Ride Quality with 22" or 20" Wheels

[larrynipon]

I've just gotten an AWD as well, coming off an Audi S6. You've got a 340 HP car, that is expected to put that power to the pavement, behave in a manageable fashion on twisty's and highways, without bouncing all over the place. IMO, they've done a superb job (maybe even a bit soft) in balancing the requirements of comfort and drivability. Any softer, and I believe you would feel somewhat vague and a lack of control in many situations. Give it time, you've got a grat machine. My advice is DON'T soften it up. I think you'll regret it in the long run.

Originally Posted by vanilla300DC

I am dis-satified with the ride and comfort of my relatively new 300 C AWD. I had hoped for a softer more forgiving ride. The ride is stiff and unforgiving. I feel every crack in the road. I had thought that maybe the large wheel size and reduced rubber was the cause. The dealership suggested the expensive solution of after market springs with less firmness. I wondered if taller tires would give the ride of the 17 inch wheels on the demonstrator I drove? would the taller tires put more rubber and air between the road and my ass? Would the taller tires rub the suspension parts during turns?

[Jim300C]

I drove a C with optional continental run-flats immediately after driving one with OEM Goodyears (both 2006 C models). When I returned to the dealer with conti's I asked to drive the first car again.

It confirmed the harsh ride of the conti's. The Goodyears were the correct tire for this car. I can only assume the SRT8 is a little firmer than the C bacause my 2000 300M with the performance suspension, still (150,000 miles) takes the corners flater than then new C.

The question then becomes; what tire came on your AWD? If you got the protection package with the conti's, then a tire change will correct your ride issues.

Good luck

PS: The C may not corner as flat as my M, but it is a whole lot smoother and quieter.

[Primal69]

I have a RWD 300C on 20" custom wheels with some Toyo tires.

When I first bought the car I had the dealership throw the rims and tires in with the final price for the car, and had been driving it from Feb thru November of last year with the Dubs. Handling is a vast improvement compaired to the factory 18s, and the looks were an obvious improvement.

I put the factory rims and tires back on in November, and noticed a significant difference in the accelleration side, being the weight of the dubs are probably almost double that of the factory.

If you live where 'Winter conditions' are a factor, I highly advise keeping both sets of rims and tires (Factory and your new ones) so you can slap those ugly ass Chrysler wheels back on when the first grain of salt hits the concrete.

In my opinion, 20's are the way to go as they give you enough room to have plenty of nice rubber wrapped around em, making the ride much smoother... unless you're into driving on rubber bands, then go for the bigger and heavier 22's.

I'm in the process of selling my 20" rims (just decided today ironically enough), since I'm trading on my 05 300C for an AWD 06 300C. I also found out the bolt pattern is NOT the same on the RWD as it is on the AWD, so now I need some new fuk'n shoe's for the AWD...

p.s. the RWD version SUCKS in the snow. Just a lil tip from up in WI

End rant

Originally Posted by 300CULATER

Hello Everyone,

I was hoping that some of you could comment on the quality of your ride on 22" wheels (for those that have 22" wheels) or 20" (for those that have 20" wheels).

I am concerned with weight and was hoping to find a larger (20 - 22" wheel) that was similiar to weight and performance to the stock ones. Love the look but I am hoping to sacrifice little in performance, weight, and ride quality.

Thanks for any and all feedback...I am trying to decide between the two sizes, and I don't want to make a mistake.

[jgplayer318]

Originally Posted by 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.

Finally, somebody with candor. I have been literally coming this site on a daily basis waiting for someone to tell the truth about the 22" wheels. I get the fact that they look so damn good on the rides but I love the comfort of my ride on the stocks. It's just a perfect fit. I drive back and forth from VA to NY regularly and I would hate myself if the ride was any different. I remember posting the question, "How does 22" rims ride?", every response avoided the question and told me how good 22" look on the car. Thanks again for ending the bull$hit.

[joey]

I drove the 18" conti's self sealers for about 18 months and always disliked the ride. Too much banging and bouncing over rough roads. The prevailing theory (and hope) was the self sealers were the major cause of poor handling/ride and switching tires would improve things.

A little over a month ago I purchased forged 255/45/20's rims on Toyos that weigh 57lbs, which is about 1lb to 2lbs heavier than the 18"/conti combo.

Well I can safely say that the banging and bouncing is essentially the same as before. Whatever improvement was gained from getting rid of the conti's was lost on the lower profile 20's. On the good side, the bouncing/floating has somewhat improved. The rebound shock is shorter and quicker, giving a less floaty and somewhat more controlled feeling. But I also notice a lot more bumpstear than before, probably because I am now running 32lbs-33lbs, instead of the 29lbs I was running on the conti's.

[E55 KEV]

Originally Posted by joey

Well I can safely say that the banging and bouncing is essentially the same as before. Whatever improvement was gained from getting rid of the conti's was lost on the lower profile 20's.

That "banging and bouncing" may be the soft cushy springs and dampers. A performance suspension and handling upgrade is not just the rims and tires but the suspension upgrade also.

[joey]

Originally Posted by E55 KEV

That "banging and bouncing" may be the soft cushy springs and dampers. A performance suspension and handling upgrade is not just the rims and tires but the suspension upgrade also.

Taking one step at a time.
Got rid of one of the suspected culprits, the self sealing conti's. Since there was no significant improvement dumping the conti's, next step might be the coilovers. Waiting for Mopar to release their coilovers. KW's published minimum drop is 0.8inches. I don't want a big drop and I am hoping Mopar might start with a minimum drop of around 0.5inches.

[E55 KEV]

Originally Posted by joey

Waiting for Mopar to release their coilovers. KW's published minimum drop is 0.8inches. I don't want a big drop and I am hoping Mopar might start with a minimum drop of around 0.5inches.

Already released. At your dealer or Wyckoff online:



I too what less than 1" drop. see this thread:

What Springs for 1" or less drop on 300C?

[joey]

Originally Posted by E55 KEV

Already released. At your dealer or Wyckoff online:


I too what less than 1" drop. see this thread:

What Springs for 1" or less drop on 300C?

I called Wyckoff about 7-10 days ago and they didn't have any in stock and they didn't have any specs. Wyckoff has been advertising them for a while, but doesn't know when they will become available.
I also called MoparSuperCenter, and same thing. No one seems to know anything about them, except they are coming. MoparSuperCenter said to try calling Mopar directly. Havn't tried that.

[freakyshiat]

Mine rides pretty stiff but not too bad