Sunrose305

I like the look of the 19" wheels but I am buying an E300 for its superior ride and quiet interior. To that end I optioned mine with Air Body Control and the Acoustic Comfort Package. My question is would adding 19" wheels (which come with a lower rise tire) reduce ride comfort or increase tire noise as compared to the 18" wheels?

c4004matic

Taller sidewall=better ride end of story. The differences between 18 and 19 as far as handling are concerned are negligible. Pick your favorite 18 design and that's it. To notice significant handling differences you need at least a 2 in difference in diameter (with the corresponding diminishing sidewall). When going up or down an inch the main difference is esthetics and slightly better ride. If you are really looking for the smoothest ride simply go for 17's, there is actually a 17 in rim that looks quite good, a surprise since they are usually all ugly.

mjsbenz

Fully agree that 19s ride harsher than 18s. And 17s ride better than 18s.

I changed my original build from 18s to 19s because I really liked the way the 19s looked.

Of course it is all about personal preferences and for me, the improvement in looks outweigh the slight increase in harshness.

Lanzz

I love the look of the 19 inch wheels and I have zero regrets, but between the 19 inch wheels and the stiff sidewall of the runflat tires, the ride is pretty stiff over larger bumps.

dukester34

thanks good question I went with the 19s, and added the airmatic and acoustic comfort pkg because of that

Lanzz

I think that is really smart - you get the great look of the 19s, without the harshness and noise.

mjsbenz

I have been driving a 2015 BMW 535 with 19 inch runflats and the ride is really fine; not harsh at all. I live in NJ and travel to Manhattan several times a month and the ride is comfortable.

joshg1001

I dont think the ride is harsh at all with the 19s. I can't speak to road noise compared to the 18s though. The 19s on the E class ride better than the 18s I had on my C class

c4004matic

Wheel size is one consideration however another big one is suspension travel. The first car I ever owned was a Peugeot 504, since it was a international car meant to be driven anywhere in the world it had an incredible range of suspension travel and a fairly soft spring rate, that feature combined with some absurdly comfortable seats provided the most comfortable ride of any car I have driven, hardly sporty, but like driving on a cloud. It was amazing as a rally car, it could jump in the air and land as if that was the natural thing for a car to do every day! I was lucky I never flipped it or crashed it since when the car was crashed tested in the 70s it was an utter disaster, it crushed like a soda can and folded in half like a noodle.

c4004matic

True!

Streamliner

I have watched with dismay the absolute madness that has consumed the automakers with their hellbent desire to shove larger diameter wheels/shallower sidewall tires down out throats. It seems that they have gone out of their way to make it damn near impossible for those of us who value ride quality above all else to even special order smaller diameter wheels. And then, IF such wheels are offered, they seem to make them as ugly as they possibly can. They must be in cahoots with the tire makers, as we all know what it costs to replace a 20" RFT that suffers a minor puncture--and then they tell you that you need to buy at least TWO!

The new Lincoln Continental, which is SUPPOSED to offer this amazingly comfortable & quiet ride, has 20" wheels as standard equipment and the magazines have mentioned the harsh ride. The MB S600 Maybach has the most beautiful 20" wheels, but when I test drove one, the ride did not compare to my S550 with 18" wheels shod with conventional tires. Crazy! I believe the automakers have lost their minds on this. I don't see why beautiful, 17" wheels can't be standard on the E Class, with other 17" & larger wheel options, so everyone can be happy.

c4004matic

Its all about style, however, I must confess I do like those big wheels with skinny tires. I ordered my E43 with 20's I hope I don't regret it. I did drive a 20 in equipped E 43 but only on good roads and a rather short drive, it felt similar to the E300 with 18s that I took on the long test drive. One big difference 'tween the E 43 and E300 is that the 43 setup banishes understeer completely. The 300 will understeer when pushed aggressively, the 43 just bites and steers its remarkably neutral and secure right up to any sane limits. The handling on the 43 is worthy of a 911, the 300 is worthy, of what else?...... a regular Eclass, smooooooth!

NYC-Style

I had 19" on my 2015 C Class (sport model)...and it definitely was a harsher ride has compared to my 2017 E (luxury model) with 17"...that was specifically the reason why I stayed away from the 19s when getting my new E.

Sunrose305

Thanks all. I'm sticking with the 18". Ride trumps appearance for me. And 18" wheels are a tad less susceptible to curb rash (an issue with my BMW 550i Sport).

Streamliner

I like "style," as much as the next guy. 22" wheels with "rubber band" tires look sensational, but offer ride characteristics similar to cinder blocks! Who doesn't appreciate a beautiful woman in 4" heels? They look great, but when she decides to go for a walk, there's no way she is going much of ANYWHERE, without putting her flats on. Same thing with cars. Do you want to look great while stopped at a light, or do you want a comfortable ride the other 90% of the time? If you chose the prior, you are obviously in your 20's or are one of those divorced, over 50 guys with the gold chains who think they are still "hot." OMG! Oh, and of course your car is black!

makris0000

I just drove my E300 with the 19 inch AMG wheels from Tampa to Orlando and it was a very comfortable ride. I do not think one inch will make that much of a difference. If it was 3 or more inches then I could see there being a difference, but only 1 inch won't make that much of a difference in ride quality.

Just my opinion on the matter.

Streamliner

There are folks driving various cars with 20" wheels and run flat tires who think that the ride they have is sensational, and it probably IS, based on what they know. Then, they compare their car with a similar car riding on 18" wheels with a quiet, comfortable, brand/style of conventional tires. At that point, their ride is not nearly as great as they thought it was. The value or quality of ANYTHING depends on exactly WHAT it is compared to.

Mike__S

As is pointed out, higher profile tires ride better. It is implied they do not "handle" better, but this really depends as much on construction technology as profile.

A "high" performance tire will have a much less compliant bead/sidewall construction compared to a "premium luxury" tire of the same size and profile. This can be noted by simply squeezing the sidewall of an unmounted tire in your hand.

This variation is far greater among 55-50 series tires than in 45, and then especially with 40 series tend to all have relatively stiff bead construction. 35 profile tend to have extremely stiff bead/sidewall for preservation, if anything else. It is in this sense that 19 and 20 inch tires look good, but do not always handle any better, especially if ride quality is one of the criteria.

Large low profile tires on ultra smooth roads deceive the user, because once on rougher pavement, the ride will deteriorate, sometimes significantly and with more noise relative to higher profile tires. The same is true of sport suspension, and one of the solid improvements these days is adjustable and/or adaptive shocks. The normal E300 uses adjustable shocks. This helps keep ride quality on rougher roads, but only to a point when using 19 and 20 inch wheels.

Tire compliance is part of the suspension. What we tend to get with 45 or 50 series tires is greater compliance, so less shock on high velocity suspension compressions (bumps and undulations) and a tendency for less tire noise.

What is sacrificed is usually perceived as less sharp steering response and/or slower dynamic response to side loads. I just want to point out that this impression is a function of the tire bead/sidewall construction and not 100% dependent on tire profile or wheel size. There are plenty of 50 series tires that handle quite well. TireRack has many different reviews that point out ride quality among tire types and brands of the same size tire.

The second aspect of tire performance is compound, i.e. tread wear rating of 200 or lower is going to give significantly more grip both in cornering and it braking distance. So, beware even 50 series sidewall ultra high performance tires can give crisp handing and solid grip.

What I have noted from personal experience is 35 or 40 profile tires feel more immediate in your hands, but lap times are no different than 45 or even in one case, a 50 series competition tire. It is down to tire construction in the end.

One can always tighten up an 18 inch wheel/ 45 series tire combination by choosing a known, stiff construction tire instead of a 'touring' type tire. It is very difficult to go the other way on 40 and especially 35.

CanadianLP

Mike_s, your reply was full of Win! Great Post!

I did the same exercise with my c450. When from oem, 19, run flats to forged 18 inches and non run flats. Still very crisp, more responsive and soon much smoother and compliant. 😎

Exvette

what are you using to pint the door handles and chrome?

JakeW213

It seems like no one really considers the surface of the road as a difference maker.

I am on 20” and they are perfectly fine... until i hit bad quality roads. But 90% of the roads I drive on is of good quality.

So if you drive on bad roads... it will make 17” or 18” alot better than 19” and 20” but on good roads... its not so much of a deal breaker