Toreador

2002 C4 Cabriolet, with ROW M030.
Currently on 18" Carrera wheels with Pirelli P-Zero Rossos 225/40 front 285/30 rear.
Need advice re 19" HRE 542s:

a- What is the difference between 542 & 542R?
b- What tires should I get with those to maintain the overall tire diameter? (don't want to re-calibrate speedometer, also different diameter might mess up All Wheel Drive system)

TIA

sennasixty8

The REVERSE drop center style of manufacturing the wheel. In other words, instead of the "traditional" build/assembly, this method yields that FLAT and DEEP lip that msindi and some other rennlisters .....a normal HRE 542 would have a second lip, or hump in its normal design. This basically allowed HRE and other manufacturers like KINESIS and Fikse to design that look into their existing styles. It generally is a more time consuming and expensive design, and requires the installer to mount the tires onto the wheels with the wheel facing DOWN or away from the installer. So with this information, make sure that your tire shop or installer has the proper equipment, usually called a EURO mounter so that they can mount your new rubber without damaging those EXPEN$IVE wheels!

Toreador

Ahhh! So I definitely want 542 Rs.
The one Msindi is selling won't fit a narrowbody. What size tires should I get? Do I have a choice as to the brand of tire? I heard they are harder to find than 18 inchers.

sennasixty8

it seems that 2353519's and 2753519's work, but are a PITA to find, ...are u sure you REALLY want 19's, since our NONTURBO cars find it a lil bit harder to TURN the larger diameter. Just remember that as long as you are going with the lightest wheel possible, it has the least effect (against it) on acceleration. However, you cannot go against physics, since the MORE weight and mass you ADD to the rolling assembly, it SLOWS a car/motor/drivetrain down. Turbo'd cars feel this less since the torque is so significant, an at lower RPMs. The ride quality suffers a little bit, but the LOOKS are INCREDIBLE.....good luck in your choice!

Toreador

Yes, I'm going 19" for looks only. I'll keep the 18" Carreras for track use.
BTW, which tires fit on the 18" Carreras and give the best traction on dry? Is it the Michelin Pilot Sport?

sennasixty8

Everyone is excited about this tire, and the tirerack.com has them on sale, they only show the 265/35/18 rears on the website app guide, so you might wanna call on the "wider" 285-30-18 sizing...these are the HOT ticket for the track/de/autox cars, and the TT board seems to have more traffic regarding this tire....do a search, it'll pay off!

adsc4s

Cosmetically, if you go with a reverse lip 18" wheel, the center will be a 19" so you acheive the 19" look you want. On the 19" reverse lip, you are actually using a 20" center.