19 vs 20 - why one or the other

[Grintch]

yes brotha 19s are the way to go for performance and I like btoh 19s and 20s not saying either is bad sorry if it came out that way.

With the bathurst wheels you can go with a good size tire without having to use a DR tire for the rear.

DR tire?

GT350 is supposed to use a 305/35R19 Michelin PSS rear tire. Hopefully, other tire manufactuers will start offering tires in that size, and the 295/35R19 GT350 front size as well.

Actually, Paul I might want to reconsider the 285 - 295 MPSS package I ordered when my Forgestars are done if the 305's become availible.

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[Need4SpeedMotors]

DR tire?

GT350 is supposed to use a 305/35R19 Michelin PSS rear tire. Hopefully, other tire manufactuers will start offering tires in that size, and the 295/35R19 GT350 front size as well.

Actually, Paul I might want to reconsider the 285 - 295 MPSS package I ordered when my Forgestars are done if the 305's become availible.

Drag Radial brotha

I hope they bring those 305s out as well, if so well do just that for you !

 

[PhillMcKraken]

The more sidewall you have, the smoother the ride, so naturally 18 will feel smoother than 19 and 19 smoother than 20

But with these cars, you can run meaty 20s to still be able to retain the fairly smooth ride.

I am dumb when it comes to sizing things, but are you suggesting going larger overall diameter with regards to oem? Don't think I am interested in that.

I guess that means 19s would get me a good blend of ride quality and looks?

 

[Chameleon]

I guess that means 19s would get me a good blend of ride quality and looks?

Yes it will.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I am dumb when it comes to sizing things, but are you suggesting going larger overall diameter with regards to oem? Don't think I am interested in that.

What he is saying is if you hold the outer diameter of the tires constant (or very close to it), a 20" wheel will push the inner diameter of the sidewall outward leaving less sidewall height than if the wheels were 19" or 18". Generally this translates to the 20" tire not being as good at absorbing bumps than the smaller wheels' tires.

Quick and dirty, in order to maintain the same tire diameter with the same tire width (i.e. 275), every inch larger wheel diameter will need the tire's profile number to drop by 5 (40 to 35, 35 to 30). IOW, a 275/40-19 and a 275/35-20 would be pretty close to the same diameter.

I guess that means 19s would get me a good blend of ride quality and looks?

Best to trust your own thoughts here. Maybe try photoshopping or otherwise fitting both wheel sizes to a picture of your car. Put the pictures away and don't look at them for a few days. When you finally do, trust your initial preference (it shouldn't be affected as much by what you looked at last).


Norm

 

[PhillMcKraken]

Thanks guys. Your making it a lot easier. Now what isn't easy is realizing I am looking at $2k easily for an inexpensive setup! Beginning to think I should have just bought the factory 20" upgrade but the sales guy told me they ride really harsh...

 

[GoBlues38]

:

IMO potholes love 20" wheels with low profile tires because they get to munch/hit on them when the less meaty tire hits the hole because the street can reach the rim easier. Talked to a 20" driver and he said never again because he's had to replace 2 wheels in the last 2 years after a pothole surprise.

20" can be more expensive for lots of reasons especially in the long haul.

Major Pro is that I've never seen 19" wheels ever look as cool as the 20" wheels do.:hail:

While some of that has to do with the amount of side wall. Majority has to deal with the quality of the rim. The stock rims from ford, 18, 19 or 20's are so much heavier than most aftermarket, but you gain hardness with that.

In my experience, I have never bent a stock wheel 16-20 inches. But other cars have had 18-19 inch aftermarket wheels on a few cars, and they are soft and easy to bend.

 

[GoBlues38]

Thanks guys. Your making it a lot easier. Now what isn't easy is realizing I am looking at $2k easily for an inexpensive setup! ...

Be careful. The "inexpensive" rout usually means softer wheels, more prone to bending.

The old "you get what you pay for" definitely applies here.

 

[GoBlues38]

Quick and dirty, in order to maintain the same tire diameter with the same tire width (i.e. 275), every inch larger wheel diameter will need the tire's profile number to drop by 5 (40 to 35, 35 to 30). IOW, a 275/40-19 and a 275/35-20 would be pretty close to the same diameter.


Norm

(wheel size x aspect of tire = tire height)
tire height + wheel size x 3.14 = circ

275 / 35 - 20 =

20 x .35 = 7 + 20 = 27 x 3.14 = 84.8 circ

275 / 40 - 19 =

19 x .40 = 7.6 + 19 = 26.6 x 3.14 = 83.5 circ

In this case the 19 has a 1.5% smaller circ. so at 70 mph on the 19's, the 20's would indicate 71 mph.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Ummm, might want to either change 'rolling diameter' to 'circumference' or (better still) take pi (3.14) out entirely.

But thanks, that verifies the no-math rule of thumb to be sufficiently accurate. 1 mph out of 70 or 0.4" tire height out of 27 are differences that are simply too small to be concerned about.


Norm

 

[GoBlues38]

yeah. MANY people don't realize that the tire series is just a % of the width.

so a 275/50-19 is a taller tire than a 265/50-19

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