OEM Wheel Upgrade 17" to 19" Questions

[BradyB0225]

My current Regal came with a set of 17" wheels which are great for winter and comfort but I'm thinking of getting a set of 19" wheels this spring. Has anyone done a similar upgrade and noticed a drastic difference in ride quality and handling? I would prefer to go with a set of OEM Malibu or Regal wheels, any other take off suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Wlepse]

There are many who have gone 19" and that seems to be the sweet spot for many between OEM 18's and the 20's on the GS. I think your handling increase will be negligible (comparing same tire in different diameters) but you will feel more. Some of that can be offset by carefully selecting a more compliant sidewall but ultimately you need to consider your driving style and roads. There are some GS owners that were going through wheels like crazy in the Detroit area. Personally I would love the look of 20's but just think my money is better spent elsewhere since I fear the potholes will be an issue and honestly this thing is a joy on long rides. My old LGT had shorter sidewalls and while I never bent one, highways with expansion joints were miserable.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

"Upgrade?" Don't break something that doesn't need fixed.

 

[x10003q]

The GS comes with 19" wheels in the US market.

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[BradyB0225]

I found the wheels I'm going after, these are 19x8.5" 2019 Buick Lacross Sport Touring wheels, running 245/45R19s. I really like the look of these in Hyper Silver. I just found a new take-off set on eBay. We'll see how they fit, supposedly they use our same 5x115mm bolt pattern.

 

[BradyB0225]

Have any Regal owners been running 19x8.5" Lacrosse wheels yet?

 

[Jack GS]

Have any Regal owners been running 19x8.5" Lacrosse wheels yet?

The GS comes with 19x8.5" and I don't mind the firmer ride. They're easy enough to live with, I will be mounting the 20" Opel wheels I have sitting in the boxes eventually. I think you'll be happy with the 19" wheels as long as you accept upfront that they won't ride as cushy as your current setup. A family member of mine has a Sportback with 18" inch wheels and it rides softer, but is not as direct as the GS setup. The GS and Sportback suspension is different though so it's not 100% apples to apples.

But to answer your question, yes. Check this thread out:

I swapped Buick Lacrosse wheels onto my TourX​

@RoRi ran some 20" LaCrosse wheels for a while before switching back to the 19" GS wheels. His relevant posts can be seen here:

Buick Regal Sports Tourer project (Post #93 - 20" Lacrosse Wheels w/Picture)​

Buick Regal Sports Tourer project (Post #103 - Selling 20" Lacrosse Wheels)​

Buick Regal Sports Tourer project (Post #117 - 19" GS Wheels w/Picture)​

 

[BradyB0225]

The GS comes with 19x8.5" and I don't mind the firmer ride. They're easy enough to live with, I will be mounting the 20" Opel wheels I have sitting in the boxes eventually. I think you'll be happy with the 19" wheels as long as you accept upfront that they won't ride as cushy as your current setup. A family member of mine has a Sportback with 18" inch wheels and it rides softer, but is not as direct as the GS setup. The GS and Sportback suspension is different though so it's not 100% apples to apples.

But to answer your question, yes. Check this thread out:

I swapped Buick Lacrosse wheels onto my TourX​

@RoRi ran some 20" LaCrosse wheels for a while before switching back to the 19" GS wheels. His relevant posts can be seen here:

Buick Regal Sports Tourer project (Post #93 - 20" Lacrosse Wheels w/Picture)​

Buick Regal Sports Tourer project (Post #103 - Selling 20" Lacrosse Wheels)​

Buick Regal Sports Tourer project (Post #117 - 19" GS Wheels w/Picture)​

Thanks, Man!

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[Jack GS]

After seeing a picture of your Sportback in your "wheels for sale" thread, I happened to think about this...

I think the Avenir wheels would look perfect on your Sportback if you can get your hands on a set. There's a seller on eBay that offers some gloss black powder coated GS wheels. If you like the GS/Avenir styling, it might be worth getting ahold of them and ask for a set in a color of your choosing.

19x8.5 Buick Regal GS Black wheels rims Factory OEM 2018-2020 GM 4813 EXCHANGE

 

[BradyB0225]

After seeing a picture of your Sportback in your "wheels for sale" thread, I happened to think about this...

I think the Avenir wheels would look perfect on your Sportback if you can get your hands on a set. There's a seller on eBay that offers some gloss black powder coated GS wheels. If you like the GS/Avenir styling, it might be worth getting ahold of them and ask for a set in a color of your choosing.

19x8.5 Buick Regal GS Black wheels rims Factory OEM 2018-2020 GM 4813 EXCHANGE

I actually have a set of Lacrosse 19" wheels coming, the dark silver Sport Touring wheels.

 

[BradyB0225]

After seeing a picture of your Sportback in your "wheels for sale" thread, I happened to think about this...

I think the Avenir wheels would look perfect on your Sportback if you can get your hands on a set. There's a seller on eBay that offers some gloss black powder coated GS wheels. If you like the GS/Avenir styling, it might be worth getting ahold of them and ask for a set in a color of your choosing.

19x8.5 Buick Regal GS Black wheels rims Factory OEM 2018-2020 GM 4813 EXCHANGE

Thanks Jack, I actually have the above set of Lacrosse Sport Touring wheels on their way. I'll let you know how they look.

 

[BradyB0225]

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[BradyB0225]

 

[BradyB0225]

 

[BradyB0225]

So how does that fit look? These are the Lacrosse 19x8.5 wheels. 245/40r19 sized tires should fit nicely. They seem to fill out the fender nicely, I may need some splash guards.

 

[BradyB0225]

The wheels are heavy as OEM wheels usually are. 33.6 lb for the just these 19s. The stock 17"wheel and 225 tire combo is 47.6 lb. So, 60+ lb for this 19"245 combo. I worry what an extra 13 lb of unsprung weight will do.

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[BradyB0225]

 

[Wlepse]

Wheels looks nice...weight could be an issue but I think I would rather have extra weight that a cheap lighter wheel that is probably more likely to bend.

 

[Jack GS]

The wheels are heavy as OEM wheels usually are. 33.6 lb for the just these 19s.

Holy smokes! I threw one of the Opel 20" wheels on the scale and it came in at 30.7 lbs. I wonder what makes those 19" wheels a bit heavier. +1 on what @Wlepse said, they must be pretty robust wheels.

The offset looks perfect! Can't wait to see the final result!

 

[D2R]

Holy smokes! I threw one of the Opel 20" wheels on the scale and it came in at 30.7 lbs. I wonder what makes those 19" wheels a bit heavier. +1 on what @Wlepse said, they must be pretty robust wheels.

The offset looks perfect! Can't wait to see the final result!

Those 20 are twin-5 spoke, right?
Perhaps because the 19 has more spokes?