Still mulling options while waiting for the big MX reveal next week.
Anyone out there order 19" rims with performance option on their MS? I know that 21" rims will offer better try condition traction, etc, but I'm not super-enthused about the harsher ride.
19" are note staggered - so at times are the 21". But what caught my attention was your comment that you felt they were quieter. I don't think I've heard this argument before from proponents of the 21". Usually it's looks and occasionally a believe that they provide better traction (but I don't believe anyone has ever shown conclusive data that this is indeed the case). The sales team in Portland and the folks at the service center consistently state that the 21" are louder and less comfortable - and that certainly matches my experience when I had loaners (including one that was in all other aspects an exact clone of my P85D).Here's my experience with 21" wheels and why I'm glad I got them.
It was hard to make a good comparison, but when GG drove my P90DL with 21" wheels it felt smoother and quieter than his 19" wheels. There are a lot of factors so I can't say too much either way based on that drive. At low speeds (<30mph) on rough roads I can feel some vibration through the steering wheel, but it's very minor. At highway speeds and a little below it's really smooth and I love how it feels.
They handle really well. When I tested the lateral G forces I looked at the sidewalls afterwards and the wear didn't bleed into the sidewall so I know they aren't rolling over on themselves in turns. I don't think you get staggered wheels with 19s, but I may be wrong.
19" are note staggered - so at times are the 21". But what caught my attention was your comment that you felt they were quieter. I don't think I've heard this argument before from proponents of the 21". Usually it's looks and occasionally a believe that they provide better traction (but I don't believe anyone has ever shown conclusive data that this is indeed the case). The sales team in Portland and the folks at the service center consistently state that the 21" are louder and less comfortable - and that certainly matches my experience when I had loaners (including one that was in all other aspects an exact clone of my P85D).
Just curious as I don't have a P90D, just a classic P85. I got my car with the 21s with Continental DW. After 25k miles with those I decided to give the 19s with the stock Michelins a try. They break traction well under full throttle on launch, and have much less grip in the corners. Stopping distance is noticeably longer. The steering also feels more sluggish and not quite as sharp. It's all basically what I expected going from high performance summer to all season tires, but I think the car really shines with the summer tires.
Anyway:
My question is since my car shares the same rear drive unit with the P85D and P90D, I'd assume they'd also be able to break the rears free pretty easily if equipped with the same tires. Surprised to see a number of reports of "no problems with traction with the 19s". Is the torque split with the AWD tuned so that the rear motor doesn't produce enough power to break the rears free or does it have different traction control? What's the story?
Many many launches in my P85D with all year 19". Don't remember ever breaking traction. I think the magic is that the 'D' shifts power around quite quickly. I don't tend to be extremely aggressive when cornering, so can't comment on the 19" disadvantage there. But simple physics would say that you likely have a very valid point simply because of the softer rubber combined with a larger foot print.My question is since my car shares the same rear drive unit with the P85D and P90D, I'd assume they'd also be able to break the rears free pretty easily if equipped with the same tires. Surprised to see a number of reports of "no problems with traction with the 19s". Is the torque split with the AWD tuned so that the rear motor doesn't produce enough power to break the rears free or does it have different traction control? What's the story?
Tsk tsk tsk... I am considering feeling attacked....
I'm really curious about this. Which tires do you have? How many miles on them? As a 90 it must be quite new. Unless there is sand or water on the road I have never managed to even get noticeable traction control to happen at a launch. Spinning wheels? Given how insanely fast the traction control reacts (<0.02 seconds to remove power from the engine) I'd be shocked if the wheels actually spin for you (let's define this, for the sake of argument, as a slip of at least a quarter turn). At 10mph that would be... 0.1 second response time. That seems like your traction control isn't working. Do you have slip start enabled?My P90D is on the all-season 19" wheels. It easily spins the fronts for the first 10mph or so.
See my other posts. There is no evidence that the 21" wheels are better on any performance metric.
If you like boy racer looks, or want to give a higher margin to the mfr. get the 21. Otherwise the 19 make much more sense.