As title says, as soon as my M3P arrives I'm selling the 20" wheels and tires for three reasons: 1) Need all season tires 2) Wife wants a better ride. 3) Want squared setup for rotation and tire warranty purposes. Really need help deciding what to do. I'm not a fan of the 18" look, but I guess I would live with it if that's what it takes.
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M3P coming soon and wife wants a better ride. Will 19's make any difference or do I have to go with 18's?
- Thread starter ssrobinson
- Start date
Everything is a trade- off. I do think the 18s are just completely lost in that big a wheel well (and that lousy aesthetic is exacerbated by the large fender gap in the stock suspension ride height). Obviously opinions may vary on this but I think the 19s represent an excellent compromise between aesthetics, unsprung weight, cost, ride, impact resistance and performance. In terms of all seasons, the best tire for sure is the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 all season, and your best choice in terms of wheel is getting something forged. Personally, I would take the range hit in order to get 19 by 9.5 in Wheels, and I'm partial to VS forged but there are a number of other nice forged wheel options available at get your wheels.com. I think the car looks great with the 265/35 19 tire on a 9.5 inch rim. You will pick up significant traction at the limit, and your ride will be better particularly if you drop almost 10 lb of corner relative to the OEM boat anchor Wheels and the crappy p-zero tires. After you've blown a wad of money on this setup, then you can spend some more on the MPP Comfort adjustable coilover set! This combination for sure will transform the car from a ride, handling, and appearance standpoint.
I have 18, 19 and 20. It depends on wheel style and color, but I don't think that 18 looks bad. If I would start over from the beginning, I would skip 19.
dfwatt - so the size you like is the 265/45 19 - which is almost perfect height, but wider on the front and narrower on the back. Is this just the "happy medium" in order to get a squared fitment? Does the wider tire in front have any compromises?
Mash - your car looks great with those 18's! I would say though, that it's probably because of the lowered stance, which mine won't have (at least at the beginning).
Mash - your car looks great with those 18's! I would say though, that it's probably because of the lowered stance, which mine won't have (at least at the beginning).
I got 19” Tsportlines (TS5) for my MP3. The ride is marginally more comfortable. They look nice, but it takes some getting used to as far as looks with regard to the taller sidewall. The TS5s are the same width as factory, so uses the factory tire. If you go with a wider tire, you will lose some efficiency- not sure how important that is for you.
And since others are posting pics (as you can see from the pics, I have not lowered the car…. Yet):
And since others are posting pics (as you can see from the pics, I have not lowered the car…. Yet):
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Mahamilto
Member
19” Forgestar CF5V here with 245/40/19
Amazing Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 that I beyond recommend.
Ride comfort? Maybe a smidge better. If you really want better ride comfort rumor has it you need the comfort coil overs. 18s may be a bit better, but I’ll be 100% honest this thing doesn’t really ride stiff to me. No less comfortable than the other sports sedans I’ve had in the past (S4, CTSV) and for sure more cushion than the C5 vette I had.
Some disagree tho.
The 19s are more for pothole protection for me. The 20s and sloped profile stock pirellis couldn’t handle the roads up here at all. The Michelin AS4 is an absolute winner tho. Highly recommend
But you're talking about your pretty much track dedicated car right? Yeah if I was running the car just on the track I might skip the 19s too and forget about the 20s. But on the street I think the 20s are the aesthetic homerun and the 19s are a good compromise. Well it looks like you've got maybe 295 or even 305 width tires on those 18in wheels which I assume are 10.5 in wide at least. And your car has been lowered so that mitigates the aesthetic issues associated with 18-inch wheels significantly (otherwise with the stock fender gap they look kind of like roller skate wheels). Not sure that I would run that wide a tire on the street but I'm curious what those tires are - A052s?. Plus you'd have to run a lot of negative camber just to get that much front tire to sit inside the fender well.
I personally rather like the look of your 19 in Wheels. Are those 275 / 35 or 265 / 35? Pilot Sport 4S or cup2?
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Maybe the 19’s are the answer…. I don’t mind the stock ride myself, but need to be responsive to the wife. 19’s would mean I made an effort without having to live with the 18’s. I’d like to lower it, but I don’t think that’s in the finances at the moment, so 18’s without lowering would not be something I think I would like. When doing the 245/40 19’s, do you run 9 or 9.5” wheels?
I understand entirely. Happy wife means a happy life. That's why I got the Comfort adjustable coilovers for my wife's car. My wife who was initially a skeptic and the antithesis of a car person absolutely loves the setup on her car. Set them at the stock default of 12/10 compression / rebound and even with 20 inch wheels and tires (including monster 275/35 PS4s at the rear), the ride is amazingly supple. Handling is also better oh, and the aesthetic is phenomenal.
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The problem is the wheel. A wheel at that diameter and width forged would weigh under 20 lb. Those Wheels actually might be heavier than the stock OEM 19s. Can't see spending money to get heavier wheel than stock
StealthP3D
Well-Known Member
Tires and wheels are too important to the driving dynamics of the car to base selection on aesthetics. You can't see your tires while you're behind the wheel.
It's simply difficult to fathom why someone would think a less practical, less capable tire would look good. When I see someone with a flat tire on the side of the road, in recent years it has almost always been a "racer boy" setup with low profile tires. Nobody needs that in their life!
Candleflame
Active Member
Copy/paste! I was coming to say exactly the same things.
I replaced my 18s with 19s because I like the silver look and I regret every second of it. The 19s are a pothole magnet; I can only imagine what the 20s are like.
Mahamilto
Member
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