anniversar

As posted previously I am thinking of changing from my 18 inch wheels down to 16 inch to maximize ride comfort and minimize road noise. Does anyone have direct experience of doing this or from 18 to 17 inch and if so what were the results?

AlexusAnja

I only went from 17 to 16, but it's not really an apple-to-apple comparison as my 16" are snow tires (Blizzak) while the 17" are all-season ContiProContact. Even with the snow tires, the ride is slight even more "boaty" than with the 17". Cornering, not much difference, but straight away and rough roads, the 16" do feel to absorb the road better.

CarGuy89

Do the 18s make the ride choppy or loud? If loudness is a problem try a diff tire. I have hear good things about continental DWS tires. I come from a 3 series though so I'm used to a stiffer ride. Is the ride quality bad/bothering you?

I am a prospective buyer. Would like to know a bit more as I love how the 18s look and plan on buying one with 18s

anniversar

The road noise is quite low compared to any other car I have driven, but it can be noisy on certain types of surface such as concrete. However, I doubt if any car is quiet on concrete. The ride is sharp on broken pavement. Not uncomfortable in anyway but not the magic carpet that I was anticipating from an LS 430. A colleague has an older Caddy Deville and that is more absorbent on broken pavement. His tires are 65 profile if I remember correctly.

For the LS 430 the 18 inch rims mean 45 profile tires, whereas 17 inch gets you 55 profile and 16 inch 60 profile. I suspect the 17 inch are a lot more absorbent but would like some feedback from someone who has made the change before investing in both new rims and tires.

If you have good roads in your area the 18's will be fine. In WI where I live however, the roads are very bad with uneven concrete slabs and broken pavement

CarGuy89

Roads here suck too, I guess they pretty much all do with snow/salt corrosion and budget cuts. The roads were so bad around Lansing, mi that I had to start planning the smoothest path whenever I go anywhere. Even on stock suspension, my 3 series crashed through the rougher stuff (it had crappy stick run flats on). If my budget permits I think I may try the conti DWS tires. I hear they are extremely quiet and absorbent without being to squidgy through the corners.

GLIDESUL

I went from 17s to 18s ,at first had to use use too diferrence in ride but its all good. The 17s were softer on bumpy roads but as for noise not a big difference.and yes these roads around here are terrible. But I'm rollin on air if that makes a difference. 17s were michelin primicys(the bes to me) 18s are goodyears rsa's not a bad tire when money is rite will get some fresh michelins.I'm kinda gettin myself ready for the 20" ride slowly but surely.

CarGuy89

Yeah these bigger cars definitely look better with larger wheels. 20s definitely suit the car pretty well (though I'm happy with stock 5 spokes).

R Z

I have the 18's and notwithstanding the price to replace them, I love the look. The ride is as good as any car I've been in. Sure on crap roads I hear noise, but that's what the Mark Levinson® Premium Surround Sound Audio System is for! CRANK IT!