Wheel size and ride quality question

D

dslee

Member
Hi, I have a lovely Maldives blue 2.0L 2005 Z4.

It comes with the standard 16" cross-spokes (104s). I rather fancy something a bit more striking and have been looking at (second-hand) 18" 108s. I wondered whether anyone had thoughts on ride quality on 16" vs 17" vs 18" wheels? I've had the Z4 9 months and it is a harsher ride than my 320D tourer that I had (quite obviously), and wondered whether I'd feel a difference ('worse'?) with 17 or 18" wheels (BTW, yes, the rear springs have been replaced!). Also, wondered on the wisdom of 108s as they seem to be prone to getting scruffy, or is that my imagination? The Z4 is my sole car and used for fun and long-distance Mway commuting. Thanks, David
 
I have 18" 108s on mine and the ride quality is pretty good but like all sports cars with the lower centre of gravity and the fact that you sit low between the axles means the ride quality is always going to suffer. I love the look of the 108s but they need looking after if you are to prevent corrosion. Have a search and you will find plenty about the issue and the remedy.
 
Yes,the 108's can be prone to getting "scruffy looking". its a corrosion issue,usually between the 2 sections of the wheels. in saying that,if u take a bit of extra care of them,from day1,u can keep them looking great. (u just need to coat them in a good wheel wax/dust repelent). do this and they should be just fine.i have been giving mine a regular coat of poorboys wheel sealant for about a year now(since refurbing them),and they still look as good a year on/whereas before,they were getting scabby within a yr or 2.

alt.,get some 18" m sport/mv3 style wheels,or look for a nice ac snitchzer alloys(5 spoke style).

as for ride quality,if u are still on runflats,ditch them and get some decent non-rft's,eg vredestein ultracs,and that will improve your comfort and handling too(less tramlining/better turn-in).
and with the £400 u will save,spend £200 (see joe@sopers),on buying a bmw strutbrace,which is a great improvement in handling/espcly with the roadster.

Hope this helps :thumbsup: :)
 
Welcome to the forum :)

As said above, changing from runflats to any non-runflat tyre will improve the ride quality and comfort whether 16" or 18". I don't find the ride on my 18's with non-runflats particularly bad for the type of car: it does crash over potholes, etc though much worse than the 16" with non-runflats I'm currently running for winter. I wouldn't say the general ride comfort is much better with the 16's though other that potholes, etc.
 
I have 17's that were crashy and tram lined horribly on Bridgstone RFTs, a change to non-RFTs transformed both problems, others on the forum have switched to different (more expensive) RFT brands which are also an improvement.
 
welcome along,

only ever run 18's on mine which I find acceptable - especially with the change to Michelin ZP (RFT) rubber :D The bridgestome RFT's were absolutely terrible :o
 
Thanks for all the replies and comments, guys!

Just a maybe stupid Q...I guessed that the RFTyres were contributing to a bit of a rough ride. If I went for non-RFTs, is this not illegal/non-MOTable? I thought that one had to have a functional spare wheel?

Ah, prettiness least of my probs at the moment. Got reversed into by a hit and run driver the other day who totalled the boot lid and messed up the freshly resprayed rear bumper area. Sigh. All covered by insurance other than the excess, but some people eh?

Cheers, David
 
dslee said:
If I went for non-RFTs, is this not illegal/non-MOTable? I thought that one had to have a functional spare wheel?
Click to expand...
No it's not illegal, and there are plenty of new cars don't have spare wheels, and either rely on run-flats or mobility kits (compressors & gunk).

Whilst most MOT testers will check all tyres (including any spares), they can't fail you for for having a defective spare, as the condition of the spare is for advisory purposes only.
 
I changed from run flats with the original 16" wheels to non-run flats with 18" wheels and the ride quality improved massively.

It is all about the run flats, not the size wheel in my opinion.

Once you are used to driving with run flats, any size wheel with normal tyres will feel better.
 
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