Bigger Rims = Bad Ride?

[mwfromva]

OK, so I bought an 09 LE because I personally am not too fond of the harsher ride of the SE. My worry now, is that if I upgrade the rims (was thinking 18"), will it make a huge difference in the smoothness of the ride?

Any input from those who have an LE or XLE and have put on aftermarket wheels and tires?

[njerald]

Bigger rims won't hurt you but keeping the same OD/circumference of the new tire means less cushion between the road and the wheel.

[wetherburner]

Njerald is right - and keep in mind that going to 18's will not have a drastic negative effect to your ride quality.

Here is a great website I was referred to by another TN member, which I used when determining the appropriate tire size and offset for my new rims/rubber...

http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp

[Tobeit]

I have an XLE with TRD and 18" and the mentioned lower profile tires - if any, it makes the ride better, less cushioning, but better handling for me.

[Omer]

OT: Where in VA are you from?

[akira751]

Originally Posted by mwfromva

OK, so I bought an 09 LE because I personally am not too fond of the harsher ride of the SE. My worry now, is that if I upgrade the rims (was thinking 18"), will it make a huge difference in the smoothness of the ride?

Any input from those who have an LE or XLE and have put on aftermarket wheels and tires?

I see that you have a 08 Highlander sport, some people feel that the sport has a harsher ride than the base or Ltd. Did you feel a difference?

[mwfromva]

Originally Posted by Omer

OT: Where in VA are you from?

Midlothian - I see you're close!

[mwfromva]

Originally Posted by akira751

I see that you have a 08 Highlander sport, some people feel that the sport has a harsher ride than the base or Ltd. Did you feel a difference?

YES. And during our 20 minute test drives, I felt the tighter handling of the Sport was a bonus over the softer ride of the Limited, especially considering it was a taller SUV. However, in retrospect, I wish we would have gone with the Limited. The Sport rides nice, but expansion joints and potholes can be quite jarring.

I'm glad you asked, because the Highlander really is the basis for me asking this question. I honestly have wondered why the Limited has 19" wheels - I think 18" wheels would be sufficient, and provide a greater overall comfort level.

At any rate, I guess if I went to a larger wheel, a tire with similar sidewall height would keep the ride in check, however I'm concerned about 2 things. Speedometer re-calibration (easy?) and unsprung weight of the wheels and tires. I'm not sure how much the stock steel wheels and tires weigh, but I imagine that a larger wheel and tire would add quite a bit of weight to the vehicle.

[mwfromva]

Originally Posted by wetherburner

Njerald is right - and keep in mind that going to 18's will not have a drastic negative effect to your ride quality.

Here is a great website I was referred to by another TN member, which I used when determining the appropriate tire size and offset for my new rims/rubber...

http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp

What's the stock offset? 16"?

[wetherburner]

Originally Posted by mwfromva

What's the stock offset? 16"?

I'll let someone more qualified than me who has an LE comment on what the stock offset for your specific vehicle, but I can tell you that I went with a +35 offset on my 18's (225-45-18) and it kept my speedometer pretty darn close to the OEM tire/wheel specs (I have an 07 SE-V6).

Just play around with the link I sent you once you have the stock specs, and you won't need to recalibrate your speedometer....

[mwfromva]

Is 40mm offset too much?

[akira751]

Originally Posted by mwfromva

Is 40mm offset too much?

Nope.

[Omer]

Yep, nice.

Actually went to Clover Hill HS in Midlo, and I'm in that area a lot.

[DrewsCam]

why did you get a Se if you dont like the ride of it, anyways I have 18s and you wont feel a difference between the stock 17s and 18s

[Big05Taco]

MW got an LE, not an SE