20's vs 19's

The search function is your friend here. many opinions.

Yes much has been talked about this topic. No question the 20's ride harsher and are more brittle than the 19's. That's a given. My Premium had every option including the 20's but as a condition of the sale I had my dealer swap out the 20's for the 19's. Good choice IMO.

Didn't drive any with 19's, but I've had a '14 with 20's for about a month and the ride is pretty smooth. I never thought I'd go with low profile tires, but I have to admit they look sharp on the car.

19's are smoother, quieter and ride better.

I have 20's on my XTS Premium, yes, 19's have a slightly bigger sidewall, so slightly smoother ride. However those Bridgestone Potenzas don't do either the 19's or 20's justice. It really isn't a bad ride with the 20's. However when I put my Continental DWS tires on. Huge difference, smooth, not bumpy at all, excellent cornering, steering, low road feedback, and ect! The sidewall size on the tire overall on those 19s is 4.34, where on the 20's its 3.86. The total difference is .48 inches.

Fatter 19's help slightly to prevent wheel rims scrapping curbs rather than just scuffing the tires.

I have driven both as many here say the 19's are bit smoother. I have 20's and love the look of the rims and the low profile of the tire. Looks sharm IMO. I'm sure when I need new ones that I will get a better ride out of 20's. I will not be buying what i have now on them from the factory.

The 20 inch wheels are very fragile and easily bent for us in cold weather areas where the roads get cracks and pot holes. I agree with others that the ride is smoother with the 19s.

I own the VSport with the 20s but love the ride of the XTS with the 19s. I've driven both at length and wish I had the 20s swapped out before I took 'er home. But my wife likes the looks of the 20s and I like the looks of my wife so....

Smart man...cheaper in the long run

So, if you REALLY like the look of the Platinum 20" wheels...

Anyone found options to make the ride "nicer"...?

A better tire...?

Under-inflating the tires by 2-3 pounds...?

socalcaddyats said:

I have 20's on my XTS Premium, yes, 19's have a slightly bigger sidewall, so slightly smoother ride. However those Bridgestone Potenzas don't do either the 19's or 20's justice. It really isn't a bad ride with the 20's. However when I put my Continental DWS tires on. Huge difference, smooth, not bumpy at all, excellent cornering, steering, low road feedback, and ect! The sidewall size on the tire overall on those 19s is 4.34, where on the 20's its 3.86. The total difference is .48 inches.

Click to expand...

If you put on a 245/45-20 it is the same sidewall height as the 19's (4.34) . Will that fit the car with adequate clearance? The diameter difference is .98.

Hello all,

Drove a 2013 XTS Premium with 19's from July 2012 to March 2015 (11.3k).
Purchased a new 2014 Premium V-sport with 20's March 2015 (1.1k).
Frankly I can't tell the difference. I get that cold weather and pot holes can cause problems, but, not here in South Florida.
So, what am I missing about the ride and or handling?
Thanks in advance for any info you care to share.

Pete

You asked so I'll answer. The only thing I can offer is you are not as perceptive to ride quality as some of us others. There is definitely a difference in quality of ride, and noise, between the 19's and the 20's, and I personally think it's a substantial difference. It has to be as a lower profile tire rides harsher than one with a taller sidewall. It's a simple fact of life.

I mean are the 20's a "bad" ride?

Or are they just not as cushy of a Cadillac ride as the 19's...?

Thanks for your info sonny3621.
Now that I think about it there is a difference in quality of ride and noise between the 19's and 20's. Having experienced both back to back I like the 20's better, harsher to me translates to more road feel. As for the noise difference it's barely perceptible, probably due to the well maintained street and highways in my general vicinity. I guess after all is said and done it come down to a matter of preference.
Thanks for answering, I appreciated your perspective. Perhaps at highway speeds on long trips I may find the road noise annoying, we'll see.

Has anyone installed a wider and taller (larger sidewall) 19" tire? If so, can you share what size tire please?
Did it make the ride softer?

20" vs 19"

Is there a discernable difference in ride between the two, and if so how much?

Thnx

Re: 20" vs 19"

X15 said:

Is there a discernable difference in ride between the two, and if so how much?

Thnx

Click to expand...

Yes, several big differences - ride comfort, vulnerability of rims, etc. Check previous posts on this forum for full discussion