Ride Comfort - 18" wheels vs. 19" wheels
02-28-15, 12:23 PM
#1
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Ride Comfort - 18" wheels vs. 19" wheels
I'm looking at buying a 2015 GS350 AWD. The luxury package has 19" wheels and I'm concerned about the ride comfort. Do the 18" wheels and tires provide a better/more comfortable/quieter ride? If so, I'm sure I could have them swapped out. Tires would be all-season, not summer tires.
Thanks for your input!
Thanks for your input!
02-28-15, 04:22 PM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
The more sidewall height you have the more comfortable and quieter the ride will be versus a lower profile tire/wheel combination with everything else being equal. By 'everything else being equal' I mean the tire brand and tire model along with the air pressure being the same or equal, and only the tire size being different to accommodate the different size (18" vs. 19") wheels.
The tire brand and tire model, along with air pressure you run will make the biggest difference, regardless of what size tire and wheel combination you eventually get. But as said, the 18" will be more comfortable and quieter compared to the same setup in 19".
The tire brand and tire model, along with air pressure you run will make the biggest difference, regardless of what size tire and wheel combination you eventually get. But as said, the 18" will be more comfortable and quieter compared to the same setup in 19".
Last edited by bclexus; 02-28-15 at 06:28 PM.
02-28-15, 06:24 PM
#3
Lead Lap
Well im a bit confused, the 2015 GS Luxury Package comes with 19s now ? Are they the F Sports wheels or different 19s ? because they came with 17s and 18s in 2014. And is the suspension different ? usually when manufacturers put 19s on a vehicle that comes with stock 17s or 18s, they stiffen and calibrate the suspension accordingly.
My GS came with the stock 18s, wanting a different look i bought a set of 19" Ace Convex gun metal wheels and new Bridgestone Potenzas which is what some of the F Sports run on. After mounting the wheels, pretty much instantly i noticed an undeniable difference, i felt every crack crevice on these god forsaken L.A. streets. I tried to due with the wheels hoping that ill break in the tires or something however after just 3 days of driving i sold the 19s and put 18s back on the car. But some guys are running 20s and even 22s and they say their ride is fine so i would try to drive it before i buy it. Or go down to your local dealer, drive and compare a 18" ride to a 19" one.
My GS came with the stock 18s, wanting a different look i bought a set of 19" Ace Convex gun metal wheels and new Bridgestone Potenzas which is what some of the F Sports run on. After mounting the wheels, pretty much instantly i noticed an undeniable difference, i felt every crack crevice on these god forsaken L.A. streets. I tried to due with the wheels hoping that ill break in the tires or something however after just 3 days of driving i sold the 19s and put 18s back on the car. But some guys are running 20s and even 22s and they say their ride is fine so i would try to drive it before i buy it. Or go down to your local dealer, drive and compare a 18" ride to a 19" one.
03-01-15, 07:03 AM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
I personally am not thrilled with 19s on the 2015 luxury package either. They look a lot better, sure, but they will absolutely ride harder than the 18s, thats just physics.
Drive them both back to back and see. Make sure the tire pressures are adjusted properly beforehand.
The 2015 Luxury comes with the F Sport 19s but painted a lighter hyper silver color.
Drive them both back to back and see. Make sure the tire pressures are adjusted properly beforehand.
Well im a bit confused, the 2015 GS Luxury Package comes with 19s now ? Are they the F Sports wheels or different 19s ? because they came with 17s and 18s in 2014. And is the suspension different ? usually when manufacturers put 19s on a vehicle that comes with stock 17s or 18s, they stiffen and calibrate the suspension accordingly.
03-01-15, 09:20 AM
#5
My 14' GS came with 19", CND tech pkg. ( 9 spoke v's )
The ride is good, but subjective since I didn t know any different.
When I bought winter tires/wheels I only had a few hundred miles on the car. Bought the same style rims and had the dealer install them (it's a long story why I ended up with these rims
)
On the 100 mile trek home I noticed how smooth and quiet the ride seemed. Very smooth, the cracks in the pavement seemed to disappear! I was very impressed thinking to myself the Michealin Icex 3's were a heck of a nice tire.
When I parked in my garage and had a look at the tires lo and behold they were 18" instead of the original 19", I expected.
So the higher profile tire on the 18" wheels made a very noticable difference in ride, very smooth!!!
If I could find someone that wanted to swap my summer 19" for 18", I would take them up on it. I like the improved ride that much!
For ride comfort the higher profile 18", for performance driving the lower profile 19"
The ride is good, but subjective since I didn t know any different.
When I bought winter tires/wheels I only had a few hundred miles on the car. Bought the same style rims and had the dealer install them (it's a long story why I ended up with these rims
)On the 100 mile trek home I noticed how smooth and quiet the ride seemed. Very smooth, the cracks in the pavement seemed to disappear! I was very impressed thinking to myself the Michealin Icex 3's were a heck of a nice tire.
When I parked in my garage and had a look at the tires lo and behold they were 18" instead of the original 19", I expected.
So the higher profile tire on the 18" wheels made a very noticable difference in ride, very smooth!!!
If I could find someone that wanted to swap my summer 19" for 18", I would take them up on it. I like the improved ride that much!
For ride comfort the higher profile 18", for performance driving the lower profile 19"
03-02-15, 12:38 PM
#6
Common knowledge dictates a larger diameter wheel with smaller tire sidewall = harsher ride.
But this is a Lexus that came out OEM with 19" wheels, who am I to argue with Lexus engineers and their Beta testers? I'm really surprised how smooth this thing rides on 19s at OEM height, not lowered. The dampening must be tremendous.
But this is a Lexus that came out OEM with 19" wheels, who am I to argue with Lexus engineers and their Beta testers? I'm really surprised how smooth this thing rides on 19s at OEM height, not lowered. The dampening must be tremendous.
03-02-15, 05:00 PM
#7
I don't notice a huge difference between my 17" winters and 18" all seasons on the comfort side. The winters definitely don't grip on pavement like the summers (to be expected). Quite a bit more sidewall roll as well.
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03-19-15, 04:49 PM
#8
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
In selling me an order for GS with luxury package, dealer said he would swap out the 19" wheels on the car when it arrives with 18" wheels. What would be the downside of doing this? Is the car matched to the wheel/tire size for speedometer reading? Would the 18" wheels be as good as the 19" wheels that come with the luxury package?
03-20-15, 06:15 AM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
No issue. The 19s and 18s have the same diameter overall, its just the 18s have an inch more sidewall and an inch less wheel.
The luxury package came with 18" wheels until 2015.
The luxury package came with 18" wheels until 2015.
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