# Ride Difference Between 17" - 18" Alloys, Possibly 19??



## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi, 

I will be shortly upgrading my stock alloys from 17" with 225/45/17 tyres to either:

1) 18" Alloys with 225/40/18 tyres
2) 19" Alloys with 225/35/19 tyres

The car is able to accommodate either with no rubbing.

19 look better in my opinion but 18 would be slightly more comfortable due to the higher profile tyre and cheaper 


Now the killer question...I have spoken to a few people who say that the 19's will be back breaking over bumps / potholes? Would they really make a huge difference to ride handling / quality?


Does anyone have any experience or comments on this?


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

It'd make a fair difference yeah

Maybe not back breaking but you'd notice it

Also don't forget it'll make the car look like a tractor if it's not lowered


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

Depends what car and tyres you use - generally speaking the bigger the wheel the worse the ride and handling balance will become, also have you checked the difference in tyre prices between 18 and 19 inch


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

The lowering will come later, there's a 2.9mm difference on 19s and something like 1.9mm on 18's so it's not all that bad until I can afford springs


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

andy665 said:


> Depends what car and tyres you use - generally speaking the bigger the wheel the worse the ride and handling balance will become, also have you checked the difference in tyre prices between 18 and 19 inch


Goodyear Eagle F1's Asymmetric 2 is my tyre choice and the budget between 18's and 19's isn't so much of an issue


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

putting 19's on will ruin the handling of the car imo


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## hobbs182 (Jul 10, 2013)

Pics of said car?


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## J4KE45 (Sep 7, 2014)

Had 16's at stock, went to 18's, lowered it and then went to 19's - all on a golf mk7.

IMO, lowering it was the biggest difference, made the ride quite harsh. The jump from 16 to 18 was another factor, harsh but not anything near lowering. But 18 to 19? If anything it was a better ride. As I had cheap 18's on and cheap tyres. Then when I got my 19's, they were a decent brand with a good tyre!

17-19, you'll notice it yeah, but you'll be so into your new shoes you won't care about the ride!


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

This is my car:


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

J4KE45 said:


> Had 16's at stock, went to 18's, lowered it and then went to 19's - all on a golf mk7.
> 
> IMO, lowering it was the biggest difference, made the ride quite harsh. The jump from 16 to 18 was another factor, harsh but not anything near lowering. But 18 to 19? If anything it was a better ride. As I had cheap 18's on and cheap tyres. Then when I got my 19's, they were a decent brand with a good tyre!
> 
> 17-19, you'll notice it yeah, but you'll be so into your new shoes you won't care about the ride!


Fantastic!! Thanks very much. Mine'll be VAG as well. Haha that's one way of looking at it!


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

These were 19's on a Sportback I had. It was the S-Line version, and was left on stock suspension.

The honest regret I had was the 'rubber band' thickness of the tyres, in comparison to the 18's that were previously on there. The ride different feel any different at all, but the tyre wall was a scary issue when parking next to kerbs, or even driving through a pot-hole.....makes it very easy to kerb! (although I got away with it).


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

Kriminal said:


> These were 19's on a Sportback I had. It was the S-Line version, and was left on stock suspension.
> 
> The honest regret I had was the 'rubber band' thickness of the tyres, in comparison to the 18's that were previously on there. The ride different feel any different at all, but the tyre wall was a scary issue when parking next to kerbs, or even driving through a pot-hole.....makes it very easy to kerb! (although I got away with it).


Cool, thanks  it's quite a good comparison shot for me actually, do you know what profile your tyres were? Looks like 35 maybe?


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

^ they were a 35. :thumb:

I'd have a serious think about what you want to do really. If you were asking for advice, I'd tell you to stick the car on 18's and drop it a little. 19's aren't really 'all that', in my opinion.....unfortunately, being on an A3 forum, I followed the rest of 'em (like a bl00dy sheep) and bought 19's.

Here's a close-up to give you another view on what they're like :


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

I sometimes think low profile tyres look a bit rubbish, I think you'd need low profile to get 19s under. I personally think big wheels on hatch backs don't look great but I do like yours Kriminal. At least its a quality OEM style wheel.


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

These are the alloys I'm going for and swapping out the centre cap for an Audi one


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## rf860 (Jul 24, 2011)

Stick to 18s. I've got a golf mk7 gtd with 18s and I certainly wouldn't want it to be any harder (same chassis and drivetrain as a3). 

Also the 19s will make your brakes look tiny, not a good look.


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## Oldsparky (Jun 18, 2014)

I got 19s on the typeR (already a harsh ride) they look great...... Er that's about it


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

I have 18 inch wheels on my jag which look about right. Fairly comfortable but it's more of a comfortable saloon than a sporty hatch back. 

Those wheels look good and I think they'd look good in 17s or 18s but I certainly wouldn't go for 19s.


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

I've had 2 RCZ's and purposely bought the model with 18" alloys as I thought the model which came with 19s would be too harsh a ride. However I was never all that keen on the design of the 18 alloys so decided to upgrade to 19s last year as I really liked the design of the alloy. Best thing I did. I never noticed any difference in the ride quality and handling remained the same as ever. Looks far far better too.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

J4KE45 said:


> IMO, lowering it was the biggest difference, made the ride quite harsh.


My experience of good quality springs such as Eibach and H&R is that the progressive spring rates combined with the conservative drop result in a ride that is little different to the standard springs. :thumb:



MA3RC said:


> These are the alloys I'm going for and swapping out the centre cap for an Audi one.


Be sure to check that an OEM Audi centre cap will fit the aftermarket wheel bore before forking out for a set. 

Alan W


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## R7KY D (Feb 16, 2010)

Just my 2 bob's worth 

There is nothing worse than seeing a nice car with a nice set of 19's on and a brake disc the size of a saucer and a caliper the size of a eraser (thank you RP) Although there not really that small a larger wheel gives the impression they are smaller than they are , If you get my meaning 

I'd say go 18


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

Kriminal said:


> ^ they were a 35. :thumb:
> 
> I'd have a serious think about what you want to do really. If you were asking for advice, I'd tell you to stick the car on 18's and drop it a little. 19's aren't really 'all that', in my opinion.....unfortunately, being on an A3 forum, I followed the rest of 'em (like a bl00dy sheep) and bought 19's.
> 
> Here's a close-up to give you another view on what they're like :


Tbh krim I think they're a bit too tall for the a3 and it really needs bigger brakes to carry it off.

I'd be sticking with 18s on an a3, arches aren't big enough. Would be like putting 22s on a 350z.

A caliper the size of an eraser?

Ruin handling though on an average family hatchback?


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## -Jamie- (Nov 6, 2012)

My Megane had the optional 19's when i bought it with 235/35/19 tyres, I swapped them out for the "Cup" spec 18's which i run 235/40/18's. Made a noticeable difference in ride, Far more compliant on the 18's.

My reasons were a bit different to yours though as i wanted the lighter 18's for performance reasons, Oh and i have brakes that actually fill the wheels and don't look wrong like the above.


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

-Jamie- said:


> My Megane had the optional 19's when i bought it with 235/35/19 tyres, I swapped them out for the "Cup" spec 18's which i run 235/40/18's. Made a noticeable difference in ride, Far more compliant on the 18's.
> 
> My reasons were a bit different to yours though as i wanted the lighter 18's for performance reasons, Oh and i have brakes that actually fill the wheels and don't look wrong like the above.


Just curious how firm the ride is as standard in your megane... Kinda like the 265....


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## -Jamie- (Nov 6, 2012)

Mine is a Cup so has stiffer suspension, it's firm bit bearable imo.

I have just fitted a set of Intrax 1k2 coilovers now though


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

Right. I made a decision and purchased  I've gone for 18". Pics to follow


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

What happened to the days when small cars/hatchbacks had 15s. Really small cars and small vans had 14s, saloons had 17s and posh saloons had 18s/19s. 

Now everybody seems to get the big ones. I was shocked that my jaguar came with 18 inch wheels. The other versions came with 17s but the STR brake calipers don't fit over the 17s. 

Also consider common tyre sizes to get an idea for cheap tyre replacement. 
For years I'd never buy 16 inch alloy wheels as they were always more expensive to put tyres on than 17s. 

Having said that though, I don't think the difference in tyre cost between sizes is as drastic as it once was as 16s are more common now.


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

Black circles were incredibly cheap I found. Plus I get cashback with quidco £5 off. All in all I saved £200 on tyres by not buying them from the alloy dealer or local garages


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

I keep finding good prices for tyres on black cirlces. Seems to be one of the cheapest around. Did you choose to have them fitted at a local garage or are they being delivered? There is a black circles garage not too far from me but I have never used them. Been tempted many times. 

Quidco is well worth signing up to for the little effort it costs. I've made around 50 pounds since September and haven't really done much other than get insurance through it and a few shopping trips where my debit card has been linked up to it.


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

Defo the cheapest around. I chose to have them delivered as I've never been to any of the garages they recommend and me being fussy would rather take it somewhere I know.

Yeah I know what you mean about Quidco I had £70 back on my car insurance alone


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## percymon (Jun 27, 2007)

You also need to consider the weight of the wheels/tyres to judge ride quality. Audi 17"'alloys aren't the lightest around but a lot of aftermarket rims and replicas are heavier still. You at find aftermarket 18s heavier than audi 19s in which case damper response and rise quality could be a less on smaller wheels.

I swapped my run flat 18s summer wheels on my mini to 16" non run flat winter steel wheels - extreme change yes but each winter wheel/tyre is 8kg lighter than the summer one. That's a heck of a difference. 

A lightweight 19" wheel might be no worse than your current audi 17s other than on the worst road surfaces.


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## bigbaldyone (Nov 3, 2014)

Ma3rc you must have been reading my mind, I have a black A4 B8 model and am changing the stock alloys! This has made my mind up Re the 18" or 19's. Cheers for that, also nice call on black circles as well, I shall be looking them up. Anyone got any decent web sites to buy after market alloys from? I would feel better buying from somewhere that's trusted by everyone here on DW.
Cheers guys.


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

bigbaldyone said:


> Ma3rc you must have been reading my mind, I have a black A4 B8 model and am changing the stock alloys! This has made my mind up Re the 18" or 19's. Cheers for that, also nice call on black circles as well, I shall be looking them up. Anyone got any decent web sites to buy after market alloys from? I would feel better buying from somewhere that's trusted by everyone here on DW.
> Cheers guys.


Haha no worries! Glad we could help  I used the website wheel base alloys. They seemed the cheapest around with the biggest selection of alloys: http://www.wheelbasealloys.com/alloy-wheels/audi/a4/b8/18-inch

As previously stated don't but their tyre packages though. They're a rip off. (I've linked you to 18's but you can change to 19's if you preferred?)


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## percymon (Jun 27, 2007)

Other tyre websites to check prices

Www.mytyres.co.uk
Www.etyres.co.uk
Www.asdatyres.co.uk

If you have a Costco card then they will be cheapest place for michelins by far.


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## bigbaldyone (Nov 3, 2014)

Cheers gents. I will update when I make the purchase. Any suggestions for a nice gun metal grey set won't go unnoticed


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

bigbaldyone said:


> Cheers gents. I will update when I make the purchase. Any suggestions for a nice gun metal grey set won't go unnoticed


DPE Cs16. 18s will look lost on an a4.


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## bigbaldyone (Nov 3, 2014)

RisingPower said:


> DPE Cs16. 18s will look lost on an a4.


18's will look lost on an A4? There are 17's on it mate and they look small.


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

bigbaldyone said:


> 18's will look lost on an A4? There are 17's on it mate and they look small.


Yup, 18s aren't much bigger. It's an a4, not an a3.


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## bigbaldyone (Nov 3, 2014)

RisingPower said:


> Yup, 18s aren't much bigger. It's an a4, not an a3.


Thanks for the help, I'm a complete noob when it comes to this stuff lol 1st set of wheels I have ever bought! So if you have the time any links to what you think would do would be great.


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## bigbaldyone (Nov 3, 2014)

Kriminal said:


> ^ they were a 35. :thumb:
> 
> I'd have a serious think about what you want to do really. If you were asking for advice, I'd tell you to stick the car on 18's and drop it a little. 19's aren't really 'all that', in my opinion.....unfortunately, being on an A3 forum, I followed the rest of 'em (like a bl00dy sheep) and bought 19's.
> 
> Here's a close-up to give you another view on what they're like :


Where did you buy these from please?


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

bigbaldyone said:


> Thanks for the help, I'm a complete noob when it comes to this stuff lol 1st set of wheels I have ever bought! So if you have the time any links to what you think would do would be great.


It's a very personal thing, what i'd do may not be what you would.

I personally prefer wheels like volk, dpe, nessen etc. Still not entirely sure i'd go with currently what I have again. Too hard to source on a daily.

On an a4 i'd just look at s4 wheels or something similar. I probably wouldn't change the wheels on an a4 though. Aftermarket works better on some cars than others.

I'd suggest audi forums would have a lot more info on suitable fitments than I can provide.


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## bigbaldyone (Nov 3, 2014)

Thanks fella.


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

bigbaldyone said:


> Where did you buy these from please?


A company in Clevedon, North Somerset, called Projex UK :

http://projexuk.com

They stuck my car in the car gallery, as I was the first to have this wheel (off them).

OP : glad to see you're buying the 18's mate. You've DEFINITELY made the right decision. :thumb:


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

Another post, which might be of interest to you, is a couple of other pics.....this was my car on 18's :



















These were the standard wheels at the time. As you can kind of see, by the 2nd picture, there's still quite a bit of 'clearance' between wheel and arch, but not as much as there was with the 19's. I think the first picture shows the car sits better on the 18's, and the clearance is more even all around.

Like I said before, this is the S-Line version, so the difference in ride height would be 10mm (compared to yours) unless that's changed now. The car was an 07 plate. :thumb:


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

This guy has a good name on the BMW forums for selling wheels. There is usually a discount too.

£450 for 19" replicas is cheap.

http://www.cmwheels.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=61_97_364&product_id=695

What you will find is big wheels, especially cheaper ones, won't stay round for long. It is so easy to hit a pothole and ruin one.

At least at £112.5 each the damage isn't so bad. I'm sure genuine Audi wheels would probably be over £500 each.


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

Kerr said:


> This guy has a good name on the BMW forums for selling wheels. There is usually a discount too.
> 
> £450 for 19" replicas is cheap.
> 
> ...


Whether it's big or not is not as important as the construction. Cast wheels will always be weak.


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