Has anybody driven the stock 18s and stock 19s (wheels) back-to-back)?

[FlagBonz]

I am starting to plan my alternate wheel/tire combos for an extremely varied climate/driving conditions in my area. I would really appreciate some input.

I currently have the stock 19inch Mich PSSs. Love the looks. Seem noisy on smooth roads, and are hard as a rock/ dangerous at low temps. Super dangerous in any ice - obviously. They will be great come summertime.

I have not driven on 18s in an M3/M4 - but I would imagine that they would be less "harsh". But how much less harsh? Any experience?

Background:
I live in northern Arizona at 7100 feet (Ponderosa pines), with a second house in Phoenix (low desert). In Flagstaff we will get "hit" with snow (6 inches), then have sunshine for a week. The temps in winter typically range in the teens to the 40's. In Phoenix it will be 80 deg this weekend!! Summers range from the 70's in Flagstaff to 115 in Phoenix. My houses are 90 mins door to door. I am a lucky guy!!

I had a 335 that I initially had Michelin Alpins but then purchased some Morr 19s and had Bridgestone all-seasons on them. Never had any issues with extreme weather as I would just switch vehicles (2011 Raptor, 97 Landcruiser).

Ideally I would love additional pothole protection in the winter, and possible more comfort of 18s. Would also love a "beat them up" track oriented set-up.

Can I achieve this without having 3 unique tire/wheel sets?

Current Ideas/Options:

Option 1: Keep my stock summer 19s and buy a single 18 Apex wheel set and once a year swap out winter tires/track tires.

Option 2: Swap my stock 19inch Mich PSSs for all seasons, and buy a single set of 18 inch Apex wheels with track tires

Option 3: Three wheel sets - 19s stock, one 18 inch Apex wheels set with winters, one 18inch track set-up

Option 4: Stick with 19 inch setup and swap out tires as the seasons change

Thanks

[mshab356]

I'm going through this myself. I think I'll do 2 sets. A 19" setup for regular driving and an 18" winter track combo setup.

[SuspectisHatless]

My car came with the stock 19" and in November, I switched to the 18" OEM winter tires. The ride is definitely smoother and quieter. However, I'm not sure that I can describe or quantify how much smoother or quieter. I will say that I prefer the appearance of the 19" more than I appreciate a less harsh ride.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by mshab356

I'm going through this myself. I think I'll do 2 sets. A 19" setup for regular driving and an 18" winter track combo setup.

Same here, except that my starting point is a set of OEM 18" wheels with PSS's, and my initial expectation was to get a second set of track wheels in 19" size. But now that I started evaluating tire choices and prices, I'm wondering if I should stay with 18"-ers for now.

Originally Posted by FlagBonz

Current Ideas/Options:

Option 1: Keep my stock summer 19s and buy a single 18 Apex wheel set and once a year swap out winter tires/track tires.

Option 2: Swap my stock 19inch Mich PSSs for all seasons, and buy a single set of 18 inch Apex wheels with track tires

Option 3: Three wheel sets - 19s stock, one 18 inch Apex wheels set with winters, one 18inch track set-up

Option 4: Stick with 19 inch setup and swap out tires as the seasons change
Thanks

I would avoid #2 and #4.
#2 solves none of your problems: all-seasons will disappoint on dry roads, and be insufficient in 6" of snow in the mountains.
#4 is a nuisance, and a surefire way to butcher the rims in no time. Working 35-profile rims will not be cheap either. #1 kinda falls into the same category.

I am personally leaning towards pursuing something similar to #3. And if I follow my own advise, I may end up with 3 sets of 18" wheels (track, winter, summer OEMs).

a

[mshab356]

Originally Posted by afadeev

Same here, except that my starting point is a set of OEM 18" wheels with PSS's, and my initial expectation was to get a second set of track wheels in 19" size. But now that I started evaluating tire choices and prices, I'm wondering if I should stay with 18"-ers for now.


a

Well if you really want weight savings for track wheels and dont really mind the OEM 19s for looks, go with 19s and buy 18" Apex or other wheels. Apex and VMR are both reasonably prices and relatively light. For serious weight savings and if you dont mind a bit higher cost, get the TE37SL's

[m4 java green]

18"s offer way more track tire options. Get the 18s. Did a lot of research on this and that's what I'm going with for my track setup.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by mshab356

Well if you really want weight savings for track wheels and dont really mind the OEM 19s for looks, go with 19s and buy 18" Apex or other wheels. Apex and VMR are both reasonably prices and relatively light. For serious weight savings and if you dont mind a bit higher cost, get the TE37SL's

It's not a hypothetical for me anymore, the car is here, sitting on 18" wheels.
For looks and bling, I could see going with larger wheel sizes, but for tire choices, prices and weight, 18"-ers seam to be the sweet spot right now.

a

[mshab356]

Originally Posted by afadeev

It's not a hypothetical for me anymore, the car is here, sitting on 18" wheels.
For looks and bling, I could see going with larger wheel sizes, but for tire choices, prices and weight, 18"-ers seam to be the sweet spot right now.

a

Well then I think you have your answer. Get a set of light 18" track wheels and you've got OEM 18's for winter and pick one of those two sets for daily usage as well (I would say the track wheels for daily for the weight savings and aftermarket look).

[FlagBonz]

thanks for the feedback.

still on the fence but leaning toward apex 18's for track/winter

[Spirit of Universe]

For night and day difference between 18" and 19" it is necessary to make one step further.
To choose a bit less ultra performance tires like Conti Extreme DW, which still provide ~ 95% of the top edge performance of Michelin OEM tires, but with way more smooth ride and lower noise.
Very reasonable choice for most of drivers, with exception of race tracks.
One size wider (265 + 285) with 18" may be game changer for all who find M4+19" Michelins unpleasant on anything except very smooth surfaces (and it is so).
In terms of cornering capabilities, Conti would do the job and it is hard to judge whether the last few drops of extreme performance capabilities of Michelins are really usable under public street conditions at all.
In rain conditions, Contis performed it tests better than Michelin, so to some extent they may be consider even slightly safer overall.
Still, for 100% purists there is nothing to replace Michelin, so let it be so

[Squddie]

Messing around with 1 set of wheels and multiple tire sets is not sane. Way too much trouble and you have to transport the spare set.

For track use you most definitely want 18. Will be faster and a lot cheaper on the tires, and lighter.

The light O.Z. 18" wheels are surprisingly cheap, fixing both.

[darrylthenupe]

I'm willing to trade my stock 18's for the 19's. It's pretty warm here in Houston and wheels are more comfortable but k prefer the look of the 19's. Let me know!