I’m a young 68 year old and my wife and I have only owned Lexus for the last 20 years. I now have a 2002 LS 430 with 80,000 miles in perfect condition-it’s a wonderful car. My wife has a 2016 RX 350. I really enjoy the way that my 430 rides-very smooth-no drama. It has 16” wheels. I’m ready for a new car and think the Audi A6 Prestige might be what I’m looking for as it has all the technology that I want. I’ve considered a LS500 and Tesla 100D and also Model 3. Believe it or not one of my “wants” is blind spot monitor. The Lexus has it on the mirrors, but the Tesla’s only have a warning on the monitor. The new Audi has every technology that I think that I’ll need for next few years.

My concern and question to you Audi experts is this: I am going to have to order the Audi to get it exactly the way I want it equipped. My sticking point is the wheel size. I’m pretty convinced that the 21” summer tires will ride much rougher than my Lexus. As you know 19” A/S tires/wheels are standard on the Audi and 20” sport A/S tires/wheels are optional. As far as the look of each, I’m fine with the look of all 3. I just want a nice “ride.”

Should i I go with the 19”, 20” or not be afraid of the 21”.

thanks!





T

The car that I test drove had 21” wheels as did most of the Prestige models that the dealer had in stock. I should have been clearer in my request. Since I will have to order the car, I just want to find out if there is a real difference in ride between the 19”, 20” and 21” wheel/tire size. At this time in my life I’m not going to be carving up the roadways-I’ve had my fun doing that in the past. I’m just asking those Audi experts like you who have experience with the Audi ride and tire size; what they would buy to get a somewhat similar ride as a Lexus, i.e. a pretty smooth ride. Intuitively I guess the 19” would be the smoothest, but just looking for opinions. The cost difference is not a factor.

Very similar situation here. Same age range, same Lexus background, same desire for a smooth driving experience.

I plan on test driving an A6/A7 shortly.

I always go with the smallest wheel size. In my experience, the larger the wheel size, the bumpier the ride.... On the other hand, the larger the wheel size, the better it looks....

Also, IMHO, lack of air suspension tends to a less smooth ride.

A test drive should settle the matter.

HBH

I’d be very interested in your driving impression. Especially as to how smooth and quiet it is.....

HBH

The tire size of the new cars is bigger. A simple calculation tells that the sidewall sidewall height of the 20s is comparable to that of the previous 19s.

I have 19 wheels on my 16 A7 and it’s very smooth. I would recommend the 20s for the 2019s for the balance of comfort and look.

Thanks. Helpful and reassuring.

I drove the 2019 A6 this morning with the 20” wheels/tires. A nice ride but not tremendously different from the 21” in my opinion. However I took my wife with me. She looked at the A6’s with 19”, 20” and 21” wheels. She said the 19”s made the car look like a Honda Accord (or similar vehicles) and wasn’t impressed at all with the 20” wheels either. She said that the 21” wheels made the car look far, far better. I agree-a much different and more impressive look with the biggest wheels. She, like me, was also highly impressed with the technology. I think Audi is far in front of any other manufacturer in this area. If you like your IPhone (or Android) you will certainly like the technology in the 2019 A6.

My Lexus LS430 still is a nicer riding car, slightly bigger and roomier and with just 80,000 miles could last for years. But the A6 has absolutely everything I want in technology. It’s decision time. I will probably make an offer soon and but will not pay MSRP. They may not accept and that is fine with me.