Why 19 inch wheels as performance option?

[t76turbo]

I always remembered 19's being a odd ball size that many tire makers were not making.

Maybe things have change since I last looked into the size. My experience is a little dated.

So why not make the performance pack wheel a 20 which has a ton of tie choices?

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[franklin9150]

I would think that weight would be the driving force of wheel choice. The 20" wheels and tires would weigh more. For a performance package, you want as little weight as possible, hence Ford choosing the 19" over the 20"

 

[Stuntman]

There are a ton of great tires in 19".

 

[Javelina]

All the best tires are now available in 19".

 

[t76turbo]

Thanks guys. Glad to see my admittedly outdated knowledge was wrong.

 

[BONESTOCK]

Thanks guys. Glad to see my admittedly outdated knowledge was wrong.

Yeah. I had 19's on my 2000 BMW 328Ci about 5-6 years ago and tires for those wheels where much higher then 18's or 20's.

 

[Nitro]

I'm assuming that 19" is the smallest wheel that could fit over those 15" discs with 6-piston calipers.

 

[S550Boss]

Because 20" wheels will be much heavier and the with the shorter sidewall the car will handle worse. You see this all the time where people assume a car handles better on lower profile tires, but actually ends up worse - particularly in transient breakaway.
So 20" is just for looks. 19" is serious. And note that the GT350 is 19s all around. The spy pics show 295/19s all around, production may reduce that to 265s in the front.
And, yes, we need more tire manufacturers to make more choices for the 19s.

 

[Javelina]

Michelin's entire Pilot Sport line is available in 19".

What else could a person ask for?

 

[KGrGunMan]

Because 20" wheels will be much heavier and the with the shorter sidewall the car will handle worse. You see this all the time where people assume a car handles better on lower profile tires, but actually ends up worse - particularly in transient breakaway.
So 20" is just for looks. 19" is serious. And note that the GT350 is 19s all around. The spy pics show 295/19s all around, production may reduce that to 265s in the front.
And, yes, we need more tire manufacturers to make more choices for the 19s.

Wider tires provide more lateral grip. Try to find tires that are 295-305 wide 19's with a height between 27-27.7in, now try to find tires that are 295-305 wide 20's with a height between 27-27.7in.

the 19in I found were: 2 street tires and 1 R-compound, all three 295 wide, zero 305 wide 19's.
the 20in I found were: 10 street tires and 2 R compound in 295 and in 305 wide I found 10 street tires and 6 R compounds.

Maybe you can recommend a better size, but if you want better tires and better tire choice, go with the 20's.

As to sidewall height: the stock '15 GT PP's front tires sidewalls are 102 mm (4'') tall, 305/30/20's have a side wall 92 mm (3.6'') tall. Not a lot, but a little smaller, should flex a bit less when pushing.

More weight and more unsprung weight is an annoying issue however, Pirelli says their 255/40/19 pzero is 28lb's. Michelin says their 305/30/20 Pilot Super Sport are 31lbs. 3lb's more in tire (and 2in wider tread).

Factory wheels tend to be heavy and as of yet, no one knows what the stock wheels weigh, but I found some stock 19x8.5in porsche 911 wheels were 24lbs, and tesla model S 19's are 30lbs each. I also found some very expensive light weight aftermarket 20x10.5's at 21.5lbs and some much cheaper 20x10.5's at 25lbs.

So my 2in wider tread, 1in taller wheel will be aprx. 4lbs heavier, you'll notice the grip more than the weight.

Michelin's entire Pilot Sport line is available in 19".

What else could a person ask for?

A 305 wide tire that is between 27 and 27.7in tall.:(

 

[Madlock]

20's are for nothing but show. They hinder ride quality and leave people with FAR fewer and more expensive tire choices - not to mention greater unsprung weight which is pure waste and ruins the hell out of handling.

19s used to be the show size until tire makers started making 20s to appease the blingsters. This is one decision Ford got right - except not going all the way down to 18s for a track pack.

 

[KGrGunMan]

20's are for nothing but show. They hinder ride quality and leave people with FAR fewer and more expensive tire choices - not to mention greater unsprung weight which is pure waste and ruins the hell out of handling.

19s used to be the show size until tire makers started making 20s to appease the blingsters. This is one decision Ford got right - except not going all the way down to 18s for a track pack.

It's as if you didn't read what I said, every point you made was already covered by my post 10min before your post. so i'll simply add, 18in wheels won't fit over the 15in brembos.

 

[Madlock]

It's as if you didn't read what I said, every point you made was already covered by my post 10min before your post. so i'll simply add, 18in wheels won't fit over the 15in brembos.

Eek! Dearie me! Well we can't have any more of THAT!

Tell you what. Just go ahead and ding me, give a call or even stop on by whenever you get the urge and I'll be sure to go back and reread everything you've written to spare the world from duplicate content and ensure you get all the credit. Deal?

 

[KGrGunMan]

I was trying to have a conversation, if you want to talk to the wind, I guess that's fine.

If you can't be bothered to read the thread, why post in it?

 

[JoeDogInKC]

You know, perhaps he clicked the "Go Advanced" button down below the quick reply box and was typing out his post before seeing yours?

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