Lioninstreet

I have a 2012 R350 with the rear air suspension and have been running on a 9/32 set of all season 255/50r19's (Conti Cross Contacts). This is the factory tire size running on the standard equipment OE rims. At 38-40 psi, the ride is awesome and smooth even on poor roads. It feels like riding in a limousine.

The other day I swapped rims, upgrading to the factory 20" AMG rims. They had a set of 6/32 set of Pirelli Scorpion Zero summer tires (265/45r20) also running at 38-40 psi.

My problem is the ride quality (something very important to me) after the swap deteriorated noticeably. I feel so much more of the road now and am pretty disappointed. My wife says the change is like going from a comfortable sneaker to hot stiletto shoe. It looks hot, but they aren't anywhere near as comfortable.


Comparing the two tire sized on tiresize.com the 255/50r19's are 29" diameter, 5" sidewall, and 10" wide.


The 265/45r20's are 29.4" diameter, 4.7" sidewall, and 10.4" wide

So my question for you guys is this. Should loosing 3/10's of an inch in sidewall make that much difference in ride quality? Is part of this problem caused by changing the brand and season rating? Short of going back to the 19" setup, can anything be done to improve the ride quality, maybe trying to find a taller 20" tire size?

Any ideas would sure be helpful. Thanks in advance.