D4V1D.TL

... I was wondering what would 19" look like on stock suspension.

Hello forum,

Need some help planning for my other set of wheels.

I'm NOT planning to lower the car - I'm actually hoping that with some time, the stock suspension will settle a little bit to justify 19" on stock suspension. Maybe some of the early adopters can chime in and let me know if they've noticed any change - here's hoping for 1/2 an inch or so.

Here's what I have in mind:

Option 1 - Less expensive:

Leave the stock 18" as all weather
New 17" for winters - NEW winter tires and rims
Cost for winter tires would be cheaper
Higher profile for winter driving
Should have a decent selection of not so expensive rims for winter

Option 2 - A bit more expensive:

Use the 18" for winters - NEW winter tires
New set of 19" for summer - NEW summer tires and rims
Cost for summer tires maybe a bit higher than planned
Cost of 19" rims more than the 17"


Function over Form - Option 1 would be the way to go. My understanding is to always go minus 1 (-1) size for winters.

BUT...

Option 2 is so tempting - looking at the PM on the brochure with the 19". I have a few unknowns that I was hoping that someone can tune in:

1. Will 19" make wheel gap worst from an optic perspective if I maintain stock suspension and there was no settling

2. I've noticed that the 18" on SH-AWD ride is already "stiff" and we're talking about Toronto suburbs which are fairly decent roads, how bad would 19" feel?

3. Lost cause - 19" will not look good with stock suspension, so I should definitely go Option 1

Thanks much
David

George Knighton

There is no difference in the suspension between the 18"-equipped cars and those with the 19" HPT option.

So if you like the way the car looks in the brochure you will like the way your car looks.

PetesTL

I'm using my stock 18"s as my winter set. I don't notice any significant difference in ride quality or noise between my 19's and 18's. That being said, you get the best performance by using the best rims and tires for any given road condition and climate. During the summer, my 19's gives me the best grip and handling capability possible; whereas during the winter, my 18" snow tires gives me the best traction and safety capability. If you don't want to spend the money, you could just stay with all-seasons year-round but it's a compromise at best.

D4V1D.TL

Pete, glad to hear that there is not much difference in the ride quality between 19" and 18". I'm assuming that you are on stock suspension with the 19" HPT - would you have a side pix of your car?

Based on your sig, yours is a 2009, have you noticed if the stock suspension settled a bit?

The setup you have with winters and summers is what I'm thinking of doing as well.

Thanks much
d.

StuartMMVITL

iTrader: (1)

I too went with the 18" for winters & 19" for summers. I'm not too concerned about the wheel gap, but I think there is slightly less on the 19' setup. I think the 19" with the summer tires is maybe a slight bit harder than the 18" winter setup, but I don't see or feel a huge difference. I can tell you that having the dedicated winter/summer sets really allows the car to shine performance wise year round.

I have a few pics of both the 18" with Dunlop WinterSport M3's and the 19" HPT (Michelin Pilots) in this thread 2010 TL SH-AWD Tech 6MT Pics or more on my flickr page Flickr Car Set if you want a side by side comparison of the two sizes on the car from different angles.

illmaticskillz

sweet!

D4V1D.TL

Thanks Stuart - this definitely helps me.

NJ SHAWD

Dave...If you run with the correct tire size on the 19", it will not fill the wheel wells any further. What you can do is play with the offset of the wheel to push it out closer to the edge of the wheel wells. That will give a better look, than stock.

D4V1D.TL

Looks like for the coming year, I may stick to 18x8 for winters and "all season"

I may be getting an opportunity to get the following used winter set (5K KMS) for CAD$1100:

Tire Size: 245/45R18
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25
Rims are Moda MD7
TPMS sensors are 315MHz, and are installed on the set.




Any thoughts about the deal, rims and tires combo, offset?

Many thanks
d.

arabahi

Hey guys I'm having a similar dilema... I'm not sure wether to go with 19's or 20's.I've seen some of the pics on the site of 20" wheels and they look great but I'm not planning on messing with the suspension at all. Does anyone have any suggestions about this issue 19's or 20's???? without a suspension mod.

NJ SHAWD

Here's an old guy's perspective:I've been looking at rims for a couple of months now trying to decide. You need to decide if you want to dress the car up, or mod it and make the look more aggressive. The aggressive route turns in to the domino effect; rims, tires...then you need a drop, camber kit, maybe rotors and a BBK? To me, A good set of mesh wheels (like six did) or a flush face setup can go a long way on their own and don't leave the car looking like it's missing something else. I've gone through every other wheel out there available (that I can find) and keep coming back to mesh. My reason is because we can't get a good sized lip. Our options are somewhat limited because we require a high offset. Even going with a 35 offset (the lowest option) means that it is impossible to get anything beyond a 1 1/2" to 2" lip unless the face curves back. Without the option of a good lip, many of the wheels out there look lame. if you notice, the stock photos almost always show the wheels with at least a 2 1/2" lip, even if yours isn't available that big. I was going to buy the Vossen VVS083, but when I saw it with the 1 1/2" lip it didn't look right to me. Be very careful of how the pictures look on the web because they may look very different when you take them out of the box.To sum it up:If you want to stay mainly stock, go mesh or a good flush face.If you're going to mod, a 5 spoke can give the best look without actually having a big lip

arabahi

Anyone out there with pics of a 4G TL with 20's without a drop please post them. I just don't wanna get 20's and have the car look "goofy" on the wheels whith a large gap.

NJ SHAWD

you'll see mine in a week