Ride Quality with 22" or 20" Wheels

[FAME2002]

After recently putting 22"s on my 300c, I noticed that the part of the dash that you can bring up how many miles till you have to fill up is way off now. Before when I would fill up the gas it would say anywhere from 320-340 miles untill next fill up depending on how fast i was driving, now today I filled it up and it said 232 miles. Has anyone else had, or noticed this problem? I really use this feature of the car, and have gone down to 1 mile and its been very accurate. Does anyone know if there is a fix? I have heard of reprogramming the computer, but I have also been told that you dont want the dealership to do this. If anyone has any insight to this please let me know. Thanks

[300Con23s]

It happeans with almost any car when you put plus size tires and rims. I don't really know if theres anyway around it. I honestly wouldn't want to mess around with reprogramming for plus size rims and tires I just think its too risky and would be a prefect reason for the dealer to not fix problems that might occur because of reprogramming or anything close to it. And I dont think the dealer will do anything about most all dealers hate the fact you put bigger tires and rims.

[Redman]

Itz not that the dealers hate the dubs, itz that the dubs "hate" the car.
Amongst other things, they wear out the suspension parts, overtax the brakes, and stress out the chassis.
Would you want to pay for that kind of wear & abuse?
Let me guess, ...

[BobD]

I bought my 20's from the dealer and they happily reprogrammed the computer to match the new O/D.

[E55 KEV]

see this thread:

The rub against "dubs"

[rogue]

Originally Posted by FAME2002

Before when I would fill up the gas it would say anywhere from 320-340 miles untill next fill up depending on how fast i was driving, now today I filled it up and it said 232 miles.

I have not seen much of a difference in speed or mileage since switching to the 22"s. We both have the same setup with the exception of offset which shouldnt make a difference. I could be wrong, but the only difference you should be experiencing should be in your speedometer.

I am averaging 240-280 miles per tank on 89 octane. My mpg meter reads 14.8 over the past 2 tanks. This seems normal to me and fitting with a 5.7 litre. I was averaging the same mileage on the stock 18" too. Perhaps your computer is in need of calibration from the factory? 340 miles seems high to me, even with freeway miles.

Perhaps I should finish my coffee

[FAME2002]

the only thing im really talking about is when you bring up the information on the dash...you know where it shows the compass, and all the personal settings? If you bring this up and go to where it shows you the estimated miles until you need to get gas again, since putting the rims on this is not the same. Im wondering if its just because of the rims, maybe its throwing it off? I use this feature all the time so Im wanting to get it corrected. Ill check the estimated mpg but im talking about the miles till you need gas.

[JonW]

Originally Posted by rogue

I have not seen much of a difference in speed or mileage since switching to the 22"s.

Rogue, you mentioned a while back about thinking twice on the 22's and maybe going for the 20's. What do you think now that you've been riding on them for a while?

[rogue]

I feel it important to reiterate the fact that ride quality and road vibration on 22" is not better than stock rims. I am posting this because over the past 3 weeks I have gained quite a bit of experience with my 22" wheels and have some observations. I have no intention of arguing with anyone, I just want the truth in MY situation to be stated. I see a lot of people claiming the ride is better than stock and I don't want anyone to be mislead.

While some of you may believe that your ride quality has improved, I think its a case of denial. I've driven many cars with upgraded rims and tires, and never once, has going to a larger wheel improved ride quality. Lower profile tires ride harsher, its reality. The suspension on my Audi A4 was trashed after 70k miles on 18x8.5" wheels.

Handling improved? yes indeed. More rubber on the road...

Lets do a few tests:

1. Drive with your pinky finger only on the stock tires. Then do so with your 22"s and post your results. You will see a noticeable difference in movement in the steering wheel. These cars tend to have quite a bit of bumpsteer with the stock wheels and tires. This is dampened by the higher profile and cushion of the stock 18" tires. I have had SCARY bumpsteer experiences with the 22"s. Had I not been gripping my wheel tightly and corrected the steering, I would have easily hopped over into the other lane or onto a curb. The bumpsteer is drastically magnified with 22" wheels and 265/30/22 tires. Please be careful where you try this. If you hit a pothole or imperfection in the road, your steering wheel WILL jerk and your pinky isn't going to be enough to handle the bumpsteer.

2. Throw your car into a turn way too fast. TRY and toss that rear end out a bit. With the stock wheels and tires, this will be controlled by ESP and be quite a smooth turn. The ESP system gives a lot of confidence to most drivers. That confidence is tossed out the window. Now try that with your 22" Wheels. Hop Hop hop. Scary isn't it? If you aren't experiencing this, you havent pushed the limits of you vehicle on the 22" wheels. (not that I endorse this) Find a large parking lot like I did and you'll see what I mean. The suspension and ESP was not designed with the 22" wheels in mind. It no longer feels 'right'.

All that said and done, its important to recognize a few facts.

Wheels don't get any lighter than a forged 3 piece design. Generally, 3 piece are racing wheels and I had assumed this would provide a slight performance increase over heavy cast wheels. I was dead wrong. The wheel and tire package is about 10 pounds heavier per wheel than the stock tires. I can't imagine heavier wheels would handle or ride better than a forged setup.

22" tires are expensive. I doubt any of you will be lighting them up too often or entering any drifting competitions any time soon I still like to know what the limits of my vehicle are, and there is no better place than an airport or large parking lot to explore those limits. Consider an autocross event if you dont want to have a meeting with a police officer. The limits of my car are downgraded with 22" wheels and tires.

Don't upgrade your wheels to 22" unless you want to adjust your driving style. Regardless of what anyone says, they HAVE adjusted their driving style to 22" wheels and their ride quality has changed.

I love the way my car looks, Love the extra rubber on the ground, and love the looks people give.

I hate the bumpsteer, hate the road vibration through the steering wheel, hate having to constantly avoid bumps, grates, and potholes, and I hate parallel parking next to curbs.

Stick with 20" if you drive a lot. 22" is fine on a daily driver, but prepare to make some sacrifices. I still have no intention of swapping mine out for 20"s but my opinions have changed since driving for 3 weeks. I'm willing to make the sacrifice to give the car "the look" but some of you may not.

Hope this helps some of you.

[vengra]

Rogue, I have no intentions of swapping mine, but I would agree with your observations.