GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: jaceyboy on 04 May 2018, 10:32
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Hi Guys,
Just joined, recently purchased my wife a GTi and it came with the standard 18" Austin wheels, I am looking to change them to either 19" Santiago or 19" Pretoria, my only worry is will it look silly with Pretoria's as you couldn't spec the car from new with them?, i.e.. would look away from standard?, does anyone have a photo of a GTi with Pretoria's (not Club sport) also our Austin wheels have brand new Bridgestone Potenza's and also been refurbed so are like brand new, how much can I expect to get for them second hand?
Thanks
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Given that an R or a CS have the 19 prets, it won't look terribly different. Loads of photos of those if you google... It certainly won't shout HALFORDS!
Not sure on a price for Austins. I'd guess that not many people would be interested as they are perceived by most as pretty ugly and anyone with them is just usually a tight arse (like me!)... although I can't say I'd choose them.
I think if I was going to spunk money on replacing wheels, I'd go have a look at the third party ones. A good TUV approved sort and have something a bit different so it looked like I'd got something for my money. Oh and stick with 18's.
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The mk7 Austin's are actually ok in fact they are better than the crap standard ones on the 7.5 gti :whistle:
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Yeah those are even worse!
(I'd probably still not pay to replace them though lol!)
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A second set of Austin's for winters would be ok.
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I personally really like the Austin alloys although I prefer the Belvedere from the Ed40:smiley:
If I was going after market I'd be looking at some Borbet ff1's :cool:
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Yeah those Borbetts are tasty looking and probably cheaper than a set of OEM whatevers to boot.
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Thanks for the replies guys, any reason to stick to 18's and not go for 19's?
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Cheaper, rides better (given the state of uk roads!), less likely to buckle (also pothole!), possibly lighter, you already have the tyres and 18 rubber is cheaper :D
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19’s arguably look better but they won’t perform better so I’d save the money and stick with 18’s.
Much cheaper to replace tyres for sure.
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There was a thread a few weeks back about the downsides of going from 18 to 19 inch wheels;-
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=283198.0
By the way, the Pretoria's are also available as an 18 inch wheel as a dealer accessory.
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Thanks for the feedback guys, also we are trying work out if the electronic handbrake is automatic?, i.e. if the wife stops and doesnt physically press the button does it do it for you?, btw think we are going for 19" Prets and will sell the old wheels
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If the auto handbrake is enabled then all hand braking is automatic. It also works really well and since owning my first GTI PP in 2013 I have not reached for the hand brake since.
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If you bring the car to a stop normally then the car will hold itself stationary as if you have your foot on the pedal brake (Your rear brake lights will remain on) until you press the accelerator again and move off. It will disengage automatically.
Just be aware that if you feather the foot brake you can stop the car without the automatic brake coming on.
If you are sitting for any length of time, a few minutes I think it is, the car will automatically engage the handbrake. I prefer putting this on manually at night as there is nothing worse than sitting behind a car with its brake lights on but then most new cars have this function by the looks of the amount of brake lights I sit behind.
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So basically it is automatic if you want it to be...
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So long as it's set to auto then it'll apply the handbrake as soon as you come to a rest, but sometimes you might need to do a little bit firmer prod of the pedal to engage it if you really really gently roll to a stop.
The green light comes on in the instrument binnacle if it's just on normal hold (brake lights on) or a red light if it's fully applied.
As above, it works really well. You can get the odd day when it's a bit clunky but by and large after 4.5 years of MK7 ownership I've found it smooth and reliable.
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Thanks for the info, just ordered a Resonator delete pipe...
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Remember the 19" Pretoria alloys are forged so will be very light for their size (from what I've heard).
I've got 19" BBS SR alloys on mine which (whilst not OEM) are a very OEM looking wheel - although I realise they're quite heavy in comparison to the Preotrias.
Personally it's all down to perception - on standard suspension, I doubt you'll notice a massive difference in ride quality. I'm lowered and noticed little difference going from Austins to my BBS.
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Cheers for the info, now to decide between Black or Gun metal :tongue: