mmarshall

I like everything in the interior aside from the screens. Love the steering wheel colour.



Yes, the blue/Ivory Avenir interior is very attractive. I'm not wild about the screens, either, but they have some good points.

I think the new Avenir version will win over some former Cadillac XT5/XT6 owners. I know that Cadillacs, in general, for the money, do not impress me.


V6 engines don't shift . But, yes, the GM 9-speed FWD/AWD transmission usually shifts very slickly.

Less likely to happen now, since Buick's American-market sales rose substantially last year. The BIG question is now whether they will go all-BEV or keep some ICEs in the lineup. That's why I may be looking at another new 2025 or 2026 Encore GX (if they do a 2026 version)...I cannot practically own a BEV.

peteharvey

Mike, the link below is for my 4GS.
The OEM is 235/40 R19.
My Minus 1 is 235/45 R18.
My future Minus 2 is 235/50 R17.
I will probably use Minus 2 at 225/55 R17.

Because instead of the OEM 235 mm tread width on OEM 8" rim width, a slightly narrower 225 mm tire tread on 7.5" rim width is lighter in weight, hence less unsprung mass, less momentum on bump impact, and a smoother ride - but most importantly, I get to use my favorite Pirelli Cinturato P7 Series II, which rides better than both Series I and Series III; if I am not wrong, the Cinturatos don't come in 235/50 R17.
At 235/50 R17, I would have to use the Michelin Primacy 4's, and I did not like the hard rubber compound and bump thump and slight droning on Michelin Primacy 3's which I have owned in the past.

The third line from the bottom are the +/- speedometer variations.
Notice how ALL four sizes have less than 3% in speedometer error and hence legal?
Green means within the 3% legal limit, while red means greater than the 3% legal speedo variation and illegal.
At the bottom of the webpage, slide the horizontal bar across to see all four tires.

235-40R19 vs 235-45R18 vs 235-50R17 vs 225-55R17 - Tire and Wheel Plus Sizing | Tire Size Calculator (1010tires.com)


Mike, click on this link below, and it will actually show you the cross-section of your existing tire/wheel against the cross-section of your proposed new tire/wheel.
Below is my original 235/40 R19 in orange outline, against my proposed forthcoming Minus 2 sizing [ie 2" smaller wheel diameter] at 225/55 R17 in green outline.
Notice how the rolling diameter/circumference is almost exactly the same at -1.28%?
You substitute your own tire/wheel dimensions, and hey presto...

Alloy Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit

peteharvey

True.
However, also keep in mind that even if the wheel diameter and sidewalls are exactly the same height, the wider tread width with lower profile tires - not only does the wider tread width have more grip, but the lower profile/aspect ratio results in a "more rigid" sidewall that is more instantaneously responsive to steering input for faster changes in direction, at the expense of a "stiffer" sidewall resulting in both a firmer ride and higher noise levels.

Plus, the extra mass from the wider tread and the wider 9" rims won't do the ride any favors either.

Below is hypothetical 245/40 R19 vs 265/35 R19, ie same sidewall height, but a wider tread, and a lower profile aspect ratio.

Alloy Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit

geko29

Yes, quite. Your Lacrosse had 235/50/18s, which have 4.6" of sidewall. The 245/45/19s on the Encore GX Avenir have just over 4.3" of sidewall, about a quarter inch less. If one wants to be pedantic, 5/16" less is about as accurate as we can get with imperial measurements.

Aspect ratio is not a measurement, it is one factor used in a calculation. I have a set of 40-profile 21s that have the exact same 4.6" of sidewall that your Lacrosse's 18s did.

SW17LS

These are very slight differences that do not amount to a huge difference in ride.

mmarshall

Well, you can toss around all the numbers you want, but I can note (and sometimes clearly note) similarities and differences in ride quality between all of them...especially between cold/hot weather and varying pavement-temperatures. It's an ability I have finely-honed in 50+ years of owning and test-driving vehicles. In general, all else equal, at least as far as the tires are concerned, the lower the profile, the harder the tread compound, and the colder the tire-temperature, the firmer/noisier the ride over bumps, and the more crisp and immediate the steering response, and the worse the traction on wet/slick roads is going to be. A number of other factors are also involved, though, including suspension design/firmness, the temperature of the shock/hydraulic fluid, and the amount of wear on the suspension itself.

A few manufacturers can do what I call comfortable-riding vehicles with 45s (and an older BMW 330i I sampled was comfortable even with 35s)..but most cannot. For my tastes, they need 50s or above....60 or above is best.

Striker223

I will bet money my 20 inch rims ride smoother than anything you have driven lol!

The tires can be compensated by the suspension so you can have directness AND smooth

mmarshall

Well, Friend, I clearly mentioned suspension-design in my last comment...if you had bothered to read it. But, even so, I have never sampled 20-inchers that I thought rode what I would call comfortably. In fact, that is about the only reason I decided not to go with a Buick Cascada convertible when they came out...which I thought was (otherwise) a superb small fun-in-the-sun machine, and extremely well-built for an inexpensive ragtop. Its standard 20s (there was no option) rode like a Go-Kart over bumps, even at moderately warm temperatures with recommend PSIs.

mmarshall

Anyhow, we're getting off topic....the new 2025 Enclave (and other 2025 Buicks)

SW17LS

Your ability to ignore being repeatedly shown to be wrong and to continue to gaslight and pretend you are right in the face of it with such unwavering confidence is truly impressive.

To cut through the gaslighting, nobody is saying higher profile tires don’t ride better than lower profile tires. We are saying that the aspect ratio of two tires being different doesn’t necessarily mean the thickness of their sidewalls are different, since aspect ratio is a ratio of sidewall height to tread width. Hence, two 45 series tires can have widely different sidewall thicknesses.

mmarshall

I accept being wrong when actually wrong....and that indeed has happened, more than once, even here in Car Chat. But, when my own experience shows I am correct, bears out what I am saying, and someone tries to tell me that didn't happen, or I don't know what I'm talking about, no, I am not going to accept it. That is not living in ignorance.....that is living in reality.

And, like I said.....I'm back on thread-topic. Have a nice evening.

mmarshall

Anyhow, on topic, depending on your point of view, more good or bad news about the 2025 Enclave........it, along with the Chevy Traverse and the next-generation GMC Acadia, will be built at the Lansing, Michigan plant, with American UAW labor. To me, of course, that is good news...........no Chinese sweat-shops for this one.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2025...t-look-review/

SW17LS

Your experience tells you that sidewall height of a tire with a 45 aspect ratio is always the same regardless of the width of the tire?

You are entitled to your own opinion not your own facts.

mmarshall

Joe Raiti also loves the new Avenir...he made his video on (obviously) the same show-floor as most of the rest of the reviewers did. He has some good close-ups of the interior.

Unfortunately, apparantly no new Enclaves have been officially turned over to the auto-press yet......so there are no actual road-tests. But, based on the static-reviews alone, from Joe and others, I'm confident that it is going to do very well in the market, and even convert some Cadillac XT5 and XT6 fans. I'm especially anxious to hear what Alex Dykes has to say, since I consider him to be (arguably) the best You-Tube auto-reviewer in the buisness.



Steve.....if you want to stop arguing about tires for a minute, here may (?) be a serious possibility for replacing your Pacifica when the lease runs out. I think your family will love that interior.

tex2670

Ok but given your history with Buicks and how Buick tends to tune its suspension firmness, why do you not have confidence that they can produce a car with 45 series tires which will still be comfortable?