teebee

I have heard and seen it posted that 19" rims aren't as good for handling or high speed. Also, just by nature of having less sidewall the ride on 19's will be somewhat rougher than the 18's and also there is a slightly greater risk of damaging your rims via potholes, etc. But let's face it, 19's LOOK much better. They really make the car stand out. So is the loss of "practicality" worth the extra look? That's what I would like to find out... from current owners of 19" rims.

So those that have 19's, what size/style are they? What size tires do you have? How much of a degrade in performance have you noticed? What about ride quality? And have any experienced troubles with damaging your rims on potholes or bumps?

Input would be appreciated. I should also mention I will be running on the MS suspension, so it's about 3/4" lower than stock. This will help me come to a final decision when purchasing rims.


Thanks,
teebee

huff04titanium

Just got my 19's. They are TSW Hyper Black, they match the the titanium unbelieveably good.

F - 19 x 8.5 235/35/19 offset 35
R - 19 x 9.5 265/30/19 offset 35
Tires - Toyo Proxes T1-S

BTW, I'm planning on adding the MS Shocks and Coils soon.

On the ride, they are slightly rougher than stock although they look great. I haven't had any trouble with potholes, although I am very careful where I drive and what I run over. Even with stock suspension, they don't look that bad. I don't do much track driving, although I kept my old wheels and tires for that at some point. If you have any specific questions or want some pictures, pm me. I can answer questions and send you some pics via email. The pics are pretty good sized and look better than they would in a post.

teebee

How do they feel in hard cornering and how is the "responsiveness" as compared to the 18's? Or have you had the opportunity to test them out yet?

huff04titanium

Not too many chances to test them out - due to sitting in traffic to and from work, ugh - but they seem ok in cornering. Like some guys said, they turn in a little better but don't grip quite as good as an 18 with a taller sidewall. Stright line tractions is really good, and highway driving is as comfortable as stock, except rough highways, little bumpiness there.

JD

iamcanadian

I agonized over this very thing for 6 months before ordering wheels. I just put my 19's with 245/35's on for the first time a few days ago. I, like you, was concerned about a few things including weight, performance, ride and toughness. Going to the Volk GT-C's took care of a number of those concerns. My early seat-of-the-pants experience is that performance may be just a hare slower, ride quality is pretty much the same for most road conditions, tires are WAY quieter, and traction in the corners is way better. If performance is the priority over looks go with 18's in a 245. I don't race anywhere and IMO 19's look perfect on the car in exchange for a very, very small loss of performance. My Tein Basics arrive tomorrow so after they go on the ride will feel a bunch stiffer! :D Hope that helps. Cheers.

M

Fanman

I have the Stern ST II's same configuration as huff :

F - 19 x 8.5 235/35/19 offset 38 ( but added 6.5 mm spacer as it rubbed the caliper)
R - 19 x 9.5 265/30/19 offset 35

Tires - Toyo Proxes T1-S

If I had to do it all again I would have went with 18." Seems like more choices out there for 18" & the handling is little worse probably because of the slight weight increase & the much lower profile tire. Looks are awesome, get many, many looks but If I had to do it over again I might have gone for 245/40/18 all the way araound, or 245/40/18 F & 275/35/18 R.

punishr

I have
19x8.5 w/38 offset Racing Hart CX's w/ 245/35/19 Nitto NT555 Extreme ZR tires in Front
19x10 w/44 offset Racing Hart CX's w/ 275/30/19 Nitto NT555 Extreme ZR tires in Rear
Tein S-Tech springs
and I definately love the way the car handles, slightly stiffer than stock, and not too much rougher of a ride.