Moving from 18” to 19” wheels… impact on ride? (And any other risks?)

[Sequentialist]

Hey guys

I have a recently purchased Tiguan Life - 1.4T. It’s the base model here in Australia and therefore it doesn’t have any sort of adaptive or adjustable suspension.

The car came with 235/55 R18 wheels, but I’ve seen a set of 19” wheels for sale from a brand new Elegance-grade car (suspect the owner updated to 20” R-line wheels).

These would run 235/50 R19 tyres.

I love the idea of 19” wheels as they fill out the wheel arches more, and would give an edge in handling for quick turns and manoeuvres.

However, I’m wondering what the impact will be on ride? Will the ride be just a little firmer but still fine, or will I really be ruining the excellent ride that comes with the 18” wheels?

Also, as my model doesn’t have adaptive suspension and was probably calibrated for 18” wheels/tyres, will there be any problems there?

Keen to hear your thoughts - especially if you’ve done a similar move from 18” to 19”.

Cheers guys!
Mike

[Hillbilly]

Will up the gearing slightly so may make it slower off the line. Will lower speedo reading slightly depending on difference in diameter. Lower profile are usually a bit harsher riding

[cameleon72]

If you prefer comfort and sporty balance in everyday situation ,I would not go on 19inch is very harsh. I try all from 17 , 18, 19 ,20 and gone back to 18 inch as perfect balance . Tiguan suspension standard one are made by Sachs , probably also at your car?
From my experience comparing to Tiguan Rline DCC suspension vs standard Sachs suspension on Tiguan , is more likely factory setup to be in between Sport an Normal on DCC suspension, but standard non dcc suspension have more natural feel ,very firm and more stable less roiling feel than wit DCC ( suspension pistons are more ticker and solid on Sachs standard non dcc vs Monroe DCC ) . Unless you switch to Comfort mode on DCC which is like float feel, but kid wobbly and unstable. I think on any Tiguan is perfect balance 18 inch wheel with some good UHP tyres.
From my testing experience I would Highly recommended Conti premium6 to go best with 18 inch wheel on Tiguan, for perfect balance for best sporty handling and inside comfort . Not sure how Michelin UHP tyres will go with 18 wheels , as was not able to find any Michelin sport 4(s) in this 235/55R18 sizes , keen next time to try maybe Latitude sport 3 , as is only of Michelin UHP tyres available in this 235/5518 size .

[Sequentialist]

Thanks man. Always find your feedback valuable. Cheers! Mike

[Sequentialist]

Thanks! Something to think about - I don’t want the ride to become too firm, but I do like the idea of sharper turn-in with the 19”s. I guess I need to find the right compromise point.

[cameleon72]

No worrys I know what you mean, but Tiguan is heavy car and alredy come with stiff suspension alredy tweak at factory to be sporty and very firm .
What tyres you have currently ? Tyres can make huge difference in handling.
You will be surprised if go with Contipremium 6 how overall handling improve and precision of steering input . Car will fill more lighter and more agile moving around in the city and definitely much faster on start than any tyre I try on Tiguan.
Breaking is also amazing wet or dry ,you always feel safe and in control . But on beginning coming from some other heavy tyres It need some time to get used . As those tyres feel very light at front , like you have less control, however this is just because the tyres are ultra light, but sidewalls do amazing job cornering and moving around .
If you do highway mostly, than maybe is better option on your 18 inch wheels some more heavy tyres like Bridgestone HP sport or Turenza , Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 2 (3) SUV to give you more relax heavy steering feel and less steering input on higher speed , but again car will get more slower, less agile and in City bad roads you will fill more potholes , as those tyres are more heavy and it reflect on front suspension to hear those notorious loud bangs and knocks which is common issue on this Tiguan. Every kg you save at front make more pleasant drive , especially on drivetrain ( brakes, wheels, tyres)

[Sequentialist]

No worrys I know what you mean, but Tiguan is heavy car and alredy come with stiff suspension alredy tweak at factory to be sporty and very firm .
What tyres you have currently ? Tyres can make huge difference in handling.
You will be surprised if go with Contipremium 6 how overall handling improve and precision of steering input . Car will fill more lighter and more agile moving around in the city and definitely much faster on start than any tyre I try on Tiguan.
Breaking is also amazing wet or dry ,you always feel safe and in control . But on beginning coming from some other heavy tyres It need some time to get used . As those tyres feel very light at front , like you have less control, however this is just because the tyres are ultra light, but sidewalls do amazing job cornering and moving around .
If you do highway mostly, than maybe is better option on your 18 inch wheels some more heavy tyres like Bridgestone HP sport or Turenza , Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 2 (3) SUV to give you more relax heavy steering feel and less steering input on higher speed , but again car will get more slower, less agile and in City bad roads you will fill more potholes , as those tyres are more heavy and it reflect on front suspension to hear those notorious loud bangs and knocks which is common issue on this Tiguan. Every kg you save at front make more pleasant drive , especially on drivetrain ( brakes, wheels, tyres)

Hey man,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Right now I have Pirelli Scorpion Verde tyres (235/55R1 - they are a high end tyre from what I gather, and they do get an AA grip rating.

I’m actually really happy with these - I was just considering taking up an option to buy 19” VW alloy wheels at a really good price, and therefore I would need new tyres too.

The reason for the upgrade was going to be the slight appearance benefit of the 19s, and a bit of a boost to cornering handling.

However - I was also weighing up the potential drop in ride quality and increase in noise and harshness that would come from a move to 19s.

There was a bit of a hiccup with the alloy wheels offer… so I’m now not sure I’ll be going ahead (still working out what tyres I might be able to get with the 19s on offer, within budget).

Most of my driving is urban, but I do travel to the country sometimes.

If I keep the 18” wheels, I will look at the UC6s when the time comes to replace my tyres, or potentially just get another set of the Pirellis.

Cheers,
Mike


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[cameleon72]

No worry glad if can help. As I was on same path as you now.

However you already answered this '' I was also weighing up the potential drop in ride quality and increase in noise and harshness that would come from a move to 19s. '' Yes it will happen this , yes with 19's you will gain bit cornering fill, however from testing and experience moving to 19 inch ( anyway we talking about dropping from 55 to 50 profile tyre) will gain little gain in cornering you want to improve ,but you will definitely gain more discomfort .

However my model is at least 100kg AWD fully loaded more heavy than your 1.4 tiguan . This can also make big difference in harshness and comfort , as 100kg is big difference! So you are welcome to try for yourself with 19 inch and see how you go.
From my experience I realize is better instead to stick with better tyre to keep comfort but also to improve handling. Bigger wheels usually weight more , unless you pull over $2500+ for UHP light wheels

Pirelli Verde is good comfort tyre however is definitely not UHP tyre for sporty handling .Is more orientated for every day comfort tyre with decent low noise . In my experience cornering is bit soft and handling is nothing special on 18 inch wheel .If you want UHP Pirelli best tyre than go to Pirelli PZero PZ4 this one is top range ,very light Pirelli Ultra Performance tyre , has very hard side walls for cornering and sporty handling with triple size lip rim protector . I have one set 4 x tyre as for sale as new condition for $600 ,check trading posts on this forum.

[iDiesel]

I have the Pirelli Verde 20’s on my 2018 Rline
The car has DCC
The ride is OK in normal mode which I assume would be similar to non-DCC version
19s would be softer so I would think quite acceptable
I ride mine in comfort mode most of the time

[Jif99]

I would be very surprised if anyone could tell the difference between 18 and 19 rims, with correct tire pressures.
having 20”, 21” and 22” rims on last few cars, 19”’s would look too small.

Like tv’s always go the next size up