Wheel upgrade

[anonymous-user]

I have 15inch alloys at the moment, on a 2003 automatic 1.9tdi passat.

If I upgrade to 17inch, what will be the effect, if any on the gear ratio/fuel consumption etc...?

Will they fit the wheel arches? I am fairly sure they will.

Any thoughts appreciated...

[DannyVTS]

Depends on your current tyre size, offset and width

Against the alloy wheels you are looking to buy, their tyre size offset and width

do you have any more details?

[thinfourth2]

Hmm upgrade?

You are going to get worse ride, more expensive tyres, more kerbing damage, heavier wheels and slower accleration

You must explain this upgrade to me

I upgraded the wifes car from 17" wheels to 16" wheels and it is alot better for it

[anonymous-user]

Current tyres are 205/15s

Looking at getting Dunlop HP1 17" on the new wheels.

[anonymous-user]

Buy an OEM set and they will fit fine with the right tire size, they should have the same rolling circumference as your 15". However with less side wall and wider rim you have increased the weight of the wheel & tire and as it's rotating mass it will affect fuel consumption & power, on the plus side you should gain in grip and braking provided you buy half decent tires.

VW OEM 17" alloys will probably weigh a lot less that aftermarket unless they are specifically marketed as lightweight.

[BeeRoad]

thinfourth2 said:

Hmm upgrade?

You are going to get worse ride, more expensive tyres, more kerbing damage, heavier wheels and slower accleration

You must explain this upgrade to me

I upgraded the wifes car from 17" wheels to 16" wheels and it is alot better for it

The upgrade is cosmetic, HTH.

OP - google for 'tyre calculator' then enter your current tyre size and make sure the new tyres overall diameter is within 3% of the originals so that your gearing etc will not be changed much.

[BeeRoad]

bulldong said:

Current tyres are 205/15s

Looking at getting Dunlop HP1 17" on the new wheels.

What profile are the 15s?

[anonymous-user]

BeeRoad said:

bulldong said:

Current tyres are 205/15s

Looking at getting Dunlop HP1 17" on the new wheels.

What profile are the 15s?

Sorry, theyre 60

HP1s are 40

[thinfourth2]

BeeRoad said:

thinfourth2 said:

Hmm upgrade?

You are going to get worse ride, more expensive tyres, more kerbing damage, heavier wheels and slower accleration

You must explain this upgrade to me

I upgraded the wifes car from 17" wheels to 16" wheels and it is alot better for it

The upgrade is cosmetic, HTH.

Oh i see the car version of fake tan

[kambites]

thinfourth2 said:

Oh i see the car version of fake tan

Not really, a fake tan doesn't generally make your body work worse. More like the automotive version of stiletto heals, I think.

Edited by kambites on Monday 1st November 13:38

[anonymous-user]

thinfourth2 said:

BeeRoad said:

thinfourth2 said:

Hmm upgrade?

You are going to get worse ride, more expensive tyres, more kerbing damage, heavier wheels and slower accleration

You must explain this upgrade to me

I upgraded the wifes car from 17" wheels to 16" wheels and it is alot better for it

The upgrade is cosmetic, HTH.

Oh i see the car version of fake tan

~


^^^^^^ this

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for the help guys.

Tyre calculator was useful.

cheers.

[hombrepaulo]

Some people have no imagine

[ajprice]

Yo dawg, 19" Bentley wheels iz where its at fo yo Dub



shizzle.

But seriously, don't do that. 17" should be ok, as the fast model Passats probably had that size wheel anyway.

[thinfourth2]

kambites said:

thinfourth2 said:

Oh i see the car version of fake tan

Not really, a fake tan doesn't generally make your body work worse. More like the automotive version of stiletto heals, I think.

yeah that makes more sense

Silly things that are impractical and you can't run in

[kambites]

A small change in rolling radius wont to you much harm, although obviously it will put your speedometer and odometer out a bit and affect the gear ratios a bit. The biggest problem is likely to be what it does to the ride quality as the bigger wheel/tyre combination will give you less side-wall compliance and more unsprung weight.

[monthefish]

thinfourth2 said:

Hmm upgrade?

You are going to get worse ride, more expensive tyres, more kerbing damage, heavier wheels and slower accleration

You must explain this upgrade to me

It will almost certainly look better, and, depending on the wheel, it may well handle better.

[frosted]

thinfourth2 said:

Hmm upgrade?

You are going to get worse ride, more expensive tyres, more kerbing damage, heavier wheels and slower accleration

You must explain this upgrade to me

I upgraded the wifes car from 17" wheels to 16" wheels and it is alot better for it

This , although after you change you can come on here and moan about the state of the roads , rim damage and it could well be that one day you will not be able to mount a curb and will result in crazed woman sideswipe you and make you loose ££££ because she had no insurance .

I rather drive on 14 steels than 17s anything ( depending on the car obviously )

[HellDiver]

You could squeeze 165-80-17 on there, make it really Dub scene.

[Hip2Bsquare]

I put 18" RS4 alloys on my old Passat.

Cornering was sharper and less wallowy and the ride was firm but not too firm.

I just had to be careful not to get too close to curbs!