TLGirl4

Hi! Can those of you that have had 19 or 20 inch wheels put on your TL share your experiences. I want to put rims on my car in the near future, but really having a hard time deciding whether to go with 19 or 20 inch. If you went 19, do you wish you had gone bigger? If you have a 20, does your ride suffer?? I have seen the 20's and they look perfect, but I am worried that the ride will suffer and there will also be more problems. I am just wondering if anyone had any regrets or any suggestions. I like a real clean look. We just want to make sure we do this right and not have any regrets about our decision later since we will be spending a lot of the rims and springs.

TLGirl4

Oops.. I guess this should have gone under the wheel section.. sorry! Someone can move it there if needed. My bad.

Ron A

Welcome to the forum. I moved this thread to Tires etc as requested. Good call.

TLGirl4

Thanks!

TLGirl4

These rims caught my attention! Can someone tell me if these are 19 or 20's by looking at this picture? I want to know because I want the fit to look similar on my 05 TL.

Juronimo

I have 19's on my car. Personally I kind of wish I had gone all the way up to 20's. I was suprised that there was still plenty of room in the wheel well. 19's will still look good. Just go to the Photos board and you will see plenty of cars with either 19's or 20's and you can decide which would look better.

The ride quality in my car isn't much different than stock if you have that concern.

VelfarreClubber

I think that is a 19" rim on the TT, 19's tend to look like 20's in cars that size ie. 350z, G35 coupe etc.

invincible569

Im in the process of verifying this size wheel through the Audi Forum. They also look to be HRE's and if so, these wheels are estimated at $1200/ea. Beautiful wheels indeed!

tzakiel

I am going with 18" wheels. I find anything above that can be taken for a "bling" effect. 19 is okay too actually. 20 starts to become really flashy, but that is just my opinion after seeing friend's reactions and such.

invincible569

tzakiel,

thanks for the honest opinion. I also dont want to over do it, but then i also dont want to regret the choice i made if it were to be too small and doenst fit with the size of the vehicle.

The Pros of going big is possibly filling in the wheel well gap. I have seen pics of some cars with 19's and it does not seem like most do. Some of it has to do with the mind playing tricks on you and once a drop is placed, the wheel fits cleaner. Only for a couple hundred dollars more, you can also get 20's. Now, the pros of getting 19's is the quality of the ride should be smoother. The thicker (35 series Height) the tire, the more immune the rim is to pot holes. Replacing tires will also be cheaper. We also saw that a supercharger may be available soon, and im trying to convice my wife, that this is a possible upgrade in the near future. Having 19's would help if this upgrade was performed for many reasons.

We also dont want the look of the rims being too big for the vehicle. It looks silly. But then I dont want a rim that we paid good money for and not be enough with regrets to follow. We are leaning towards 19's at the moment, and if someone could convince us otherwise, we will stay at this size.

invincible569

Ahhh! I just found my answer. Those are 19's. They are only available in that size per HRE.

441R TECHNICAL DATA:
• 18 & 19 Inch Diameter

JDM5lugHatch

Go with 19's. IMHO I think that 18's look too small and 20's look way to big for the car. Pretty much every car on here that looks so good that people sweat it have 19's.

Twenties

Actually ride quality is the SAME. Both 19" and 20" applications work with the SAME size TIRE: 245/35 in 19 or 20.

If you are debating b/t 19 and 20, go 20 so you don't regret it later.

mark 3M bra man

Ok, I was thinking about going with 18's or 20's. And I went with 18's.

And the reason: I am cheap in the wheel respect and STL winter weather sucks.

It was much more expensive to go to 19's from 18's (wheel and tire package). So I found something that would please me in the 18's. But if I would convince myself to spend the extra money on 19's, it was not much to upgrade from 19's to 20's. Therefore, I would go with 18's or 20's.

By the way, I think that the 20's look awasome on the TL. With that said, the 245 35 20 is not for STL winters. I think 245 40 18 will be harsh enough.

In short, between the money and the weather, I chose 18's. But if I would want to spend little extra and the weather would not be an issue, 20's are the way to go. My

chill_dog

I got 19's, and because I have good tires, the ride is actually better than with the stock 17's. 19's are a perfect fit for this car. 20's look good, but most people use the same size tire as with 19's (245/35), which increases the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combo...not my cup of tea...of course the alternative, a 30 series tire, is borderline insanity (depending on the roads in your area). All comes down to what you want: looks, looks/performance, or performance.

pearl04

I went through the same thing......it all comes down to the type of wheel. I say go with 20's if you are willing to spend some money, and get a 3 piece wheel. If not, go with 19's, but don't go cheap, get Volks or an equal.

05TL6SP

I went with 20s and love the look, and while the rides is a little louder due to size I do not believe it is all that rougher.

I have my 20s for sale if you are interested 1850 shipped!!

I bought a house and need some cash.

Here is the link to the thread, this is also an awesome deal!!

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/closed-brand-new-20inch-axis-reverb-black-w-nitto-555-245-35-20%2A%2A%241800-319275/

At the bottom of the thread there are real pics.

invincible569

pearl, going cheap is not an option. It will definitily be a 3 piece wheel with a silver inside and polished lip.

Usalinh

My new 20 inch TSW wheels I recently put on my TL.

JDM5lugHatch

20's are just too big for this car they make it look like it's on stilts. 19's are the perfect size.

dooky211

iTrader: (1)

I'm gona do 19'z too....

CL Platano

20's with a pro-kit drop looks perfect, you'll need to roll the fenders. The ride is the same

invincible569

Do you think these look too big?

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120331

JDM5lugHatch

Sorry yes I think that these do look to big. Especially in that perfect side shot of the car. Don't get me wrong his car looks good and is probably one of the nicest setups with 20's I have seen on this board. However, they still look to big for the car. While rims should be a focal point of the car they shouldn't engulf it and that's what 20's do to it IMHO. Hey but that's why we all have opinions. Just because I don't like it and I think 19's look perfect on this car doesn't mean everyone else is gonna agree with me. It's understandable.

invincible569

JDM, thanks for being honest. Maybe I have been looking at too many car pictures already and now im getting used to that size.

Usalinh

Won't there be a gap between the tire and ther fender well if you don't lower it? I don't plan on lowering mine so, I went with 20s and I got them for a good price. And I know people say you pay for what you get. But, I had some 18s 3 piece racing hart CR and they rode like crap. Everytime it would rain water would collect on the inside and add weight to the rim causing the steering wheel to shake really bad. After that I went with 19 Falken Torque 5s and they rode like a dream compared to the 18 Racing Harts. The tire size for 19s and 20s are going to be the same 245/35 either way so the ride is going to be the same unless you do some kind of springs or strut combo. Unless they make bigger tires that can go on the 19s which I couldn't find when I was doing my research on either to go 19s or 20s.

oppnyc

Please share your experience with 20'
I do not understand how you ride on 20 (or even 19) is same as OEM or even close.
TL is harsh on 17 (with OEM 235/45/17). So you ride must be very very harsh (I assume at this point), just because you ride on 245/35/20...
Plus TL must loose its acceleration due to the fact that wheel are larger, so it takes more power to roll them and stop as well, so I guess that braking is not as good as on OEM.
Please comment, because I want to have larger wheels, but logic stops me.

Twenties

You think the stock TL rides harshly? You must have those defective Bridgestone tires and have rough roads on your commute.

I'm coming out of a 5 series and I can tell you the ride is not much smoother than a TL. I am really happy with the smooth ride.

Usalinh

I guess it depends on the quality of the tires you ride on also. Some tires ride better then others from what I've learned. Yes, it'll take more power to rotate the wheels but, I've notice also on the interstate it feels like it takes less power then factory. Brake distance would be longer with bigger wheels and harsher on the brakes from what I've heard. But, when I had the factory wheels on the suspension ride wasn't all the great either. Felt hella bumpy. So, I guess it's just up to you on what you want and it's kind of like trial and error. It's always like that when switching something out for another.

oppnyc

Yes my TL is still on Bridgestone (OEM), but anyway I feel that TL is harsh on 17, comparing to my old Nissan Maxima. I also tried MB C class and it is way smoother that TL.
I am in NYC. Roads as usual in big city.

Can you just directly answer my questions?
1. Did your TL lost acceleration after you moved to 20'?
2. Did you note changes in braking?
Thank you
PS: I have no way to test this, and I am hoping to move to 19 or even 20. That's why I need to know based on real experience. (yours )

stockTL

I think you would lose acceleration and braking performance if your new wheels are heavier than the OEM. You could actually find wheels with larger diameter than OEM that are lighter. So if you worry about performance, go with those wheels.

invincible569

When I think of bigger rims I use the analogy of a ten speed vs a regular kid bike. It takes longer with more power used to get to your mph destination, but once you're driving, it will cruise easier.. with a smaller bicycle, its easier to get to your destination, but will take more pedaling to continue your level.

chill_dog

stockTL's dead on...nothing will change as long as your new wheels weigh the same as stock...things can actually improve if your wheels weigh less than stock.

turboscooby

This is my first post on this forum, but I say Definitly go with 20s. I just put a set of 20" T.I.S. Wheels on mine and Love the look. You won't regret going with 20s.

Will post pictures soon once I get to wash my car.

Twenties

I have LIGHTWEIGHT FORGED WHEELS which are significantly lighter than a standard CAST 20" wheel. Even amongst cast wheels, different manufacturers or wheel designs will have different wheel weights. So it is possible to have a relatively light 20" cast wheel but it is easier to just choose a forged wheel. (Run a google search on FORGED WHEELS if you need more info or go to www.modularewheels.com and e-mail them for more info.)

Your Great Qs:1. No, not that I can tell.
2. No, not that I can tell.


It may be a minimal 0.1-0.2 seconds to 60 MPH slower, but nothing I can perceive without a testing device. I do not feel much additional weight through the steering wheel either, that is a tell-tell for heavy aftermarket wheels.

I have had CAST (standard) 20" wheels before (on my BMW 5, they were BMW OEM 20s designed for 760 BMW that I bolted on my 5) and they were MUCH heavier than the stock 17s.....but BMW's stock 17s were FORGED 3 Piece BBS to start out with so there you go.

In the BMW, I could feel the weight of the 20" cast wheels in my steering, and feel that the car was noticeable slower. So I know what heavy wheels can feel like. Point: go forged or lightweight cast if you get aftermarket wheels.

Hope that helps.

oppnyc

Than answer this:

1. Did your TL lost acceleration after you moved to 20'?
2. Did you note changes in braking?

Thanks

invincible569

twenties, do you know how much the stock TL rims weigh?

turboscooby

Hey Oppnyc, just answering your question.

1: yes I notice a lost in acceleration, but it feels like its only on the low end. Once it get to driving speed, I don't notice the acceleration issue.

2: yes, braking change also. heavy rims. lol

but these issue isnt major enough for me to switch back to stock though.

Twenties

Good Q but I dunno. Read somewhere but not sure.

oppnyc

Thanks for details.