Finally some real data on 18 vs 19 inch tire/wheels

[xav-]

Improvement in braking not as good as I was hoping. Some tests on range would have been nice. Interestingly the reviewer reported that the ride on the 19 inch wheels was more comfortable.

I hope this can help those on the fence.

IMO the sport wheels/tires are way under rated. For $1,500 it’s a good deal.

 

[DiegoPasadena]

Improvement in braking not as good as I was hoping. Some tests on range would have been nice. Interestingly the reviewer reported that the ride on the 19 inch wheels was more comfortable.

I hope this can help those on the fence.

IMO the sport wheels/tires are way under rated. For $1,500 it’s a good deal.

It's tough to quantify how much of the performance gain is due to tire size and how much due to rubber compound difference. He states that there is a difference in the tread wear rating between the tires. It stands to reason that a tire rated for a shorter life is softer than one rated for a longer life. All things being equal, a soft compound will almost always perform better. It quite possible that they might have had exactly the same results putting these tires on the 18" rims.

 

[jsmay311]

Oh, c'mon! Where's the efficiency/range test comparison? I hope that's coming next.

 

[John Lamoureux]

Improvement in braking not as good as I was hoping. Some tests on range would have been nice. Interestingly the reviewer reported that the ride on the 19 inch wheels was more comfortable.

I hope this can help those on the fence.

IMO the sport wheels/tires are way under rated. For $1,500 it’s a good deal.

The video is worth watching if only to hear him chuckle at the start of the 0-60 test.

 

[rhaekar]

For $1500 you can sell your aeros and get some better wheels/tires and still come out ahead in all aspects. It's just whether it's worth your time or not.

 

[PRSIST]

Improvement in braking not as good as I was hoping. Some tests on range would have been nice. Interestingly the reviewer reported that the ride on the 19 inch wheels was more comfortable.

I hope this can help those on the fence.

IMO the sport wheels/tires are way under rated. For $1,500 it’s a good deal.

Without reading all the other responses, my comment would be, is it the Tires or the Wheels? Would the same tire on the 19" wheels give the same reported result on a 18" wheel. I thought he was comparing 18" to 19" wheels?? He isn't, he's comparing tires. So compare apples (Michelin) to apples (Michelin) not apples (Michelin) to oranges (Continental).

 

[xav-]

For $1500 you can sell your aeros and get some better wheels/tires and still come out ahead in all aspects. It's just whether it's worth your time or not.

Who s gonna buy this stuff? For how much? What about the time wasted selling it.. not everyone has the time nor the patience for this.

Also what if the car gets totaled? What happens to the aftermarket stuff?

 

[TT97]

I think the tires have more to do with the difference than the wheels (also, as the tests were done on different days, weather is another large variable).

Car & Driver did some testing a few years back on a Golf going from 15" all the way to 19" with the same tire on all five wheels (or as close as they could to it):

Effects of Upsized Wheels and Tires Tested

Acceleration and fuel economy got worse as the wheels grew in size (due to the extra weight). Skidpad numbers improved with the larger wheels and braking had minor improvements (although that could also be due to having 195s on the 15" wheels vs 235s on the 19").

 

[dhrivnak]

I am told the 18” wheels get about 5% more range. Based on the wear numbers they last 25% longer and 18” are cheaper to replace. So is it more important to race or save money and energy?

 

[moridin2002]

Be interesting to see someone test some Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3+ or Pilot Sport 4s on the 18s and compare.