My impressions after a summer on 17"s

[hyunelan2]

Last weekend I 'winterized' my elantra, putting the stock wheels and tires back on, among other things. I notice the weaker sidewalls of the oem tires on turning, and I have to drive a little less like IRL and more like daily driver. However, it is VERY nice not to feel every bump and crack in the road, as I do on my 205/40/17 Hankooks. I think personally, I would like to get rid of the 17"s and run some 16" wheels with performance tires. That should provide a nice blend of 17" handling, with the 15" oem ride quality. I never really thought the ride on 17"s was 'harsh' until I went back and put the 15"s on.

[SWortham]

Yeah... part of that is your tires. 215/45-17 will ride much nicer than 205/40-17. But I agree, if I were to buy wheels again they would be 16's. I'd pick 16's for the better ride quality, less weight, and less money for tires. The main thing I'd be giving up is the look of 17's.

[GTSpeedRacer]

I would never give up my 17's. I'm hard mother {explative} core!!

[playboyz28]

I miss my 17s.....sob sob...the ride is definately different, and the steering too, not just high speed cornering..just regular turning in the parking lots.

[slow 2K2GT]

Ha Ha im never givin up my 18s

[kylemorg]

It's not just the wheel rim diameter that affects your ride quality; that is a gross over-simplification.

You've got to realize that the tire brand and tire speed rating you put on will make a considerable difference in the ride quality of your car with 17" rims. I have 205/40R17 Kumho Escta 711's on my car (they're only H rated so have a less-stiff sidewall than a V or Z rated tire). The ride's not much harsher than my stock 15" rims with Dunlop S/P sport A2 195/60R15 tires; even my wife didn't think the ride was too harsh.

The handling was still greatly improved even with the Kumho 711 tires over the stock 15" with the Dunlops. Of course, since that's the only set of 17" tires I've driven on, I can't say that the handling wouldn't be better with a 17" Z rated tire, but I'm comfortable with the slight compromise in my ride comfort for the amount of handling I gained with the 711s.

Tire inflation pressure will obviously affect your ride quality, as will getting a good alignment will sometimes improve your ride quality. There are many factors.

[hyunelan2]

Regardless of alignment (as you should have the car properly aligned no matter what wheel/tire you're running), I would say that the rim diameter DOES have something to do with it. You can't underpressure a 205/40/17 for a less-rough ride, or you'll bang your rim everytime you hit a bump. Granted, tires do have a difference when you speak of sidewall stiffness, but with the small amount of sidewall you have on a 205/40, you need a stiffer tire, or you'll bang your rim. No comparison of sidewall stiffness will substitiute for the smooth flex provided by the extra 35mm (~1.38") of rubber on the stock sized configuration.

I'm not saying that a 17" isn't better, because it's handling blows away the stock-size setup, but it is nicer cruising down the highway at 80mph and not feeling every seperation in the pavemnet.

[kylemorg]

Sorry, I re-read my reply and it sounded harsh, which is not what I meant -- I apologize.

You are correct, the softest tire on a 17" rim will ride harsher than a medium to soft sidewall tire on a 15" rim (with both having the same overall outside diameter).

What wheels and tires were you running? Maybe your 17" rims/tires are heavier than mine, even though mine weigh ~20 lb a piece (~39 lb with a 205/40R17 Kumho 711). Heavier rims/tires increase the unsprung weight and would adversely affect the ride quality...

[SWortham]

You know... there's an interesting thing about heavy rims. TireRack reported better ride quality with heavier rims, but worse handling, acceleration, and braking. Their conclusion was that the increased unsprung weight & momentum was forcing the tires to absorb more of the shock.

"On the road, this combination was only praised for its ride quality. Our experience showed that the heavyweight wheel's reluctance to be moved as the vehicle rode over expansion joints, patches and potholes actually damped the impact harshness transmitted to the suspension, and forced the tires to absorb more of the jolt."
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...l_weights.html

[Elantra2.001]

I wish i could go back to 15's sometimes... i got this brake problem though... uh, they are too big! I know what you mean though.

[ilanpro]

I'm getting 215/45's this spring

[BlackElantraGT]

My 215/45's don't feel as harsh as I thought it would be. There isn't much of a difference in feel (for me at least) from the 15" OEM, but now I have to watch out for every freakin pothole whereas I could care less before. I now have a memory of all the major potholes to avoid for on my way to/from work.