OK, I know it's been posted here before by others, but I now feel compelled to add to the chorus. This past weekend I changed out the 18" wheels and tires that came with my base convertible for 20" Storm wheels purchased from another forum member. It totally transformed the car! To me the biggest difference seems to be the additional unsprung weight of the 20" wheels and tires was needed for the spring rate and dampers that Jaguar chose for the vehicle. The 18" set was measurably lighter than the 20's, and that added unsprung weight settles the suspension system properly. With the 18's the car seemed jittery over uneven pavement around corners, as if an individual wheel could too easily have the contact force reduced by reaction to a bump causing a temporary decrease in traction. With the 20's, the car stays completely planted around the same corners. Completely different feeling.

Yes I know that the wheels are not the only difference, that I've also changed tire compound and patch size, and those were the arguments I used previously to justify not jumping to the 20's (along with a fear of blowing out low profile tires on crappy New England roads). However, because this car's chassis communicates what the tires are doing so well, I really don't feel like those are the major contributing factors to the increased poise of the car. It's really about the added unsprung weight of the tire/wheel combo with the 20's and their interplay with the suspension.

Anyone still on the fence with 18's about whether to upgrade to 20's, all I can say is DO IT! It really transforms the car. I can't comment on the upgrade from 19's to 20's, but that might be worth it as well.

 

Oh, and it also looks better. I'll post before and after pics later, once I get a chance to take some "after" pics.

 

Congratulations.

Foosh will be along presently...

 

Yep, agree with your observations 100%. I immediately enjoyed the car much more, and I think it did improve both the handling and suspension.

 

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

Can't forget that! LOL

 

Pics:

Before - 18" Vela Wheels




After - 20" Storm Wheels

 

Yeah, that is a huge improvement in the look and aggressiveness of the car. Good show.

 

If these were the ones on eBay congrats I jumped out of the bidding early. They look great!

 

Looks great!

 

That is a very nice improvement.


Looks good!

 

Fantastic change!

 

Thanks for the compliment. Yes. These are the eBay set. My main intent was to upgrade the looks and ride for the summer while allowing me to re-purpose the 18's for winter tires to get a bit more use out of the car here in New England. I purchased the car last November, and discovered that even on a nice winter day the summer tire compound was way too hard in the cold temperatures leading to even worse handling (combined with the jittery behavior I described earlier). So to try to enjoy this great vehicle for more of the calendar year, I opted to find a way to get winter tires on it without having to take 3 trips to the tire shop with 2 different vehicles to un-mount and re-mount tires on the same wheels. Mission accomplished. What truly astounded me though was the significant upgrade in handling characteristics I described above.

 

Looks much better. Looking good!

 

That looks great! Good choice.

 

Remarkable difference! Great upgrade at a simple price!

 

I just managed to scrape one of mine...

 

Looks great...first off those silver Vela's are hideous so anything (even wooden wheels) would be a huge improvement.

 

Great look, wheels from ceramic option. I would love to do that on my S and change to PSS! But I won't pay retail. Keep looking but keep missing.

 

Thanks. I wouldn't pay retail either. Too much. Good point about these being the ceramic option. My understanding is that they are the only wheels with enough clearance for the front calipers. It's also interesting that they are not a gloss black, but more of a semi-gloss that hides the brake dust very well. This is particularly strange that Jaguar chose this color combo for the brake option that produces the least brake dust...