Hi,

My 2010 FD has a sacked-out rear end and I'm going to replace the shocks, however, I notice a lot of parts say "for 15 and 16 inch wheels". I plan on fitting a set of Kia 17s to this car, so need to know if there's a 'different' shock for models with factory 17" wheels. No real info online i've found so far

Never heard of this happening before but want to keep myself right.

Thanks all

[BrendanP]

I had a look at Sachs online after market catalogue and they only list one type of rear shock absorber for FD diesel, so rim size doesn't seem to matter. I would expect the ride to be harder and more jiggly on 17" wheels because the tyres will be stiffer. The Premium variant had 17" wheels, if there is a member on here that has one could enter their VIN number on a website like PartSouq Auto Parts Around the World they could tell you the exact Hyundai part number.

[The Gonz]

The goemetry doesn't change with rim diameter. The bigger the rim, the smaller the tyre profile to bring it back to the same tyre diameter.
Unless you intentionally choose a higher profile on a bigger rim, the speedo will also read the same.

Only a combination of added ride harshness and tracking accuracy (due to reduced lateral tyre wall flex) is the expected outcome, so I would think trying to compensate for this with softer absorbers just undoes much of the effort. You can try firmer absorbers to achieve much of the same effect without changing rim size and tyres.

If you're just after the look, you may just have to accept the harsher ride.

I don't understand why suppliers (Monroe being one of them) list it as "15 and 16 inch wheels" though, never seen that before - and it's not just one supplier.

I'm after both the look and a slightly stiffer ride. I think the factory 15s look dreadful, like a set of piano casters on a ship, and another thing similar to a ship is how much the car rolls in corners. Hoping some bigger stiffer wheels and some replacement suspension components will improve it somewhat.

[The Gonz]

I'm after both the look and a slightly stiffer ride.

If suspension is tuned to rim diameter, I would expect it to be softer for the bigger rim. In your shoes I would drive for a while with just the new rims and see if they provide enough of a handling change for you, before diving into the suspension topic.