Monday, March 30, 2009 - 07:21 pm, by: Jason Lenz(Zaczac)
G'day I bought a v8 Soarer with 19 inch wheels and 35 series rubber (bands). Car is great but the 19's really feel every bump. I was considering going back down to a 17 inch wheel with 45 series rubber for better ride, but thought I'd ask if anyone else has ever driven a soarer with both sizes and did it make much difference? thanks jas
here is a pic of the 19's on car
Joe Russell TryHard Marlborough 4.0 V8 GT-L(UZZ31)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 09:14 am, by: Joe Russell(Joe_r)
My 17's give a great ride, but I remember seeing a post that said the difference in ride between 17's and 18's was very little. A friend of mine had 18's on his TT, and the ride was average, but he had coil overs so no real verdict there.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 01:13 pm, by: Jason Lenz(Zaczac)
the car has airbag suspension and a good mechanic checked it all out on RWC etc and all seems fine. The air bags go up and down as they are supposed to when I reset heights etc, as it has an aftermarket height adjuster fitted as well as the normal one. Also is there any problem using the TEMS often as car actually appears to handle better with it on but I thought it would be rougher?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 02:19 pm, by: Matthew Sharpe(Madmatt)
Soarers look better on 17" - they don't suit big rims, especially big chrome rims. Car will not look like mutton dressed as lamb, ride will definitely be better, and tyres are quite a lot cheaper too. All around win!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 03:47 pm, by: Dave Rose(Sand_groper)
if its any help i stuck to std Toyota wheels with Toyo toe plus silicon based tyres(after a long search)the end result is no tyre noise at all and the car glides over bumps
Peter Nitschke Junk Filterer South Australia UZZ30 UZZ31
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 04:47 pm, by: Gary Redman(Gary)
Don't bother with the Pedders suspension check. They know jacks**t about how Soarers reaaly should be set up and just try and force their opinions on you, or will try and sell you urethane bushes which will make your ride even harder.
Peter Nitschke Junk Filterer South Australia UZZ30 UZZ31
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 06:55 pm, by: Peter Nitschke(Pen)
Perhaps that is a forced opinion too.
My own experience with Pedders at Richmond SA has been excellent. They also suggested to get rubber bushes rather then the plastic ones they had on the shelf.
So, like everything, it depends on the person, and the shop, they aren't all the same.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 09:49 pm, by: Rob Rojo(Rob_tt)
If you have an aftermarket Air suspension controller just raise it a little, should make the ride a lot smoother. Airbags don't respond so well at the height pictured.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 05:28 pm, by: Jason Lenz(Zaczac)
thanks for all feedback. The car has had the bushes done too by previous owner but don't know what type they used. YES the 17 inch tyres are heaps cheaper than the 19's which is another reason I was asking as it is just as cheap to get a 17 wheel and tyre package as just getting good tyres for 19's! Jas
Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 10:34 pm, by: Jason Lenz(Zaczac)
I upped the suspension today and it rides a bit smoother now. On a side note the silly person I bought the car off had the directional tyres on backwards! jas
Friday, April 03, 2009 - 05:07 am, by: Andrew Duaso(Andrewd)
this may be of no use to anyone, but i have 20's with almost no rubber lol 245/30/20 and my car is on air with adjustable controller, at low ride heights its not as good as stock, but a million times better than any other car i've ever had before, with some fiddling of the knobs (height controller) it's possible to find a height where i honestly cant pick the difference in normal driving, it rides like a limo...
massive potholes and gutters and rocky roads etc, are obviously not going to be as good, but on the suburban commute and local freeways it's fantastic..
tyres arent that much either, approx $200 gets me reasonable 20" rubber, but then again your not racing it, 20's will never handle anywhere near as good as smaller lighter wheels, so im not racing it around the hills with the crusing rims on..
Friday, April 03, 2009 - 02:41 pm, by: Luke Burt(Burt)
haha. Some very different opinions here.
I have 19's on mine, my old soarer had 17's.
Depends what you're after mate. I think the 17's rode and handled better with a bit more sidewall flex etc..
But the 17's looked •••••••••• I love my 19's, they look great, still handle well. The car still rides better than most things on the road, i barely feel bumps etc, even having low stiff suspension.
Damian, if you want to pay $300 for a 17" tyre, that's fine. Cheap rubber does the job for most people.
When i had my 17's i was quite happy with my $100 235/45/17 tyres.
I run nankangs on my 19's. $240 each for 245/35/19.
Friday, April 03, 2009 - 03:03 pm, by: Luke Burt(Burt)
Haha, I'm not going to be offended by your dislike of my tyres.
I was just offering my opinion to the topic starter. I think nankangs are excellent for the price.
From where I'm sitting in the drivers seat, they aren't too noisy, they are pretty comfortable, they stick well, My car doesn't break traction in the dry, and it barely breaks traction in the wet.
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