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Optional 18" wheels on EX-L? Tire size being equal will Sedan and Coupe handle same?

6K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  exlmike 
#1 ·
Optional 18" wheels on EX-L? Tire size being equal will Sedan and Coupe handle same?

I just bought an 2017 Accord EX-L Sedan about a month ago. My last car was a Pontiac G6 GT Sedan which i didnt like from day one but tolerated for 5 years. Two things that bothered me about that car were the steering which felt so stiff that i felt like i was driving a truck and the 17 inch low profile tires. tThe road in PA suck and everytime i drive i spent most of the time dodging potholes. Ive been looking at Honda Accord for the last 15 years and always got cold feet and bought a used car instead. I decided this time around i would take the plunge. I initally like the Sport but coming from the low profile tires on my g6 i thought the 19 inch tires would be too big and the ride would suffer. Everytime i would hit any type of road imperfection in the G6 it was harsh to say the least. I also didnt like how the Sport didnt get alot of the upscale features that the higher trims got. I finally decided on the EX-L.
After about a month i have two thing that bother me. The first is since im coming from a V6 im finding it hard to get used to the 4 cyclinder CVT. The car seems sluggish of the line 0-30. Im learning to live with that though. The issue that bother me more is how floaty and how much body roll there is with the stock 17 wheels and tires. Its almost bouncy like on a cushion. Its nowhere near as precise as far as handling as my old car was. I guess i should of realized this because of the higher sidewall of the 17s. I know its possible to get a oem Honda accessorie optional tires for my car. This would be the 18 inch diamond Cut Alloy 18 inch wheel and P235/45 R18 94V tire.
It is the same exact tire that come stock on the 2017 Honda Accord Coupe. A friend of mine has a 2016 EXL Couple with these tires and she let me drive it today. Completely different driving experience. All that i dont like about my car dissapeared. The acceleration felt quicker which is strange because its the same engine and the car handled like it was on rails. It was a blast to drive. Very unlike the bounce feel of my car.
So my questions are.
Does anyone have these optional 18 wheels on their EX or EXL?
And would these 18 inch wheels give the same feel and driving experience on the sedan as they would on the coupe?
Im wondering if the car felt quicker because it a coupe. I believe they are essentially the same car.
Any toughts would be appreciated
Thanks
Mike
 
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#3 ·
Tire size being equal will the Sedan and Coupe handle the same?

I just purchased a 2017 EX-L Sedan. Great car but the stock 17 inch wheels give the car a very floaty feel. Alot of body roll. I avoided the bigger tires on the sport becaus ei didnt want a harsh ride. Now im kinda regretting it. Im thinking about looking into the 18 inch diamond cut alloy wheels the offer as an option on my car. My friend has a 16 EXL Coupe with these exact wheels that come standard. She let me drive her car and talk about night and day difference. Her car handled like a dream. Super fun to drive. Tight handling. So im wondering if i get these wheels and put them on my EXP would it handle the same as her coupe or am is it the fact that it was a coupe more of what i was feeling? Any thoughts?
Mike
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
^ Thats what i was wondering. So what i was feeling with my friends 16 EXL coupe wasnt so much the fact that it was a coupe but more the 18 inch wheels compared to my non low profile 17s. I was hoping that was the case since i can get the optional 18s for my EXL. I was so initially amazed at how well her car drove that im thinking i gotta sell my car and get the coupe. It was that night and day of a driving feel


Anyone have 18 ich wheels on their EX or EXL?

Trying to get some opinions on the optional diamond cut alloy wheels Honda offers or possibly some after market ones
Thanks


Excessive body roll on 17 EX-L due to 17 inch tires or suspension setup?

My new 17 EXL Sedan seems to have alot of body roll especially when going into a turn. Feels almost bouncy and not very planted at all. Is it the tire or the suspension tuning. Or both? Any else experience this?
Thanks
 
#7 ·
Ive driven the 17 coupe with the tires you have and loved it. Wondering if those same tires feel similar on the sedan. Most everyone have either the 19s or 17s like i have so its hard to get an opinion. Im sure not to many people choose to upgrade to the 18s on their sedans
 
#8 ·
It's both - you can try increasing your tire pressure a bit but that won't fully resolve the issue.

Your best bet is to upgrade the rear sway bar to something like the Progress bar. I had the exact same experience with my V6 coupe which had too much body roll from the factory. I've upgraded to the Progress RSB and this has eliminated most of the body roll. There are a few good threads on the forum with more information if you are interested.
 
#9 ·
+1 ^^^ I have the Progress 22 bar. If you're body roll OCD like me, you may also want to consider an aftermarket FSB.
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
Ok thanks. I was convinced it was because of not having low profile tires and having that higher sidewall. I drove a friends couple with the 18s and it was way better. So its more of a suspension thing then


Anyone try to Sportify their EX or EX-L?

Still looking for someone that changed out their stock 17 EX-L wheels and upgraded to either the 18s or 19s. Im interested in the 18s. I would think there would be a slight demand for someone to want the handling of a as well Sport and all the extra goodies that come with the EX-L. Really dont know if that will improve handling and cut down on body roll. Would hate to spend the money and have there be no difference.
Thanks
 
#11 ·
Agree with others that it's suspension more than tires. You could go with stiffer/lower springs and that will reduce body roll, but it will also make a much stiffer ride and cause bottoming out in bumps more often + clashes with curbs when parking. Sway bars do the least damage to ride and clearance-related issues, while still giving a large reduction in body roll.
 
#12 ·
There are a couple of forums on this. Depending on Wheel size, wheel weight, and tire quality; the car can ride rough on 17s with a bad tire and ride smoothly with a sticky 19 inch tire.

There is much more to it than the above mentioned, but there is already a thread that goes in-depth about that.
 
#14 ·
If the 17" wheels and tires are too "floaty" for you, I suggest you upgrade to an 18" wheel. If you wanted better acceleration, you should have purchased the EX-L V6. My coupe came with 18" wheels, but I bought a used set of last year's Accord 18" sport wheels, since I did not like the look of the ones provided with the car. The ride is firm, not harsh.
 
#16 ·
Thanks. Ill probably upgrade to the 18 inch diamond alloy cut wheel that honda offers. I was just trying to determine whether it was the wheel or the suspension setup that was causing that body roll or less planted feeling. I seem to get varying opinions. Im sure its a little of both. After all its not the Sport model. Maybe its even the steering as well. Im new to the car so maybe its just how Hondas are and i will get used to it.
I mention in an earlier post that i took my friends 16 EXL Coupe out for a test drive. Her car has those 18s i would be getting on mine and her car was really fun to drive. Handled great, felt really quick, alot less of that body roll, felt planted. So Im coming to the conclusion that Im not gonna get that drive with my car no matter what tires i put on it. The was a coupe with a different suspension setup and basically just a different car all together and i have a sedan. Two different cars with two different driving experiences. Both great just different
 
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