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[blakjack23]

I currently have 16" 156's with all season RFT's. I just ordered some 19" CSL reps with summer performance tires. I've read that 18" perform better than 19", but I want to see what opinions are on going from my old 16's with all season to 19's with performance tires. It seemed like my 156's 'gave out' a little when taking tight corners fast. I just wanted to verify that my new setup will not only look, but perform much better too.

[yuggy]

anything's better than RFT!! haha..no but really..i went from 16's to 19's...pretty big diff i found...but you just gotta be really careful when driving...i find myself driving a lot more careful and slower too.

[blakjack23]

Originally Posted by yuggy

anything's better than RFT!! haha..no but really..i went from 16's to 19's...pretty big diff i found...but you just gotta be really careful when driving...i find myself driving a lot more careful and slower too.

WHAT?! I don't wanna drive slower! I better cancel my order But yeah, I know I'll have to be more careful of potholes and such.

[SoRnj]

Originally Posted by blakjack23

WHAT?! I don't wanna drive slower! I better cancel my order But yeah, I know I'll have to be more careful of potholes and such.

What car? 19s are probably going to be an overkill.
The larger you go, usually the heavier the wheel/tire combo which hurts performance.
If you don't have enough tire (19s?), it will probably overheat faster (track), and your car will run stiffer and stiffer is not always better depending on the road surface too.
Whenever your wheel/tire combo is heavier than the previous one it hurts both acceleration and braking unless it's much wider.
There are a lot of factors and all depends what your car is for. Sometimes you gain some in cornering/braking and lose in acceleration, but on the street, you'll most likely just get a stiffer ride and busted wheels
It will look good though

[blakjack23]

I have an '06 325i. The 156's are 7" and my new ones are the 8.5/9.5 combo, its a good amount wider. Its going to be overkill as in its going to ruin the performance of my car? Its my daily driver, and while I love to drive it agressive, my car probably won't ever see the track.

[Minipuck V 2.0]

i have 19 inch csl and the ride is rougher ... but the handling is better than 156 for sure ...

if you want performance, go with a light weight forged wheel ...

[blakjack23]

Thanks Minipuck. Performance isn't my number 1 concern as I got 19's for looks, I just wanted to make sure that the handling of my car was going to be as good or little better, and not worse. I do expect a roughter ride seeing as I'll be riding on A LOT less rubber.

[Tallest]

i think for track 18s or even 17s are better, 19s is just for show really. IMHO best is 18s - look great, but still handle nicely and unsprung masses are not that big compared to 19s i guess.

i hacve 17s and in our bad roads that max i am prepared to go.

[SoRnj]

Originally Posted by blakjack23

Thanks Minipuck. Performance isn't my number 1 concern as I got 19's for looks, I just wanted to make sure that the handling of my car was going to be as good or little better, and not worse. I do expect a roughter ride seeing as I'll be riding on A LOT less rubber.

You're gonna be fine. 16s probably have truck-sized sidewalls so 19s are going to be better. Personally I'd go with 18s in summer and 17s in winter ... but I'm in Jersey.

[E90330iS]

It'll handle better for you. But your car will feel sluggish. I went from 18" to 19"s and my car definitely was not as fast as before.

[Revlis]

One other concern would be itty bitty rotor disease. Depending on what size rotors you've got on there a 19" wheel might make your car look plain old silly.

Just look at some of these ghetto job cars and trucks on 20s-24s with their tiny little Honda rotors in there it looks really dumb.