Another ST on the roads

[FineTooned]

Sorry for the delay in posting these. Took some time to figure out how to post pics from Flickr.


Initial observations after installing the 205/45r16 Bridgestones on the 16" OZ ultras:

The taller sidewalls did slightly soften the more jarring bumps on the road, but the bounciness of the stock ride is still there. I figure that must be more due to the short wheelbase and stock struts than the tires. Swapping out the run-flat tires for standard tires in the same size on my MINI made more of a difference in ride quality than this swap did. A little disappointed in that. But this is still an improvement over stock. Guess that also shows how good a ride those stock 40 series Bridgestones actually give.

Can't really say if the lighter unsprung weight is all that noticeable while commuting. May be more of a difference when autocrossing or on a track day. Coasting seemed to lose speed more quickly with the lighter wheels. Could be less inertia with less spinning weight? Wondering which is better for gas mileage; lighter wheels or more rolling inertia.

The wheels look great. OZ seems to make a quality product. And so light too. Less than 15 lbs! Kinda makes me feel better about the price. They were more than I wanted to spend. But there weren't that many options for the ST that appealed to me. Wished they were available in an anthracite or dark gray. Tire Rack only had silver or black. I thought silver would look larger and I've already done the black wheel thing on the MINI.

Visually, the smaller size wheel isn't that noticeable most of the time. Other times they look a little small for the car. The smaller wheels kinda make the car look larger. I think that's just an optical illusion due to the fact that I'm used to the 17's.

Ultimately, I wish the stock FSTs came with 205/45 or 215/45 r17s. That'd fill those wheel wells nicely and improve the ride. But that's not how they come. And apparently that's too large a difference to run safely with aftermarket parts.

For improving the ride, I think swapping the struts would probably help more than swapping to 16" wheels. I really liked how the Koni FSD struts improved my MINI's ride. But Koni doesn't make FSDs for the ST, and when I asked about them, they said they had no plans to make them in the future. So I'm not sure what other options there are for struts.

 

[stuntdoogie]

Damn white is soo sexy!

 

[airjor13]

Sorry for the delay in posting these. Took some time to figure out how to post pics from Flickr.


Initial observations after installing the 205/45r16 Bridgestones on the 16" OZ ultras:

The taller sidewalls did slightly soften the more jarring bumps on the road, but the bounciness of the stock ride is still there. I figure that must be more due to the short wheelbase and stock struts than the tires. Swapping out the run-flat tires for standard tires in the same size on my MINI made more of a difference in ride quality than this swap did. A little disappointed in that. But this is still an improvement over stock. Guess that also shows how good a ride those stock 40 series Bridgestones actually give.

Can't really say if the lighter unsprung weight is all that noticeable while commuting. May be more of a difference when autocrossing or on a track day. Coasting seemed to lose speed more quickly with the lighter wheels. Could be less inertia with less spinning weight? Wondering which is better for gas mileage; lighter wheels or more rolling inertia.

The wheels look great. OZ seems to make a quality product. And so light too. Less than 15 lbs! Kinda makes me feel better about the price. They were more than I wanted to spend. But there weren't that many options for the ST that appealed to me. Wished they were available in an anthracite or dark gray. Tire Rack only had silver or black. I thought silver would look larger and I've already done the black wheel thing on the MINI.

Visually, the smaller size wheel isn't that noticeable most of the time. Other times they look a little small for the car. The smaller wheels kinda make the car look larger. I think that's just an optical illusion due to the fact that I'm used to the 17's.

Ultimately, I wish the stock FSTs came with 205/45 or 215/45 r17s. That'd fill those wheel wells nicely and improve the ride. But that's not how they come. And apparently that's too large a difference to run safely with aftermarket parts.

For improving the ride, I think swapping the struts would probably help more than swapping to 16" wheels. I really liked how the Koni FSD struts improved my MINI's ride. But Koni doesn't make FSDs for the ST, and when I asked about them, they said they had no plans to make them in the future. So I'm not sure what other options there are for struts.

I love your wheels!

 

[FineTooned]

Thanks guys. Glad you like the way the car's looking.

 

[hxrly]

Those look really nice. I would have gone 215/45R16 for a more meaty tire look.