16" vs 17" for ride quality

S

StudioWizard

Member
 Los Angeles, CA, USA
Hey folks

I have a 2005 2.5i with model 104 16" wheels. I'm considering changing to model 102 or 105. The 102 style is also 16", but the 105 is 17".

Is there a noticeable difference in ride comfort between 16" and 17" wheels?

I have to say my current setup provides a really nice ride. It's a good combination of sport handling and comfort.

Thoughts?
 
Asking for opinions on a highly subjective topic is tricky, as everyone's preferences and tolerances are different. So let's try to examine the evidence.

There are two main things that can impact compliance when you change wheel size: unsprung weight, and sidewall height. (There is a third factor which is that some tyres have stiffer sidewalls than others, which is why people feel such a difference when switching from runflats to non-runflats. And tyre pressures make a small difference. But for the sake of simplicity let's ignore these.)

Going from a 205/55/16 tyre to a 225/45/17 decreases the sidewall from 113 mm to 101 mm. Not a huge difference, but it's there.

Probably the bigger difference will be the extra unsprung weight. I don't have figures for the Style 102 versus 105, but it's almost certain that the Style 105 will be heavier is it's 17x8 versus 16x7 for the Style 102. And a 225 tyre will certainly be heavier than the equivalent 205 tyre.

Only you can decide whether the tradeoff is acceptable, but personally I'd be sticking to 16s.
 
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