VetteDrmr

Does anyone have any real-world experience with changing from the base 18/19" wheels to Z51 size 19/20" wheels as pertains to ride quality? I know the theory (more unsprung weight, shorter sidewalls lead to a harsher ride); I'm wondering if actual experience matches the theory.

Please, nothing about cornering, handling, etc. at the limits. I don't push that hard on the street; if I want to do that I'll get some track wheels/tires.

Thanks for any help, and have a good one,
Mike

papillion

We ordered our standard suspension 2014 C7 with painted wheels. Always intending to swap them out immediately. We mounted Z51 spec 19/20 OEM RF Michelin's and HREs the second week. Mindful of the wheel offset, the 19/20 HRE wheels have the exact OEM specs. And the tires were the same delivered with Z51 cars so all was uneventful. And IMHO, the car looks mah-vah-luss.

VetteDrmr

Did you notice any differences between the two setups when on the street?

Thanks for the info, and have a good one,
Mike

Walt White Coupe

When I bought my 2016 I ordered with the standard 18/19 inch wheels because I didn't like any of the "available" Corvette wheels and intended to buy aftermarket wheels similar to what papillion above bought. A week before my car was delivered to the MacMulken I found a parts dealer that was selling the Corvette R86 wheels for around $2400 and I bought a set. The R86 wheels at the time were only available on the "Spice" design packages and are 19/20 inchers.

So I drove on the 18/19 inch base wheels/run flats for 400 miles from New Hampshire to Philly and the day after I had the R86 wheels installed with Michelin All Season Non-run flats. So I did go from a run flat to a non-run flat. I didn't notice any change in the "ride quality".

cowboy casey

What I can say is the 19" and 20" combo rims are having all the failures and bent rims, I will not be switching... Not everyone's rims are bending but I am not willing to take that gamble...

1BadRS

you are seeing people bending non GS/Z06 wheels?

green2000

I don't know about this but the sidewall is less so there is less compliance. I didn't notice any ride quality issues.

VetteDrmr

Thanks, guys. Like I said, I understand the theory (less compliance), but value real-life experience over theory.

Have a good one,
Mike

Foosh

There is virtually no problem w/ the 19 and 20 Z51-style wheels bending. That's on the much wider GS and Z06 19 and 20s. There was a poll awhile back and only 1 or 2 reports of bent Z51 wheels several hundred responses, but a lot of wide-body reports.

~Stingray

I don't recall this, but are the tires themselves any bigger? If they are, your mileage will be off because the new tires would have a larger circumference. Computer update?

VetteDrmr

AFAIK the tire's outer diameters are the same.

NOMOREWORK

I put 19 and 20 combo on my 16 base Stingray with non run flat tires and felt that the ride quality improved !

VetteDrmr

How old were the RFs that you replaced? IMO a lot of the complaints about RFs being really noisy and the new non-RFs being so much quieter has a lot to do with the age of the old RFs (and I run non-RFs exclusively).

Have a good one,
Mike

cowboy casey

Thanks @Foosh, you are correct... In my mind I was thinking they are the same size and did not say it was the GS/Z06 rims...

papillion

In the Forum world, minutiae is an all too common affliction. Hence the plethora of sidewall compliant comments. Same with the interminable engine oil threads. Never my Daddy's Caddy soft pillow ride to begin with, you will notice zip difference with the upgrade. Is the ride harsher, only the shadow knows. And I don't know him. Uh her. I think you will notice a visual difference which is the goal we were trying to achieve. And aesthetics is why we buy these cars. Eh?

~Stingray

Don't cause a harsher ride? You are the first to say it improved.

Kent1999

Went from the 18/19" OEM Michelin runflats to OEM 19/20" Michelin run-flats, for reasons very similar to yours -- I don't track the car, but just thought it looked better with the 19/20 wheels & tires.

I feel like there was a very small degradation of ride quality, but honestly, not very noticeable. My Stingray is my DD, and with a 40-mile daily commute, I have plenty of opportunities to regret such changes if they would be even mildly detrimental. Made the swap about a year ago, and have no regrets whatsoever. Green light from me on the swap.

JMII

I bought the car for performance and handling. The fact that it looks good is a bonus however looks are subjective - as is "ride quality". Personally I am not a fan of the rubber-band look of these ultra low profile tires.

So I'll be dropping DOWN from (Z51) 19/20 to (base) 18/19 mostly for cost savings while running more aggressive compound track tires. For me having more sidewall and less weight is a good thing.

For the OP: its very possible the differences in compound and tread patterns have more of an effect on ride quality or perceived harshness then size or sidewall ratio.

papillion

And this proves my point.