fretka

I noticed a fair amount of noise and vibration coming through the suspension from expansion joints and other sharp edged bumps on the freeway while on a recent test-drive, the car was optioned with the 19" wheels. Does anyone have any experience comparing ride quality: 19" vs. 18" tires? My guess is that the 18" should be slightly more compliant and yield a quieter ride.

Fretka

greenie

I test drove both and found little difference.

Davey

I found a significant difference between the two options. The 19" wheels provide a significantly more "nervous" ride with tar strips and small bumps being very apparent. I think that this may be the source of some of the complaints by auto magazine reviewers regarding the Audi ride vs other luxury marques. I think that it is simply the sidewall thickness with the 19" being a 40 profile.

FallenBMWer

I've driven 18s, 19s and 20s along the identical route, back to back to back, and believe that tire selection makes more of a difference than rim size, give or take an inch. I drove the P-Zero Neros in the 20" size and they were smoother and quieter than either the 18s or 19s which were shod with Continentals and another Pirelli tire.

Davey

The ride with the 19's was more "jittery" and a little harsher.

FallenBMWer

To be sure, a lower profile tire of the same make and type will almost always be more jittery than a higher profile tire; but what I discovered (I think) is that you can more than compensate for an inch of rim size with a quieter, smoother riding tire. The P-Zero Nero All Season is such a tire, one that, I feel, gives away little in the way of performance to summer maximum performance tires. In finally deciding on them, I was really helped by the test and survey results on the Tire Rack. I ended up ordering the "free" stock 17s (which I'll use for trips to the snow), and buying wheels and tires in the aftermarket. To each his own, as they say.

hemant

try using Bridgestone or Dunlop tires, both of which tend to be softer riding than Pirellis, Michelins or Continentals. But even this is a generalization, since with careful selection you can find nice riding Pirellis too.