Has anyone gone to a larger aspect ratio tire to enable a smoother ride? The factore 255/35's are, to me, a little too rough a ride. Especially when you hit small bumps and pot holes. Say maybe a 255/45r or 255/55r tire!

 

Romad
There is an alternative to the Crossfire tire setup, you should have bought a MB SLK320 (2000-2004) from Mercedes Benz, since those models were equipped with 16" wheels and had 55/60 aspect tires, lower spring rates, which provided a "softer" ride. The SLK32 had 17" wheels with similar aspect tires from the factory for a softer ride, since it was considered upscale product vs. the Crossfire models.
When you bought your Crossfire, did you happen to road test the car over various surfaces? When did you decide the ride was too rough?
If you used the SEARCH button at the top of the main page, about taming the rough ride, this was discussed numerous times for the past 20 years.
Why did you buy a short wheel based sports car and expect a luxury, soft ride?
Just my 2 cents....
Dennis
DTMenace

 

Because it saw me, I saw it and it was "love" at first site. It's only a rough ride when driving over brick laid roads, pot holes and sewer man hole covers! Why buy a SLK320 when you can have a Crossfire! LoL

 

I concur with DTMenace above. You probably won't get much sympathy from anyone on trying to make the ride in the Crossfire softer. But you're not alone in saying the Crossfire ride is somewhat harsher than you expected. But I think I remember someone verifying that the maximum tire/wheel diameter the Crossfire could take was 27 inches (685 mm). The tires you're suggesting exceed that figure if you are going to use the OEM wheels. You will probably have to go narrower with the tread width to find something that works. (Note: A 235/40x19 should work, but I'm not a fan of going narrower on the tire. You will need to verify that the narrower tire will work on a 9" wide rim like the Crossfire has in the rear.) But if you use that 685 mm figure, you could shop around to look for a combo that would address your desire. But I don't think you will have many options. Others may chime in on this. Your options are better if you want to include smaller aftermarket wheels or find another pair of Chrysler 18" wheels for the rear - some owners have done this for a variety of reasons (e.g., tire rotation, etc.)..

You can use this link to compare OEM to aftermarket wheel/tire combinations. CLICK

 

Romad, regarding your larger aspect ratio tire question, here is a link that will provide additional information for your consideration. There are limitations to improve the ride. Certain shocks, tires, but the short coupled Crossfire is the major reason for the wash-board ride (depending on the surface) Keeping your gas tank full increasing the weight also helps. (A gallon of gasoline weighs roughly 6 pounds). Keep in mind it IS a sports car.

wheel_stuff(1).xls

(Click the 'skip sign in...' then close out the Mico-soft banner page and you have full view of chart)

 

"There is an alternative to the Crossfire tire setup, you should have bought a MB SLK320 (2000-2004) from Mercedes Benz, since those models were equipped with 16" wheels and had 55/60 aspect tires, lower spring rates, which provided a "softer" ride. The SLK32 had 17" wheels with similar aspect tires from the factory for a softer ride, since it was considered upscale product vs. the Crossfire models."
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No, the absolute best buy would be a 1954-1957 MB 300SL Gullwing

 

So was my '90 Miata but smaller wheels and bigger aspect tires.

 

Here's a Post that gives you tire/wheel options for the Crossfire: CLICK