Quote:
Originally Posted by mfanatic325
Unless you're going to be driving all-out at the limit of adhesion every single minute that the car is on, I wouldn't worry too much about the "better handling" and "slower" arguments toward 19" wheels.
In direct comparison, yes, apples to apples, 19s are supposed to be heavier overall as they do have an additional inch in diameter of material on each wheel and on each corner after all. However, this can be remedied with a good set of forged wheels. There are even 17" wheels that are heavier than my 19s for example. Some more weight differences come in to play when tires are mounted on, but again that's another one of those things where you can make a decision on what to buy depending on how "hardcore" you drive your car; as better tires tend to weigh more.
On the topic of tires, 19s admittedly have relatively more expensive tires when compared to 18s. And it is also true that ride comfort is comparatively worse off than an 18" set of wheels/tires.
What does it for me on a daily basis is the fact that even though I track a lot, it's still a street car and not a full-on dedicated track car. Therefore, I can make do with the slighter harshness in ride comfort, the slightly more expensive tires purchased every year or so, and in my opinion the negligible difference in performance; all for the sake of aesthetics. Plus, I don't think the stock rims will clear my Brembo BBKs 
All in all, it's your pick between "performance" and "looks". My opinion is that for 99.9% of owners, the performance aspects of the car are plenty strong as-is from the factory. And any differences in upgrading an inch worth of material on each corner isn't going to jeopardize anything at all for the 99.9% of us. So at the end of the day it all boils down to taste and preference (and any sacrifices in between); as do all decisions of this nature  |
Judging from most of the responses and this one in particular, I am thinking a switch to lightweight 19's will provide significant looks upgrade at a minimal cost to performance and comfort
Let the search begin and cheers to all who replied