18" vs. 19" VMR wheels: structural strength?

[ekaufman]

I am about to order Velocity RS4 reps and Im deciding between 18s and 19s. I realize this question has been posted many times before, but Im looking for some feedback on the structural integrity of the 19s vs. the 18s.

Ive read quite a few posts where users say, "I went with 18s since I drive on bad roads".

I do have to drive on beat up city/downtown roads on a regular basis. They arent North East bad, but still beat up and I definitely feel them on my stock 17s and sport suspension.

Are 18s just the safe bet from a drive and durability stand point?

[felondnb]

well with 19s, your tyre will have a lower profile, which will mean more feedback (less absorption) from bumps & potholes. However, the wheels will all have undergone the same testing processes, so an extra inch shouldn't make any difference to the structural strength of the wheel, though they will be a fraction easier to curb as there isn't as much rubber around them.

[3.2some]

Dude you still haven't made a choice?You asked like 74 questions on which ones to get lol. I have the 19's with coilovers. The roads are pretty crappy and although I feel every bump in the road, it isn't that uncomfortable to the extent that I would want to get 18's or a thicker tire. The difference isn't that bad, I think you are putting too much thought into it.If you keep your sport suspension, no matter what size you get, the ride will still be bearable. Where the size comes to play is when you drop it. As far as structural integrity, VMR wheels in general are pretty durable, I have yet to see anyone on this forum with a cracked rim. There are issues with the quality of the rim as most of us have flaking problems. As a owner of the product you are getting I suggest you either get a different set of wheels other then from VMR or if you do be prepared to have to refinish them in less then 6 months.My 0.02

[IceMole]

Go 19 with a 40 sidewall and you'll be fine.

[ekaufman]

Dude you still haven't made a choice?You asked like 74 questions on which ones to get lol.

Yeah man, no decision yet....I know. Those wheels have actually been out of stock everywhere for the last month, so Ive just been doing research trying to decide on whether to get 19s and lower it, get 18s and leave the sport suspension, get 19s and leave the sport suspension, etc.

I saw 19s on the stock sport suspension with 245/35/19 tires and it looked pretty good. I think IceMole sent me that link a while back. The 40 profile tires in 19" are hard to come by and are very expensive comparatively, so I probably wont go that route.

[3.2some]

Yeah man, no decision yet....I know. Those wheels have actually been out of stock everywhere for the last month, so Ive just been doing research trying to decide on whether to get 19s and lower it, get 18s and leave the sport suspension, get 19s and leave the sport suspension, etc.

I saw 19s on the stock sport suspension with 245/35/19 tires and it looked pretty good. I think IceMole sent me that link a while back. The 40 profile tires in 19" are hard to come by and are very expensive comparatively, so I probably wont go that route.

Either way you should lower it bro, it makes the car look 100 times better. No matter what size you get, that wheel gap is still gonna be there, and that's what hinders the overall apearance of the car the most imo.

[IceMole]

yep 245/35/19 on sport

[ekaufman]

I think that looks pretty good being on the stock sport suspension. The gap looks good. It has a clean sporty-stock look to it.

Looks like he has those Eagle DS3 or what ever they are called, which have a pretty curved side wall as well.

[AudiWxGuy]

It doesn't look as bad on the sport suspension, but if you want it to really stand out, you need to lower it. I have the stock 17's on street sport coils and let me tell you, the car looks 100x's better. From the front, it looks soo much more aggresive and awesome.

[ibiski]

Go 19 with a 40 sidewall and you'll be fine.

That's a bad advice, because in order to keep the same overall diameter on the 19" combo (wheel+tire), you need the 35 aspect ratio, which means 35% of the 245 section width. If you go with 40 aspect ratio, your overall diameter will be larger than the car was designed for, resulting in decreased performance (acceleration) and speedometer/odometer inaccuracy.

[IceMole]

KDW2

[IceMole]

That's a bad advice, because in order to keep the same overall diameter on the 19" combo (wheel+tire), you need the 35 aspect ratio, which means 35% of the 245 section width. If you go with 40 aspect ratio, your overall diameter will be larger than the car was designed for, resulting in decreased performance (acceleration) and speedometer/odometer inaccuracy.

He would run a 235/40/19....resulting in a .3" higher sidewall (which he is looking for) 2.5% difference making his speedo 1mph off @ 60mph which can be vaged.

[ibiski]

The difference would be half an inch (overall increase of 1" in diameter over stock), which I think is significant, but best bet would be to consult a tire tech.

[ibiski]

BTW, that sport suspension doesn't look bad

[ekaufman]

Here are some pics of 18" RS4 reps on the stock sport suspension, which I think looks pretty good:

[IceMole]

The difference would be half an inch (overall increase of 1" in diameter over stock), which I think is significant, but best bet would be to consult a tire tech.

It's 2.5% which is perfectly fine and has been done... you need to go talk to the slammed guys about running rubberband tires, stretch, and poke and how that's not factory either.


Eric: take the safer/cheaper way and go 18s

[VMRWheels]

All of our VMR Wheels have been strength tested and have met/exceeded the their test results of JWL & VIA. We WILL NOT release any wheels to the public if they have a possibility of injuring someone. Our wheels have also been track tested not just daily driven!

Comparing sidewall height w/ 235/40/18 to a 235/35/19:

18"
Sidewall Height: 3.70 in 93.98 mm
19"
Sidewall Height: 3.23 in 82.042 mm

Sidewall height is 11.93 mm shorter on a 235/35/19 from a 235/40/18 tire.

-Charles@VMRWheels
www.vmrwheels.com

[ekaufman]

Going with a 245/35/19 tire the side wall = 3.38" (85.75mm)

Thats only 0.32" (8.23mm) different than the 18" side wall. I cant imagine thats much of a ride difference.

[nick71692]

There are issues with the quality of the rim as most of us have flaking problems. As a owner of the product you are getting I suggest you either get a different set of wheels other then from VMR or if you do be prepared to have to refinish them in less then 6 months.My 0.02

I agree, i have had my onyx black for about a year or less and every wheel is peeling badly. I have yet to get any help from vmr about the problem. Very disapointed

[ekaufman]

Is there any sort of finish warranty from Velocity on these wheels?

[nick71692]

im honestly not sure, but i know that they know about this problem. It would be nice if they helped out previous buyers, to get (at a large discount) another set of wheels and ship our defective ones back. The main problem I am having is that no one here can match the finish, they have already tried on one spoke and it sticks out like a sore thumb. I would recommend getting gunmetal to avoid this problem

[IceMole]

I think there are 2 versions of this wheel, do you have v1?

[VMRWheels]

I think there are 2 versions of this wheel, do you have v1?

Our V708 v.1's are discontinued. We opted for a better concavity in our wheel design on our v.2's

-Charles@VMRWheels
www.vmrwheels.com

[FLAudiMotion]

He would run a 235/40/19....resulting in a .3" higher sidewall (which he is looking for) 2.5% difference making his speedo 1mph off @ 60mph which can be vaged.

**WHAT?!!** OMG a hot chick that knows something about cars!!

**Ring!!** Hell just called...something about ski slopes opening up...

[p1nk50ck]

im honestly not sure, but i know that they know about this problem. It would be nice if they helped out previous buyers, to get (at a large discount) another set of wheels and ship our defective ones back. The main problem I am having is that no one here can match the finish, they have already tried on one spoke and it sticks out like a sore thumb. I would recommend getting gunmetal to avoid this problem

the gunmetal wheels are also painted. how would this alleviate the problem? wouldn't they also flake? I'm also surprised that these wheels are painted, and not powder coated.

can anyone confirm if their hyper silver wheels are also painted?

[VMRWheels]

Hi,

Our wheels have painted finishes, not powder coated. Our painted finishes are still VERY durable compared to powder coat. We have had customers daily driving on our wheels for over 2+ years without a problem.

-Charles@VMRWheels
www.vmrwheels.com

[p1nk50ck]

Hi,

Our wheels have painted finishes, not powder coated. Our painted finishes are still VERY durable compared to powder coat. We have had customers daily driving on our wheels for over 2+ years without a problem.

-Charles@VMRWheels
www.vmrwheels.com

Thanks for the info. Is the "hyper silver" an alloy finish? or is it painted?

[bmidd]

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

there you go.

[VMRWheels]

Thanks for the info. Is the "hyper silver" an alloy finish? or is it painted?

Painted finish.

-Charles@VMRWheels
www.vmrwheels.com

[redlabel81]

**WHAT?!!** OMG a hot chick that knows something about cars!!

**Ring!!** Hell just called...something about ski slopes opening up...

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?

[mvorchard]

Sorry to bring this old post back....

What happens after those two years.....??

Hi,

Our wheels have painted finishes, not powder coated. Our painted finishes are still VERY durable compared to powder coat. We have had customers daily driving on our wheels for over 2+ years without a problem.

-Charles@VMRWheels
www.vmrwheels.com

Thanks and regards!

MO

[pw211]

wait I thought icemole's avatar was just a picture of a hot chick and he was a guy.. .Is it a picture of icemole???!?!?

[supamannn99]

I live in socal and I've got the 18's. Roads are pretty bad in some places but still, I like having a safer peace of mind.

Here's how they look on Bilstein PSS9's:



Tires are 235 40ZR18. I'm pretty low but I don't rub one bit. Ran over a few LA potholes before and I didn't die. Reason why I didn't want the 19's is because of the extra weight, cost of tires, and rotational mass.

I even got hit in my passenger side front, and it still held up well.

pic of the hit & run damage:


18's will be better if you ever go on any track events or auto-x.