18 vs 20 rims

H

HaloJones

New member
Hi, my new-to-me V6S came with 20" rims. I live in SE London and there are speed bumps every fricking where. The ride on the 20s is pretty harsh. Would there be much difference switching to 18" rims? Looking at a set of identical style but in black and 18". Would they look weird?

 
Take a pic of front brake caliper and post it on here -
From the small pic, is you ftype lowered - looks it.

18" alloys look tiny on ftype, while 20" look spot on.
What tyres have you got. Some tyres are less forgiving than others.
 
I agree with AJ. Your car does look a bit lower than standard. The F type suspension should be quite compliant so (if you’re not the first owner) perhaps check if a previous owner has put on lowering springs.
 
Your car looks 100% standard ride height. Going to play DA here. Have you thought of 19”?
 


Does this pic give a better idea of the calipers?

Tyres are P-zeroes.

Car is not lowered AFAICT.

Will smaller rims give a softer ride? They should I think but would 19" be noticeably softer?
 
DaddyDarren said:
Your car looks 100% standard ride height. Going to play DA here. Have you thought of 19”?
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From the OPs small photo - that defo looks lower than normal. Here is a quick pic of mine on standard suspension and 20s.

https://postimages.org/]
IMG20220812194550.jpg



Just seen OPs second pic - does look like bigger brakes, and suspension looks norm. Maybe a trick of light on first thumbnail.
 
Ride height looks normal. The first small thumb print picture with the shadow over the wheels looked deceiving.

Red calipers would indicate they are 380mm fronts which would be option code 020JB or 020JC of which both don't fit an 18" wheel.

Does your car have configurable dynamics?
(Cannot help with 19" wheel/comfort question).
 
On a previous car (not Jag) I used to change from summer to winter wheels which were 1" smaller diameter and a bit narrower. Think it was 18" to 17 ". There was a slight but noticeably softer ride on the winters. Same tyre model on both sets.
 
Personally would go for 19” Propellors. Great looking OEM wheel & slightly more forgiving. 18” too much compromise aesthetically 👍
 
HaloJones said:
Hi, my new-to-me V6S came with 20" rims. I live in SE London and there are speed bumps every fricking where. The ride on the 20s is pretty harsh. Would there be much difference switching to 18" rims? Looking at a set of identical style but in black and 18". Would they look weird?
Click to expand...

HaloJones said:
Does this pic give a better idea of the calipers?

Tyres are P-zeroes.

Car is not lowered AFAICT.

Will smaller rims give a softer ride? They should I think but would 19" be noticeably softer?
Click to expand...

Your V6S has 380mm front discs and the Jaguar High Performance Braking System with red calipers. As has already been mentioned, the 18 inch wheels won’t fit over them.

I have the 19 inch (Propellers) which are a great looking wheel and they’re also very easy to clean as they have no nooks and crannies for the grime to hide! I find the ride firm yet comfortable. The tyre sizes are: Front 245/40 ZR19, Rear: 275/35 ZR19 and they have a slightly higher profile than the 20 inch which are: Front 255/35 ZR20, Rear 295/30 ZR20 (I’ve attached the tyre spec and rim label). This makes them more forgiving over speed bumps etc.

The link shows a few pics of them....https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6288
 

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Spec sheet says

"Disc Brakes - Performance Disc Brake - High Performance"
"Driver Modes Configurable Dynamic Mode"
"Damping Actuators Adaptive Dynamics"

Not sure if that answers any questions above?
 
Having ascertained that you cannot downsize to below 19's you have a very limited size options available.

Using standard tyre data the 19" will have just 7mm more wall height than the 20" at 96mm Vs 89mm. This will make next to zero difference on speed bumps, which you'll have to treat with exactly the same respect. You’ll not turn it into a noticeably smoother ride, which I’m confident of having driven Jaguars and Range Rovers for years on a variety of rim sizes. Not that it will make any real difference but your actual speed will be 1.4% less in any given engine speed and of course narrower tyres and you‘ll need to inform your insurer due to the change from oe spec.

Overall given the aesthetic deterioration, lack of significant benefit and the cost of say c£1k for tyres and £1k for rims, I cannot see the justifiable benefit in doing it, but of course your call.

I'm on 20's and would never consider the change unless I was looking to a set of Winter wheels and tyres when the 19's would start to make sense (easier clean wheels, winter tread and compound, etc.), but certainly not needed in SE London
 
HaloJones said:
Spec sheet says

"Disc Brakes - Performance Disc Brake - High Performance"
"Driver Modes Configurable Dynamic Mode"
"Damping Actuators Adaptive Dynamics"

Not sure if that answers any questions above?
Click to expand...

With regards to Configurable and Adaptive Dynamics.....

https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=46049#p46049

https://www.jaguar.co.uk/about-jaguar/jaguar-stories/adaptive-dynamics-and-configurable-dynamics.html
 

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Agreed, the 19" propellers are a great option if you want to downsize. 18" wheels never look good on the F-Type. The propellers should also look quite similar to your current wheels so won't be a big downgrade in the looks department. I have a set as winter wheels and think they look ok and are fairly practical.

The tyres of course also make a big difference. If your current tyres are getting old that will be a contributing factor to the stiffness. A set of 19" propellers with new soft rubber should make a noticeable difference both for ride and general NVH.

And as mentioned, speed bumps will remain a pain regardless.
 
DaddyDarren said:
Personally would go for 19” Propellors. Great looking OEM wheel & slightly more forgiving. 18” too much compromise aesthetically 👍
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+1 for that.

Before considering to do so, it’s worth the OP changing the Configurable Dynamics settings e.g. ‘Suspension – Normal/Comfort’ to see if there's any improvement and it suits his needs?
 

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Thanks for all the great feedback. You guys are so helpful.

I guess I'll just have to stick with it. One thing I am definitely going to do is get the grey paint off these wheels. They need refurbing anyway so will get them stripped and back to silver. Been quoted £400 for the lot so not too bad.

Any strong recommendations for refurb shops around SE London/Kent?
 
HaloJones said:
Thanks for all the great feedback. You guys are so helpful.

I guess I'll just have to stick with it.
Click to expand...

Surely worth trying the Configurable Dynamics settings as mentioned earlier?
 
The configurable dynamics only change the settings when in dynamic mode though. Living in London, most of the time I'm just pottering around so don't drive in dynamic. In Normal Drive mode the suspension will already be in normal anyway won't it?
 
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