Wheel size and comfort... 16" to 18" upgrade

[Juzman]

Hi,

I currently have 16" mags on my Futura and was thinking of upgrading to 18" or 19"

My dilemma is that a comfortable ride is very important to me and so I'd like to ask your advice...

Have any of you upgraded to a larger wheel size and noticed a huge difference in comfort (bumps etc...) because logic says that the larger the wheel, the smaller the tyre and therefore the stronger the tyre wall = harder ride.

Would 16" to 18" be noticeable from your experience?

Also I assume if you put the largest tyre possible on an 18" wheel this would be best for comfort (up until it rubs on guards etc)

Does putting a larger wheel on effect anything mechanically? I'd imagine as long as the diameter (tyre and wheel) was the same it wouldn't?

Could you run the lower profile tyres below their normal pressure to help comfort? (I know this would reduce the life of the tyre... but looks and comfort take priority)

Cheers
Juzman

[b2tf]

I went from 17's to 18's and then to 19's on my AU with no real difference in ride or handling (although it is a ute so comfort isnt exactly built into it).

[MrXr6Tickford]

Im in the process of buying 20's for my car..

its going to put my speedo out by 4.5km/h

comfort should be fine for me...

handling? ill get back to you on that!

Also as for scrubbing? A mate that works at bob jane said i should be fine.

[poolkeeper]

I went from 17" to 19", before I lowered my ute
The ride was a little bit rougher but not something you can easily pick up on.

[WindsorXR]

I went from 16" to 19" on the EL and sure you felt the decent bumps, but other than that there wasn't a huge difference. It does make the car feel a bit more responsive as there is a lot less side wall on the tyre.

[mattp]

I've gone from 15" up to my current 19" wheels over the last 2 years, but the effect has been confounded by also lowering along the way. I'm still perfectly happy with the ride though, the most recent change from 18" to 19" makes the car feel more planted, but ride is better if anything. Of course, different tyres / pressures etc make a difference, but overall I'd say you certainly shouldn't notice too much of a negative effect on the ride.

[sneaky]

i changed the 16" mags for 18" mags yesterday.

only driven it a few quick times, i noticed it feels 'different' but necessarily bad. today will be the test - going for a longer drive including freeway driving, plus the wife will drive it with the new wheels.

[XR_MICK]

The ride IMO is all about the tyre you get with your larger wheels. The bigger the rim go for a better tyre, that way you wont be disappointed with hardness or road noise.

[sneaky]

took the car out for a bit of a longer drive today. it might be a touch noisier on the road (i'd say more to do with the tyres than the wheels).

the wife said it feels 'different' but not bad/worse.

and it looks heaps better than it did before.

-tim