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Congrats!! Obviously, 20s aren't the best choice in pursuit of a smooth ride.
There is more to a "smooth ride" than wheel size. Suspension designers take into consideration the wheel/tire combination they are designing for. And then there is many thousands of miles of testing before the cars go into production. My son has an Escalade with 22 inch wheels and 65 profile tires and it's like riding on my living room couch. Everyone has different preferences.
8297444[/url]]There is more to a "smooth ride" than wheel size. Suspension designers take into consideration the wheel/tire combination they are designing for. And then there is many thousands of miles of testing before the cars go into production. My son has an Escalade with 22 inch wheels and 65 profile tires and it's like riding on my living room couch. Everyone has different preferences.
The 65 series tires are why it rides so well. The size of the wheels doesn’t matter, what matters is how thick the sidewall is. The 20s for the S Class have pretty low profile tires.
The 65 series tires are why it rides so well. The size of the wheels doesn’t matter, what matters is how thick the sidewall is. The 20s for the S Class have pretty low profile tires.
SW20S, I wasn't inferring that I thought the "living room couch" ride meant that it rode well, just really soft. I don't care for the floaty, imprecise feel to it. My main point was that a vehicle's design for ride and handling includes body, suspension, wheels, tires not just wheels and tires.
2018 S560 4matic Sedan. Official member of the 18" RIM CREW.
Originally Posted by as.thompson
There is more to a "smooth ride" than wheel size. Suspension designers take into consideration the wheel/tire combination they are designing for. And then there is many thousands of miles of testing before the cars go into production. My son has an Escalade with 22 inch wheels and 65 profile tires and it's like riding on my living room couch. Everyone has different preferences.
I didn't say that the only variable is wheel size. If you have a 20" wheel with 65-series sidewall, you're in good shape obviously....but that's not a fitment that would work on our cars. 20" wheels are the not the best choice for a smooth ride in our cars.
Last edited by PatentLawyer; Mar 22, 2021 at 11:03 AM.
The bottom line is all things being equal, the taller the sidewall the softer the ride will be. So on our cars 19s will be softer than 20s and 18s will be softer than 19s. Thats just physics.
Lexus LS 460 F-Sport (retired), 2020 Lexus GX460 Black, 2020 S560 Diamond White Metallic
Originally Posted by jekoda
Like many others I waited for the 223 intro but unfortunately was not too excited about the interior so decided to go with the beautifully designed 222 -- 2020 Diamond White Metallic/Black Interior, 2020 4MATIC AMG 20" Multispoke. Listed at $127k, got it for $100k. Seems like a very fair deal, especially as I watch my desired exterior/interior color combo supply (for new) throughout the U.S. beginning to thin out. Would have been sick if I waited too long to save a few thousand and missed the chance to buy. Very happy.
Currently out of town on a long vacation so I've not yet driven the car and it's been almost 2 years since my last 560 test drive (lol). Taking delivery next Monday.
Coming from an LS460 F-Sport, I will be somewhat sensitive to a smooth/quiet ride. That said, the 560 comes with (from what I've read here during the past several days) probably the least desired run flats -- the Pirelli P Zero.
I've read all the threads here, and I'm still not sure what I'll end up doing about the tires -- leave them on for a while or immediately head to Firestone and replace them with non run flats. Feel free to comment for the 1,000th time, ha!
Looking forward to my first drive next Monday.
Picked up my new S560 today.
As stated in the opening post of this thread, I had not driven the car and my last brief/only test drive was 2 years ago. Wow! This car is amazing -- luxurious, smooth, quiet & gd fast.
Coming from a 2016 LS460, my expectations where the S560 would be marginally better. I was wrong. It is exceedingly better. While the LS460 is a great car, the difference between the two is like a great athlete who peaks in college versus a professional all-star.
Sure, the 20” inch wheels with Pirelli P Zero run flats generate excess road noise, but only at highway speeds of ~50 mph or more. City driving is great -- very smooth, very quiet. And road imperfections are certainly more noticeable on the run flats, but not in a way that’s disappointing or embarrassing for a $130k car.
This all said, I do realize I’m in the giddy wide-eyed trance of a virgin’s honeymoon phase. Likely in a few thousand miles I’ll be anxious to throw on new tires to tweak improve/decrease higher speed highway noise but for now the current wheels/tires are fine.
I appreciate all the advice/opinions in this thread.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by jekoda
Picked up my new S560 today.
As stated in the opening post of this thread, I had not driven the car and my last brief/only test drive was 2 years ago. Wow! This car is amazing -- luxurious, smooth, quiet & gd fast.
Coming from a 2016 LS460, my expectations where the S560 would be marginally better. I was wrong. It is exceedingly better. While the LS460 is a great car, the difference between the two is like a great athlete who peaks in college versus a professional all-star.
Sure, the 20” inch wheels with Pirelli P Zero run flats generate excess road noise, but only at highway speeds of ~50 mph or more. City driving is great -- very smooth, very quiet. And road imperfections are certainly more noticeable on the run flats, but not in a way that’s disappointing or embarrassing for a $130k car.
This all said, I do realize I’m in the giddy wide-eyed trance of a virgin’s honeymoon phase. Likely in a few thousand miles I’ll be anxious to throw on new tires to tweak improve/decrease higher speed highway noise but for now the current wheels/tires are fine.
I appreciate all the advice/opinions in this thread.
Here’s a pic of this beaut:
Very nice car. Wishing you many thousands of safe, enjoyable miles. Between 1993 and 2011, I had eight, new Lexus top line LS sedans, all with air suspension. When I saw that my next LS would be equipped with that horrid “spindle” grille, I ordered a 2013 S550 and never looked back. When the new LS500’s were released, I test drove one, again with their air suspension. I was actually shocked at how poorly the car rode and how noticeable the V6 was. At one time, the LS may have competed with the S Class, but those days ended when the W221 was introduced and were blown away with the W222.
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I wasn't inferring that I thought the "living room couch" ride meant that it rode well, just really soft. I don't care for the floaty, imprecise feel to it. My main point was that a vehicle's design for ride and handling includes body, suspension, wheels, tires not just wheels and tires.
