I've had my MYP for a month now, the first 550 miles or so with the factory 21" AS4s, the last 400 with 20" Martian MW03s and staggered AS4s. I thought I'd give my take on how they compare thus far.
Factory wheels/tires - handles pretty darn well... on very well prepared roads. You can feel every bump however on even the mildest of imperfect surfaces. On the other hand, it does provide great feedback and looks very aggressive. Handles pretty well in the rain - not amazing, but I'm not worried about driving in it if I need to.
20" MW03 w/ AS44s - went with 8.5"/255 and 9.5"/275 staggered. Cost - $2600 for wheels, $1200 for tires (before tax/shipping).
1) Sidewall is noticeably thicker with "perfect tire bulge" imo. This was one of my biggest gripes about the factory setup, they are wrapped crazy tight. What's the benefit of the new setup?
2) Ride quality. The difference in quality is night and day. I have a wife and two Corgis. The wife loves the new setup far more, no doubt about it. The real test are the Corgis though - dogs don't lie! Before they would sit up and brace themselves in the beds we have in the back seat, now they just take the bumps as they come. It's evident they are way more comfable and less stressed with the 20" and additional bulge.
3) Handling. The car has ever so much more roll, but its really not that big of a deal. On perfect roads you can feel the difference, to include the slightly less responsive feedback that comes from a stiffer ride. HOWEVER, I'd actually give the overall handling edge to the 20s! Why? Because 95% of roads aren't perfect! With the factory setup you can feel it slip/slide as it bounces over even the slightest of rough spots. Every bump causes slighly less contact with the road and jerks the wheel due the tighter wrapped and less forgiving 21s. By comparison, the meatier 20's deform ever so slightly to the small bumps, maintaining 100" contact, offering more grip and less jerky steering.
4) Better range. Both of these are subjective imo. The 20's have resulted in noticably less wh/mile, but it's hard to call the results scientific. By my estimates it should only improve around town range by 2-3%, highway less... insignificant compared to the difference in driving in cold weather vs warm, highway miles vs around town. So yes, I'm sure it's improved range, but "meh" says it all.
5) Acceleration. Yes, it's faster now. I think the new setup is around 17-18lbs lighter per corner. That's unsprung... equivalent to around 68-72lbs of sprung weight, or around 260-280lbs shaved off the body. I did about 25 pulls the day before and of but before install, another 25 or so after. I feel pretty confident in saying it's around 0.1-0.15 faster to 60mph. Not something most people can actually feel, but its an improvement worth talking about imo. It's likely even faster in the 1/4 mile... but I didn't want to test that on public roads.
6) Less chance of rubbing. The tire wall is just barely, oh so barely outside the rim, just enough to where it will contact a curb first.
7) Look. The MW03s look great in person. It's interesting how they look size wise though. The meatier tire makes the setup look more aggressive... at the same time the smaller rim gives the perception of a less full wheel well... that the overall diameter is less despite being the same. Ultimately though, I love it and gives it an aggressive look. The funny part however is that some people seem to think, at first glance, it's factory wheels without the caps lol. It doesn't take long to realize they aren't, but its annoying. Small potatoes though - in the end they look absolutely amazing.
Hope my review was helfpul! I will provide an update once I get and install my UPP mild spirt springs!
Factory wheels/tires - handles pretty darn well... on very well prepared roads. You can feel every bump however on even the mildest of imperfect surfaces. On the other hand, it does provide great feedback and looks very aggressive. Handles pretty well in the rain - not amazing, but I'm not worried about driving in it if I need to.
20" MW03 w/ AS44s - went with 8.5"/255 and 9.5"/275 staggered. Cost - $2600 for wheels, $1200 for tires (before tax/shipping).
1) Sidewall is noticeably thicker with "perfect tire bulge" imo. This was one of my biggest gripes about the factory setup, they are wrapped crazy tight. What's the benefit of the new setup?
2) Ride quality. The difference in quality is night and day. I have a wife and two Corgis. The wife loves the new setup far more, no doubt about it. The real test are the Corgis though - dogs don't lie! Before they would sit up and brace themselves in the beds we have in the back seat, now they just take the bumps as they come. It's evident they are way more comfable and less stressed with the 20" and additional bulge.
3) Handling. The car has ever so much more roll, but its really not that big of a deal. On perfect roads you can feel the difference, to include the slightly less responsive feedback that comes from a stiffer ride. HOWEVER, I'd actually give the overall handling edge to the 20s! Why? Because 95% of roads aren't perfect! With the factory setup you can feel it slip/slide as it bounces over even the slightest of rough spots. Every bump causes slighly less contact with the road and jerks the wheel due the tighter wrapped and less forgiving 21s. By comparison, the meatier 20's deform ever so slightly to the small bumps, maintaining 100" contact, offering more grip and less jerky steering.
4) Better range. Both of these are subjective imo. The 20's have resulted in noticably less wh/mile, but it's hard to call the results scientific. By my estimates it should only improve around town range by 2-3%, highway less... insignificant compared to the difference in driving in cold weather vs warm, highway miles vs around town. So yes, I'm sure it's improved range, but "meh" says it all.
5) Acceleration. Yes, it's faster now. I think the new setup is around 17-18lbs lighter per corner. That's unsprung... equivalent to around 68-72lbs of sprung weight, or around 260-280lbs shaved off the body. I did about 25 pulls the day before and of but before install, another 25 or so after. I feel pretty confident in saying it's around 0.1-0.15 faster to 60mph. Not something most people can actually feel, but its an improvement worth talking about imo. It's likely even faster in the 1/4 mile... but I didn't want to test that on public roads.
6) Less chance of rubbing. The tire wall is just barely, oh so barely outside the rim, just enough to where it will contact a curb first.
7) Look. The MW03s look great in person. It's interesting how they look size wise though. The meatier tire makes the setup look more aggressive... at the same time the smaller rim gives the perception of a less full wheel well... that the overall diameter is less despite being the same. Ultimately though, I love it and gives it an aggressive look. The funny part however is that some people seem to think, at first glance, it's factory wheels without the caps lol. It doesn't take long to realize they aren't, but its annoying. Small potatoes though - in the end they look absolutely amazing.
Hope my review was helfpul! I will provide an update once I get and install my UPP mild spirt springs!
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