Getting Old? Downsized wheels and I like it.... :(
Discussion
Is this a sign of getting old and only 1 step away from buying a Hyundai Atoz? 
Recently purchased some standard BMW 15" alloys for my E39 touring to use while I got the 17" sport wheels refurbed.
However after a 600 mile round trip to Devon this weekend I've found myself preferring the ride on the 15's - it seems less crashy, more comfortable and less road noise.
Ok, they don't look quite as good, but as its only a station car I found myself asking whether it was spending close on 600 quid to get new tyres and refurbishment when these little trolley wheels do the same job. So much so, the 17's are now being sold
Anyone know a good outlet for Farah trousers and tartan slippers?
Recently purchased some standard BMW 15" alloys for my E39 touring to use while I got the 17" sport wheels refurbed.
However after a 600 mile round trip to Devon this weekend I've found myself preferring the ride on the 15's - it seems less crashy, more comfortable and less road noise.
Ok, they don't look quite as good, but as its only a station car I found myself asking whether it was spending close on 600 quid to get new tyres and refurbishment when these little trolley wheels do the same job. So much so, the 17's are now being sold
Anyone know a good outlet for Farah trousers and tartan slippers?
Anything over 17" is pointless in this country, with the crappy roads. Plus tyres cost a fortune.
When we got the OH's i30, we went for a 2009 model that was in the showroom instead of ordering a 2010 model, because the 09 one came with 15" alloys instead of the 16" ones on the 10 model. Tyres are £50 each instead of £80, and the ride is a lot better too.
When we got the OH's i30, we went for a 2009 model that was in the showroom instead of ordering a 2010 model, because the 09 one came with 15" alloys instead of the 16" ones on the 10 model. Tyres are £50 each instead of £80, and the ride is a lot better too.
kambites said:
I'd almost always pick the smallest wheel size available. I just don't see the appeal of huge wheels on a road car less they're needed to cover huge brakes - they tend to ruin the ride and handling.
Me too.I reckon people who complain of the ride/handling of BMW Minis have never experienced one on bum basic 15s with 175/65s. It's as fluent and adjustable as any of the classic '90s PSA hatches I've driven - only a lot more solid and precise. Chalk and cheese compared with the 17" banana wheel + run flat shod 'upspecced' Coopers.
If it is a sign of age then we're both in the same camp. I love the look of a low profile tyre on say an LMP race car, but for road use it strikes me as form over function. The trouble is that modern car styling with the high waist lines has backed manufacturers into a corner where a smaller rim/higher profile doesn't look right. Get the styling right and high profiles look spot on:
Our roads in the UK are just too potholed and uneven to get the most from low profiles imho. I've got 17" wheels on the XJS currently, but will likely go back to 15" ones next year. Any benefit from the bigger wheel is outweighed by its tendency to follow tramlines, get too fidgety on uneven surfaces and crash over potholes.
Our roads in the UK are just too potholed and uneven to get the most from low profiles imho. I've got 17" wheels on the XJS currently, but will likely go back to 15" ones next year. Any benefit from the bigger wheel is outweighed by its tendency to follow tramlines, get too fidgety on uneven surfaces and crash over potholes.
It's a trend I'm trying to get reversed. Designers make concept cars with the most enourmous of wheels. To a point they're keeping up proportionally with the ever increasing size of cars, but they're counter productive in every way other than looking pretty.
Unless like me, you actually think wheels look better with a nice bit of sidewall on them and hate to see brakes lost within an enourmous wheel.
Unless like me, you actually think wheels look better with a nice bit of sidewall on them and hate to see brakes lost within an enourmous wheel.
HellDiver said:
The neighbour just got a new Insignia. 235-45/18 tyres on it. Like fricking tractor wheels.
The rental Astra I had last week, 1.4 engine but they though it a good idea to fit 225-45/17 tyres. Tramlined and fidgeted like mad, really ruined what might have been a decent car.
Had a rental Ford Kuga diesel which had 19" racing car wheels, F all use off road like the rest of the car I'd think.The rental Astra I had last week, 1.4 engine but they though it a good idea to fit 225-45/17 tyres. Tramlined and fidgeted like mad, really ruined what might have been a decent car.
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