Noone's Polo

[noone]

Here they are;

Before / after




It is noticeable by contrast, but your normal Joe would not pick it. Add the debadged back and blacked VW badge and the back is subtly nicer.

[noone]

Wheels Wheels Wheels;

I must say that I have enjoyed changing my wheels numerous times as they alter the looks, but also the handling.

So far I’ve had:
Stock 16’s: 6.5” wide with stock Conti Tyres. I liked them originally, but as every other Polo GTI has them, it didn’t take long for me to want a change. I did not think too much of the stock Conti’s, but as I’d sold them to a VR6 owner before I did most of my handling mods, I cant compare them well.

VW Siatas 17’s: These were an option for the MkIV Golf or early TT. Not too many sets around and I managed to pick them up for a steal. They were nice and light, but 7” wide with a 38 offset. I put on a set of Kuhmo KU31’s which I think are fantastic tyres for the price they can be had for (about $110 a corner at the time). Not a light rim at 22 pounds.



Audi TT’s 17’s: So these were not the normal TT wheels, but similar and also similar to the early S3 wheels that have shown up on a few Pog’s. The beauty of these wheels is they are 7.5” wide with a 32-35 offset, making them sit perfectly IMO.

These wheels were my first wheel project as they came up from Melbourne in poor condition. It took me many hours of cleaning, patching and sanding to get them ready to be painted.



The wheels are solid, before the tyres went on, you could suspend the rim, flick it and it would ring like a bell… Unfortunately to get that sort of structure, it also came with a 25 pound weight (per rim). I don’t personally buy into some of the unsprung weight math that goes around, but heavy wheels with the bulk of the weight away from the centre means added force (power) required to move it. I like the umbrella analogy (spinning a cocktail umbrella vs a beach umbrella).



With these rims on, the car was handling better. I was running 205 / 40 tyres which is inside the normal range, but had a little stretch look to them. The cornering was beautiful but the ride became somewhat harsh. I tinkered with the swaybar settings and tyre pressure to find the right solution (performance vs comfort).

Whilst I loved the handling and the stance with these rims, I also grew bored of the heavy rims and wanted a change to see how the car would change with lighter rims.

Van’s Enkei’s 17’s: A lovely looking set of rims, nice and light (around 16 pounds a piece), 8” wide, but with an offset of 45…

The lower offset took away some of the stance I was enjoying, but added a little to the wheel and tyre width. The lighter rims made the car feel quicker when accelerating.

Once the wheels were balanced I have come to find the hanlding not as good as the TT’s with the Kuhmo’s, but the car is a little more Perky, so I cant complain. The rims came with the praised Mariangoli’s, a bit hard to compare as they are used and on different rims to my Enkei’s. If I had to give my best guess, I’d say they are softer, noisier, more comfortable, but have less grip. Again, difficult to say as the rims weigh such different amounts.

What interests me the most is trying to understand why changing the wheels and tryes changes aspects of how the car responds. Obviously changing the tyre would change the bump absorbtion, grip, etc, but I am also interested to see how the wheel weight, offset and tyre stretch affect the handling when combined with the coil stiffness, shock setup (eg rebound settings) etc. the more I drive, the more I want fully adjustable coilovers so I can dial in my own settings to each shock for each rim / tyre combo.

On the downside, my partner is not too happy when I announce that I’ve purchased a new set of rims, especially after being unemployed for a good portion of 2010.

More pics of new wheels to come...

[fuzion]

nice write up Ben! few bits not exactly right but all good lol.

Think once we have finished with missvuks car in January ill post up some info and what not on it .. been mega lazy! so much needs to be done still (well not really but yes really lol).

I still find suprisingly how well these go in comparison to most cars on the road, the power to weight ratio is great and being able to grab up to 145kw @ the wheels before a turbo swap or major mods is pretty impressive as well!

Like the new choice of wheels and eyelids! looks the goods

[Old_Fart]

The new exhaust tips really complement your Polo GTI. Where did they come from - and how much ($) ?

[noone]

Bought from an exhaust shop, cost me about $200 for tips and fitting. Normally I'm more frugal, but the tips were what I was looking for.

[pixl]

Those double spoked rims are by far the best rims I've ever seen on a Polo.

Whenever I have a bit spare cash, I keep meaning to do the ECU. But I always end up buying more photography gear instead ...

Nice work all round and superbly written. Can't wait to see what you do next!

[vwthunder]

Yeah Ben, car looks grouse, I should have bought those rims lol

How do you go at keeping them clean

[noone]

Ok, so due to the forum issues, a few comments were lost.

Today I made some brake pad shims to help reduce my brake noise issue, seems to have gone well.

Last Saturday I finished my catch can install. It's not the tidiest install, but I want to see what is collected before I go to a lot of effort making it a permanent feature under the bonnet.

Still playing with the new tyre pressure, 38 psi is the winner so far. Much more fun with traction control off ( well, pushing the dash button turns some elements off).

[DeanB]

Ok, so due to the forum issues, a few comments were lost.

C'mon Ben, admit it you hacked some stuff so you would get a chance to talk about your car some more

[noone]

You know, I totally would, my GF is sick of hearing about it, but I'm not finished...

[hazrd]

You know, I totally would, my GF is sick of hearing about it, but I'm not finished...

honestly, she should respect your 2nd love
mines the same, but that aint gunna stop me!! keep em coming

[Gti Dave]

Ha ha ha...my missus just looks at my lips move whilst tuning her ears out and mind to what clothes she's going to buy later that night on the internet.

[kaanage]

You guys actually try to inform your partners about what you're doing to your cars?

I've been trying not to raise that sort of attention.
Here are some lines that I'm preparing for the future.

• Lower? I've read that the springs settle a bit on these cars over time.
• Bigger? No, the wheels just look bigger after they've been cleaned 'cos they're so much shinier.
• Bumpy? Well this is just my cheap car so it's not as nice as yours.
• Louder? Ditto.
• Faster? They say these engines get better after they run in for a while.
• Aerial? Gosh that must have been that "snap" noise I heard when I drove into that low car park
• Brake squeal? They must be a bit getting old but it can wait until the next service.

And the best one for her car will be

• The DPF is clogging and will cost over $7000 to replace. I can get it removed and the engine programmed to forget about it for lots less, though....

[flat6]

lmao keenage, most women only see cars by their colour and if their fast or not, other than that they got no idea at all.

My mrs is all right but she cracks it when i spend more time with my 4wheeled mistress than her lol

[pog]

Ok, so due to the forum issues, a few comments were lost.

Today I made some brake pad shims to help reduce my brake noise issue, seems to have gone well.

Last Saturday I finished my catch can install. It's not the tidiest install, but I want to see what is collected before I go to a lot of effort making it a permanent feature under the bonnet.

Still playing with the new tyre pressure, 38 psi is the winner so far. Much more fun with traction control off ( well, pushing the dash button turns some elements off).

Your on the money with the tyre pressure. When I hit the track, I've found 38psi does wonders for cornering in the Polo GTI (Street tyres - KU36 215/45/17).