Hey all, question on rims. Besides the higher cost of tires, are there anything maintenence wise that i should need to know about owning 19" vs 18"?

 

bent rims . tires wear out faster more uncomfortable. More vibration. all that and much more is gonna come soon. I have 19" and had them about 3 years or so and honestly i kinda hate spending the money again to get 18" wheels but im gonna have to do so since it was some mistake going with rubberbands . If you want somebody to tell u that u have nice wheels then get them but everytime u sit in ur car u gonna feel sorry for it. I cant wait to drive my car and enjoy it actually.

 

wow, really, that makes me not want to get 19's. I don't really want my ride compromised in any way. I didn't think there would be much of an issue with 19's. I thought that if you go bigger than 19's, then there would be an issue. Do they pop easily also?

 

I got 19's and have had them for a while now. Have not had any problems. I am running 245/35/19 Potenza RE960AS.

I think it all depends on what kind of tires you roll with for the comfort and noise issue. Alot of members are running 19's and I dont think they regret them.

Maintenance issues you are looking at waxing them on a regular basis so the clear and paint does not get damaged and begin to flake or peel. But thats with almost ALL wheels.

In regards to "pop" issue I am assuming you are referring to wheel separating from the tire, that will only happen if your tires are stretched and running rubberbands.

 

19's aren't bad as long as you like a "firm" ride. 20's are INSANE (in my opinion). Remember that for every inch larger rim you go, you have that much LESS tire to absorb shock. Guys running 19's with "normal" sidewalls seem to be happier with them than those who are running the Goodyear F1's (or whatever those tires are that have the super-stiff, re-inforced sidewalls with Kevlar?). Obviously, the ride can not be as soft with 19's as with 17's but the look and appreciation that others give (as well as some performance given light enough wheels) makes them a worthy choice. I had both OEM as well as after-market 17's and can tell you that the 19's I have had on for the past 3 years generate a LOT more positive comments than the after-market 17's ever did. I get comments nearly daily (when it is washed) and even the Acura service writers come over to the car to see what I am riding on and usually say "NICE wheels" and then are stunned when I tell them they were cheaper than stock rims.

 

Wtf...what kinda rims do you have then ndabunka?

 

thanks guys. Im really considering 19's!!!

 

Privat Netz (They are about $175 to $200/wheel) but they are softer than the more expensive models they emmulate (Maya STM's) so you have to be more careful to miss pot holes and such. There have been about 4 sets up on the black market recently for around $600 for a set (with curbing issues, etc).

 

dont be stupid u gonna regret it belive me.

 

depends on the roads you travel the most in your area and tire size/aspect ratio/sidewall.

 

how do others with 19's think?

 

they are very expensive as it is but they r gonna cost u so much more cause u are always going to have problems with them. Im just telling you cause you asked how the maintainance is with such wheels

 

i have 19's and i don't regret it to much.. i do have to be super careful especially going over small curbs such as getting gas .. i did like the fact that when i had my stocks on i didn't have to worry about curbing them as much. i think the car looks much better with the 19's IMO.

 

im not denying the fact that it does look good but about the only thing that is good about them makes the car slower to of start. Heavy !!

 

im trying to decide between 18" aspecs (hot ebony's) or some nice 19"s. I think the aspecs will look good, but not as good as the 19" that i want. But how much more at ease will i be with my aspecs compared to 19's?

 

i wouldnt really go for aspec either since they are very expensive but so regular and still that stock look.

im looking at TSW Croft in 18x8 myself

 

BukvaMan - got some sour grapes, man?


jingy - I had a set of 19's on the car and loved them. The only reason they are off (and for sale) is one of the tires has an unrepairable flat and I don't feel like dealing with it. As ndabunka (we missed you on Saturday) said, 19's look amazing on this car. I had good tires, so the ride was similar to the stock 17's (handling was much improved). Any rim will bend if you hit a major pot hole hard (stock, aftermarket; cast, forged). I had no maintenance issues with them at all (a nail in a tire for 19's is the same as a nail in a tire for 17's). How long they last (the tires) depends on which tires you get; how well it rides will depend on which tires you get.

 

thanks chill_dog, i am strongly leaning toward 19's. I think BukvaMan had some bad experiences.

 

I put 19" Falken Torque 5 rims with falken tires on my girl's 2000 Accord lowered 1.5" and had no rubbing issues or problems. Just make sure you dont hit pot holes just like any other wheels. We changed the tires to a General tire and it rides smoother and quieter than the falken tires. 225/35 tires and you will be fine. Get alot of compliments on the 19's and she rides bigger than most guys in our area. I have 20's on my car and also have no problems. It all depends on your tires. Don't get a 30 series tire and you will be fine. Hope this helps.

 

I've had 19's since day one and never had a problem with them??......I'm runnin 245/35/19 in the front and 265-30/19 in the rear.So it sounds to me your having a tire issue??
The falkens 452's feels pretty good!

 

I've been a tuner for more than 10 years. I most recently had an Integra with 19s on it, way before anyone even tried it. I went 6 years with that car, with no wheel/tire problems.

I just got 19s for my TL last month. Within a week, I bent a rim in 2 places, and disintegrated a tire.

The truth is that you can't drive around with 19s like you would on stock wheels. You have to play the "avoid potholes and drive up inclines on angles if you're lowered" game. On a car like our Acuras, where you have to compromise tire size, you have to think if you want to have to do that. Maybe if you're younger and haven't tried this yet, that's fine, but at 32, it's somewhat irritating.

Given that, I got a new tire, and my 19s are still on the car :p

 

sweet yoolykeme, i am also 31 and kinda old for this stuff, but ive never gone thru that hook up your car phase, and im kinda itchin to do so. I don;t know if i should stick with my ebony aspecs as they look really good as well. I want to go 19's, but still deciding.

 

If you go 19's get the tires locally and get the warranty. It will be worth it, trust me. I've had 2 pinched tires so far.

 

I think if you do not mind losing some $, REALLY wanna try 19s but not sure if you want to keep them as you do not want to spend more $$ to maintain them:

Buy the 19s you want, use them and see how you like them. If you really like them... keep them.

If you run into problems and cannot stand it, sell the 19s and get the 18s. I think selling a nice set of 19s will be easier then a nice set of 18s... Ideally you can get, most of the time, 2/3 of the cost back if the 19s are in nice condition. You do not have to pay a lot more for a set of 18s once you sell the 19s. And, you will not regret not having tried 19s at all. Rather then getting a set of 18s but everyday, you would be thinking about.... "hmm... how would my TL look if I had 19s?... that TL I saw the other day having 19s.... should have gotten/tried 19s in the beginning....."

I know I do not want to spend more $$ on gas, and I like the stock
17" Enkei rims, so I keep them. 18/19 is not even a question to me.

 

I vote 18's if you don't want to always worry horribly. Riding a 245/40/18 gives you 3.86" of sidewall. 245/35/19 gives you a 3.38" sidewall. As little as it sounds, that difference of .5"(12.5%) is a pretty big margin of protection when you're rolling over a pothole. If you're going to get 19's definitely get the 245/40/19 tire over the 235/40/19 (3.24" sidewall)

In Seattle, I-5 and a lot of the highways have connection every 10' so riding on super low pros sucks, especially if you are lowered which you pretty much have to be on 19's to eliminate 4x4 syndrome. The roads here are bad too so dodging potholes becomes a big issue. I really wanted 19's initially but am really glad I do not have to endure the hard aches of bending the rims and the rougher ride. I know some of you have made the claim that 17/18/19, you'll always have to worry about road irregularities but each 1/2" in sidewall reduction makes a huge difference with regards to absorbing a pothole. When you hit a pothole on a 3.2" sidewall, nothing gets absorbed by the tire and the impact goes straight to the suspension where it only has like 2-3 inches of travel if stock. Once you hit your bumpstop, any further force will most of the time will be going through to the lip of the wheel. In the past, 205/40/17's on my integra left me with 2 sidewall bulges and many bent lips. Sometimes you can't avoid/see a hole until it's too late. Riding on on 235/35/19 is equivalent to riding on 205/40/17 which from my experience was doable but difficult and annoying.

 

thanks binh, great write up. I am torn between these rims. I sooo want to keep my ebony aspecs, they are so beautiful. But I want to go 19's too. Guess Ill have to choose as I can't have everything. Decisions, Decisions. But if I got 19's, Ill def heed your advise and go with the 245/40/19 tires.

 

u cant go with 245 40 tire on a 19 inch wheel

 

^ go 245/35/19

 

i had a vibration going on with my car and thats why i was so pesimistic towards 19" and today i went to my local guy to have them checked out and is turns out one of my rim is bent somewhere in the middle and cant be fixed. so this really made my final decission in getting rid of them!!

I do avoid potholes and am very carefull (wich sometimes becomes very annoying) still doesnt help. When u drive on the highway in NYC NJ area there not much u can do when suddenly there is a freakin hole in the road. My friend who has a bmw 330I has 18" wheels on them, he hit a manhole caver that was sticking out and bent his control arm but nothing happend to the rim whatsover.

its no so much about the money but rather never being able to drive normaly.

And yes as it seems already i did have bad experience with it. if u want 19 go for it but u are going to sacrifice a lot for it.

 

This is 100% false as my aftermarket rims weight is the SAME as my OEM ones were so there is no weight difference between 17 & 19 in my case. Others have even lighter 19" wheels (Volks)

 

18's are the way to go. they look a little nicer than 17's. i had 19's for 3 summers. im on my 2nd summer with 18's. with 19's u get a lot of vibration and the handling sucks. all u get is looks. the reason i had to get new ones cause one of my rims cracked. plus my tires were bald. if u roll with 18's u dont need to worry about pot holes as much. i live in the city theres pot holes everywhere.

 

i think im gonna stick with my ebony aspecs for now. Just got the tires fedexed to me and decided to go more conservative!

thanks for all the input.

 

lower your ride, and you will love it even more!

 

My bad, I had too many numbers in my head. Yeah 245/35/19 for 19's. So you went with the ASPECS eh? Nice! Can't go wrong.

 

yeah, i was initially thinking about lowering it with tein coilovers, but now i keep leaning toward the more modest aspec suspension. Not sure yet. I think the teins will give me a more mean look, but it will also be more of a hassle.

 

I am in the same boat but am leaning towards factory ASPEC suspension made for the 6MT which will give me more of a drop up front as I have an auto. Don't forget to get a Progress Rear Sway Bar. I just ordered mine and will be installing it this weekend if it arrives in time.

 

why do i need a progress Rear sway bar? Will that just add to the suspension, or is it necessary? Dont' want to spend money =(

 

all things considered, if you go 19", get a 245/35 tire. You'll have more sidewall.

in economics, they teach something called marginal utility. How this applies here is that you have to ask yourself, am I willing to put up with the headaches of having 19s, in exchange for the "coolness factor" that they bring? If the answer is yes, then get 19s.

My next plan will be to buy a car where getting 19+ wheels won't be a compromise.

 

Just got my ebony aspecs put on, and they look better than i could imagined!

The way the rim turns black in the darker lighting is sooo sweet!

Wish me luck in maintaining them and keepin them clean. I will post pics later.

thanks for helping me make a good decision!

and yes, the marginal utility of 19" rims wasn't enough for me to go big., I was an econ major.

 

lol @ marginal utility. it's all good. definitely post some pics.