An Aftermarket Package – TSW 18 x 8.5" Chicane Wheels
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2016 Canadian cars were automatically shipped with Forged wheels and Pilot Sport Cup 2 235/35ZR19 tires. While an excellent tire for track use, I was not impressed with the ride for a street tire, even with pressures reduced to 42F, 40R. The sidewall on the PSC2 tire is particularly stiff. And the PSC2 tires tend to wear quickly. After some research, I decided to go with a TSW Chicane 18 x 8.5 offset 43mm wheel in Matt Gunmetal and Michelin PSS 265/35ZR18 for a daily driver setup.
The choice of 18 inch over 19 inch was prompted by several factors:
1) A taller sidewall was likely to improve the ride characteristics.
2) The PSS 265/35/ZR18 at 25.3″ diameter is very close to the OEM PSC2 235/35ZR19 at 25.5″.
3) The TSW Chicane 18 x 8.5 is relatively light at about 21 lbs. Overall, I managed to shed about 1.5 lbs per corner.
4) Pricing is more favorable on 18 inch setups than 19 inch.Discount Tire Direct was very helpful in suggesting operating pressures for the tire in question; they suggested a minimum of 35 PSI, based on the load rating of 91 (1356 lbs) for the 235/35ZR19 versus 97 (1609 lbs) for the 265/35ZR18.
I came at it from a slightly different angle; the ratio of the load ratings 1356/1609 yields an 84% factor. Using OEM recommended PSI of 46 x 84% gives 38 PSI, and 42 PSI at 84% gives 35 PSI. But these numbers are close enough to DTD’s suggestions.
Another interpretation is based on the comparative volume of air in the two tire sizes as a load carrying “cushion”. The 235/35ZR19 has 1818 cubic inches of air, compared to 2110 cubic inches of air for the 265/35ZR18. This ratio is 81.3%.
After initial installation, the car looked this way:
After fairly exhaustive road testing, I was satisfied that there were no fitment issues with scraping and also a marked improvement in the ride. It was then off to my local paint shop to improve the look over the drab “matt gunmetal” finish used by TSW on this particular wheel.
My local paint shop did not disappoint, having finished another set of wheels for me in GM Carbon Flash Metallic. I have used this paint in preference to gloss black as the pearl content in the formula does interesting things with the spokes. The resulting wheels bear a resemblance to factory wheels but retain a unique look, which was my objective.
Yet to complete are RS style center caps and possibly a silver or red lip (I am not a fan of the all black treatment).
Jacob
