MK1 Wheels

[Oneofthegreats]

After opinions of the best size for alloy/mag wheels for a MK1...

Probably depends on wheel design, but noticed a few nice sets being offered for sale in recent weeks....is 16" too big for a Mk1?

cheers

G'day scoob02.

In my experience, I wouldn't go any larger than a 15 x 7" with a ET (offset)no less than 30mm & a tyre any bigger than 195/50R15. Ideally you'd get a rim with an ET35/38.

I've got 15 x 7" with an ET25 & 195/50R15 & you have to beat the guard's a bit, but it does look pretty fat from both the front & back.

I've got 205/50R14 on my gti with the standard rim's (14 x 6" ET3 & they do rub on the arches with a heavy bump. That's why I wouldn't go any fatter than a 195.

Hope this help's.

[evorobin]

I reckon mk1's suck for wheels because 6" wide rims et35 fill the front guard. Will find out on sunday as measuring hubs to guards to get offset

[gtimk5]

Caliper clearance is often an issue as well......

[Valver.]

I still haven't had a wink of rubbing with 15x8s ET25 with 5mm spacers up front (ET20 in effect, then), with 195/45/15s and a very mild stretch.

All I've really done is rolled the inner guard lips and put up some logic.

The car is lowered around 100/90mm F&R.

It's all in the suspension set-up - it must be. Big swaybars, tight coilovers and bushes keep everything together. The arc on a stretched tyre also helps to tuck the wheel under the guard on the front of the car as the control arm lifts on an upward and inward axis.

I now have 9s on the back with 225/40/14s (lol!) and, though I've only trundled the car down the road 3 times, I'm still confident they won't rub.

There are plenty of people with 15, and even 16x9s that have NO problems whatsoever.

Running GTI wheel arch trims doesn't help, which is another thing to consider. There are a lot of contributing factors to getting wheels to fit - if you address them all at once, there is no issues. That's my opinion anyway.

In effect, do it once, do it right. There is no quick fix. If you can't afford to setup your Mk1 properly, either don't do it (it being fit a big engine with poor brakes; big wheels with poor suspension etc etc) or be patient - save some coin - and wait until you can.

These are old cars, and they need far more attention than most people give them before they slap in a 16v, or fit big wheels etc.

If we all had as much money as the pratts in PVW and the like, we'd have someone build us a car in three months while we watch the tele. I personally don't think that's fun or worthwhile (I'd rather enjoy learning how to sort the car myself) but if someone does, goodluck to them - they could blow their money on worse things.

There have been a lot of threads on here with people asking about certain mods and conversions - to Mk1s especially - like fit a 20v etc, and no one has actually made an effort to put things into practice. There is little point asking on here, as everyone does things differently. Get stuck in, then come back with questions.

If you're young and want to do things like this, get another job, and another job, and then another one. It doesn't just happen dreaming about it and asking people on here.

Save your pennies and start from scratch.

Anyway, yeah, I've blown this thread out of proportion - sorry - but this post addresses a lot of stuff on here, which makes me roll my eyes, to be honest!!

Cheers, and have a good day

P.S. I'm not interested in turning this into a bitching session, either.

[DubSteve]

Are they ROH wheels? I found a mob that make those wheels to what ever stud pattern you want pretty much up to 16s they said to really nice and I think as wide as 9s

[gldgti]

noone likes 14"s???

i've found that 14's suit my needs very well. a 14x6 rim with a 185/60 good quality tyre is seriously sticky. i have to admit, some lower sidewalls would be nice at times, but with good quality rubber, 60 profile on such a light vehicle offers no real disadvantage, probably only a difference in feel - and if you run a decent tyre pressure.

as for looks, sure 15's or 16's are great. depends on your likes. personally, i dont mind the 14's providing you have the offset to fill out the arches well enough - on my LS i have ET35 on the front with a 6" rim, and ET23 on the back with the 6" rim which really fills out the rear arches nicely. it does rub a little but only on a large suspension deformation, like a proper bump. the koni's keep travel to a min which helps it stop rubbing.

with crap or even normal stock shockies, even with 185 tyres on a 6" rim at ET 38, you'll scrub at the back with a load on - so like valver said - you need the suspension to go with it.

[Water Boy]

Drop it like its hot and run some stretch... As everyone has said save your $$$ and do it properly

[Oneofthegreats]

with crap or even normal stock shockies, even with 185 tyres on a 6" rim at ET 38, you'll scrub at the back with a load on - so like valver said - you need the suspension to go with it.

I must say to this that the standard mk1 gti with p-slot's are 14 x 6" ET 38 with a 185/60R14 & there is no prob with scrubbing what so ever, even with a full car load of fat pricks! I believe that VW couldn't bring a car out that has scrubbing issue's from standard.

Also, the only thing with valver's post & not having a dig one bit so don't get me wrong, I'm just broadening the whole perspective is that by the look's of it you don't have any scrubbing issue's & have the whole suspension package to go with it, but you probably don't carry any load's in the back & only carry one passenger. Not all of us do this.

I for one used to carry car load's & at time's carry part's ranging from engine block's, cyl. heads, diff. housing's etc. That's where my problem's of scrubbing came from.

[Valver.]

Also, the only thing with valver's post & not having a dig one bit so don't get me wrong, I'm just broadening the whole perspective is that by the look's of it you don't have any scrubbing issue's & have the whole suspension package to go with it, but you probably don't carry any load's in the back & only carry one passenger. Not all of us do this.

That's true too I was expecting rubbing at the front if anything, though, as the 15x8s were way out of the guards. Having said that, most Mk1s I've been in have rubbing issues at the back and not the front.

[Water Boy]

Drop it like dis...

Who cares run your Mk1 like this



This is where its at: White walls and patina... Oh yeah

I know u dont all share my love for ol skool

[gldgti]

golfworx, you are probably right about the gti, BUT - i had some 185/60 firestones with the rim protector strip on my GLD last year which rubbed - it was probably only the extra thickness provided by the rim protector that did this, but nonetheless, its still a 185 section tyre...

there you go then

[RedMk2Gti]

Moderator, put this thread as sticky please

[ontarv]

those 205/65r13's will scrub as well mine did
i have all 205/60's now , not so tall
same hight as a 175/70r13
go some stretch with some 155 or 165/70r13's

[scoob02]

Some good info on here lads

Say I ran 195/45 tyres and 15 X 6 wheels...will it scrub?

[Valver.]

Some good info on here lads

Say I ran 195/45 tyres and 15 X 6 wheels...will it scrub?

It depends on the offset of the wheels... and sadly so many other things, which make it really hard to say with certainty!!

In short, though, if the wheels are around the ET30-40 mark, you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever.

If you do have trouble, you could try a 165/50/15, or even a tiny 165/45/15. These fit fine on a 6" rim, with little to no stretch on the sidewalls. If you take this path, Federal make both these sizes, so don't let the idiot/s at the tyre place tell you they're not available - I have a set of for 165/45/15s here which I got from Sparco Tyres

Some places even argue against 195/45/15s, even though this size is distributed in Australia by Michelin, Pirelli, Toyo and Continental - and these are just the ones I've found, so I'm sure there's more!!!