GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: chas.s on 02 March 2021, 12:14
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Hi All,
Since buying my current GTi 7/8months ago I've been contemplating changing the 18" Austin wheels that are on the car. Although a 2019 car it is like new, it had only done just over 2,000 miles when I got it (now around 4,400 due to lockdown). I just think the car would look nicer with other wheels. Should I go from 18" to 19"? Your thoughts would be welcome. Although I think 19" would look better, I think because of the state of our roads, 18" is the way to go?
Having had a look around (on the web), at the moment I am thinking of possibly either the CM Wheels Pret copies or the Bola FLC wheels. I would be grateful for any suggestions/input.
Thank you in advance.
Cheers, Chas.
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18s will be cheaper, lighter, more comfortable, more durable, cheaper tyres. But 19s do look good!
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The preference for wheel size is personal. My car came with 19” Santiagos which I changed after 2000 miles. My wife refused to drive it and said they were too harsh on the roads and gave her a sore back. I bought genuine Milton’s brand new and fitted them. I find them preferable, they are comfortable and the car handles well and they preserve the OEM look. About 6 months ago I bought a set of CM rep Reifnitz 18” rims in gunmetal as I liked the look of them and the 18s suit me and significantly less expensive tyres than 19s. I have new tyres for them but not fitted them yet; so many excuses.
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The trouble with these sorts of questions is that you'll get 50 replies and 50 different answers. I will completely contradict my learned forumites and say that for me personally it absolutely must be 19s, otherwise what's the point in buying something sporty? Went with Santiagos as they were the only factory option and got 30,000 miles out of the fronts so wear doesn't bother me. Just replaced them with Pilot Sport 4S for £140 each as blackcircles.com had a flash sale on and so price doesn't bother me either. The car is riding on standard suspension and I find them supremely comfortable. Just goes to show that one man's meat is another man's poison.
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Agreed with Ulysses.
I had five mk7’s :rolleyes: and three of them came in 18’s which I promptly swapped for 19’s as they look far better. Ride quality wasn’t ruined. A fourth car was only with me 7 weeks so had no wheel upgrade and the fifth came from the factory on 19’s.
If stopping with 18’s then go for something with a lower offset than standard or you’ll gain nothing.
But go with 19’s anyway! :cool:
The Bolas will look good, I’ve not seen many Golfs shod with those so it’ll be nice to be a bit different.
Bear in mind they’re 8.5” wide though so be careful with offset.
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Thanks for your replies guys, a mixed bag, as I expected.
You fellas that have had 19" rims, have you had any problems with the pot holes & s**t road conditions?
Also would you think the Bola FLC wheels are better quality that the CM Pret copies, whether 18 or 19"?
Cheers,
Chas.
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I haven’t been on the R forum for a long old time but there were quite a few reasonably satisfied customers when I was last there. I suspect the CMWheels reps come from more than one supplier/factory.
The Bolas will be much lighter.
If you damage a replica Pretoria it’s fairly cheap to get another set rather than bugger about getting repairs or refurbs and then you’ll have several more spares! That’s the reason I went with reps this time round (against my better judgement) owing to some of the roads I drive being utterly dreadful for deep potholes that suddenly appear and it takes ages for the local parish to get them repaired.
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I haven’t been on the R forum for a long old time but there were quite a few reasonably satisfied customers when I was last there. I suspect the CMWheels reps come from more than one supplier/factory.
The Bolas will be much lighter.
If you damage a replica Pretoria it’s fairly cheap to get another set rather than bugger about getting repairs or refurbs and then you’ll have several more spares! That’s the reason I went with reps this time round (against my better judgement) owing to some of the roads I drive being utterly dreadful for deep potholes that suddenly appear and it takes ages for the local parish to get them repaired.
Apologies if this is a stupid question but:
Is it better that the Bolas are lighter?
Does that mean that they won’t be as strong and more susceptible to pot hole damage?
Cheers,
Chas
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It depends on what the people who'll drive/ride in the car can tolerate, and how &£$* the roads are. I went down to 17's.
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Apologies if this is a stupid question but:
Is it better that the Bolas are lighter?
Does that mean that they won’t be as strong and more susceptible to pot hole damage?
Cheers,
Chas
Definitely not a stupid question.
Lighter wheels will handle and ride a little better, google “unsprung weight” if you’re not overly familiar with the term, it can make a big difference.
Many things will affect strength, from wheel construction (the Bolas are marketed as something along the lines of “flow cast” or something which is potentially a good thing), quality of the actual metal alloy, and the design. Thin, widely spread spokes are lighter but leave large areas of the wheel prone to going out of shape when suffering impacts.
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19s are for looks but lightweight 18s are what you need. 👍
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19s are for looks but lightweight 18s are what you need. 👍
I agree.
Are you intending to drive the car, or is it an ornament for your driveway?
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19s are for looks but lightweight 18s are what you need. 👍
I agree.
Are you intending to drive the car, or is it an ornament for your driveway?
When we're allowed to I will be driving it!
Although my head is saying 18", I'm edging towards a set of 19" CM Pret copies, with 235/35/19 Michelin PS 4s
fitted. I'm waiting for a response from my insurance company to see if that will make any difference to my premium, & if so how much :huh:
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Ha, yeah, looking forward to driving whenever and wherever I bloody well like.
It’s the best riding car of its type, so I doubt you’ll find 19s too harsh- but no doubt it is a compromise.
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Hi all,
I have just ordered a set of 19 x 8.5 Gloss gunmetal Pret copies from CM Wheels for my 2019 GTi and 235x35x19 Michelin PS 4s from Blackcircle Tyres, before their 15% discount finishes at midnight tonight.
Looking forward to getting my wheels!
Cheers, Chas.
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Hi all,
I have just ordered a set of 19 x 8.5 Gloss gunmetal Pret copies from CM Wheels for my 2019 GTi and 235x35x19 Michelin PS 4s from Blackcircle Tyres, before their 15% discount finishes at midnight tonight.
Looking forward to getting my wheels!
Cheers, Chas.
Nice!, exactly what we have, although I changed the colour from Gunmetal to Gloss Black after a couple of years.....
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Hi all,
I have just ordered a set of 19 x 8.5 Gloss gunmetal Pret copies from CM Wheels for my 2019 GTi and 235x35x19 Michelin PS 4s from Blackcircle Tyres, before their 15% discount finishes at midnight tonight.
Looking forward to getting my wheels!
Cheers, Chas.
Nice!, exactly what we have, although I changed the colour from Gunmetal to Gloss Black after a couple of years.....
I presume that you have been happy with yours & no problems?
They look like they fill the wheel arches nicely. Is your suspension standard or have you lowered it or fitted wheel spacers?
Cheers, Chas.
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Yep they have been fine, standard suspension and no spacers, although I think spacers on rear would be good, the only thing I would say is the wheels are set out more than real prets so even using PS4's with good rim protection you dont get as much...
(https://i.ibb.co/syP7G04/IMG-0168.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nz0pvHy)
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Yep they have been fine, standard suspension and no spacers, although I think spacers on rear would be good, the only thing I would say is the wheels are set out more than real prets so even using PS4's with good rim protection you dont get as much...
(https://i.ibb.co/syP7G04/IMG-0168.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nz0pvHy)
Thanks jaceyboy, I will post some pics of mine when fitted. Hopefully by the weekend.
Cheers, Chas.
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Nice purchase.
Glad you went 19’s as they’ll look so much nicer and fill out the look much better. I’ve swapped between 18’s and 19’s and yes although it is a slightly better ride on the 18’s it was just that, slightly. I find even on our crap roads the 19’s feel fine.
Also running 235 MP4S’s so will handle very nicely too.
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Nice purchase.
Glad you went 19’s as they’ll look so much nicer and fill out the look much better. I’ve swapped between 18’s and 19’s and yes although it is a slightly better ride on the 18’s it was just that, slightly. I find even on our crap roads the 19’s feel fine.
Also running 235 MP4S’s so will handle very nicely too.
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Thanks rajb. My wheels should be delivered to me tomorrow & the tyres are booked to be fitted on Friday.
😀😀👍
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Thanks rajb. My wheels should be delivered to me tomorrow & the tyres are booked to be fitted on Friday.
😀😀👍
Cool look forward to the pics.
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Hi all,
This morning I had my new wheels & tyres fitted. Changed from 18" 7.5J Miltons to 19" 8.5J Pret copies from CM Wheels in gloss gunmetal. Tyres are 235x35x19 Michelin PS4 S.
For those of you interested the weight of one of those Prets was 11.2kgs, without a tyre.
I'm very pleased with the new look of these. Hopefully my photos are attached!
Can anyone help me with what the tyre pressures should be please? The guy at the tyre place said 33psi :huh:
(https://i.postimg.cc/43Q4kmm6/IMG-1846.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mchW7Z3k)
(https://i.postimg.cc/yNH6bFY6/IMG-1847.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SngpXYMH)
(https://i.postimg.cc/pTVW2RFg/IMG-1848.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/kVZ3srwc)
(https://i.postimg.cc/C5zwq7J7/IMG-1849.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bSfXXQ7S)
Cheers, Chas.
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There should be a sticker inside the drivers door on the A pillar with the tyre pressures on.
My GTD on 18's is 36psi. Not sure what it is for the GTi on 19's.
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There should be a sticker inside the drivers door on the A pillar with the tyre pressures on.
My GTD on 18's is 36psi. Not sure what it is for the GTi on 19's.
235x35x19 isn't on the list.
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All I can offer is that the same sized tyres on my Mk8 GTI are 38psi (light load) and 41ps (fully loaded).
Similar weight of vehicle and performance, probably a reasonable bet.
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All I can offer is that the same sized tyres on my Mk8 GTI are 38psi (light load) and 41ps (fully loaded).
Similar weight of vehicle and performance, probably a reasonable bet.
Thanks Fred, sounds more like it to me. Will give it a go & see how it feels.
P.S. My original VW wheel centres were slightly too small to stay in, so I've ordered some that stick on the plain black centres that came with the wheels. (A place based in Preston).
Cheers,
Chas.
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There should be a sticker inside the drivers door on the A pillar with the tyre pressures on.
My GTD on 18's is 36psi. Not sure what it is for the GTi on 19's.
235x35x19 isn't on the list.
My TCR has 235/35/19s and has the label for those which states 36 all round for light loads.
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There should be a sticker inside the drivers door on the A pillar with the tyre pressures on.
My GTD on 18's is 36psi. Not sure what it is for the GTi on 19's.
235x35x19 isn't on the list.
My TCR has 235/35/19s and has the label for those which states 36 all round for light loads.
Perfect, thank you Watts, I will try that.
Chas.
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Ive got them too and its 36 all round, you need some VW sticker caps :whistle:
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Ive got them too and its 36 all round, you need some VW sticker caps :whistle:
Thank you👍👍.
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Ive got them too and its 36 all round, you need some VW sticker caps :whistle:
Thank you👍👍.
I’ve ordered some 55mm VW wheel stickers from a place in Preston, Lancs.
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Ive got them too and its 36 all round, you need some VW sticker caps :whistle:
Thank you👍👍.
I’ve ordered some 55mm VW wheel stickers from a place in Preston, Lancs.
Think 56mm fit too, I ordered some for my sons Golf off eBay, they came quite fast and were good
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Looking good Chas.
They do set it off nicely.
As for pressures just go with 36 which I think is what the 225 is anyway. Even though slight difference I still stick to the pressure for that wheel size.
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Looking good Chas.
They do set it off nicely.
As for pressures just go with 36 which I think is what the 225 is anyway. Even though slight difference I still stick to the pressure for that wheel size.
Thanks rajb. I’m very pleased with how they look, just need my VW centre wheel stickers to arrive & finish the look. Cheers, Chas.
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The car and wheel combo looks great chas :cool:
You can’t beat a set of Pretorias with MPS4S
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The car and wheel combo looks great chas :cool:
You can’t beat a set of Pretorias with MPS4S
Thanks :smug: :smug:
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I thought I would post this link here as its wheel related, this car has (I think) Bola FLC wheels on it, first time I've seen them on a Mk7.5:
https://www.perrys.co.uk/used/volkswagen/golf/20-tsi-245-gti-performance-3dr-hatchback/blackburn/lancashire/19900073/?frch=peugeot
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Why is a TCR on 235/35R19 36PSI, but a Mk7.5 PP on 225/35R19 41PSI? Can I safely run lower than 41PSI for better traction?
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That's a good question to which I don't know. One word of caution though, you can be fined up to £2500 and get 3 points on your licence per tyre that is not correctly inflated.
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That seems insane. How is "properly inflated" defined? Per the door sticker?
Another quick question - these cars check the tyre pressure through ABS (?), which means we have to tell them when the tyres are correctly inflated. What happens if we were to set it super low, and then say they are set correctly? Would the alert go off straight away? Or is it checking for a difference in behaviour from the set pressure?
That's a few questions, sorry
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That seems insane. How is "properly inflated" defined? Per the door sticker?
Another quick question - these cars check the tyre pressure through ABS (?), which means we have to tell them when the tyres are correctly inflated. What happens if we were to set it super low, and then say they are set correctly? Would the alert go off straight away? Or is it checking for a difference in behaviour from the set pressure?
That's a few questions, sorry
The indirect TPMS system on the Golf monitors the rotational speed of the wheels, and if there’s a drop in pressure in one tyre (e.g. if there’s a puncture) the wheel with the punctured tyre will rotate at a different speed to the others and the low pressure warning will be triggered. So if all the tyres were set at, say 5 psi below VW’s recommended pressures then the TPMS wouldn’t trigger a low pressure warning unless one tyre lost pressure so the wheel rotated at a different speed to the others.
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Ok, so theoretically I could set my 19s to 36PSI, update the car, and it wouldn't constantly bing at me?
Is 36PSI good for 19inch wheels?
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Ok, so theoretically I could set my 19s to 36PSI, update the car, and it wouldn't constantly bing at me?
I’ve never tried it, but assume it wouldn’t.
Is 36PSI good for 19inch wheels?
I don’t have 19” wheels, so I’ll leave that for those forum members who do have 19’s to respond.
Have a read of this current thread - https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=287767.10#msg2639687. Forum member Talk-torque is running 35psi all round in 19’s on their car.
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Ok, so theoretically I could set my 19s to 36PSI, update the car, and it wouldn't constantly bing at me?
Is 36PSI good for 19inch wheels?
I have mine running 36 and it doesn't bing, pretty certain the TPMS just measure any change from what you set it at.
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As SR explains, it's a simple system, there is nothing measuring actual pressure - no sensors within the tyre.