Considering going from 18" wheels to 20"

U

UnstoppableKARL

Member
Location
Colorado Springs
Hello everyone. My recently purchased (2/19/13) pre-owned FX45 (2003 at 80k miles for $16k) had some random aftermarket 18's put on from one of the 2 previous owners. Not sure why or what they did with the stock 20's, but I'm seriously considering buying the original 20's back - with the Yokohama Parada's. I was just looking for some input on ride quality, handling, and perhaps treadwear from those that have experience going from 18's to 20's. My main concern is ride quality, which with my current 18's on Cooper tires, is, well, decent.

The Cooper tires seem hard (at 45 psi all around) and are very noisy - it's a loud humming at freeway speeds. Not sure if perhaps I need the shocks/struts changed out either, as I'm sitting at 84k miles. I did test drive another 45 before the one I have now and that had the 20's on them. The ride and handling just seemed superb on that one, can't recall the tires on them but I do remember they weren't the stock Goodyear's. It honestly didn't feel any different in terms of ride quality compared to my previous vehicle Mazda 6 '05, with the 17's. I skipped on the other FX because the interior was falling apart (couldn't stand that) and it had 100k miles, but the exterior was in excellent shape. Mine though, has a great interior with some scratches and the exterior has debris chips and scratches all over on the bottom half of the FX. Well, guess I can't get everything...

I do realize that the psi is quite high, I did that on purpose because the ride just feels more responsive and compliant than the lower psi from before. Plus, I'm not a fan of these Cooper tires on the FX anyway, they will be changed out soon regardless. I'm just not sure if I should change them on my current 18's or get the stock 20's with the Parada's. Any input is welcome and appreciated!
 
The ride quality isn't much different at all. I test drove an FX with 18s and 20s back to back. Even then the difference wasn't much.

Sent from my DROID RAZR 4 Beta
 
Get the 20's and get the parada's. This conversation has been ongoing for the longest time, and the parada's are consistently among the 2 or 3 best tires for this category of car.

Get the 20's only because they have to be on your 45. The car looks wayyyy better.
 
meme405 said:
Get the 20's and get the parada's. This conversation has been ongoing for the longest time, and the parada's are consistently among the 2 or 3 best tires for this category of car.

Get the 20's only because they have to be on your 45. The car looks wayyyy better.
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Ok, I agree with everyone and will save up and fork out for the stock dubs. I would go aftermarket, but the FX just looks so clean with the regular 20's to me (the designers knew what they were doing :P). I sure did wish the previous owners would have left them on (bastards). I only had 2 choices in the city within my budget at the time...
 
Um, why are you running 18"s at 45psi? That's really high and partially the cause of your rough ride. I'm running 22"s at 34 psi...

Your handling can't be better at 45psi and there's no way it would feel more compliant. Maybe less wallow in corners, but your overall traction is reduced. If you had 20"s at a proper psi, it will probably ride better than your current setup. FWIW, I went from 18"s to 22"s and the ride quality wasn't radically different. On small bumps and road imperfections, it was rougher, but it's not noticable most of the time.
 
shadow191 said:
Um, why are you running 18"s at 45psi? That's really high and partially the cause of your rough ride. I'm running 22"s at 34 psi...

Your handling can't be better at 45psi and there's no way it would feel more compliant. Maybe less wallow in corners, but your overall traction is reduced. If you had 20"s at a proper psi, it will probably ride better than your current setup. FWIW, I went from 18"s to 22"s and the ride quality wasn't radically different. On small bumps and road imperfections, it was rougher, but it's not noticable most of the time.
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I agree with you, and was running it for a month on 32 psi. I believe it is the Cooper tires, I've never had any psi up that high. The steering was ridiculously heavy and the ride was bouncy as well at 32 psi. I know that is backwards, but the Cooper tires seemed to have made it that way. By the way, I didn't put those tires on either, they came with it. Nevertheless, they are being switched out within a month - either Falken 18's or Parada 20's.

---------- Post added at 06:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:30 PM ----------
porkandbeans said:
You'll be much happier with a stock (or better) setup.
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Bingo, exactly what I was thinking - must take out a loan lol.

---------- Post added at 06:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:30 PM ----------

On second thought, I was wondering if there are any aftermarket wheels that have a similar look to the stock 20's that I can get from a local tire/wheel store (Big-O, Discount tires, etc.)? The reason I ask is because they will include everything with the purchase - valve stem, center caps, lug-nuts, etc. The majority of the sellers on ebay for the stock 20's don't have the center caps, or something along those lines requiring me to make additional purchases. I would like a one-stop solution.

Just if anyone had any links to some similar looking rims, 20" style of course :).
 
Logan said:
If you can find a set of 20" GTR's you will be very happy and for not much more than you will spend on OE wheels.
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GTR wheels sound sweet! However I did some research and found the 20" Sport Edition KV5's for $870 total with shipping. As soon as they come in, I'm throwing the Parada's on them. Will post back with results!
 
Before - 18" MB wheels (decent looking) wrapped with Cooper tires (decent cheap tire, however it handicaps the FX's dynamic capabilities)

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After - 20" KVB Sport Edition (O.Z. Wheels) wrapped in delicious Yokohama Parada Spec-X's. The differences were unbelievable. The FX feels like a Cadillac going down the tarmac, the traction is far more stickier with a much higher resistance to losing grip, and the steering feels so light and buttery compared to the Coopers. I'm running 35psi all around, and the little bumps in the road that were transmitted through the cabin before are non-existent now. The Coopers made a loud hum at speeds above 40mph, whereas the Yokes sound like a soft purring. Here kitty, kitty, kitty :)

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I'm loving this beast!!!
 
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