polyphonic
Well-Known Member
I would love to hear opinions on ride quality between the two wheel sizes, particularly from those who have driven both on bumpy roads.
How do you define ride quality?
17” wheels look better and the lower profile tyres provide better steering feedback.
16” wheels ride better and are a lighter combination which can help acceleration, efficiency and in some aspect handling due to lower unsprung weight.
Physics is physics.
Agree with all (although looks are subjective)
Just wanted to add that tires themselves make a huge difference in comfort and feel. A 16" wheel with a high performance tire (and stiff side wall) can feel more harsh than a comfort focused touring 17" tire.
Tire pressures are another factor to tune feel for a specific wheel/tire combo.
IMO, the stock 16" tires are too soft. They have good grip but there's a lot of sidewall flex which makes the steering feel more vague
Don't let my wife read this. The red SE has 16s and she was happy with the ride. The blue SE will have 17s. She doesn't like riding in the 987 because of the harsh ride. the Konis in the 128i are in the middle so she is OK with that car on an occasional basis. I am not allowed to discuss the ride on the 4th gen Z28. She said any drive more than 20 minutes (this was in NY) and we have to take another car. Shhhh! The ride is identical. OK, identical!!
Lets delete this thread like the conversation never happened.
Thanks for helping a brother!!
Oh, and the 17s should be a little stiffer.
I cant compare. The 987 has PASM, -2.5 camber, a 3.6 instead of the 3.4, and a lot of track miles from the P.O. I think it is a little lower than stock, so every speed bump, etc. requires patience. I have to come to a complete stop, at an angle to get into my driveway. Also, I've had cars that size for the last 40 years. RX-7s, 944s, etc. as daily drivers. I don't like a "Buick" ride.hahah
So… I have been eyeing a 987 for a while now!
How much rougher is the ride than your SE on 16s?
The main problem with ride quality is the short wheelbase. Big bumps will send you flying. If you want to nit pick over 16 vs 17" wheels, then maybe it's not the car for you.
So switching to 17" with all seasons made a difference for better or worse then?Have you tried both sizes? I have and switching from 16" OEM summers to 17" all seasons made a significant difference in ride quality and handling.
I'm also not sure what wheelbase has to do with ride quality? There are plenty of mile long trucks with terrible/harsh ride quality and sporty (short) UTVs that could hit a speed bump at highway speed and be perfectly comfortable.
Nailed it. Short wheelbase can be made to ride decent, but it has this principal to overcome and it becomes a significant trade off in cornering to compensate for ride quality over bumps.Short wheelbase hurts ride two ways:
Pitch. When a single axle goes over a bump, there's more degrees of pitch the body moves. In bad cases, this creates a hobby horse motion.
Timing. When an axle hits a bump and compresses, it also has to return to the original position. A longer wheelbase gives the leading axle more time to complete its motion before the trailing axle reaches the bump. With a short wheelbase, there's more chance of having both axles unsettled at the same time, which equates to perceived poor ride quality.
General rule of thumb only, there's obviously many more factors into what determines ride quality.
Short wheelbase hurts ride two ways:
Pitch. When a single axle goes over a bump, there's more degrees of pitch the body moves. In bad cases, this creates a hobby horse motion.
Timing. When an axle hits a bump and compresses, it also has to return to the original position. A longer wheelbase gives the leading axle more time to complete its motion before the trailing axle reaches the bump. With a short wheelbase, there's more chance of having both axles unsettled at the same time, which equates to perceived poor ride quality.
General rule of thumb only, there's obviously many more factors into what determines ride quality.