much difference between 18 &19's

[matty w]

hi all i've got to get some new wheels for my a4 avant,the tyres that are on the wheels on it are all odd and are giving a lot of road noise,so can anyone recommend me a decent tyre thats not too dear and is there a lot of difference between 18's and 19's noise wise etc?

cheers matt

 

[BahnStormer77]

It all depends on what you've got there already: if you've already got replica 18's with hard side-wall tyres or run-flats, then you might find that good 19's with decent spec tyres will be lighter AND a more compliant ride, if you're going from Audi 16's or 17's to replica 18's/19's, then you will notce it a lot more - especially on B roads..... and also when parallell parking

I've not tried 18's / 19's on my A4, since the A4 is my "comfortable cruiser", but based on previous cars, the level of unsprung weight goes up significantly with higher diameter wheels (which can make the car suffer on uneven surfaces* and generally mess up handling) and also the obvious fact that you'll have significantly less tyre side-wall, so the ride will become significantly firmer: but probably more of a comfort thing than handling.

* it can make small divots in the road surface feel like pot-holes because the wheels will follow the surfaces of the road with a lot more momentum, resulting in a much heavier crashing/thudding feeling where 16's would have jsut rippled along over the surface.

That said, the unsprung weight only really becomes an issue if you're going for cheap replica's rather than decent high performance wheels.

 

[quattrojames]

I went from OEM 16" wheels with a 55 profile tyre, to OEM 18"'s with a 40 profile tyre and there is no discernable difference to ride comfort at all. In addition to this the handling has been sharpened up considerable, so I am pleasently surprised :thumbsup:

 

[BahnStormer77]

James, are you still on OEM suspension?

 

[quattrojames]

James, are you still on OEM suspension?

At the moment yes, and it's an SE too which will be a more compliant suspension set up.

 

[BahnStormer77]

ah - okay.... be warned the difference is a lot more pronounced if you you're using aftermarket track spec springs and dampers.

tbh - so long as you try to keep the wheels fairly light, you'll be fine going from 16's to 19's on SE suspension and probably still be okay on sport suspension, but the problem is when u go aftermarket on the suspension too: if you'll got anything like those Eibach springs I've got in my Golf (which are awesome for handling!), you will be able to feel every single ripple on the road: not only can a feel when the wheels are clipping the white lines on the apex of a corner, but I can feel where the paint has two coats or one... it's a little better (and a LOT less crashy) now that I've gone from el-cheapo 7.5J 17's with 205/40 rubber to my narrower 16" BBS alloys with 205/45 rubber.

Just making you aware, so if/when you try that out you're ready for it!