Advice re wheel change please

[chas.s]

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.

[Watts]

18s will be cheaper, lighter, more comfortable, more durable, cheaper tyres. But 19s do look good!

[Ceefeesh]

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.

[Ulysses31]

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.

[Exonian]

Agreed with Ulysses.

I had five mk7’s  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! 

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.

[chas.s]

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.

[Exonian]

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.

[chas.s]

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

[baka]

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.

[Exonian]

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.