Changing rims and tyres , what difference can it make

[rcocu]

Hello all,
l own a 2006 vw golf Tdi sportline with 16” rims and Continental sport contact 2 tyres on them, the stud pattern is 5 x 112.
l have two question , the first question is l really like the 17” Gti rims(Denver rims l think that’s what they are called) and l have been told that they will fit my car, what l would like to know is that if l fit these rims will l get tyre scrub from my wheel arches or will l bottom out over normal speed humps.ls there anything l should know before l buy these type of rims.
The second question is l have been told by my local tyre store that they can sell me the top of the range 17” Toyo tyres which he believes are far more durable and stronger in the side walls than the continental tyres. The main thing l love about my vw golf is how it sits on the road and how it handles.l would like your advise on changing brands of tyres as l would hate to lose the feel of my car because l changed the brand of tyre l use. l don’t speed like a demon and l don’t corner hard (im an old fart driver)but l love the way the golf feels.ls there a difference . l look forward to your advise on these matters.
Thank you all in advance
Robert

[Manaz]

Hello all,
l own a 2006 vw golf Tdi sportline with 16” rims and Continental sport contact 2 tyres on them, the stud pattern is 5 x 112.
l have two question , the first question is l really like the 17” Gti rims(Denver rims l think that’s what they are called) and l have been told that they will fit my car, what l would like to know is that if l fit these rims will l get tyre scrub from my wheel arches or will l bottom out over normal speed humps.ls there anything l should know before l buy these type of rims.
The second question is l have been told by my local tyre store that they can sell me the top of the range 17” Toyo tyres which he believes are far more durable and stronger in the side walls than the continental tyres. The main thing l love about my vw golf is how it sits on the road and how it handles.l would like your advise on changing brands of tyres as l would hate to lose the feel of my car because l changed the brand of tyre l use. l don’t speed like a demon and l don’t corner hard (im an old fart driver)but l love the way the golf feels.ls there a difference . l look forward to your advise on these matters.
Thank you all in advance
Robert

The GTI rims (Denvers) will definitely fit your car. Because your car likely rides higher than the GTI, it's almost certain that you won't get tire scrub (there's no flared guards on the GTI that I'm aware of, and the inside of the wheel arch is the same across all Mk5 Golf models - on Mk5 Jettas too for that matter).

I'd not choose Continental tyres myself, as I don't think they're good value for money here in Australia. That said, I probably wouldn't choose Toyo either. I like the Bridgestone Adrenalins (they're not as sporty as Bridgestone's advertising would have you believe, but they are a good tyre for the price), and there's a few people I know who have been happy with Kumho KU31s (especially for the price). I've liked Pirellis in the past (and have a seemingly nice set of Dragons on the car at present), but I don't think they offer the quality or value for money they used to.

When you go from 16" wheels to 17" wheels, you will lose a little compliance due to the shorter tyre sidewall (the sidewall absorbs some bumps before they get to your suspension - in general, the shorter the sidewall, the stiffer it is and the more movement it transfers to the wheel and thus your suspension and ultimately your car. That said, 16" to 17" really isn't a big difference - you're only losing 1.252cm of sidewall height if you keep the rolling diameter the same (as you'll try to do, as you have to do by law).

The 17" wheels are probably a little wider than the stock 16" wheels on your car too (I'd guess the 16" wheels are 6.5" wide, and the 17" wheels are 7" or even 7.5" wide) - which means you'll probably end up with slightly wider tyres -this is generally (but not always) a good thing.

One thing to be careful of is the speed rating of the tyres. On my Mk4 Bora V6 4Motionf, the factory specification is for W rated tyres - in NSW at least, you're not allowed to go to a lower speed rated tyre without putting a sticker on your car windscreen stating that you have (and then you're only allowed to drop one speed rating I believe). This means that without a stupid sticker, I need to stick with W rated tyres - and not all manufacturers actually produce them. You'll want to check what VW recommend for your car (it will be on the tyre placard), and stick with at least that rating.

[rcocu]

Thank you for your quick reply,l wiil be looking at the correct speed rating for my tyres and l will see if l can get the bridgestone tyres.l hope to buy my rims shortly so thank you for your good advise .

Cheers
Robert

[rcocu]

thank you all

l just wanted to say thank you to all the replys l have had about buying 17" gti mags. l am a newbie so l have posted a wanted items but l cannot reply in that area as yet but l still wanted to say thank you all for your assistance
. l realised that l was no supposed to put a wanted post in until l had been a member for 90 days or had posted so many times in the forum. thank you to the moderator who moved my post aswell
Thanks

Robert

[gerhard]

You will need to get 225/45-17 Tyres at least 91W.

These tyres are 225mm wide whereas your current tyres are probably 205/60-16 or maybe 195/65-16.

The wider tyres may cause the car to use more fuel, but the lower profile will give you a nicer feel to the steering wheel and better turn-in, as the sidewall flex is reduced due to the lower height from rim to road.

Be careful too, as the new rims may give you a wider track, and hence be closer to the kerb than you are used to, increasing the chance of kerbing your new wheels.

[brad]

You should consider these rims & tyres.

Genuine factory with the continental tyres you like at a bargain price.

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=33077

[rcocu]

Thank you all for your help, l have found my rims and l still have to decide on what tyres and where l should buy them from, l tryed our local store but on the same tyres they where up to $100.00 dearer per tyre than what l have been qouted on in other towns. l live in victoria and do any of you have any suggestions on who you would buy your tyres from.

Thank you all

Robert

[gerhard]

Thank you all for your help, l have found my rims and l still have to decide on what tyres and where l should buy them from, l tryed our local store but on the same tyres they where up to $100.00 dearer per tyre than what l have been qouted on in other towns. l live in victoria and do any of you have any suggestions on who you would buy your tyres from.

Thank you all

Robert

You might need to drive to Melbourne or Geelong to get a good price, presuming Ballarat does not have any kind of tyre competition going on.

[rcocu]

Hello all , l am not sure but if one of the administrators could answer this question, l have found a tyre place in melbourne who have stunning prices on Continental tyres and l am not sure if l am allowed on this forum to put there business name and telephone number here. l have had seven qoutes for Continental Sport contact 2 tyres , and all have been in the $410.00 to $550.00 each . l have asked this tyre company to give me a qoute with fitting and they are brand new (Not remoulds) and l have spoken to them on the telephone to confirm the price and they will do them for $280.00 each . well l nearly fell over and l thought l had better let the VW Forum know about these guys.
The other qoutes l have looked at have been from Sydney, Melbourne, WA,and all over the country, So if an administrator could tell me if l am allowed to post their details and where l should post there details to give other VW user access to them this would really help.

Thank you all again,
Robert

[rcocu]

Hello all,
l forgot to tell your the size of the tyres l was qouted on, they were:
Continental Sport Contact 2 Size 225x45x17 with a W rating

Thank you all

Robert

[Mrk_Mickey]

Hey Robert,

If you've had a good experience with a certain company, we encourage you to spread the word