Author Topic: 16" or 17" alloys for trackdays  (Read 4733 times)

Offline steve.gti

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16" or 17" alloys for trackdays
« on: 26 May 2013, 10:48 »
am hoping to do a trackday at brands hatch soon, have the standard 16" gti alloys on my golf, are they ok, or would  i benefit a lot by fitting 17" alloys

Offline Diamond Hell

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Re: 16" or 17" alloys for trackdays
« Reply #1 on: 26 May 2013, 20:59 »
Fit whatever is lightest, or has the best tyres.

Weight of wheels and tyres will have a large impact on your handling.
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Offline danny_p

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Re: 16" or 17" alloys for trackdays
« Reply #2 on: 27 May 2013, 14:13 »
depends on your suspention.

A kilo on the wheels is 7 kilos on the car.   light wheels make a massive diffreance.

bigger wheels tho will carry a lower profile tyer so less sidewall flex so in theory better,  but go to big you'll get scrubbing if you can make it scrub on the road it's hopeless for the track.

also the rubber MATTERS LOTS.   i would say if it was only between 16 and 17 i would go 16,  personaly i would use 15's  as anything more seems to be a big for a mk2,  also sticky tyers of right width are commonly avalibe for 15's   not looked for 16's  but n 17's they all seem to wide.

195/50/15  is good enough to match most peoples tallent bucket,   205/50/15 once your pushing harder.   over tyer it and the transition between grip and slide gets more binary  to the point it's to the point of boreingly grippy to  WTF just happend as your pointing the wrong way in the ,kitty litter/tyers/grass/field/hedge/tree
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Offline James I

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Re: 16" or 17" alloys for trackdays
« Reply #3 on: 08 July 2013, 18:42 »
Interesting thread, I am currently contemplating tyre choice for my MK iv V6 4 motion, I have both 17" & 18" wheels, tyres sizes are 215-40-17 on one set and 225-40-18 on the others, I have done a few track days on part worn road tyres and had great fun but knowing how compromising the tyres can be.
 I am now looking at something a bit better, not quite a full slick but something like Federal 595RSR or Nankang NS2R, these also get a good review, I am however undecided on what rim size to go with!

 Any advice would be gratefully received. 

Thanks
 

Offline Diamond Hell

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Re: 16" or 17" alloys for trackdays
« Reply #4 on: 12 July 2013, 01:05 »
Whichever of the two are lighter and/or have cheaper tyres available for them.
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Offline blueandy

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Re: 16" or 17" alloys for trackdays
« Reply #5 on: 17 July 2013, 22:18 »
I use nice multi spokes from a Bora, 15"ers.
Light as anything, readily available and cheap to get 888s on

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Offline Diamond Hell

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Re: 16" or 17" alloys for trackdays
« Reply #6 on: 18 July 2013, 14:43 »
I use nice multi spokes from a Bora, 15"ers.
Light as anything, readily available and cheap to get 888s on

Depends if they fit over the brakes on the 4motion... certainly 195/50 R15s are pretty reasonably priced.
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