
 
smrtypants44

smrtypants44

Go Kart Champion
19x8.5 OEM S4's w/225 kuhmos and the ride is not bad to me...but then again I dont mind a stiff ride
 
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(. )( .)

(. )( .)

Go Kart Champion
I was unhappy with the stiffness and nerve-wracking shit that came with my 19's. Yeah the ride is stiffer and it handles worse than the 18's. 19 inch wheels are strictly for looks.


I started with 225/35/19 tires on the wheels. I was scared to bend or crack my wheels because I drive through southern california, local to los angeles, notorious for horrible roads, huge freeway potholes, etc, so after a couple weeks upsized to 225/40/19. With my suspension, this set fits flush, and greatly improved the ride comfort.

When I go to track though, i'm definitely throwing the 18's back on, to lower the center of gravity a little bit.

And yeah it does rub if the wheels are turned and i'm entering a steep driveway, but that's my fault because i haven't gotten coils yet.

 
A

axim888

New member
lemarin said:
I ride 19's and I'm quite happy, and believe me, roads cannot be worst than here (province of Quebec).
I choose Michelin Pilot Supersport, as Michelin has the reputation of being not as stiff as some other brand (Bridgestone Potenza per example), but still handle as good as the other ones. But they are pricey.

Also, I choose 235/35ZR19 instead of 225's, as 235's are the optionnal OEM size for the R in Europe, and it gives little more rubber thickness between the rim and the road (more comfortable ride). The difference is only 1.8% bigger diameter compare with OEM 18's tires.

I definitely prefer 19's.
Click to expand...

I'm looking at the same tires on 19s... do you find any rubbing and is your car lowered? Everyone I ask or read say to go with 225s but I'd like to up size to 235s if I can.
 
H

hurdy

Go Kart Champion
18's definitely ride better, handle better and are more often than not lighter than 19's.

I cut out 5kg a corner by going to 18" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2's which is a hell of a lot to drop from the Unsprung mass. As a result the car feels sharper too.

Also The R is now rocking Bilstein B16 PSS10's which ride BETTER than stock on setting 1 even with lowering.
 
NS2G8TR

NS2G8TR

Passed Driver's Ed
I'm not sure i agree with 18's being lighter and handling better than 19's as a blanket statement. The stocks are 18's and weighed 4lbs more than the 19's I put on with 10mm wider tread.

With that said I haven't ever gone up in size and noticed a more comfortable ride. For me personally it isn't so much about comfort as it is performance/esthetics.
 
H

hurdy

Go Kart Champion
NS2G8TR said:
I'm not sure i agree with 18's being lighter and handling better than 19's as a blanket statement. The stocks are 18's and weighed 4lbs more than the 19's I put on with 10mm wider tread.

With that said I haven't ever gone up in size and noticed a more comfortable ride. For me personally it isn't so much about comfort as it is performance/esthetics.
Click to expand...

It is a rare 19" wheel that is lighter than an 18" wheel but not impossible. I agree that a LIGHTER 19" wheel would be better than a stock 18" wheel.:thumbsup:
 
Jason3D

Jason3D

Go Kart Champion
AXO said:
My ride improved when I went with 19s! I also upgraded to better softer tires. Night and Day improvement!
Click to expand...

I had this same experience as well. The 19's actually seemed to be a smoother ride when I put them on. Almost as if the slightly larger diameter rolls over bumps easier than 18's. Kind of analogous to mountain bikes with larger wheels like 29'ers.

smrtypants44 said:
19x8.5 OEM S4's w/225 kuhmos and the ride is not bad to me...but then again I dont mind a stiff ride
Click to expand...

Same wheels here. I have the 19x8.5 B8 S4 wheels on my car right now with 225/35 Goodyear Eagle F1's. The tires are amazing, and I'm sure they play a big factor in the ride comfort, but I think the wheels are actually lighter than the 18" wheels I had on before them, which felt pretty heavy.
 
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