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[Atx328]

So i was saving up my nickels to get a set of 18" wheels from APEX - but now with their upcoming Black Friday deal - I am tempted to buy sooner. I love the look of 19s but I also don't think looks alone are worth a rough ride. My car is not only a DD, I also use it to make 3 hour commutes every other week from Austin to Dallas (which means a lot of construction and the associated bogus road conditions). This is also my family car for making BBQ runs into the country on the weekends.

Right now I am still running on the stock 17"s with original runflats so how much worse will it be if I jump up to 19s? I have a 2011 328 e90 with sport suspension.

Help talk me out of jumping the gun if I am going to regret my decision!

[techwhiz]

I run 19's non-RFT.
I like the look. Make sure your shocks are good.

[Fundguy1]

Depends on your roads. Northeast potholes suck. Most of the country they're great. Non run flat more comphy than 18 rft.

[tcphoto]

It sounds like you're on a limited budget, so why create potential expensive problems? Big jumps in wheel size will stress and old suspension so 18" wheels is plenty. A 328 would suffer from going to 19" wheels and would fill the fenders plenty. I went from Style 44's to 197's on my old E46 325Cic and loved it, see the picture below.

[Dekansnowman]

You're leaving out the main bit of info needed to tell you what to expect. What are the dimensions of the tire? 2xx/xx/19

The middle number of the tire is the height of the tire. First number is width and obviously last is rim size. The key number is that middle number because tells you how much you have between rim and road. If you have 225/45/17 and go to 225/45/19, the height is the same and you wouldn't notice much difference besides the properties of the tire itself such as how soft they are, summer tires, or run-flats. The lower that middle number, the lower the profile, and less amount of tire to absorb the road.

[Atx328]

Thanks for the input. The roads here are a bit Jekyll n Hyde. They are prettty good for the most part but the construction areas suck and i35 in Dallas has a ridiculous number of potholes.

I think I will pass on the 19s for now

[satyadermawan]

as a daily drive, I would prefer 18 instead, with 19 and sport kit you should at least put 35 profile height tyre, or even 30 profile, which you won't really comfortable to drive with on daily basis, I am using 18" with 35 profile tyre, but with square set up, so a lot of meat touches the ground

[Wolf 335]

I can assure you that 19" wheels will feel harsher than 18" wheels

Although tire side wall difference between the two is only 10% of the tire width, it makes a difference when going over bumps.

Do 19"s look better than 18"s? Hell yea!
Do 19"s ride harsher than 18"s? Hell yea!
Do 19"s tires cost more than 18"s? Hell yea!

If you are planning of hitting pot holes, stay with 17"s

Oh my rims are 19"x9 front and 19"x10 rear, eff it!

[450pirate]

I never had 19's but I love 18's on my 335i. IMO they fit the car great and look very sporty. The ride is awesome

[Fundguy1]

Originally Posted by Dekansnowman

You're leaving out the main bit of info needed to tell you what to expect. What are the dimensions of the tire? 2xx/xx/19

The middle number of the tire is the height of the tire. First number is width and obviously last is rim size. The key number is that middle number because tells you how much you have between rim and road. If you have 225/45/17 and go to 225/45/19, the height is the same and you wouldn't notice much difference besides the properties of the tire itself such as how soft they are, summer tires, or run-flats. The lower that middle number, the lower the profile, and less amount of tire to absorb the road.

Almost. The sidewall is the same but the tire would be 2" larger in outer diameter. It wouldn't fit. You need to lower the profile number as you increase the wheel size to have the same outer diameter and fitment. A 225/45-17, its not 225/45/17 BTW, is 24.97" in diameter. A 225/35-19 would be 25.2" in diameter. Right in the ballpark.

As for comfort, that's subjective. I drive 6 hours a day more comfortably in my 335i e93 with non run flats, lowered, coilovers,19s, than in my stock 2012 ford focus with 15" wheels.

[STR8-6IX]

it depends on your roads. over poor roads, it will be rough. the roads here in toronto are so bad that my 55 sidewal 17 inch rims can be rough on the suspension at times... I want new rims and coils man..

[Atx328]

I appreciate all of the honest input!

I picked up a 18" square set of BMW 400M wheels and I just ordered four new 235/40/18 Conti DW on special from Tirerack.

I also ordered a set of 15mm spacers for the rears with the thought that I might use them to give a staggered appearance. I haven't fully pondered the wisdom of that idea as of yet.

[Atx328]

One more thing,,,,,

I spent the last two days driving a rental car and then when i hoped back in my e90, it felt like the RFTs were really rough riding. I honestly don't notice them when I am driving my own car on a regular basis.

I am looking forward to experiencing my car with the Conti DW go-flats...

[Atx328]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

it depends on your roads. over poor roads, it will be rough. the roads here in toronto are so bad that my 55 sidewal 17 inch rims can be rough on the suspension at times... I want new rims and coils man..

sounds like you a ready for a lift kit and some mudders!

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by Atx328

sounds like you a ready for a lift kit and some mudders!

a despise people with suv's and pickup trucks but i sort of understand why. our roads are so bad and construction works on every single patch of shitty, lifeblood commuter road at the same time resulting in butt-fuck useless traffic everywhere. welcome to toronto.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

it depends on your roads. over poor roads, it will be rough. the roads here in toronto are so bad that my 55 sidewal 17 inch rims can be rough on the suspension at times... I want new rims and coils man..

Been in GTA for 20+ years, never seen a road that bad. Yes there are pot holes usually after winter season, but that's expected from the plows.

What roads are you referring to?

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

Been in GTA for 20+ years, never seen a road that bad. Yes there are pot holes usually after winter season, but that's expected from the plows.

What roads are you referring to?

Bathurst from major mack - all the way up to downtown is awful. 401 is pretty shit. lots of roads downtown and north york.

[whyzee125]

If your car isn't slammed and you're running good/non rft's it's really not bad at all.

[Fundguy1]

Its probably a run flat you're on. They are stiff as a board sidewall wise. First thing you do when you get the car is drive to a tireshop and remove them.

[Willsbma]

18 bcuz roads

[bigdnno98]

Well, I've ran 17s, 18s and 19s on my two 335is.
19" Look very good but ride like shit. Tires are more expensive than the other two sizes and selection is the most limited

18" are a decent middle ground. They look good, tires are cheaper than 19", there is a better tire selection and they ride better than 19's.

I am currently running 17" Apex Arc 8s and they are my favorite. I'm running the most aggressive width and tire size I can run. They ride fantastic, tires are super cheap and I love the meaty look.

All about what you're looking for really. There is a compromise with all.

[maddmatth]

With regular tyres they're not bad at all, better than you might imagine. I run 19s and ride is ok, when I've asked passengers they've always said it feels smooth to them. Some of the roads I drive on are crap too.

Runflats was another story. Runflats + 19s is an utterly horrible combination, ride was annoyingly rough especially country roads that weren't maintained as well. Really just made the car very uncomfortable to be driven out of town here.

I also have KW coilovers. If you have stock suspension, I don't think the difference will be huge for you.