Streamliner

I was reading a Car & Driver article about the significant face lift coming to the 2024 Porsche Cayenne. Here is part of it:

”The Cayenne's stance has been toughened up by larger-diameter tires. In off-roader terms they're 31-inchers, which makes them just over an inch larger than before. The reasoning for this wasn't enhanced off-road prowess, but rather a higher level of rolling comfort and mechanical grip owing to a larger contact patch. Although the base wheels go from 19s to 20s, many wheels are the same diameter as before, which not only means there's more sidewall but that the tire assemblies also house more air, which in turn allows Porsche to earn compound interest by lowering tire pressures a smidge. Indeed, the prototypes stuck like Velcro yet largely filtered out the worst textures that the coarse and tortured asphalt of the tightest Malibu canyons had to offer.

Gee. A car company has finally decided that rubber-band thickness sidewalls just might not offer a comfortable ride and GEE, deeper sidewall tires CAN and DO handle great. Amazing! What will they think of next???

I’ve been preaching it here for years: Deeper sidewall tires provide more cushion & a more comfortable ride, period.

tx170754

Totally agree, that is why I went from 19" to 18" on my 560, the ride is way better......

Streamliner

Yes! And too bad MBUSA shoved the bigger brakes--which are optional in Germany--down our throats, because now US spec W223's can go no smaller than 19" wheels.

tx170754

That is not good, one of the reasons I've sold my S8 was the bumpy ride on 20"...and it was really harsh !

Streamliner

Any luxury vehicle, running huge wheels with very low profile tires can return a truly excellent ride quality on absolutely perfect, ribbon smooth roads. It is around city streets, on parking lot aprons, over speed bumps and on less than perfect highways that the problems hit you in the forehead with a 2x4.. Yet, what do you want to bet that someone here, who has 21's on their S Class will talk about how perfectly smooth their car rides no matter what?

tx170754

Driving on "on absolutely perfect, ribbon smooth roads" is one thing and the reality is another....Where I live not even the freeways are like that...

SW20S

They all know that already. Thats why if you notice with each generation the tires get a little thicker. W223 19s have thicker tires than W222 20s the same way. Big brakes pay a huge benefit, this is a big car and big brakes make it stop better. So, its a balance.

A lot of it depends on styling, for instance on a W223 I would go for the 20s because the 19s look too small, where on my W222 I have the 19s which I think look great.

BenjaminKohl

The aspect ratio of 19 inch wheels on the 223 is the same as 18s on the 222, same with new 20s and old 19s. So you're getting the same thickness of rubber on a new 19 inch W223 as on an 18 inch W222.

SW20S

That is roughly correct...they're not quite the same but almost.

tx170754

Almost should do the job, so, why people are complaining about the 223 ride, are the suspensions of 222 and 223 so different ?

crabman

I think the ride is nice but I'm coming from a Panamera which is more firm in normal than this one is in sport plus. I also got the 19s and skipped the e-abc due to the reports of it reducing ride quality.