Adamo0926

For those of you that have used both 18 inch and 19 inch rims on your cars, what are the major differences that you have found between those different size rims ?
For example:

How much harsher is the ride on a 19 inch rim as opposed to 18 ?

Does a 19 inch rim improve handling significantly ?

Are tires that are lower profile more susceptible to damage than a tire with a greater sidewall area ?

And anything else you would like to add...

Thanks in advance !

legionofdoom

Adam,

I don't have any personal experience yet but when I get my new shoes, I'm planning on going with 18"s because Boston roads are some of the worst around...

johnny--2k

I dont know about 18's, but i can tell you that going from a 17 to a 19 significantly changes the ride. It is harsher, you do feel a lot more of the road, there is a lot of extra weight to move and to stop, so you also need to be aware of that. As for the 18's, if Acura puts them on stock (A-SPEC) I dont think they would be compromising as much for a factory option.

In regards to handling, the wheels make no difference. I's all in the tires! You could have a 19" wheel with crap tires and a 15" wheel with awesome tires, and the car with 15's will handle better. Just keep that in mind when making a selection.

Just for persuasion, here are some pics of mine with 19's....

Adamo0926

Johnny....very nice pics....the 19's do look very cool. What size and brand of tire are you using on those rims ? Is that a stock suspension or did you have the car lowered ?

Adamo0926

legion....excellent avatar on your profile !

johnny--2k

Thanks! I am running the new tire from General, the Exclaim UHP (ultra high performance) in a 245/35/19. The car is stock non-aspec suspension, and so far, I love it. The tires are extremely grippy in dry, great in wet and overall very quite and responsive.

legionofdoom

Thanks Adam! Tough game to watch so far tonight though...

So are General tires pretty reputable, johnny? Don't hear much about them...

Element2001

Go with the 19's man. You're gonna regret not going a size bigger once you actually get them on. You may even wish you had got 20's :-) You should be getting a softer tire with a plus size wheel which is going to keep the ride quality the same.

The tires won't be more susceptible to damage with the new setup, but the wheel itself will if you are riding on rubber bands. Also, even though ultra high performance tires wear out pretty quickly, they are totally worth the investment because they handle unlike no other. I loved my 18" Yokohama Parada Spec 2's on my old sport coupe cause I could take corners at obscene speeds lol.

rondog

iTrader: (1)

235/40/18 and 245/35/19 are almost the same ride, but the 19" looks 10x better.

BTW, I love how everybody swears their rods are the worst, but nothing beats the 5 buroughs, especially the BQE and GCP, I be driven that strip every week, with 20" and no problems, just got to be cautious.

Adamo0926

Hey rondog,

I'm still trying to decide which size. I am the guy that gave you the 200.00 deposit the other night for the 18's. Regarding the 19's....would they fill the wheel well sufficiently and not leave too much space ? Because I am not planning on lowering the suspension. It looks like all the pics on your site of cars with the 19's have the suspension lowered. I'm 48 but don't want to look like a geek by driving around on 19's without lowering the suspension there is too much space showing in the wheel well.....lol.

I am also assuming that you did not discover a full set of 18's in your warehouse today.

Adamo0926

legion....speaking of Johnny's.....the scumbag in pinstripes was 0-5 tonight....lol

legionofdoom

Yeah, it's a beautiful thing. Judas only had one hit in the series. Turned out to be a good game tonight - would've been a tough one to lose after leaving 14 men on base.

You getting the Inspyre's, Adam? I'm looking at those too...

Adamo0926

Legion.

Yes...I gave Ron a 200.00 deposit the other night for the 18" Inspyre's. You can't even believe how many rims I have looked at online and in person. But every time I went back to the RonJon site, I could not take my eyes off the pics of the TL's with the Inspyre's. If you ask me, that wheel is a prefect design for the TL. Especially for me....I'm 48 and want a rim that looks cool and aggressive but also sleek and luxurious at the same time....and it's not easy to find that combination. In my opinion, the Inspyre's hit the bullseye on both counts. Most every other wheel I have considered looks cheap when I compare it to the Inspyre's. At my age the last thing I want on my car is bling bling ghetto....lol. Back in the 70's when I was a metalhead maybe...lol. (Ok I have to admit, when it comes to music my metalhead tendencies are still there, but that is another story altogether...).

I really don't think there's a better looking wheel out there for the TL than the Insypre's. I really kind of knew months ago, when I saw the pics, that those were the wheels I wanted on my TL. My car is also Anthracite Metallic, so I need something that looks classy as well as sports car aggressive. If I had Black, White or Silver....then more ghetto would work and still look good to me....lol. But I still would chose the Inspyre's :-)

johnny--2k

General makes a great tire considering they are owned by Bridgestone/Firestone. They are also unbeatable at less than 130 each for a 19" tire!!!

If you go to tireracks website, the reviews for the Exclaim UHP speak for themselves. Here is a review I posted shortly after getting the tires.

and the thread for a few more pics....https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135759

mason1125

Actually, General Tire is owned by Continental, not Bridgestone. Exclaim UHP is an excellent rebadged Continental tire.

special-ed

19's baby!

legionofdoom

Completely agree with you, Adam. I've been looking at rims on and off for the past year and I keep coming back to the Inspyre. Ron did a fantastic job with that rim. I was leaning towards 18" too but now people have me thinking about 19". Like I said, the roads around here are pretty bad year round (they get ripped up by plows during the winter and then it takes them the rest of the year to fix them just before the plows start ripping them up again - vicious cycle) so that's my main concern. I think Tzakiel got 18" Inspyre on his car and they look pretty good from his pictures. Every other picture I've come across are 19" though.

Thanks for the info on the Generals, johnny and mason. Going to look them up...

johnny--2k

Ahh, thats right! I completely forgot it was Continental. Thanks for the correction!

Adamo0926

Hey legion,

Right now I am really leaning toward the 18's since the A-Spec wheels that Acura offers are 18's. I just think the ride would be a little smoother than sitting on 19's with less rubber between the rim and road. But Ron tells me that the 19's with the 245/35/19 tire will give a ride that is very very similar to an 18 with a 235/40/18 tire and he would know far better than I would. I also am not planning on lowering the suspension and I want to be assured there will not be too much space showing in the wheel well with the 19" rims. I still might decide to do the 19's however.

I can't make a damn decision !!! lol Helppppppppppppppppp

cjalcanta

I had the same dilemma as you. I was worried bout the comfort of the 19s and the price compared with the 18s. In the end, the decision was made easy for me since the wheels I wanted were backordered for the 18s. And the place I ordered my wheels and tires from gave me an offer for the 19s I could NOT refuse.

As for the ride comfort with my 19s, its only somewhat noticeble. My dad noticed the ride is a little bumpier but its definately not too bad. And it's true what everyone here says, you'll NEVER regret getting the 19s over the 18s.

Adamo0926

Ok all.....I have told Ron of RonJon that I am going to sleep on my decision between the 18's and 19's. After pricing some tires out the 2 packages look like this:

18" RonJon Inspyre with 235/40/18 Toyo Proxes 4 - $1829.00 complete

19" RonJon Inspyre with 245/35/19 Toyo Proxes 4 - $2150.00 complete

There is no doubt that I love the look of the 19's. My last remaining concern is the ride quality. From the sounds of you guys it really doesn't seem to be TOO big of a difference in stiffness/firmness of the ride.

The 18" package stays closer to the total diameter of the OEM equipment (revs .371% too slow as opposed to 1.696% too slow for the 19" package). For the 19" when my odometer says I have traveled 60 miles I will really have traveled only 58.9 miles. That adds up to a difference of 1100 miles over 60,000 miles, at that point my odometer will read 85,000 miles and I would have really only traveled approximately 83,900 miles. Can you see where I am going with this ? Since I have an extended warranty out to 100,000 miles I will probably be shaving about 1400-1500 miles off my warranty because of the inaccurate reading. Is this a big deal or am I making a mountain out of a mole hill ?

So the final question is this....looks or practicality ? You are all probably thinking that because I am 48 I am sure to go conservo....lol. WRONG....I am still a rocker at heart.....hahahah. But I have mellowed.....so the choice remains.....

legionofdoom

Get the 19"s so you can tell me how they look and ride and then I can decide on them or the 18"s...

Adamo0926

Legion.....LOL.......damn what a big help you are !!! If I get the 19's I will tell you how great they are and you will run right out and get some....lol.

Adamo0926

I need more feedback !! You can't tell me this place is devoid of opinions....lol

special-ed

my car's ride is about 99.9% the same on 19's with 245/35's compared to driving my roommate's 2006 bmw 330i with the sport package riding on 18's.

(To correct myself from another post/thread, I thought his bmw was an 05' model. It is actually the 2006.)

rondog

iTrader: (1)

the 19" x 8.5 with 245/35/19 may cost a little more, but the TL is a big bodied car, which will fit the 19" wheels really well. The 245/35 tires actually put the sidewall a bit more vertical than 235/40/18, since they are wider, resulting in the sidewall rubber being directly underneath the lip of the wheel. With that said,m there is plenty of support underneath. I think the dilemna is the tire cost, which can be fixed by shopping around and possibly ordering from somewhere online.

TasteOfPower

Wuts good homie? Can you recommend a spot in the boroughs I could get my shit rimmed up at...........and lowered? I have a TSX.

johnny--2k

as I said earlier, my 245.35.19 tires were 126 each from tirerack.

Revolutions

i have 19s with 245/35/19 with Tein SS...i think this is the perfect combo...i live in cali and drive A LOT and i've driven in LA and it's not bad of a ride at all maybe a little soft because of my settings=) but definately 18s will give your tires more side wall meat...but f that...19s all the way

TasteOfPower

Oh........you could probably do it eh?

You in YO tho right :/ eh....kinda far.

ilanoraa

Try stepping ino the Racing Hart Wheels