Wheel Upgrade Advice Needed

[golf671]

Hi All,

Been a while since my last post (although i have been browsing a lot), since when i've taken delivery of my Candy White 5dr. Had it for almost 5 months and 5000kms now. Have done a bit to it since i got it (see sig below) - looking now at upgrading my 17" Denver (Monza's in the UK i think) alloys.

From what i've gathered here, the specs i should be looking out for are PCD 5x112 with an offset between ET42 - ET50 and 225/40/18 or 235/35/19 tyres. Appreciate if anyone can correct me if i'm wrong. Not too sure what the parameters are for rim width though - i see that 8" is ok, but can it go up to 8.5"? And would it depend on whether it's 18" or 19" rims?

I'm unsure whether i should go for 18" or 19". I think sometimes that if i'm going to upgrade i might as well go all the way to 19" as an inch up from 17" to 18" doesn't seem much. But then cost and comfort (although i've read here that comfort might not be too big an issue with 19"ers) considerations make me think 18"ers should be fine.

Not decided yet on the wheels, but pretty much have my mind set on black centre with stainless/polished outer lip. I like the BBS CH's but i don't think they come in black - i love what Rob-MkV has done to his, though painting rims is not an option for me. Any suggestions?

Appreciate any advice from all you gurus out there. Thanks.

[Hurdy]

Spot on with the offsets and tyre sizes.

The Golf will take 8.5" width alloys, but I wouldn't try to go any wider as:-

1. You'll get tyre scrub on the extremes of cornering/compression of the suspension.
2. The tryes will IMO look too stretched over the width of the rim.

As for the type of rim - BBS LM's are Uber-cool

[golf671]

Thanks for the confirmation Hurdy.

Would 235/40/18 rubber fit as well? I think i recall seeing somewhere that some have it fitted (or was it 235/35/18?). I assume if the 235/35/19s fit, then the 235 width should be ok but would the resulting taller sidewall be a problem?

Not too keen on the LMs (and anyway, the BBS site doesn't seem to list any with the right offset for the GTI?). The 19" RS-GTs in Diamond Black look good too (though i shudder at the cost!!).

[Hurdy]

If you go for a 235 width with the 18" then your rolling circumference will deviate from standard and you will need to have your speedo recalibrated for it to be accurate again. This could be done by your dealer, but also can be done through VAG-COM.

[datracer99]

If you go for a 235 width with the 18" then your rolling circumference will deviate from standard and you will need to have your speedo recalibrated for it to be accurate again. This could be done by your dealer, but also can be done through VAG-COM.

Since all of our speedos are out by a bityou'll find that no change is needed.
235x40x18 will just make the speedo less inaccurate (by less than 2% over stock 17s).

[golf671]

AFAIK, the general rule is to keep it within plus minus 2.5% of the standard diameter - based on my calculations against the standard 225/45/17s, the recommended 225/40/18 will result in a 0.47% increase and the 235/40/18 in a 1.74% increase, while the recommended 235/35/19 will result in an increase of 2.05%.

My concern with the 235/40/18s was actually whether there would be rubbing issues - which based on the numbers above, i assume there wouldn't be (unless the 19"ers rub as well)?

[Hurdy]

AFAIK, the general rule is to keep it within plus minus 2.5% of the standard diameter - based on my calculations against the standard 225/45/17s, the recommended 225/40/18 will result in a 0.47% increase and the 235/40/18 in a 1.74% increase, while the recommended 235/35/19 will result in an increase of 2.05%.

My concern with the 235/40/18s was actually whether there would be rubbing issues - which based on the numbers above, i assume there wouldn't be (unless the 19"ers rub as well)?

18"s are standard on ED30 anyway and so there shouldn't (and isn't) any rubbing

The wheel arches are exactly the same (spacewise) throughout the range.