245 instead of 235. whos done it, golf r / cadiz

[Manaz]

There was a tyre size calculator online that actually told you how much closer to suspension/guards/etc a given wheel and tyre combo was when compared to stock. I can't find it now, but what it meant was that you could literally go and measure a proposed set of tyres against your current ones and know (within reason, different manufacturers tyres of a given size can actually have slight variations between them) what the impact will be.

One example (without the handy "how it sits compared to the car bit): Tyre Size Calculator (use the comparison section)

Ah, here's the one I was thinking of: Online Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit

[Manaz]

For what it's worth, I'm a big fan of changing tyre size/profile (within reason) to suit requirements. I ran 235/45R17s on the Bora (stock were 225/40R17 IIRC) as it was a much more common tyre size, on a 7.5" rim (Bora Sports). I did the same with the Liberty GT Spec.B when I had it (same spec and wheel size as the Bora, oddly, though the CB and offsets were quite different), and am currently running 235/40R18 wheels on the Stinger (vs the 215/35R19 and 245/30R19 stock "staggered" setup).

One of the things I'm considering for the Arteon Shooting Brake is downsizing the wheels from stock (as with careful selection you can generally get good wheels and tyres cheaper in a more popular size than the stock tyres alone), and I'm big on wheel downsizing to give just a little more sidewall.

Be aware in your case that if you're going from 235/35 to 245/35, your sidewall will only be about 3.5mm taller (35% of the 1cm difference in tyre width), so it won't be a big deal - it may be enough for your requirements though.

[amunra]

For what it's worth, I'm a big fan of changing tyre size/profile (within reason) to suit requirements. I ran 235/45R17s on the Bora (stock were 225/40R17 IIRC) as it was a much more common tyre size, on a 7.5" rim (Bora Sports). I did the same with the Liberty GT Spec.B when I had it (same spec and wheel size as the Bora, oddly, though the CB and offsets were quite different), and am currently running 235/40R18 wheels on the Stinger (vs the 215/35R19 and 245/30R19 stock "staggered" setup).

One of the things I'm considering for the Arteon Shooting Brake is downsizing the wheels from stock (as with careful selection you can generally get good wheels and tyres cheaper in a more popular size than the stock tyres alone), and I'm big on wheel downsizing to give just a little more sidewall.

Be aware in your case that if you're going from 235/35 to 245/35, your sidewall will only be about 3.5mm taller (35% of the 1cm difference in tyre width), so it won't be a big deal - it may be enough for your requirements though.

could work well for a little bit of extra meat on the dodgy roads... seems like 1 small hit to these low profiles tyres or the sidewall and the tyres go out too easily or the rims buckle.

[Manaz]

could work well for a little bit of extra meat on the dodgy roads... seems like 1 small hit to these low profiles tyres or the sidewall and the tyres go out too easily or the rims buckle.

That's another reason I'm considering downsizing - as long as smaller wheels fit over the brakes, it gives the wheels more of a chance of surviving. Potholes in Sydney are bloody atrocious at present after all the rain we had, a mate with a Passat on 20" rims buckled two rims badly on what looked like a relatively minor pothole.

[amunra]

That's another reason I'm considering downsizing - as long as smaller wheels fit over the brakes, it gives the wheels more of a chance of surviving. Potholes in Sydney are bloody atrocious at present after all the rain we had, a mate with a Passat on 20" rims buckled two rims badly on what looked like a relatively minor pothole.

yeh ive buckled a rim hard in sydney too... not sure what did it because it just started making a funny wurring noise out of nowhere but there are some nasty holes on parramatta rd left lane heading east that probably helped it on its way.. the amount of money payed for rego , tolls and all that **** and they keep main roads like that when the roads are basically empty at night ready to be fixed..

luckily it went out on the last day of my tyre and rim warranty and a local shop had 1 spare cadiz

was thinking about getting 18s for the same reason.... can anybody here with golf R clearly state that riding on 18s is more comfortable than the 19s?

[Manaz]

can anybody here with golf R clearly state that riding on 18s is more comfortable than the 19s?

I can confirm that it's helped on every car I've done it on. You DO lose some steering/handling sharpness because the sidewalls are taller and more flexible, and some people dislike the look because the wheels don't fill the wheel arches as fully (I don't just look at the wheels, I look at the tyres as well, particularly so when you have dark wheels), but in the end, the benefits for me have always been better cost, cheaper wheels (or I can go higher quality at a smaller size - I went for Koya semi-forged on my Stinger, STI wheels from Japan on the Liberty), but in a stiffly sprung/suspended car (the Stinger was stupidly stiff in sports mode to the point it was unusable on even moderately bad roads because it tossed you around so much to make car control tricky, but on the 18" wheels, sports mode is usable again), this can actually help as it gives you a little more progressiveness. I can't see how it would not have some impact on the Golf - the question will be how much, and that will depend on the suspension tune amongst other things.

When I had the Bora, it had 16" wheels stock, and I actually went up to 17" wheels (there was an OEM 17" wheel option which I went for, before going to the Beetle RSI wheels which was basically a 17" version of the 18" wheels found on Mk4 R32s), and I found that this didn't have a significant negative impact on ride quality but made a massive difference in terms of handling.

[amunra]

I can confirm that it's helped on every car I've done it on. You DO lose some steering/handling sharpness because the sidewalls are taller and more flexible, and some people dislike the look because the wheels don't fill the wheel arches as fully (I don't just look at the wheels, I look at the tyres as well, particularly so when you have dark wheels), but in the end, the benefits for me have always been better cost, cheaper wheels (or I can go higher quality at a smaller size - I went for Koya semi-forged on my Stinger, STI wheels from Japan on the Liberty), but in a stiffly sprung/suspended car (the Stinger was stupidly stiff in sports mode to the point it was unusable on even moderately bad roads because it tossed you around so much to make car control tricky, but on the 18" wheels, sports mode is usable again), this can actually help as it gives you a little more progressiveness. I can't see how it would not have some impact on the Golf - the question will be how much, and that will depend on the suspension tune amongst other things.

When I had the Bora, it had 16" wheels stock, and I actually went up to 17" wheels (there was an OEM 17" wheel option which I went for, before going to the Beetle RSI wheels which was basically a 17" version of the 18" wheels found on Mk4 R32s), and I found that this didn't have a significant negative impact on ride quality but made a massive difference in terms of handling.

all noted. might have to find a set of 18s somewhere and give em a try.. was always keen to try smaller rims for ease of living on the dodgy roads but never got around to it..

anyone know where you can pick up VWR multispoke rims for decent price? or someone interested in selling?

[maraach]

If you do end up wanting to go down the 245 path let me know I'll be selling a set of conti sportcontact 6's cheap. 1 week old and only did 400km before I switched them out for 235's.

[amunra]

If you do end up wanting to go down the 245 path let me know I'll be selling a set of conti sportcontact 6's cheap. 1 week old and only did 400km before I switched them out for 235's.

whyd u switch to 235?