19" to 18" wheels

[jon87]

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been discussed before. I am a newbie when it comes to changing rims on cars. Have always kept my cars stock in the past. I've got a Golf GTI pp 7.5 which has the original Brescia 19" wheels. I find the ride quite bumpy and firm as my previous GTD mk7 had 18s and the ride was much better. It actually feels like a pretty big difference to me.

I'm looking to change to 18s. Can anyone recommend wheels? I did get in touch with VW but their prices are more than I'm willing to spend as I won't be keeping this car for more than a year as I'm going to be getting the 8.5 too.

I have seen some original Austin wheels which are fully refurbished and they can do a straight swap with mine, however mine are in mint condition too and are probably worth more.

Also, if I move from 19s to 18s will it have any impact on the VW warranty? It has vw approved used warranty.

Thanks in advance.

[japes1275]

I’m in the same position - see my wanted post in the sales section.

The ride on the 19’s isn’t too bad in my book but I’m sure it will be better (and handle better) on 18’s. I really like the Milton Keynes (Austins are for Mk7s aren’t they?) standard 7.5 alloys so am on the look out for some. Not to use all the time but to have for winter or track day use. Mint Brescias are worth quite a lot I think, probably at least 25% more than the Milton Keynes. A dealer local to me has a few sets of Brescias for around £1500 (with tyres).

My personal thoughts on the warranty are that if the wheels are OEM to the Golf then surely it can’t make any difference whatsoever. Maybe aftermarket ones could but only if they were deemed to have caused the fault. I can’t see how for example fitting different wheels would void the warranty of say the electric windows or a water pump failure.

The GTD 18” wheels would be an option if you like them, they seem to be a bit cheaper and are definitely more plentiful.

[gfmr89]

Mint Brescias are worth quite a lot I think, probably at least 25% more than the Milton Keynes. A dealer local to me has a few sets of Brescias for around £1500 (with tyres).

Would you mind sharing what dealer that is?

[japes1275]

Yes, it’s GB Wheels in Newark. Advertised on Marketplace and EBay. He has some at £1500 but the better ones are £1650.

[SRGTD]

I’m in the same position - see my wanted post in the sales section.

The ride on the 19’s isn’t too bad in my book but I’m sure it will be better (and handle better) on 18’s. I really like the Milton Keynes (Austins are for Mk7s aren’t they?) standard 7.5 alloys so am on the look out for some. Not to use all the time but to have for winter or track day use. Mint Brescias are worth quite a lot I think, probably at least 25% more than the Milton Keynes. A dealer local to me has a few sets of Brescias for around £1500 (with tyres).

My personal thoughts on the warranty are that if the wheels are OEM to the Golf then surely it can’t make any difference whatsoever. Maybe aftermarket ones could but only if they were deemed to have caused the fault. I can’t see how for example fitting different wheels would void the warranty of say the electric windows or a water pump failure.

The GTD 18” wheels would be an option if you like them, they seem to be a bit cheaper and are definitely more plentiful.

The standard 18” alloys on the GTI are known as Milton Keynes in some sales territories; in the UK they’re known as Parker.

If I was looking for a set of alloys primarily for winter use, I personally wouldn’t be considering diamond cut Parker’s because of the generally poor durability of the diamond cut finish. The UK’s winter road conditions with the roads covered in salt, grit and slush aren’t kind to diamond cut alloys, unless you like the white worm corrosion look for your alloys. Some aftermarket alloy wheel retailers websites specifically filter out diamond cut alloys if you refine your wheel search to ‘winter wheels’, because of their poor durability and susceptibility to cosmetic damage.

I agree that I non-OEM alloys should only really be a warranty issue if a warranty claim can be directly attributed to the fitment of the non-OEM alloys. However, it’s always worth checking the small print of the warranty.

@jon87; not surprisingly, with VW’s Approved Used warranty being an insurance based product covering sudden electrical and mechanical failures, the actual wheels and tyres are excluded (‘What is not covered’ section on page 10). However, there’s an ‘interesting’ exclusion on page 11

‘This cover does not cover any injury, failure, loss or damage caused by, arising from or in connection with vehicles modified in any way from the manufacturer’s original specification’.

That suggests that VW could decline any claim under their Approved Used warranty if a vehicle has been modified, irrespective of whether or not the modification is the cause of the electrical / mechanical failure. IMHO that seems very harsh and I wonder if anyone has ever challenged that exclusion from a legal perspective; i.e. is it fair and does it satisfy the test of reasonableness?

Presumably that means modifications that are as per VW’s original spec wouldn’t be excluded. So if someone fitted a set of aftermarket alloy wheels to their car that are the same spec (e.g. diameter, width, offset, PCD) as the OEM factory fitted alloys, then presumably the exclusion wouldn’t apply.

[P6GTD]

Good post SRGTD.

I think the “in any way” exclusion is just a blanket starting point if indeed a claim is being rejected.
But I suspect that if the standard “mechanical” spec is unaltered and any vehicle modification unconnected with the warranty claim is even noticed then the claim will be accepted.

It’s a bit like the “proximate cause” principle in Fire insurance policies. Did the modification lead in an unbroken chain of events to the damage being claimed for.

Example: I have fitted an oem TCR lip spoiler but my warranty claim for a new water pump was accepted.
Mind you, it’s so subtle that no one would even notice it.

Caveat though ….. changing the size of wheels or changing to non oem makes just might be noticed and then we are in uncharted territory. Frankly unless the VW tech informs the service desk of an obvious change to original spec then I think there is a fair chance of mods not being flagged up unless of course they are a factor in the warranty claim being made.

[jon87]

Thanks. Some really good advice provided above.

Spoke to my local VW garage and they quoted me just over £1600 for 18" Pretoria wheels which includes fitting, but tyres would be extra.

I asked them regarding the warranty, but he mentioned it won't affect the warranty as your fitting genuine VW wheels from us. I'm still undecided though as it's a lot of money given my current tyres on the Brescia's still have a lot of thread left.

As an alternative, has anyone here experience of changing the tyres from the Perelli's to Michellin PS4S. I did a Google search to see if changing the tyres would help and it took me to a Porsche forum where people changed to PS4S which they found a lot more comfortable and softer. Seems to be a lot of people raving about them on there.

[Exonian]

It would be a shame to move away from the Brescias as they’re a particularly good looking wheel that really suits the mk7(.5) shape.

I ran Michelin PS4S tyres for 3 sets of tyres and now back on factory fit Bridgestones. The PS4S were definitely more compliant and quieter (although noise does increase as they wear) than the factory fit Bridgestones and Pirellis I’ve had. Another tyre to consider would be the PS5 which is slightly softer again than the PS4S and has lovely looking sidewalls.

You *could* potentially go to 235 35 19’s which would offer slightly more compliance again but would require an insurance notification. I wouldn’t overthink the warranty with the slight tyre size change, and the gearing would be fractionally different. You’d get more kerb protection but if you’re into really hard cornering you’d find the tyre would roll on the rim a little more than a 225. Personally this would be my route but it’s not for everyone.

[jon87]

It would be a shame to move away from the Brescias as they’re a particularly good looking wheel that really suits the mk7(.5) shape.

I ran Michelin PS4S tyres for 3 sets of tyres and now back on factory fit Bridgestones. The PS4S were definitely more compliant and quieter (although noise does increase as they wear) than the factory fit Bridgestones and Pirellis I’ve had. Another tyre to consider would be the PS5 which is slightly softer again than the PS4S and has lovely looking sidewalls.

You *could* potentially go to 235 35 19’s which would offer slightly more compliance again but would require an insurance notification. I wouldn’t overthink the warranty with the slight tyre size change, and the gearing would be fractionally different. You’d get more kerb protection but if you’re into really hard cornering you’d find the tyre would roll on the rim a little more than a 225. Personally this would be my route but it’s not for everyone.

Thanks Exonian.

Just been looking at the PS5 and people have rated it highly for comfort so will consider those.

Also, I just checked my Pirelli tyres on the 7.5 and it seems they are the original tyres as the manufacturing date is from early 2019, so they are over 5 years old. The previous owner never changed them as the car had only done 15k miles and still has over 5mm thread. I think with all four tyres being over 5 years could be having a big impact on comfort. There is an offer on Michellin tyres at ATS Euromaster so a set of 4 PS5's come to just over £500 which isn't bad for 19" and I'm really tempted.

[jon87]

Hi all, a little update, I bought a set of genuine VW 18" Pretoria's. Got a bargain price for 4 Michelin PS5 tyres which actually worked out under £100 per tyre after claiming the cashback offers.

Haven't driven it much yet as just got them installed today, but absolutely love the new look. The Brescia's looked great too and filled the arches better but I'm not a massive fan of diamond cut wheels and these sterling silver Prets are such a clean design and work really well with the Indium grey paint. The photo doesn't do it justice, looks even better in person. They are shiny though, but wonder how long that will last 

I will be selling my original Brescia wheels eventually when I manage to take some photos, they are in very good condition. They are on Pirelli P-Zero tyres and all have over 5mm thread remaining.

I had considered the Pret style wheels from CMwheels which would have been considerable cheaper, but my main reason for going with genuine 18" Prets is when I checked with my local dealer if extended warranty would be affected by switching from 19s to these 18s he said no because these are VW approved and suitable for the car after he checked using my reg. I also phoned VW extended warranty to double check and they also confirmed that any future warranty claims will not be affected by changing the wheels to these.

My previous car a MK7 GTD had a whole load of issues from new I.E it needed a new DSG gearbox which cost £3,300 and luckily the warranty covered it, had a oil leak and had one of the electric units fail. All was covered so that was why I was double checking before switching to these wheels, as don't want them to use an excuse to try and not cover something.