18" Detroit Alloys

[G-rig]

18's are a few seconds slower on the Golf around a track (back to back comparison by Evo mag in the UK plus a number of other reviews have shown this). The 17's offer better performance, tyres are cheaper, the ride is better, you have better protection against rim damage from potholes or kerbs because of the taller sidewall. Really the only reason to go 18's are looks.

A few seconds per lap is heaps (but just read the track is 20mins LOL, not your typical 1:15 track) however i doubt most people would notice it around the streets. Must be the unsprung weight contributing to this not the wider tyres etc as grip would be better? (I'd get a set of 17" with semi slicks for the track which would add 2-3sec per lap over street tyres too).

The 18" Detroits look way better than the 17" (and good value upgrade for $1200). I'm guessing they would still be lighter than other 18" reps. Something about the MK6 nose looks too heavy with 17" wheels IMO. The looks are worth it as there are other lighter racecars to start with.

[iBoost]

I think the 18s are definately worth it, for looks alone. I doubt you'd notice any performance hit on the streets.

The 18s are the reason I'm still waiting for my GTI, I could barely find any GTIs in stock when I was ordering in January, let alone one with the 18s. Should be worth the wait.

[stevie_t]

I think the 18s are definately worth it, for looks alone. I doubt you'd notice any performance hit on the streets.

The 18s are the reason I'm still waiting for my GTI, I could barely find any GTIs in stock when I was ordering in January, let alone one with the 18s. Should be worth the wait.

Would off the mark/straight line performance be affected by the 18's?
If we would hardly notice any difference between the 2 if we hit the streets, thats a good thing.

Most of us probably want to get the most out of our GTI but it seems like 18's are for show and 17's for go

I know Mav & many many others have shared information & opinions about the performance effects and differences with the 18 Detroit's VS 17 Denver's. It makes the choice tough...

To me the GTI looks like Detroit's need to be stock -they just look so good and suit the car. But this car is a performance car. And if 17 Denver's are better for speed/handling,etc... its a tough decision.

I want the looks of a Detroit with no worrys about handling/performance.

Just my outlet guys, I'm still unsure.

Anyone have anything to say about differences? Off the mark/straight line performance and also cornering handling, etc?

Thanks Guys

[iBoost]

I wouldn't worry about the performance difference unless you plan on actually taking it to the track. 99% of the time you'll be on the road, not the track anyway and the difference on the road would be minimal.

If you look at the other performance cars sold these days, 18 inch wheels are pretty much standard fitment on everything from the WRX, Lancer Ralliart, 3MPS etc.

Unless you plan on getting after market wheels straight away or your main focus is on ride quality (Get ACC) then I wouldn't hesitate in getting the 18s. I guess the exception would be if you found a car in your spec available immediately minus the 18s.

At the end of the day it's your car, so your call of course. Hope this helps.

[stevie_t]

Thanks iBoost, that's great bud.
That helps a lot.

No my main concern isn't ride comfort (although, I'm certain the GTI on 18's even without ACC is still reasonably comfortable)... rite??

I'd be happy to stick to 18's, not interested in upgrading to aftermarket ones either.

Thanks again

[G-rig]

To me the GTI looks like Detroit's need to be stock -they just look so good and suit the car. But this car is a performance car. And if 17 Denver's are better for speed/handling,etc... its a tough decision.

I want the looks of a Detroit with no worrys about handling/performance.

Just my outlet guys, I'm still unsure.

Anyone have anything to say about differences? Off the mark/straight line performance and also cornering handling, etc?

Thanks Guys

Yeah I wouldn't worry about it, such a minor difference if you even notice one IMO. The 18" Denvers look hot so just get them if you can!

It's not a drag/race car so may as well finish the look.

[hooba]

Last weekend I drove GTis with both the 17" and 18" wheels. Without a doubt the 18" alloys look like the duck's guts, however there is an obvious trade off in terms of a harsher ride.

I found that the cornering speeds appeared to be higher with the 18's, however I preferred the handling of the 17's. IMHO the 17" wheel / tyre combo were far more communicative in terms of what the car was doing and where its limits were, whilst with the 18's seemed harder to judge what the car was doing and where the limits are. That said, this could simply be put down to the Bridgestone RE050A's on the 17" car, which are a brilliant tyre except for wear.

[Corey_R]

To me the GTI looks like Detroit's need to be stock -they just look so good and suit the car. But this car is a performance car. And if 17 Denver's are better for speed/handling,etc... its a tough decision

If you're worried about looks, then with the $1200 you save by going for the 17" Denvers, you could obviously take your car to a body shop, get them to take off the wheels, and get them painted like the Detroits are. I mean, that's all that VW have done with the Detroits - painted the interiors.

I know there is a difference in profile, but it's not great - only 5% difference.

[Diesel_vert]

Generally, the wider your tyres are, the gripper they are in the dry (and in the wet, contrary to belief), but the lower your aquaplaning threshold. In addition, wider tyres tend to mean lower profiles, which improves turn-in & responsiveness. But as there's less give from the sidewall, that makes it a little trickier at the limit. And though its been mentioned already, I'd like to re-emphasise that the 2.5 sec. difference between 17" and 18" tyres was on a WET track only.

That said, I have to agree with iBoost, in that unless you plan on track days, this is really all moot. For whatever reason you prefer the 18" Denvers, you should just get them!

[hcvo1]

i test drove a gti with stock 17s and today picked up my gti with 18 detroits - the ride on the 17s will def be better but the gti is such a well refined car that with the 18s the ride is still amazing.

and they look hot which is what sold them

Congrats on the new car!

[bugsalanko]

118 TSI - Fitting Detroits

I know I will cop a bit of flak from the GTI drivers, however I'm looking at putting a set of Detroits on my 118TSI.

My question is are they going to fit on the car? At present I've got the stock wheels on it which are 16*6.5 (please correct me if I'm wrong) and am A) not sure about the stock offset and B wondering if a pair of 17*7.5's and with what offset? are going to fit on the car with now issues?


Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bugsy

[brad]

They'll go straight on without issues. Will look good. If you are hard up for money, check out the 2nd hand forums - here, golfmkV aussie area & vwgolf.net.au

MKV & MKVI will both fit.

[Ozram]

I know I will cop a bit of flak from the GTI drivers, however I'm looking at putting a set of Detroits on my 118TSI.

My question is are they going to fit on the car? At present I've got the stock wheels on it which are 16*6.5 (please correct me if I'm wrong) and am A) not sure about the stock offset and B wondering if a pair of 17*7.5's and with what offset? are going to fit on the car with now issues?

As Brad says, they will fit. I know, cos they've been on mine since I bought it. Standard Denver offset in 17's is 51.
Check 'em out here

[bugsalanko]

Thanks for the quick replies guys.
In terms of tyre size what would you recommend/are you running?

[brad]

Thanks for the quick replies guys.
In terms of tyre size what would you recommend/are you running?

What size 17" tyre is written on the fuel flap with all the other "approved" tyre sizes?

It should be 225/45x17 but if I went back to 17" again (I've been 16x6.5 ET50 --> 17x8 ET35 --> 16x7.5 ET50) I'd probably get 235/45x17 (after a bit of extra research on diameters & price).

Sux that your thread enquiry about 17" detroits has been merged with the 18" thread