I was wondering if any of you had recently changed from 18" wheels (235/40/18 tyres) to 19" wheels (235/35/19 tyres) and could describe the difference in ride. I am considering the change but to be honest the ride is already pretty bumpy/stiff (IMO.....) Has anyone ever tried 245/35 tyres? from the measurements this adds about 4mm to the overall diameter (not enough to affect gearing and less than the normal 5/6mm tyre wear over the life of a tyre too).
2.0T FSI S-line Quattro 18" to 19" Wheels
- Thread starter hazey7
- Start date
It's not that big a difference to be honest, even after lowering it. The 35 profile is only marginally worse than the 40 and lets face it, even the 18s aren't exactly super soft to begin with.
I run 235/35/19s on my Avant lowered around 70-80mm on coilovers and only feel the harshness on crap roads. Mostof the time it's fine but there is a difference so expect it but prepare to be surprised.
It also boils down to the suspension you run. Standard S-Line and you'll be fine. Coils will add a degree of firmness to proceedings but the quality of damping is in the damper and not the extent of the drop.
Personally, i'd opt for a reputable kit such as FK KONISPORT or KW if the budget allows.
Dont procrastinate.......DO IT !
I run 235/35/19s on my Avant lowered around 70-80mm on coilovers and only feel the harshness on crap roads. Mostof the time it's fine but there is a difference so expect it but prepare to be surprised.
It also boils down to the suspension you run. Standard S-Line and you'll be fine. Coils will add a degree of firmness to proceedings but the quality of damping is in the damper and not the extent of the drop.
Personally, i'd opt for a reputable kit such as FK KONISPORT or KW if the budget allows.
Dont procrastinate.......DO IT !
I have put a set of B8 S4 19"s on my car with KW coilovers & RS4 rear bar and the ride was a bit rough at first but seems to be OK now! I think the suspension has bed in and to be honest it's not a lot of difference from the 18"s. I think the tires have worn a bit as they were a bit noisy at first!
OK, thanks for the messages. I might procrastinate for a little bit yet, or I might just think about it some more tomorrow, who knows.
Golfather, I've seen the pics of your Avant and it looks the business; but lowering 70/80mm from a standard s-line and then putting 35 profile tyres on.... I don't think I'm ready for that....unless these dampers really do make that much difference over factory kit. Haven't thought about dampers, how much were 4 dampers and how did you make your choice? Is it the springs that actually provide the 70/80mm drop?
Golfather, I've seen the pics of your Avant and it looks the business; but lowering 70/80mm from a standard s-line and then putting 35 profile tyres on.... I don't think I'm ready for that....unless these dampers really do make that much difference over factory kit. Haven't thought about dampers, how much were 4 dampers and how did you make your choice? Is it the springs that actually provide the 70/80mm drop?
You probably know what coilovers consist of so I won't insult you by explaining. Basically the springs can be wound up or down for complete adjustability of height. Some kits have a ride adjuster on them as well so the damping can be harder or softer. In its softest form it's 20-30% stiffer than standard, and yes they make a big difference over standard, but only if the kit is of good quality. Avoid the generic kits on ebay for a few hundred. They're mass produced in China and are badged up with a plethora of different brands to try and capitalise on the growing demand for adjustable kits.
I've had one and they're useless. Not on the A4 mind you.
My choice was down to 2 - FK with Koni dampers or KW.
I've had both kits before on different cars and rate them both very highly. FK was a few hundred pounds cheaper and probably on par with KW so the choice was easy. Plus I've got full adjustability.
There's always a tempatation to get 40mm springs but your current dampers are not designed for the shorter spring and will bottom out regularly and probably cause you to change the dampers so double labour and false economy. Do it once with coils and there's no headache in the future. You dont have to lower it as much as mine or even lower in some cases, keep it high and sensible and benefit from the better handling, better visuals and full adjustability when you want it.
Hope that helps.
Cheers Golf, some great info there, thanks for the time taken to reply. Yes I am a novice at this game and its taking a while to get up to speed (ahem...) with all this terminology.
Can I ask where you got your 8x19" reps from and what make of tyres did you go for?
Can I ask where you got your 8x19" reps from and what make of tyres did you go for?
I'm running FK Konigsport as well. They are great value and the Koni damper elements are great.
The beauty is that you can change the height of the front on the car, though the way mine are mounted at the back makes it very difficult. I've read that the rear springs can be mounted with the adjustable platform on the top, which makes it much easier to adjust without disassembling the rear suspension setup.
If you want better cornering in all conditions, a modest height drop and some firmer dampers will do the trick. Mine's great in the dry but a bit sketchy in the wet as there's practically no body roll as I have the coilovers wound down low & on a moderately hard damping rate, so the cheap tyres I have fitted (apart from one corner!) struggle to grip sometimes during "enthusiastic" cornering hehe.
Also, -40mm springs are relative to the spec of the car. Ours are already lower (around -20mm) compared to the non S-Line & I think the Special Edition is maybe a fraction lower again, but only 5 or 10mm. So the drop you'd get is probably more like 10mm lower than what you have now.
I'm very happy with the combination of coilovers & 19s on my car. I had my car in for a service & it's first MOT yesterday and loads of the Audi staff were commenting on how good the car looks.
I'm also running spacers which help push the wheels out a touch so the line from the wheel arch is more continuous with the wheel...
The beauty is that you can change the height of the front on the car, though the way mine are mounted at the back makes it very difficult. I've read that the rear springs can be mounted with the adjustable platform on the top, which makes it much easier to adjust without disassembling the rear suspension setup.
If you want better cornering in all conditions, a modest height drop and some firmer dampers will do the trick. Mine's great in the dry but a bit sketchy in the wet as there's practically no body roll as I have the coilovers wound down low & on a moderately hard damping rate, so the cheap tyres I have fitted (apart from one corner!) struggle to grip sometimes during "enthusiastic" cornering hehe.
Also, -40mm springs are relative to the spec of the car. Ours are already lower (around -20mm) compared to the non S-Line & I think the Special Edition is maybe a fraction lower again, but only 5 or 10mm. So the drop you'd get is probably more like 10mm lower than what you have now.
I'm very happy with the combination of coilovers & 19s on my car. I had my car in for a service & it's first MOT yesterday and loads of the Audi staff were commenting on how good the car looks.
I'm also running spacers which help push the wheels out a touch so the line from the wheel arch is more continuous with the wheel...
