Went from 17's back to 19's on the M3 today. Surprising

[HannsG]

I had winters on the M3 for 4 months. 17's Type68 style winter pack which was what was offered on the E46.

Anyway, I changed back to 19's today. Went out for a drive and instantly became disappointed. The 19's made the steering so heavy compared to the 17's.

Unsure if designers are doing the right things offering cars with bigger and bigger wheels nowadays.

[Qussz]

If you prefer handling to bling bling then get some summer 17's

[LanceRS]

A friend has a set of 18s and a set of 19s for his, he much prefers the was it drives on the 18s. My Cosworth also drives much better on the standard 15s, the ride is better and you can feel more of what the car is doing.

[Qubit]

Generally anything over 17 is awful, somewhat depending on profile. However, id much rather 15s or 16s, hell my old Primera egt had 14s i think and that handled like it was on rails.

[HannsG]

LanceRS said:

A friend has a set of 18s and a set of 19s for his, he much prefers the was it drives on the 18s. My Cosworth also drives much better on the standard 15s, the ride is better and you can feel more of what the car is doing.

I am seriously tempted to source some 18's. It's what BMW sold the M3 with initially...

[ManOpener]

Get something 18" and lightweight to replace the 19s. Best balance of looks and performance on the M3 IMO:

[Heaveho]

I use really lightweight Rays alloys, in 18". One of the best mods I made. The car on the standard ( heavier ) 17" rims is unbearable by comparison.

[sparks_E39]

Qubit said:

Generally anything over 17 is awful, somewhat depending on profile. However, id much rather 15s or 16s, hell my old Primera egt had 14s i think and that handled like it was on rails.

Mine rides fine on 18s. The only bother is spending £550 on four tyres

[mwstewart]

The 19's really don't do it any favours, but the CSL's look so damn good

[Axionknight]

I have the use of an FN2 Civic Type R, that belongs to a friend - he bought it with the factory option 19" wheels, and the ride was truly terrible, to the point that it stopped me really pressing on when punting the car down a bumpy B road, it felt u predictable and bumped around like mad, he bought the stock option 18" wheels off of ebay and had them fitted, it's still firm but far better in every sense, a real eye opener.

[Debaser]

Qussz said:

If you prefer handling to bling bling then get some summer 17's

Why will it handle better on 17s than 19s?

[Raize]

Debaser said:

Qussz said:

If you prefer handling to bling bling then get some summer 17's

Why will it handle better on 17s than 19s?

It won't. It will however give more "feel" as to how close to the limits of adhesion you are when cornering, allowing more nervous drivers more confidence to push their car.

There are also substantial improvements in ride quality.

[kambites]

Debaser said:

Why will it handle better on 17s than 19s?

Well if they're made of the same material and/or the same cost, it'll have appreciably less unsprung mass which has a massive effect on handling even on a car as heavy as an M3.

[Debaser]

But what if they're the same weight?

[kambites]

Debaser said:

But what if they're the same weight?

Then if you go for the larger wheel, you end up a lot poorer.

[Oilchange]

I heartily approve of those wheels. Compomotives? I have them on my racing car, superb alloys.

Curious to know how yours runs on those tyres though

ManOpener said:

[Mound Dawg]

Raize said:

Debaser said:

Qussz said:

If you prefer handling to bling bling then get some summer 17's

Why will it handle better on 17s than 19s?

It won't. It will however give more "feel" as to how close to the limits of adhesion you are when cornering, allowing more nervous drivers more confidence to push their car.

There are also substantial improvements in ride quality.

The part of your text I've highlighted is an almost perfect description of "better handling"!

In the OP's case the 19s may give better grip but the 17s have better handling.

Handling and grip are not the same thing.

[ManOpener]

Oilchange said:

I heartily approve of those wheels. Compomotives? I have them on my racing car, superb alloys.

Curious to know how yours runs on those tyres though

ManOpener said:

Wish that was mine. Just a photo to illustrate my point cherry-picked from Google

Pretty sure they're Compomotive MO1810s

[Debaser]

kambites said:

Debaser said:

But what if they're the same weight?

Then if you go for the larger wheel, you end up a lot poorer.

True!

[Troubleatmill]

18's for show.
17's for go.