I have a 14 GT convertible with the Brembo package. The tires are going to hell and the I have never been too fond of the wheels. There are not a lot of options for 19" wheels and I have been looking at the Shelby CS69s. Can someone who has made the switch to 20s, tell me if they have noticed any difference in the ride with the lower profile tires? I will probably be getting Michelin Pilot Super Sports in the same size all around.

Also, I and interested in new pads that don't dust as bad as the ones it comes with. I don't want a new set of wheels getting covered with all that dust. It won't be seeing any track time.

Thanks

 

It depends on the wheels and tires. Look at the weights of everything and that will tell you how much ride is going to be affected. I started with the Track Pack, switched to 19x9.5 Niche Lucernes which were 3lb lighter per wheel than stock, and then put my 20" Centerlines, staggered 20x9/10.5, and Michelin PSS on, 265/35 and 305/30/20. The ride went to hell and they were noisy (I bought them lightly used from a buddy) and handling/acceleration suffered.

I thought about swapping wheels, but I had these custom powder coated, and I really liked the look, so I decided to try different tires first. The wheels I changed to were the same weight as stock on the fronts and 2 pounds heavier per wheel on the rears. That said, the tires were a LOT heavier. In total I added about 8 pounds per corner of unsprung weight and that is a huge difference. Very noticeable. Not only that, the rears rubbed with my offset and H&R Super a Sports.

So I dropped down to 255/35 and 275/35 Cooper RS3-S. I have been very happy with these tires. They were about 4 pounds lighter per tire in the rear and the fronts were about the same. The car felt so much better. The tires are quieter. I just found out they are amazing in the rain, I'd say 85% of the traction in the dry, and then the turn in is so much sharper, more than stock. I highly recommend these tires (same combo that Roush uses on all their cars). Save yourself the money and go with the Coopers instead of the MPSS.

Check the weight on the CS69. I'd bet they're similar in weight to the stock TP wheels. If you want a square setup, go 275/35/20 all around, the exact tire setup that Roush used on the S197 cars.

 

Lasered nailed it regarding the weight of wheel/tire.

As for pads get anything that's 100% ceramic if you want to avoid dust.