18" vs 19" Wheels

[GoSteve]

So, we have discussed the virtues of the 3.0 N52 6 cyl engine over the sense of the 2.0 N20 4 pot.
But what about the wheels.

I am running 18" rims, which offer great road manners on notoriously poor roads, and look amazing on the Zed.
But the 326 (or 296) 19" rims have a shocking reputation for cracking. Plus, 19" rims make, what is already a harsh ride worse.
But they also look particularly good on the Zed.

If you could choose either the 18" rims or 19" 326 (or 296) rims, what would it be?
I suspect there is a part of us that thinks, the 19" is a more expensive and posher choice.

• But are they better?

• Do they look better?

• Do they ride better?

• Do they still crack, even at the thought of leaving a motorway or A road?

Zed on 18" Rims (not sure what pattern they are)

 

[mcbutler]

1. Are they better? - yes
2. Do they look better yes, less arch gap which is really cheesy/messy on any car
3. Open to discussion, people with 18's normally say they are the best but most people have not downgrsded from 19's so how would they know?
4. Yes they do.

I have 19's, with 30 and 35 profile tyres they look great on the car, had 18's on my 23i and was never happy with the arch gap, ruins the sleek low look. Putting EIbach springs on shortly to lower front 20mm and rear 10mm, even beter ;-)

 

[Smartbear]

My car has the best ride quality on 17” wheels but they do look pants, 19”s look much better but you lose the cushioning ride of the higher profile tyres. The only answer is to have a set of both like myself

Rob

 

[GoSteve]

I have updated the post to reflect both 19" designs which appear to be prone to cracking. The 326 and the 296. I think the 326 is better known, simply because it is more popular. But both are shocking for cracking.

 

[GoSteve]

19" rims definately look better, but do they spoil the ride and crack a lot, or is the ride about the same, and the cracking simply due to unfortunate mishaps with pot holes. I badly buckled a 19" x 9" rim on my TTS. Probably just a pot hole.

So, visually, the 19" wins hands down. But are they a liability?

 

[GoSteve]

My car has the best ride quality on 17” wheels but they do look pants, 19”s look much better but you lose the cushioning ride of the higher profile tyres. The only answer is to have a set of both like myself

Nice to have a set of winter rims. The 19" rims look really good. Nice interior.

 

[brillomaster]

18s for go, 19s for show. Personally, ìd be happy with 18s on practically any car apart from an SUV, i dont really go for the wafer thin painted on tyre look. Plus uk roads are nowhere near smooth enough for it.

 

[Smartbear]

My car has the best ride quality on 17” wheels but they do look pants, 19”s look much better but you lose the cushioning ride of the higher profile tyres. The only answer is to have a set of both like myself

Nice to have a set of winter rims. The 19" rims look really good. Nice interior.

Cheers, I lost faith in 19” bmw rims because of the cracking problems & that’s why I’ve gone for a different brand (Veemann)
Rob

 

[Busterboo]

18s for go, 19s for show. Personally, ìd be happy with 18s on practically any car apart from an SUV, i dont really go for the wafer thin painted on tyre look. Plus uk roads are nowhere near smooth enough for it.

The best reply I've read to this question.

And Rob's ain't bad, either.

 

[mcbutler]

My car has the best ride quality on 17” wheels but they do look pants, 19”s look much better but you lose the cushioning ride of the higher profile tyres. The only answer is to have a set of both like myself

Nice to have a set of winter rims. The 19" rims look really good. Nice interior.

Cheers, I lost faith in 19” bmw rims because of the cracking problems & that’s why I’ve gone for a different brand (Veemann)
Rob

The best way forward for sure

 

[Anonymous]

So, we have discussed the virtues of the 3.0 N52 6 cyl engine over the sense of the 2.0 N20 4 pot.
But what about the wheels.

I am running 18" rims, which offer great road manners on notoriously poor roads, and look amazing on the Zed.
But the 326 (or 296) 19" rims have a shocking reputation for cracking. Plus, 19" rims make, what is already a harsh ride worse.
But they also look particularly good on the Zed.

If you could choose either the 18" rims or 19" 326 (or 296) rims, what would it be?
I suspect there is a part of us that thinks, the 19" is a more expensive and posher choice.

• But are they better?

• Do they look better?

• Do they ride better?

• Do they still crack, even at the thought of leaving a motorway or A road?

Zed on 18" Rims (not sure what pattern they are)

I had the 19” 326’s with RFT’s on mine and although I didn’t experience cracking the ride was simply shocking in my opinion. I could have swapped to non RFT’s but I had 18” wheels on my previous E89 and even on RFT’s the ride and handling was appreciably better so I’ve changed to 18” 325M wheels (same as the ones fitted to the car in your pic) on non RFT’s and it’s like I’m driving a completely different car. Might not please some but I can drive the car now without constantly scanning the road surface to avoid even modest imperfections. On the original 19” wheels and tyres I once drove over a raised ridge on a dual carriageway that every other vehicle seemed to take in its stride but the shock that went through my car broke the headlight ride height sensor on the rear axle. That was the last straw for me - they had to go and they’ll never go back on! They’re gathering dust in my garage now. I’ll probably keep them as an option for the next owner if and when I decide to sell the car as form over function seems to be of greater value to many :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

17 or 18 is the way to go if you don’t drive on smooth roads all the time....I never ran my 326s on non run flats so can’t personally comment on that , but the 17’s even on shite Chinese rubber were much better ride and handling than the 326 on run flats..

I don’t get this fixation with ‘wheel gap’ it’s only at best an optical illusion as the net wheel diameter is the same with 17,18 or 19..

On tyre tests on cars that support 17 18 19 options the 19s only have any advantage on the track never on the road..

There that’s another sh!tstorm coming..

 

[Lazza]

19” with non run flats are better in every way than 18” with run flats. Especially the Bridgestone RFs.

 

[Theivz]

19s all day long

Not 326s though any decent aftermarket wheel. Comfort is fine for a roadster.

 

[Silverstar]

19” with non run flats are better in every way than 18” with run flats. Especially the Bridgestone RFs.

What about 18" with non run flats?

 

[Rassi]

19" with non-run flat tyres is absolutely fine - on RFT (and adaptive suspension) not so much. No doubt 18" would ride even better.

 

[R.E92]

19s all day long

Not 326s though any decent aftermarket wheel. Comfort is fine for a roadster.

Those exhaust tips look awful. Removing the badges and changing the wheels I can see as being a matter of personal preference but those exhaust tips are just offensive to the eyes

 

[enuff_zed]

19s all day long

Not 326s though any decent aftermarket wheel. Comfort is fine for a roadster.

Those exhaust tips look awful. Removing the badges and changing the wheels I can see as being a matter of personal preference but those exhaust tips are just offensive to the eyes

Phew! I'm glad it's not just me!
I initially thought it was a still from 'The Guns of Navarone'.

 

[Beeacon]

My 35i came with 19in RFTs and it was a bone-shaking ride!

I now have 19in non-RFTs which are significantly better, and 18in winter non-RFTs too. In terms of handling there isn't that much difference as far as I can tell (less traction on the narrower winters). But then I'm not driving the car on the limit all the time.

I think that the takeaway from this is that the difference in performance between 19s and 18s (both on non-runflats) is marginal for the sensible B-roader, but worlds apart when on runflats.

 

[pbr67_zed]

Started out with 296's on my 23i with RFTs. Picked up a crack within a few months so swapped to 18's with non-RFT. Transformed the car and much more suited to the cars GT nature.