Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[Archibald Donnington]

I've got the 189's on my e92 and am seriously considering a set of lightweight 19's. I had the CSL's from supreme on and the car felt sluggish in power and in handling. The overall weight of the tire and wheel with the csl's were just .5 lbs lighter than the OEM's and still felt sluggish. What would a lightweight set of 19's feel like? Would I be expecting better/crisper handling, more response in power due to the decreased weight? Or, due to the increased diameter, would my handling become more squishy and increased width become slower? Please shed some light on this wheel bretheren.
aaron

[r_seng]

If you are serious about more performance, then stick with a set of 18s. 19s are as a given a plus sizing over all in diameter and width, even with a set of light weight 19s (ex. TE37s, etc) performance and comfort is somewhat sacrificed; this is due to lower profile and wider tires, and more power is actually needed to roll the wheels.

[panzer948]

Hmm, I've been researching this too and currently still have my stock 189 18" wheels. But from what I have, the difference is negligible as long as you don't go with a much heavier wheel. Any other opinions?

[bolinp78]

Yea , I went from 225/255 18"s to 235/265 19"s and there doesnt seem to be that much of a difference performance wise.. But I'm not really the best to judge that. =)

[iatacs19]

A forged 19in wheel with a good tire like a Michelin PS2 is hard to beat.

[Malek@MRF]

It does help to have a lighter wheel and tire setup to reduce unsprung weight, BUT what many fail to realize is that with 19" wheels, the weight is pushed further out from the center which often times, even with a "lighter" wheel, the extended center of weight will hurt acceleration.

There is NO doubt or question that lighter wheels in general will help handling, but as for acceleration and response... read above and think about what I am trying say. The further the weight is pushed out from the HUB centric portion of the wheel, the more sluggish the car will feel.

[Archibald Donnington]

Originally Posted by Malekreza11

It does help to have a lighter wheel and tire setup to reduce unsprung weight, BUT what many fail to realize is that with 19" wheels, the weight is pushed further out from the center which often times, even with a "lighter" wheel, the extended center of weight will hurt acceleration.

There is NO doubt or question that lighter wheels in general will help handling, but as for acceleration and response... read above and think about what I am trying say. The further the weight is pushed out from the HUB centric portion of the wheel, the more sluggish the car will feel.

That's exactly what I was thinking, but everyone is all "19's FTW." I'll stay with my 18's and when I buy a car that comes with 19's, I'll deal with it. I really enjoy the "flickable" instinct my car has now, and anything that may compromise that would be considered unsavory.
aaron

[LOLrance]

Originally Posted by iatacs19

A forged 19in wheel with a good tire like a Michelin PS2 is hard to beat.

Not if you had a set of forged 18" wheels with RE-01R's or even ps2's for that matter