As some of you might know I have mounted my 19 inch TE-37s. 19x8.5 front +29 offset 19x9.5 rear +34 offset riding on Goodyear F1 rubber 255/35 and 275/35 respectively.

I have seen many threads in which people are torn between going 18 or 19s and I think that this little review might help those who have this indecision.

First off, the wheels look great. They fill up the fenders and they turn heads. The extra width on the rims and the extra rubber make a night and day difference in traction and handling. It has been raining pretty hard in So Cal and the F1s really inspire confidence in the rain. Their tread pattern also is excellent for rainy weather. I take corners in the rain at above the reccomended speed limit with out any fear. The car is very well planted.
Today the rain cleared and a friend of mine wanted a ride in the Z, so I decide to really test out the new wheel tire combo and put the car through the wringer. We drove through Rancho Santa Fe which has a limitless supply of twisties and I was able to formulate a strong opinion on my new wheels/tires. Going from track model wheels (18x8 front 18x8.5 rear Continental Conti Sport Contact 235/40 255/40) to these really made a difference. Some good some bad.
As I mentioned before, traction is great. I took corners hard. The car is now only held back by its suspension. When I get springs the car will be a menace to the corners!
However the extra weight albeit slight and increased diameter of the wheels took their toll in a number of ways.

#1 braking. I have the stock track Brembo Brakes with ss lines. Pedal effort is noticeably higher. I have to press the brakes harder to stop in the same distance. I have no doubts about this. The added rotational mass is harder on the brakes.

#2 As I said before the car sticks, but it is just noticeably less agile. I am not as sure about this as I am about the braking but I do notice it.

#3 Acceleration. Going from the heavy stock 17s and 18s to the lighter 19inch TE37s would probably be a seamless transition but going from 18lb trackers to the TEs made a huge difference in acceleration. My car basically feels like I am carrying 250lbs of extra weight. The throttle does not feel as responsive because of this extra rotational weight. I noticed this as soon as I put the wheels on. Again, the difference here is quite obvious.

So all in all seeing as I drive my car fast and hard on a daily basis, I believe I made a poor choice in wheels. I thought that the TE37s being some of the lightest 19 inchers on the market would produce no noticeable change in performance. I was wrong.
Dont get me wrong, I am not unhappy, but the loss in performance is something I will have to get used to. One of the reasons I got the TEs was so I could save the track model wheels for the track. but I stilll did not want a performance sapping wheel.
I will keep the TEs because they look so good, but if I had it to do over again. I would have gotten some fat 18x8.5 18x9.5. Do Luck Double six wheels weighing in at 14 lbs for these sizes come to mind. Or maybe SSR proffessor SP1s in 18 would have done, although not lighter than the Rays track wheel.

So there you have it. I have heard many talk about the performance issues of 18s vs 19s, but nothing very definitive. If I had read something like this I might be riding on 18s now.
My advice is if you are upgrading from track wheels, dont go 19 unless all you are after is bling, because you will feel a performance loss. If you are going from the stock 17s or 18s try to get a light weight 19. That way maybe you wont notice a performance loss. I cant say for sure because I have not experienced a before and after but its a pretty educated guess.

I hope this post helps some of you to make a more informed decision. Peace!

 

A pic

 

Nice wheels.... I noticed improvement but I changes from the 850lbs a pice Detatas to the much lighter GTC's. I have noticed better handling also. My offset is even wider than your and it grabs the corner like you wouldnt believe. The brakes are a little hatder but Im getting big brakes so that should help. Im way happier for the pros than the cons on my wheels.

 

Thank you for sharing your opinion with us.
I do believe you gained at least 20 more hp at the "wheel" after you park in busy mall.
it looks damn faster than track. =)

 

man performance loss or gains will be minimal at most when changing to 19 inch wheels.......especially if u got TE37's

 

Nice writeup. Since I don't drive my car regularly, I didn't notice the difference when I went from my Rays to Iforged 19s. When I really do notice a difference is when I swap from the 19s to race rubber on my lightweight enkeis, there is a HUGE performance difference. I dyno'd with rays and iforged back to back, and it was a 3hp difference to the rear wheels, and that doesn't take into account the added drag and weight of all 4 under motion.

 

you never mentioned the weight of the rubber! Those could be very heavy tires and by switching to toyo's you may be able to drop quite a bit of weight and get back close to the weight of the track rims.

just something to consider....

 

BINGO!!

This was THE reason I went with Toyo's they were 4-6 lbs lighter PER tire than the S0-3's. As an avid mountain biker, I understand the importance of rotational wt. I am not sure how much his tires wiegh (then some people go for 285 vs 275 or 255 vs 245, and even get more wt). The one of the quickest Z's tested in a mag was a touring model with the heavy 18's, interesting.

 

LE37 w/Toyos....I noticed no loss of power whatsoever.

 

So you're saying that going from my 18" G35C stock setup that weighs 49 and 51 lbs respectively to a 19" setup thats actually lighter is still a bad thing?

 

I think he was talking about the light 18" rays track wheels. If he was to do it all over again he would have gotten light weight 18's instead of light weight 19's.

 

yeah, I noticed a power loss going with the heavier S-03's when I switched to the 19's... but since I'm not really racing anyways, it's alright.

hey joust, can you post a side pic of your car? I want to see how the front 255's fill in the wheel well compared to the 245's that I have now. thanks.

 

hey joust i wouldnt worry too much ur wheels look SIICK. try lighter tires if ur still trippin over it.

 

exactly how much does a stock Track wheel weighs?

 

I agree with contaygious. You need lighter tires, not lighter wheels. I doubt the 19 inch TE37's are THAT much heavier then the stock track wheels.

Also, the track model doesnt really outperform the lower model Z's, even the ones with the heaaaavy 17's. And the 19 inch TE37's are lighter then the 17's.

Toyo T1-S One of the best, lightest tires IMO. I suggest you try those out.

 

I think with any of the stock wheels, you are probably limited more by traction than by power, so yes, there wouldn't be much difference. But, I'd bet the difference is measureable when you start talking about wheels with a bigger contact patch. I will definately G-tech my results and see what difference is between OEM 17s and lighter, wider 18s. (hasn't anyone else g-teched the change?!?)

 

Man until you actually do it, don't tell me. IF I notice a difference its because there is one.

No, read the thread.

Thanks! I like how they look too. However I think the loss comes from the average rolling diameter. I was told by the Discount Tire staff that the Goodyear F-1s were supposed to be some of the best/lightweight tires out there.



18 lbs, but that is not all of the info. I biought Volks because they are some of the lightest 19s available. I did not think I would notice a performance difference because of the minor weight differnece, but I do. It is obviously the increased diameter.

You are right They are not that much heavier. and as I mentioned before, the F1s are supposed to be pretty light. Does anyone have any actual numbers??


Since the aspect ratio is not changed the overall height difference of the two would not be noticeable. However it is cllear that they cover the rim better and give it better protection.

 

Side view

 

i looking at the volk challenge wheels....these are 19s that are 21 pounds on the front....24 on back....toyo tires are light...so from stock touring 18's which weigh 26 each, i am getting better performance i hope always do your HW before you buy wheel...unless you dont care and looks are more to ya.....i like a little bit of both...light and stylish.

 

I went from the stock Rays with Toyo T1-S to LE37T with Godyear F1 GS-D3 tires, the latter in 19" 245/275 35 combo. They are a little louder, and a little harsher, but not much. And performance wise I cant tell much of a difference either. My Rays will now be my "winter" rims (what an idiot). Maybe when I switch back I'll be able to feel something then, we'll see.