Alloy wheels, affect handling?

[tcran]

Hey guys,

Still rolling on 15" steelies. Need some alloys. I drive a 2001 mk4 golf, PCD 5x100 (damn annoying), current ET 38.

Looking at 17's which are second hand (preferably about $600 including tyres) either audi or vw as I know spacers are illegal - how wide can I go without rubbing?

Also I dont want to mess up settings that make the car handle well. Could this be expected with lower offset than stock or wider wheels?

I could buy a wheel and tyre package new, but would like to keep some money for springs, swaybar etc. At Uni so money is an issue.

Thanks

[dylan8]

your width will depend on the new wheels offset to if it will rub or not.
there would be mountains of combos in specs you can get.
it will also depend on if you plan to lower the car, and by how much.
if you stick to stock wheels (say TT or A3 wheels, GTI, 4mo) you'll generally be right.
im not expert but wider wheels with different offset wont muck up your handling, wider wheels should give you more grip.

i had 8 wide up front and they work, some others have 8.5
rears 8s work easy, again others have 8.5s, and i should be making 9s fit out back with room to move still.

if you find a set you like, post it up with its specs (size, width, offset, pcd) or the model it was off and we will try and help.

theres also a list of car wheels in this section if you want to see what cars fit

Good luck!

[RolfGolf]

I grabbed some 17" 7.5 TT wheels a couple of years ago for my Golf after driving around with steelies for years. The offset is in the 40s - perhaps 42 - can't remember offhand.

In regards to handling, cornering is better and the car feels more planted generally, so if anything things have improved in that regard.

You'll want to do your suspension mods at the same time (or very soon afterwards unless you like the racing 4x4 look ...)

I did notice I need to be a little more aggressive with initial cold braking - whether that's down to the extra circumference of the wheels or their weight I'm not sure, but it might be something you want to factor in with regard to handling.

Cheers.

[dylan8]

I grabbed some 17" 7.5 TT wheels a couple of years ago for my Golf after driving around with steelies for years. The offset is in the 40s - perhaps 42 - can't remember offhand.

offsets for the TT's are normally 32, they are a good size as the outside face sticks out alot, also giving you plenty of clearance to the inside of the wheel

[RolfGolf]

offsets for the TT's are normally 32, they are a good size as the outside face sticks out alot, also giving you plenty of clearance to the inside of the wheel

I knew there was a 2 in there somewhere

Makes a big difference to the car and well worth doing IMO.

[tcran]

Thanks for your help guys, I probably will lower soon after getting some wheels just a little bit though. Ill post some photos when it's looking alright.

[dylan8]

I knew there was a 2 in there somewhere

Makes a big difference to the car and well worth doing IMO.

i agree, great looking aswell.

[gareth_oau]

an alloy wheel is much lighter than steel and consequently your unsprung weight is much lower and your suspension components can react a lot more quickly to changes in the road surface.

In addition to that, your suspension components won't wear as quickly as they are managing less weight