Wheels 19" v 18" v 17" mk6 owners views on the ride differences please.

[Snoopy]

Tyres also seem to make a difference in the ride too. So views on those too please.
Can you also say if you have ACC or not and if so in what mode your comparing them in please.

Thank you for any help.

[am1w]

I have driven GTIs with 17" and 18" wheels, with and without ACC.
My answers below relate only to the ride and not handling. It was not possible to really try out the handling prowess of the car in London. Tyres were Bridgestones on those cars. It was quite difficult to remember how each suspension type and suspension setting felt and compared as I tried the cars on diffirent days.

17"
Normal ACC mode was very similiar to standard suspension, though the former felt very slightly less jiggly. There was not much in it, IMO.
Comfort mode ride was quite amazing and could be classified as close to a magic carpet.
Comfort mode was not as well damped as normal mode or the standard suspension and could crash occasionally on sharp ridges. However, comfort mode provided a superior overall ride to normal mode and to the standard suspension, IMO.
Sport mode for me was too uncomfortable on London roads.

18"
Normal mode felt better than the standard suspension and I felt it was not acceptable with either suspension on London roads. Comfort mode was really the only solution for daily driving and produced a very acceptable ride though nowhere near as comfortable as with 17" wheels.
Again comfort mode was not as well damped as normal mode and could occasionally crash on sharp ridges.
I use comfort mode all the time .
Sport mode was uncomfortable though not significantly worse to that with 17" wheels..

Overall, 17" wheels were better for ride and, from what I can remember, produced slightly less noise. But they looked/look awful in Monza form. However, Herr Doktor's 17" wheels look fabulous.

[GolfTi]

Asker sums it up nicely


17"s are more comfortable (amazingly so with ACC) faster, cheaper and much easier to look after.

18"s look better.

My bridgestones are a bit noisy but 12k ish (not used in the Winter) and not even half worn.

[am1w]

Asker sums it up nicely
17"s are more comfortable (amazingly so with ACC) faster, cheaper and much easier to look after.
18"s look better.
My bridgestones are a bit noisy but 12k ish (not used in the Winter) and not even half worn.

Thanks.
One thing I forgot to mention is that in whatever mode the ACC is in, with 18" wheels there is a slight graininess to the ride which is totally absent with 17" wheels.
I recently drove my nephew's Golf Match with 16" wheels and Hankook tyres, no ACC. Oh what a lovely ride and so quiet.

[R32UK]

I have been on all of those over the last 6 months 

I would say 19" are the best for looks and planted feel

If its feedback and speed you are after go with the 17"

[Buck]

When I changed from the 17" shadows to the 18" Vancouvers I can honestly say I didn't feel any degradation in ride quality/noise.  (I can only surmise that I'm deaf and have no nerves  )


My car doesn't have ACC

[Ess_Three]

Dropping from 19s to 18s gives a slightly smoother ride, with ACC in 'normal' but a significantly less sharp steering feel, and a feeling of floatiness when pushing on.
Going back to 19s sharpens the steering again, makes it much more precise in cornering but fractionally firmer.

I noticed the same on my S3 going from 17s to 18s.

19" wheel and ACC in 'sport' is too much for everyday driving, with the state of the roads.
I alternate between 'normal' and 'comfort' on potholed city streets on the 19" wheels for summer, with the occasional switch to 'sport' for a smooth backroad blast, and 'normal' or 'comfort' for the 18s in colder weather.
I tend not to use 'sport' on the 18s as you can feel the car float on the sidewalls on the 18" wheels, which seems to counter the 'sport' setting.

I'm sure the 17s would be more comfortable all round...but would question the way 17s in 'sport' would drive on an ACC car.

[am1w]

Morning Glen.
Yes, I forgot to mention the slight float in comfort. It provides a slight wafting limo effect which I like. It seems to have gone because I've got used to it probably.
Anyway, I prefer the comfort mode without question to protect my delicate old bones.
Ride is such a subjective thing to assess as one man's meat is another man's poison.

[Ess_Three]

Morning Glen.
Yes, I forgot to mention the slight float in comfort. It provides a slight wafting limo effect which I like. It seems to have gone because I've got used to it probably.
Anyway, I prefer the comfort mode without question to protect my delicate old bones.
Ride is such a subjective thing to assess as one man's meat is another man's poison.

I live with 'comfort' in towns to protect my wheels from buckling on the potholes...and I have lived with it on Motorways, when cruising at 80ish, cruise set...just wafting along....
But on A roads with bends, I find it wallowy to the point of being alarming.

Each to their own though :-)

[am1w]

I use normal mode in town in very damp conditions as I feel safer with this spring/damper set-up.