GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: 16v on 24 April 2007, 15:29
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I know it's not the "done thing" and the purists will spit at me but I reckon the 17" BBS RCs I've put on look ok.
They came up with virtually brand new tyres for £250 so I couldn't turn them down at that!
Do you reckon they look better than the standard RAs or not?
Still got my RAs which may now become a winter wheel or I may sell as I've some rather nice BKs that I'm spraying up that look pretty mint too that i got for daft money on ebay. Dunno what to do.
Opinions welcomed.
Original
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/JAPINNO/oct20062.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/JAPINNO/oct20066.jpg)
17" RCs
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/JAPINNO/Img_0657.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/JAPINNO/Img_0656.jpg)
BKs I'm spraying graphite grey (15")
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/JAPINNO/bks.jpg)
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RAs look much better IMO!!
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Yep sorry I'm obviously a purist, the RA's look much more in proportion with the rest of the car.
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bargain at £250 defo, but id just be buying them to sell them on for a wee profit, must ruin the handling/performance a fair bit
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I've just gone from 17's to 14" RA's for a couple of reasons.... Firstly I did like look of 17's originally but every boyracer out there wanted to race me! The RA's look more Dubber style imo and draw less attention. Like you i got 'em cheap :wink:
The other thing was ride quality, the roads round here aren't the best and my 40 profile tyre wall made sure i felt every bump! It was kind of cool in a racing 'knowing the road' kind of way but damn every time i hit something i just cringed at the thought of wear on my car.
So i am back to 14's which make the acceleration feel considerably more lively. In dry weather the grip is comparable but in the wet the 17's were WAY better. Handling in general is sharper i am finding with the smaller wheels. Turns in tighter for sure.
Finally tyre prices! I needed a loan each time i needed a new set of 17's!
My opinion - definately try it for a while but i'm convinced that once you have had a few months on them, then put the RA's back on, you won't change again!
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bargain at £250 defo, but id just be buying them to sell them on for a wee profit, must ruin the handling/performance a fair bit
Yeah it does a bit.
It's VERY hard, especially on coilovers.
Had 14" Montreals on over the winter so the difference is even more pronounced.
Wet grip is actually better as takethefifth says and it does hang on a bit more but it doesn't feel as fluid as before and if you get an uneven surface it's hard work. So grip is better but handling is worse.
Acceleration does feel slightly less too.
Main reason for changing is my RAs are in need of a good refurb as they are corroded on the inside and the tyres keep going down. I'll run the 17s for a bit til I get the 15s refurbed I think.
Had to raise the ride height too at the front as I had it very low and it was catching under compression when he wheels turned.
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wet grip will actually be less because wider tyres = less contact pressure on ground. must have had crapiola tyres on the 14's
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It's actually the same contact pressure, the contact patch just changes shape to be wider which is worse for aquaplaning.
The 17's don't look bad IMO, but I don't think they look as good as the ra's. I'd sell them on for a bit of money. Personally not gone on the bk's either, but if you like them by all means go ahead :smiley:
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It's actually the same contact pressure, the contact patch just changes shape to be wider which is worse for aquaplaning.
it cant be the same contact pressure, same contact weight yes
but pressure is calculated using weight exerted per unit area. so same weight over larger unit area (wider tyre x 4) is less pressure
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http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html (http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html) scroll down about 2/3rds to"fat or thin" for an explanation. :smiley:
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wet grip will actually be less because wider tyres = less contact pressure on ground. must have had crapiola tyres on the 14's
Why do people fit wider wheels and tyres to high performance models then?
I'm confused.
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hi
personaly i lke the 17" alloys on the mk2 , had 17s on all my mk2 aswell ( venoms , lenso s7 , rw high techs )
had loads of peeps whing at me when i took it to the shows or gti meets ..........do i care no its my car so let them moan :angry:
i hate bbs splits but thats my opinion
im currently getting stick for my latest mk2 project as its gonna be a j reg 20v turbo with small bumpers & 17" deep dish alloys wheels :grin:
fit the wheels that appeal to you & not the opinions of the crowd following sheeps :tongue:
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first of all, tidy looking motor there mate...
aesthetically I dont think the 17's look too bad to be honest, but if it was me I wouldn't have them, purely for comfort and arch rubbing etc.
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wet grip will actually be less because wider tyres = less contact pressure on ground. must have had crapiola tyres on the 14's
Why do people fit wider wheels and tyres to high performance models then?
I'm confused.
Larger contact area is good in the dry, bad in the wet!
As for the wheels, i do like them but they're not for me on a mk2. To be honest i think that 16s look to big on a mk2 so it's gotta be 15" or 14" for me!
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hence why tyres for the wet have loads of grooves in them :wink:
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first of all, tidy looking motor there mate...
aesthetically I dont think the 17's look too bad to be honest, but if it was me I wouldn't have them, purely for comfort and arch rubbing etc.
Thanks. :smiley:
I must say, I do like the look of the 17s. They do attract more admiring glances and even though they aren't "the done thing" I've never had as many people comment (positively) on the car since I fitted them.
That said, with the coilovers and crappy Manchester roads I'm leaning back towards 15s. The ride is verging on unbearable at times.
I've sprayed up my BKs now in Graphite so gonna run these for a few weeks while I refurb my now tyreless BBS RAs.
I'll post some pics of those up too for some opinions.
Thanks for all your comments so far +ve and -ve.
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not too far from me then, good ol' Preston has shocking road quality too in some places! I thought we paid road tax for a reason?! :grin:
Yea get some pics of the BK's, interested to see what they will look like
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BKs
which I'm quite pleased with. Not bad for £50 and a few tins of spray from Halfords. :smiley:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/JAPINNO/graphitewheels.jpg)
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RA's look good, but i think you should stick with the RC's. it's refreshing to see someone running 17's and they look great! :smiley:
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they look fine mate! :cool:
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Thanks for the replies.
But now I'm REALLY undecided. :laugh:
It's like that LOVE/HATE Volvo advert!
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those RC's looked sweet! :smiley: