Well like the title says, I'd like to start a thread about the Pros and Cons of 19" wheels. I've been pondering for quite some time, and I can't decide on either 18s or 19s. With the 19s, I'll have more weight, won't handle quite as great, and it will be slower . However it will look awesome, and I'll have my stock set of 17s with strip rubber on them. These could also be swapped on whenever I please.

18s are kind of a happy medium. The car will handle great, the wheels will still be somewhat on the heavy side, but not quite as bad as the 19s.

Some say 19s are too big for our cars, but I'm not talking any bling bling kind of wheel. I'll go with a Boyd Coddington "Tuned" wheel, or the BC10s from his son's line of billet wheels. Does anyone know what the difference between these are? Is one a 1 piece, the other a 2 piece, one chrome, one polished, etc?

Now, with that all said, I was hoping to get some guys in here with some experience/opinions. AlexWS6 has 19s, probably a few others as well. What kind of info can you guys give me. Attached are two pics of the above mentioned wheels, with the look I'm going for.

Rob

 

Man, I say stay with the 18s. I went 19s because my CCWs only come in this size. They look pretty good, but traction is a joke. At least with 18s, you can run a decently sticky tire or even a DR. I agree with what you said, 18s are a good medium, but how many WS6's do you see a day on 19s?

 

Well, I can't seem to get over the fact that I don't want to lower the car more than 1.5". If I went with 19s they would raise the car a bit, then I'd drop it an inch or so with Hotchkiss springs, and throw on the WW kit I have sitting in my room to give it a sweet stance.

Like I said I'll still have my stock 17s with MTs new drag radial or the like. But do they really suck that bad? I mean, you would know since you have them and I don't.

As for how many WS6s do I see on 19s? NONE I'm one of the only ones around here. Not woman driven/modded anyway. All the more reason to make mine stand out!
Rob

 

19s...dont do it. Here is one con...the price of the tires. 18's look just fine.

 

Take it from someone who knows, 19's are awesome on 4th gens. They just plain look perfect. Love both pictures you included in your post. My 35th had 19's on all four corners, and was lowered 2" with Eibach Sportlines, and Koni DA's, and I didn't have any problems with rubbing or anything. Do it, you won't regret it. Performance wise, well, how often do you really take your car to the track? That should answer that dilema for ya.

Oh, and tires aren't too bad. Kumho makes tires in 19's and are comparatively affordable.

Here's a few pics for you to look at:





Also Nine Ball has the same set of 19's on his car. Car looks awesome!

 

If you have anything more than a bolton car, traction will be a major problem. For a near stock car, it might be ok, but Im not really sure. JonSS asks do you track your car much, but I feel a more accurate question would be, how often do you floor your car?

 

Heh.....quite often. It's such a hard damn choice, especially with those pics he included, as well as your own. Like I said I will have those stock 17s around with some DRs.

Alex, do you know how much your wheels weigh with the tire mounted and everything? I'm looking for a quality 19, most likely from Boyd, but it's gotta be lightweight. I've heard some of his wheels are not top quality, but they damn better be for the price I'm paying.

Thanks agian for the help guys...kind of a slow thread, but I thought more people had 19s.

Rob

 

My wheels are 22 lbs each without the tire. Never weighed them with the tires on.

 

I will post pics soon, want to wait till I lower it, but here is my thought. As far as looks, like Jon said they look perfect. His car is beautiful. I have HRE 543's with 19x10.5 in the back and 18x9.5 front. I'm not a bling bling kinda guy so I was worried about that. But no, they are perfect. Yes, traction sucks but I did not buy them for that. I got these for handling (Pirelli P Zero's) and for looks for street crusing. Heck, I had no traction with 17x11's. I am getting Bogart drag wheels for the strip, or for a set up street race. Though my car is not lowered (soon, I have over 2k in suspension parts in my house, waiting on a torque arm) they do not rub any. My 17x11's did some. When it does get lowered I may need to bang the fenderwell a little, but it will be fine. 19's are bad ***, the make the 18's in the front almost look small lol. I do think 18's look a little better in front than 19's. They are not dished much, the 19's are. And they are lighter than the stock 16 wheels/tires were. You get what you pay for. A cheap set of 18's or 19's may not fit well. To me, 19 in back and 18 in front is perfect for looks and handling.

 

Any websites where you can check out quality 18 and 19 inch rims besides discount tire direct? Im looking for a website with nice wheels like everyone posted in this thread... BTW Everyones cars looking amazing I cant wait till I get an fbody!