Thanks for all your comments!
To answer woodsman's question, this particular combination does NOT increase ride stiffness. I've come to realize that it's the TIRES that are the critical element. For the winter months, I ride on my original 17" wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires, and...amazingly enough, the ride on the 19s is softer and more comfortable than on the 17s.
My steering wheel crest is colored, but it has faded some over the years. For some reason my two keys had all silver crests, though, so I changed them to colored after reshaping the insets slightly.
