tennistock

hey all,

so i worked out a deal to get some 19in. exels for $650 + near-new toyos, which i was soo excited about.

but now that i think about it...i'm makin 5-6 500 mi trips EACH year, from socal to norcal for school. will my 19s make it? is it gonna be way too much of a hassle?

or should i go with 18s? will they even be ok for it?

thx all

mattg

i'm sure you raise your risk of having problems by running 19's. but that doesn't mean that you will have a problem.

it depends on your luck/skill and the condition of the roads.


i personally would want to have 18's if i was driving that much.

03WRB-WRX

I think the biggest thing would be the ride quality running 19's. I agree with Matt, 18's would probably be better.

CLpower

look how many cars come w/ 19's stock these days, then make your decision

tennistock

will i be basically drivin like 60mph on the right to save them? lol

and cl, is it the same thing? do they come with like 225/35/19s as well??
thx

4pumpedCL

you'll be fine...nothing to worry about. Ride quality goes down as the size of your sidewall goes down...so if you got something like a 235/35/19 you'd be fine. 215/35/19's may be a little harsh.

DRM600

just watch out for debris in the road and potholes. i'm guessing you're taking i5 so you sould be fine. i used to make 2 3000mi. trips on 18s. i know, not the same though.

Roleez

I drive from San Jose to LA 2 to 3 times a year on my 235/35/19s. Cold PSI = 48 at all fours and I set my Konis to the softest setting. Ride quality down the 5 is BMW-like, but not rough and bouncy (like those who cut their springs and use them on stock shocks). Yeah, you do have to be careful. I drove at most 75 to 80 mph and so far, not one pothole struck. Southern CA has some very smooth freeways compared to the crappy ones up north that need major work. If you're still thinking about it too much, throw on your stocks.

tennistock

makes me feel better. any other advice?

evilone

with 35 series tire you run the risk of blown tires on pot holes trust i know from exper..

bigguyonbike

if you haven't align the car yet get it gone, cause your tires will go bald really quick. other then that you'll be fine.

GreenMonster

I've gone thru a bunch of oem tires due to potholes and tapping curbs (I gotta slow down around corners, and not get sideways as much)...

I can't imagine how many tires I'd go thru here in new england with all the potholes rolling on 19's.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Take it from someone that lives in the North East....beware of pot holes. I have 19's on my CL because when I got the car they were on it. I have no problem on the highway. Rides like a dream. And I drive about 30K miles a year. You shouldn't have a problem, and if you do, it's a $650 experiment for a $20K + car. Not too bad.

GOT PSI?

You should be fine on 19's, just beware of the road conditions and you should have no issues.

EricL

It would also be pretty difficult to find 215/35-19s with a load rating that was robust enough for a CL/TL/CLS/TLS.

IMO, 215/35-19s are your basic rubber bands.

Tire/wheel equation:

Cheapo-cast 19" wheels + rubber-band tires + some crusty pavement ==

As mentioned, you'd want to stick to some pretty smooth roads and keep a close eye on tire pressure, tread, and should try and stay away from rough/unknown roads.

And, if the 19" wheels aren't forged and light, they WILL impact gas mileage and acceleration; this isn't an issue when the car is on a flat road at a steady speed.

EricL

BoreD

hey i got 19" lowenhart on my CL-P i drive like 60 miles a day in new york city i think it fine