Is bigger always better?

[DrYazz]

When it comes to alloys?

I have mostly been of the opinion that when manufacturers offer larger alloys as a cost option, they enhance the look of the car and are worth the extra rupees.

Recently, however, I have been less convinced of this argument.

Below are the standard 18'' alloys on the M3, itself a very pretty car:



Which I think, look more coherent on the vehicle than the 19'' items, shown below:



Am I correct or am I correct? Any other examples where bigger is not always better?

[H_Kan]

Whilst the dynamics of the 18" M3 are probably better, the 19" are without a doubt better aesthetically imo.

[redtwin]

Don't look that much different to me. They certainly wouldn't get any extra money out of me for them.

[crofty1984]

H_Kan said:

Whilst the dynamics of the 18" M3 are probably better, the 19" are without a doubt better aesthetically imo.

Really? I can't agree. The 18's say "look at my nice car". The 19's say "look at the big wheels on my nice car"

[sebhaque]

Personally, I always thought the 18s looked a bit small on the M3. The back wheel seems lost in the bodywork around it.

Things like this look silly though:

[kambites]

I think I would almost always pick the smallest wheel size available on any car. I've yet to drive many which actually feel better on the bigger options - big wheels are very much form over function IMHO.

[martin mrt]

I had both 18s and 19s on my E46 M3, looked better on regular 19s IMO but drove better on 18s

However i then switched to GENUINE CSL wheels which are noticably lighter than the stock wheels of both sizes and it drove best on these, it felt far more sure footed and nimble.

Moral of the story in my case, Genuine CSLs are the answer!

[CaptainSlow]

I prefer a smaller wheel with a larger profile tyre. But I am an old man (and a tightwad).

[Matthew_Eames]

CaptainSlow said:

I prefer a smaller wheel with a larger profile tyre. But I am an old man (and a tightwad).

Definately looks better with the 18" wheels (which are not small by any stretch) and more purposeful, I have a 330ci with the same size wheels and you wouldnt want anything bigger, the ride is are 'sporty' enough as it is

[croyde]

My old Beemer has 15s which mean I don't have to slow for speed bumps. Look diddy tho'.

[LuS1fer]

I'm sure there are but a lot depends on the size of the arches. Mustangs invariably look best on 20s but this may not be the best overall handling package.

[eldar]

Sometimes bigger isn't better.

[Tango13]

martin mrt said:

I had both 18s and 19s on my E46 M3, looked better on regular 19s IMO but drove better on 18s

However i then switched to GENUINE CSL wheels which are noticably lighter than the stock wheels of both sizes and it drove best on these, it felt far more sure footed and nimble.

Moral of the story in my case, Genuine CSLs are the answer!

Slightly o/t but I put some lighter forged alloy wheels on my bike (I thought carbon fibre for the road a bitt OTT!)and the improvement to the steering,suspension etc was well worth the money. The question should be, Is lighter better?

[Torquey]

I once looked into the idea of increasing the size of the wheels on a vx220.

Definitely a no no. Not so much for looks but handling.

[andy43]

Less unsprung weight is better, whether it's a bigger/smaller diameter wheel or a different wheel material.
S'pose sidewall squish makes a difference too, but it's probably marginal on 18" vs 19" wheels.

[LuS1fer]

One thing I noticed with the 20s on the Mustang is how light they were (though i chose a 5 spoke design for that reason). what really made a difference was the bigger tyres (275/30s) which are remarkably weighty.

[egomeister]

Looking at those pics, I'm not sure I recall an M3 without the larger wheels!

Have to say I probably prefer the 18's, but only because the spokes don't run into the lip rather than anything to do with size.

[Prof Prolapse]

Money can't buy taste thats for damn sure.

Comment not aimed at anybody here specifically, but why on Earth do people buy such precision engineered machines and then whack ridiculous wheels on them that almost certainly have a negative impact?

[ewenm]

Depends if the suspension is adjusted to take account of the bigger wheels and (probably) lower sidewall tyres.

[Prof Prolapse]

ewenm said:

Depends if the suspension is adjusted to take account of the bigger wheels and (probably) lower sidewall tyres.

I find it very unlikely that the majority of manufacturers adjust the suspension. I've never had a parts department ask me what size wheels were on it.

Aye then you hit a bump in the road. Goodbye £1000 option! Also the road noise, etc...

Nah, in all honesty to each his own. I'm just more of a function over form fan.