I think I am finally getting close to ordering my long sought after Cuntryman all4. What are the general considerations when deciding between 17" and 18" wheels? I am seeking best all weather handling and comfortable ride. I have decided to forego the sports package option because the general thought seems to be this firms up the ride. I live in the very flat plains, and intend on keeping this car a long time, so ride comfort noise are bigger considerations than all out performance.

Any touts or suggestions will be appreciated.

Ken Gano

 

Rats. I was hoping to see some 17"X18" wheels.

The 17" wheels would provide the better ride because the taller sidewall would provide a bit more cushioning.

 

Unless I am mistaken, the "Sport Package" does not give you the "Sport Suspension", which will give you a harsher ride. The Sport Suspension is a separate option. The Sport Package will, however, give you 18" wheels, which as the previous poster said, will also give you a harsher ride. The 18 inch wheels also don't come with all season tires, so that's another consideration. Wheels and tires can always be changed later, of course.

 

Go with 17" and don't get the sport suspension....waste of money.

 

Thanks for the info the problem is the one I am looking at (in stock to take advantage of the driving event discount) has 18" wheels. I guess I could run out the stock, performance run flat and then go to 17" wheels and tires but that negates all of the discount

 

The 18" wheels always come with summer tires, and the base 17" wheels have the option of all-season or summer tires. I have the 17" all-seasons and Sport Suspension option (not Sport Package), and it rides OK and handles great.

 

with 18" don't even think about run flats...changing from my clubman on 17" run flats to 19" on my All 4 the All4 rides so much better....18 or 19" anyday and they look great too.
just my 2c worth

 

Ken,

If you're looking for a cushy ride, then 17" and no sport suspension is the route. if you're looking for a sports ride, rigid/stiff ride, then sport suspension (a bargain, if chosen as an option) as well as sport package is the route to go. you'll get use to the ride and believe you'll be thankful u did...

 

+1.......If you really want a better ride buy the 17" and ditch the run flats. My 17" Michelin winter Icex2 are far smoother riding and quieter than my factory 18".

 

I have some 18" sport turbo fans for sale It all depends on what you want, the ride really isn't that much different from 18 to 17" like everyone said, once you ditch the run flats, its a world of a difference!

 

If the wheels are holding you back from using the Challenge Cert., I'd say get the car you want now, w/ savings.
I'm sure plenty of ppl here would gladly swap their 17's for your 18's.
If you dont want to do all that, then it sounnds like 17's w/ AS would be the most comfortable (w/o Sport Sups.)
*(Sport Pkg. is not the Sport Susp. its stripes/wheels/lights)

If you feel you want even more comfort, when the 17" RF wear, you can opt for softer & cheaper stnd tires. (but = no spare/RF situation)

 

haha same here.. Thinking hawaiian

 

Just picked up our new CMSA4 with 18" turbofans and standard suspension last week. This is replacing an '03 MCS with sport suspension, and we have had it for 9 years. The ride was so absolutely brutal that we had to switch to run flats, and that change helped immensely, although at a noticeable compromise to the razor sharp handling. I wanted to mention that perspective before saying that we think the handling and ride comfort of the car the way we ordered it is a near perfect compromise. Before we ordered our CM, we test drove cars with both 17 and 18" wheels. No question the 17" wheels provide a bit more comfort, but the 18's provide slightly better handling. While the difference is noticeable, we did not think it was that significant. Candidly the largest factor in our selection of the 18's was that we that we liked the look of the larger wheels. We don't feel any need whatsoever to switch to non run flats to get a more comfortable ride. Keep in mind that our preference may be tilted toward a stiffer ride than most as our other cars are an X5 with 20 inch run flats, an SLK55, an old Pathfinder, and Carrera 4S. No matter what, the obvious thing to do is to test drive the different combinations of wheel size and suspension, and make your decison based on that.