So I got a new set of wheels on my car and I love the look, but the ride is horrid. I think it is the tires IMO, they have a barely used set of Good Year Eagle RSA's on the wheels, and I think for the previous wheels with the bigger sidewall, the tire was ok. These tires on the smaller side wall are terrible. I am not expecting the car to ride as soft, but the difference that I am experiencing is huge.

The ride is terrible between 65-90mph. Below that it is not that bad. I went yesterday to get a balance on the wheels just to make sure. I have read online that the RSA's are a horrible ride. Whats everyone's take on this? What should I switch to to get the most out of my ride comfort? I dont usually push my car too much so I do not need a performance wheel. I will be using these as all season.

I also have the pressure set to 38PSI all the way around.

 

Issue could be they weren't installed correctly possibly need to use hubcentric rings

 

Drop the air pressure to 33psi. It will make a difference.

 

I use to run my 18's at the same pressure. I do it more for MPG and tread wear.

 

So I just looked at what they are, but wouldn't they bolt right up without needing the rings considering that these are Infiniti rims?

From what I am reading, they are needed more on aftermarket wheels.

 

I don't have any experience to give great advice here, but I do believe that lowering that pressure would benefit ride comfort. Drop it to 32-33, the go on a drive and test the difference. If it didn't help much, go ahead and boost it back up and then keep looking for the culprit.

 

I will give it a try. If it does not work, I am thinking next step for me would be to find a place that does the road force balance on those Hunter machines. After that, I may need to spend the money and upgrade my tires to something better.

 

Very true just wasn't sure was just throwing out the possibility

 

It's the tires. The bigger wheels you run, the smaller the sidewalls and the worse the ride gets.

You do not need hub rings.

 

19" tires on the Maxima are usually 40 profile, while the 18" tires are 45 profile. With similar inflation, the 40 profile tire will ride harder than the 45 profile tire. If your tires are lower than 40 profile, the ride is going to be very firm.

I have the Goodyear RSA 18" tires on my '09, and have over 36K miles on them with around 6/32nds of an inch of rubber left (they come with 11/32nds", and should be replaced with around 4/32nds or 3/32nds left).

I have never had this car aligned, and have never had these tires balanced. I rotated them only at 15K and 30K. They have worn very evenly, and ride very smoothly, even at freeway speeds.

I check the tread depth of each groove on each tire every three months. I raise the psi slightly if the center grooves are wearing faster, and lower the psi if the outer grooves are wearing faster. I presently have 36 psi in the front and 35 in the rear tires.

These tires do not ride hard. Even my wife says the ride is very comfortable.

With the 19" 40 profile tires, I would expect a firmer ride. I would also expect to be carrying a lower psi. I would probably start with 34 or 35 in front and 33 or 34 in the rear. I'm sure that 38 psi would be quite firm. 38 psi would give a little more turning control on perfectly level pavement, but could result in a bouncing effect (and less control) with the rear tires, when turning sharply on uneven pavement.

With 19" 40 profile tires, if your ride is not good at 33 to 35 psi, there is something not right with your tire/wheel situation. Be sure your tire guage is accurate. Your description sounds as if you have around 40 psi, which, in 40 profile tires, would give sort of a buckboard ride (like the Saleen Mustang my son used to drive).

 

I am expecting it to ride harder, but the problem I am having is more that it is particularly rough on at highway speeds 65+. I am going to try a road force balance, and then if that doesnt work, replace my tires.

 

I upgraded from the stock 18s to the stock 19s. RSA tires are garbage! I'm getting new tires this spring... Also def drop the tire pressure down to 32psi - that will help the ride a bit.

 

Good and essential advice as I work be upgrading to 19" soon.Those are some nice wheels as well @edp123! What model Infiniti are those from?

 

M35 Sport wheels

 

You need to be more specific on what your actual complaint is.

Are you getting a vibration in the seat or steering wheel?
Are you feeling bumps more that you would like to?
Is it just that the road noise is too loud?


The road force balancing will only help if you have a vibration.

 

My car has the sport package with 19" Goodyear RSA tires. I ride with 33 psi and find the ride to be smooth at all speeds and the tire wear to be even. As other said, increasing the pressure will make the ride harsher over bumpy roads. However, another risk is that higher pressure will make your wheels more susceptible to damage from pot holes and road irregularities.

 

Would OP benefit if he went 45 profile? or would that throw things out of wack?

 

That would screw up the speedometer reading.

 

They are from an M45 Sport model

 

They are not noisy at all really, I guess a slight bit more resonance but barely.

I feel like between 65-90 the smoothness of the ride goes away and there is shaking.

 

I recently upgraded to the 19" sports rims and put Nitto Motivo on them, from the 18" stock RSA. I have been to tire shop 3X and had the two rear rims "repaired" (get them back in spec since the tire shop claimed the sport rims were bent). I am still getting vibration in seat at road speed. Driving me crazy, pun intended. About to put the 18's back on!

 

Just a general heads up: watch at garages and dealerships that they don't inflate your tires to the psi listed on the tire sidewall. They have to use the psi that's on the sticker on your door jamb otherwise you'll feel like you're riding on rocks. Many garages make this mistake.

 

does your car have the sport suspension, if not , how do the 19's look with the stock suspension

 

they filled my tires 45psi im on 20's i dropped it to 36 and bigggg difference alot more comfortable lower your pressure

 

The only time we need 45psi in our tires is if we have around 2000 pounds of bricks in the car. I'm using 37psi in front and 35 in the rear on 18" wheels. If I were on 19" wheels, I would probaby go 34 to 36 in front and 33 to 35 in the rear. Then I would watch the tire wear (measure tread depth at each groove across the tire face), and adjust the psi every three to six months if the tires are not wearing evenly.

If the center of the tire is wearing faster, drop a couple pounds of air. If the shoulders are wearing faster, add a couple pounds of air.

 

when i went from the stock 18's to stock 19's it wasn't that much of a ride difference, you can feel the ground a little bit more but nothing too noticeable

 

I think all of this comes down to grossly over- inflated tires. Set your pressures all the way around at 34 PSI COLD. Even with a modest 10% increase after driving on the freeway for example, your tires will be at roughly 37 PSI, which is certainly high enough for decent MPG without totally compromising center tread wear due to over- inflation. The hard ride you are experiencing is caused by hot tires running at pressures in excess of 40 PSI, plain and simple.

denoose