This is just out of curiosity.

What's the deal with putting on 19" rims....especially so soon after getting the car?

Is it just ppl want something different or is there some intrinsic value to larger wheels I don't know about? Is it mainly for looks...there are a few rims I've seen that look better than stock, just don't have the money. And what do you do with the old rims and tires?

Someone posted a pic of their ride with 19" rims, it seems like they were too big for the car, alomost too oversized? MAybe it's just me.

Just wondering why ppl do so much to brand new car right out of the box?

 

I do it so it looks different than yours

 

fair enough, i guess.

 

for looks handling..actually with 19's on you actually lose some torque... deep dish 18's would be just fine...19's just basically for looks and to fill up that fender well...

 

obviously you must be from another country than USA...

 

Why not? As long as there not heavy chrome monsters.

 

I'm thinking about 19" wheels at the rear to get an equivalent of a lower gear ratio at the rear end, so I can get a bit better MPG. My concern would be how large a diameter tire can I get in the wheelwell and what impact the circumference change will have on the ECU or Nav, etc., systems. I'd also want the rear lowered to level the body. An alternative would be just getting larger tires (235/45R - 245/55R?) on the existing 18" wheels (that I really like) at the rear. Wider skins on the rear also wouldn't hurt once you turned DSC/TCS off.

I know all this sounds a bit odd, but the 4.44 differential is way higher than I need for routine 80-90 mph commutes and I doubt if there will be an affordable 4.11, 3.70 or 3.57 rear end option any time soon.

 

final drive ratios are meaningless without looking at the ratios in the box. that said, yeah, 'cause you're looking for a different comprimise, that's definitely a good way to go, with good looks.

...i dunno anythign about the Nav system, other than it's rediculously expensive, but does it use those geo-synchronos satellite thingies?? (can't think of the system's name... no time, gtg to class)

 

A bit off topic, but to answer a question: The Nav system is really worth the $2k imo (I got my 8 $1.5k off MSRP, so I only "paid" $500 for the Nav). It's amazing how it can find backstreet shortcuts for you in LA rush hour street bashes! (Sometimes, it's clueless, like it needs more recent data.)

Back to tire size and Nav. I read somewhere something about the Nav being linked to the steering position and wheel rotation sensors. If true, and the wheel sensors are only off the front wheels, then larger rear wouldn't matter, except for the odometer/speedo. That's how the Nav knows how far you've gone when you're blocked from a satellite (yeah, it uses GPS). Not really sure, exactly, on how it knows to tell you to, e.g., make a right turn 40 feet from now.