Reducing rim size on vRS

[Mysticality]

The spare tyre is a 16" steel.
I believe, its the same wheel/tyre combo as supplied with lower models. (I.E. The models that come with steel/hubcap wheels)

[gldgti]

Thanks,
From my very rough measure through the wheel in the dark I need ~340-350 to clear the caliper - in line with your estimates. I will have one of the front wheels off tomorrow night to replace the puncture repair - OK if we talk after that?

no worries at all

[dArK5HaD0w]

The spare tyre is a 16" steel.

+1
the spare on the RS is a 16" rim. it fits no problemo in terms of caliper clearance or offset.
u'll have absolutely no problem running 17s.

in ireland & china, the vRS comes standard with 17s all round, not 18s.

DunlopRS - i just noticed ur title name & ur location.......i too live in Dunlop ACT!!!! we should catchup sometime, maybe at the new dunlop woolies carpark

[kaanage]

From the very first post

6.5j16 with 205/55 r16 – as is the spare on a steel rim
My local tyre man says I am unlikely to get a 16” alloy on – there is not much room around the spare rim (steel) which is on at the moment.

[Diesel_vert]

AFAIK, Volkswagen Group cars with 312 mm brake discs can be fitted with 16" wheels.

+1
the spare on the RS is a 16" rim. it fits no problemo in terms of caliper clearance or offset.
u'll have absolutely no problem running 17s.

I agree.

It's unlikely that you won't be able to fit a 16" alloy wheel if you can fit a 16" steel wheel.

My local tyre man says I am unlikely to get a 16” alloy on – there is not much room around the spare rim (steel) which is on at the moment.

On the issue of clearance - you it either have it or not.

So like I said, if the steel wheel fits, then the alloy wheels will fit as well.



For the benefit of everyone, these are the factory wheel specs:

6.0 J x 15 ET47
6.5 J x 15 ET50
6.5 J x 16 ET50
7.0 J x 17 ET54
7.5 J x 18 ET51

[kaanage]

On the issue of clearance - you it either have it or not.

So like I said, if the steel wheel fits, then the alloy wheels will fit as well.

Not necessarily. Even if the rim clears the calipers (and different wheels can have different rim profiles) you can have interference between the spokes and the calipers depending on the wheel style.
I even know of cases where a wheel fits a car when it is set so the spokes surround the caliper but the wheel won't turn without knocking the calipers off ('cos that's what happened when the car was driver out of the fitting bay).

With alloy wheels, you need to check on a case by case basis.

[Diesel_vert]

Not necessarily. Even if the rim clears the calipers (and different wheels can have different rim profiles) you can have interference between the spokes and the calipers depending on the wheel style.
I even know of cases where a wheel fits a car when it is set so the spokes surround the caliper but the wheel won't turn without knocking the calipers off ('cos that's what happened when the car was driver out of the fitting bay).

With alloy wheels, you need to check on a case by case basis.

Ah yes, that's very true. That's certainly one of the things you should keep in mind, especially when going aftermarket.

However, I think there is a very high chance that an OEM alloy wheel will fit properly, particularly if all the specs are exact.

[kaanage]

Absolutely. But it never hurts to check before parting with any $$$.

Luckily, DunlopRS and gldgti are within reasonable proximity of each other.

[DunlopRS]

+1

DunlopRS - i just noticed ur title name & ur location.......i too live in Dunlop ACT!!!! we should catchup sometime, maybe at the new dunlop woolies carpark

Yep - perhaps we should start a local chapter ... Some friends down the road have a 90TSI

Is your RS your first? - a number of years ago I used to admire a yellow RS that drove past every morning!

[DunlopRS]

With gldgti’s indulgence it will be a try-before-buying scenario. It will give me a good chance to try the 18s on a flat road!

gldgti has reported a minimum ID of 360mm (at the hub), tapering out to 390 on the inside side.

My measurement is a radius of 170 from the hub centre to the outside of the caliper (D of 340 mm) and about 175 mm radius to the “tallest” part of the caliper. So it is likely to fit but it is close and we were not using the same tape measures – and none of this accounts for the potential for interference between the caliper and the spokes (ouch….).

And yep offset marked on 18" rim as E51.

[dArK5HaD0w]

Yep - perhaps we should start a local chapter ... Some friends down the road have a 90TSI
Is your RS your first? - a number of years ago I used to admire a yellow RS that drove past every morning!

yup tis my 1st. i've had it 1.5 yrs now.
there is another yellow (pre-facelift) that lives in the area too. i've seen it a couple of times. probably the same one u see. its been around for a while now.

a few months/weeks (??) back i had a white rs wagon behind me, coming down ginnenderra drive towards dunlop - must've been u.

[K1W1]

As for pressure, I am having to keep 45psi in the 18s to stop interesting looking wear marks on the sidewalls (wear across the surface looks perfect at about 20% tread - after only 22k km - can't stop the front spinning and higher profiles might also help that..).

Running 45 psi is a recipe for disaster. You do not "have" to run pressure that high at all. If you are getting strange wear problems the fix is to take your vehicle to a competent tyre shop and have them diagnose and fix the problem not to put more air in and hope. That sort of pressure on any road surface with irregularities is simply asking for a monumentally large blow out and instant tyre deflation to occur when you roll over something that is sharp and pointing at the tyre.

As far as the 16" rim issue is concerned it's already been covered but a 16" steel wheel has a completely different inside profile than a 16" alloy it's highly possible that the steel wheel will fit but any alloy won't because of the profile. There is more to wheels than simply the diameter and many people don't seem to understand that.

[brad]

My local tyre man says I am unlikely to get a 16” alloy on – there is not much room around the spare rim (steel) which is on at the moment.
Has anyone any experience in going this way (instead of putting 19s on)? Does going to a 45 series tyre from a 40 make much difference Thanks

A few folk on briskoda have fitted RS 312mm discs & carriers (the std calipers will fit) to their 288mm/16" cars & it works as long as the wheel weights don't get in the way. You have to test fit your wheel of choice though as profiles vary. The OEMs that GLDGTI are selling fit no problems & are a reasonable weight - ~18kg IIRC

Personally, i think you'll be pretty disapointed in the result though.

If you're bent on 16" then I'd look for Audi 7.5" with a suitable tyre to correct speedometer error. They'll weigh about 20kg. I have some if you wish to test fit in Sydney.

My sweet spot would be 17x7.5 ET50 with a 235/40x17 if it doesn't throw the speedo into over-reading. Try and get a rim <10kg & 9kg tyre.

[DunlopRS]

Running 45 psi is a recipe for disaster.

These are 40 series tyres. Two reputable tyre shops have recommended 45 psi– one noting that the tyres were showing signs of too much sidewall flex / overheating when I was running 38 psi. The tyre placard on the car recommends 44 psi under load. I know it’s not a good indication of what is happening at speed but when stationary at a bit under half lock with the lean (very technical term) of the wheel the rim is only about 3cm from the road. Not much room for too much flex in a hole… Too little pressure is likely to lead to too much wear and a fractured rim and/or sidewall...

Handling on a unpotholed /non broken surface cannot be faulted and treadwear across the tyre is very uniform.
Unfortunately I spend little time on good roads and I like to use the performance of the car… not be 40 km/hr slower than the last family car for long periods on ‘sort of sealed’ roads just so I do not shake to pieces… (no joke – been there often in the last 20,000 km).

Unfortunately there is almost always a compromise between form and function….. 16” will (only) take me to a 55 series fitment with recommended tyre with – probably not a bad place to be for the real world.

[DunlopRS]

a few months/weeks (??) back i had a white rs wagon behind me, coming down ginnenderra drive towards dunlop - must've been u.

-- that would have been me. Sure to meet up sometime - perhaps when its a bit warmer....