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[Hyperspaced]

Are 19 inch wheels worth it? I know there are fewer options. Just don't know if they are significant re performance. Thanks

[Donbona]

20's!!!

I have 19's at the moment and they dont quite fill the arch.

Originally Posted by Hyperspaced

Are 19 inch wheels worth it? I know there are fewer options. Just don't know if they are significant re performance. Thanks

[M3 Montreal]

Originally Posted by Hyperspaced

Are 19 inch wheels worth it? I know there are fewer options. Just don't know if they are significant re performance. Thanks

If your question pertains to tracking the car then yes 18's are better with better options. Im currently looking at making a track set of wheels and tires in the 18 inch size

If its purely cosmetic then fill the arch like the above poster.

[Hyperspaced]

So the 19s do not perform better??

[Nawaaz]

I have the stock 18's and I'm crazy about them. They look and perform awesome!

[TRZ06]

Originally Posted by Hyperspaced

So the 19s do not perform better??

Edmunds says otherwise. They blog about getting higher lateral g's and faster slalom times from the 19's

I went from 18's to 19's and concur

You get more tire options with 18's, but better performance (all things being equal) with 19's

[boostedtwin]

How you can perform better on 19's over 18's? What's the explanation for this? If you get a set of forged wheels like Volk, the 18's will be lighter so how 19's will do better?

[Nawaaz]

Originally Posted by TRZ06

Edmunds says otherwise. They blog about getting higher lateral g's and faster slalom times from the 19's

I went from 18's to 19's and concur

You get more tire options with 18's, but better performance (all things being equal) with 19's

I'm confused.

Why would the stock 19's help the M3 perform better than with the stock 18's?

[Dascamel]

Stock 19's are the same weight as the 18's so you get more grip for about the same weight. I've tracked the 19s and they feel great. BUT if you want to track your car get 18s, more tire choices and far cheaper. Like most once I destroy my stock tires probably get a dedicated track set of 18s also.

[TRZ06]

Originally Posted by Nawaaz

I'm confused.

Why would the stock 19's help the M3 perform better than with the stock 18's?

Well I am no expert, but IMO, less rolling action from the sidewalls, which translates to sharper crisper turn-in and more tire contact patch when hard cornering due to less tire roll/leaning.

Now don't take this as thinner sidewalls will always handle better, this is true only to a certain point. You start getting into 25 series with the stock sizes and I bet you start to lose performance in the other direction.

For a modern day GT car, the sidewalls are quite tall with the 18's

Go to Edmund's website and look at their 2009 M3 long term blogs , you will find multiple posts on this. Sorry I don't have the link handy.

[TRZ06]

Originally Posted by boostedtwin

How you can perform better on 19's over 18's? What's the explanation for this? If you get a set of forged wheels like Volk, the 18's will be lighter so how 19's will do better?

I'm talking Stock for stock, not stock to aftermarket

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by Nawaaz

I have the stock 18's and I'm crazy about them. They look and perform awesome!

Aside from all the debate on what are probably relatively small performance differences that only a top performance driver would notice (and for them then small advantages do add up) you have to consider "risk" with the 19s.

Recently I went through an area where the road was being "improved". A sign warned of "uneven pavement surface" on the freeway. What it should have said was "warning, 2 inch curbs in freeway ahead, slow to 50 MPH". They had literally cut down the asphalt right before overpasses by 2".

I hit the first one at 65 MPH and my Garmin flew off its dash mount into the back seat and my wife bit her tongue and hurt her jaw. It was that bad. I was pretty certain I'd blown a tire or damaged the wheel. Got home and discovered there was no damage.

I also found out that someone with 20s had wrecked their entire set of wheels on this stretch of road. With 19s, there probably would have been some damage (maybe not wheel I'd bet tire damage).

My point? 19s may, to some, look marginally better or perform marginally better, but if you live in a pothole or "road improvement" prone area I'd stick with the 18s. Tires are a LOT cheaper on 18s too...

[boostedtwin]

I've had both the OEM 19's and 18's and I like the 18's a lot better, the 19's were too flashy in stock form. Currently I have the 18's with some nice compound rubber. Stick as hell and I can hit the pavement with no worries.

[montreal red]

we have some pretty bad roads here in montreal but i drive my car with 19s without any major problems. its my daily driver... but one thing you have to watch out for is pothole. i am sure if i just went through every pot hole on the street, i'd wreck my wheels within a day. so if you think you can take a chance and be careful with what your car runs over, i say go for the 19s... they DO look better... in terms of performance, i dont think you will notice that great a difference unless youre a real hardcore track guy.

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by Hyperspaced

Are 19 inch wheels worth it? I know there are fewer options. Just don't know if they are significant re performance. Thanks

The differences are not great for street driving. IMO, 19s have a better proportion aesthetically. For the track, 18s are the way to go, as others have said, because of the less expensive tires and availability of R-compunds in many 18" sizes. Ideally you have two sets for different purposes.

Spacers and moderate lowering help both OEM wheels really look right.

[stylinexpat]

Originally Posted by boostedtwin

I've had both the OEM 19's and 18's and I like the 18's a lot better, the 19's were too flashy in stock form. Currently I have the 18's with some nice compound rubber. Stick as hell and I can hit the pavement with no worries.

And 20" wheels as well, right? Of the 3, would you say if one had some light weight 18" wheels one would see better performance?

[boostedtwin]

For sure, you can feel the power difference when you switch to a light weight 18" wheels.
The 20" only looks pretty but it's not performance oriented although it's forged and actually weights equal or less than OEM 19's.

[Nawaaz]

Originally Posted by boostedtwin

I've had both the OEM 19's and 18's and I like the 18's a lot better, the 19's were too flashy in stock form. Currently I have the 18's with some nice compound rubber. Stick as hell and I can hit the pavement with no worries.

+1

OEM 18's look much better than the OEM 19's.

[meevo]

+10000 i LOVE the OEM 18's.. I'm gonna get 2 sets, and run square set ups, wider for auto-x/track days and the narrower set for daily driving..

I love that color for 18's too, reminds me of the diamond black set for the Evolution IX's special edition cars.

[stylinexpat]

Originally Posted by Nawaaz

+1

OEM 18's look much better than the OEM 19's.

What are your rear tire sizes on the OEM 18" wheels?

[swamp2]

Search around - the performance differences vs. wheel size has been well discussed and debated. It is real but relatively small on a car with 400 hp and ~9 lb/hp.

[Nawaaz]

Originally Posted by meevo

+10000 i LOVE the OEM 18's.. I'm gonna get 2 sets, and run square set ups, wider for auto-x/track days and the narrower set for daily driving..

I love that color for 18's too, reminds me of the diamond black set for the Evolution IX's special edition cars.

What a coincidence man! I just sold my Evo IX MR SE, and it had the Diamond Black Polished BBS wheels that you're talking about. Those were very nice indeed. My OEM 18's are more gray, but more intimidating looking then the ones on the Evo. But I know what you're talking about man.

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

What are your rear tire sizes on the OEM 18" wheels?

I'm sorry man, but I have no clue. I'm pretty sure the rears are a little wider than the fronts......But you probably already knew that.