The Official Polo Tyre Thread

[Stuwey]

Well, a road trip to Winton ended in a puncture in the sidewall. Marked the end for one of my Bridgestones...

Not happy. Still, pair of new ones on the front and back on track, if not $490 poorer. LOVING these hoops!

[Azhar]

Hi Guys,

I am from South Africa and also driving a Polo GTI - standard 205/45/16.

My first set of tyres were Conti Sport Contact 2. All 4 were replaced because of bulges on the sidewalls. So i will never buy this tyre again.

Currently I am running on all wheels Yokahama Sdrive, they are very strong tyres, good grip, hard ride, good steering feedback, noisy at low speeds and also noisy at high speeds mainly on rough road surfaces and very loud on concrete roads.

Being a family man now, i no longer have the urge to drive the car hard and looking for a tyre that is quiet, comfortable and good quality. Price is not the issue so if you guys could recommend a tyre it would be cool.

Thanks in advance.

[Kiel_GTI]

hey guys,

can anyone definitively say that a 215/40/17 will fit on the polo gti without any scrubbing (offset 35)?

Thanks in advance

Kiel

[noone]

Don't think you can do that without some risk.

Chances are you won't get much / any scrubbing if you don't drive hard on full lock and have the exact offset to complement (42 probably).

Personally, when I get my next set of rims, i'll be putting some 205 rubber on them, then you don't have to worry (as long as the offset is between 42 and 30-something (again depends who you talk to, but 35ish should be ok).

[VWindahouse]

I have 17x7" rims with a 45 offset and 215/40R17 tyres with no problems at all and I have H&R springs on as well

[Azhar]

Bridgestone Potenza ER300

Hi Guys,

Has anyone tried the Bridgestone Potenza ER300 on their Polo GTI?

[JCM308]

Car - 07 Polo GTI
Rim Size - 17" Speedy Lite 9
New Tire - Yokohama S-Drive
Price - $290 each
Tire Size - 205/40/17
Tire Replaced - Dunlop Sport Maxx (205/45/16)
Km's On new Tire - 10kms
Thoughts on New Tire - So far so good. Much too soon to tell though. Will go for a "Spirited" drive this weekend and see how they hold up. 17's look so much better on the car than the factory 16's

[noone]

Car - 06 Polo GTI
Rims - 17" VW Siata
New Tire - Kuhmo KU31's
Price - $120 each
Tire Size - 205/40/17
Tire Replaced - Conti's on stock rims
Km's On new Tire - 40kms

Thoughts on New Tire and Wheels: Too early to tell, wheels need some serious scrubbing. I can feel a difference in the overall handling of the car, the wheels feel much more grounded.

I'm very impressed at the ride comfort, was concerned about lowering the tyre profile with KW springs and having a harsh ride. The Kumho's are much more accepting of potholes, uneven terrain, etc. Again think the heavier rims might play some part here.

Think the new wheels / tyres are a heavier combo than stock, feels a little heavier which I don't mind as the stock was so light, the proof will be in the grip when the tyres are worn in. Think I'm too aware of the change and am trying too hard to analyze any differences.

----------------

Just come back from a 3 hour trip: Galston Gorge, Berowra waters, Commonara, Lane Cove Park.

Tyres were good, combo was quite noisy when looping back on the F1 on the coarse bitumen. Comfort has improved over stock which I'm still surprised by. Handling feels more solid, steering feels normal already. Not sure about overall grip as I had my girl in the car. Think there was more traction when accelerating out of corners.

[Kai]

If anyone wants kumho ku36's.

KU36 Prices

205/50/15 KU36 $151.00
215/45/16 KU36 $133.00
225/50/16 KU36 $155.00
215/45/17 KU36 $161.00
225/45/17 KU36 $194.00
235/45/17 KU36 $164.00
245/40/17 KU36 $215.00
245/45/17 KU36 $202.00
255/40/17 KU36 $227.00
275/40/17 KU36 $250.00
285/40/17 KU36 $258.00
315/35/17 KU36 $250.00
225/40/18 KU36 $233.00
225/45/18 KU36 $235.00
235/40/18 KU36 $207.00
245/35/18 KU36 $206.00
245/40/18 KU36 $254.00
265/35/18 KU36 $236.00
275/35/18 KU36 $275.00
285/35/19 KU36 $269.00

Pm meeeeee

[hkogti]

25000km of experience, no scrubing.

hey guys,

can anyone definitively say that a 215/40/17 will fit on the polo gti without any scrubbing (offset 35)?

Thanks in advance

Kiel

[Grant]

25000km of experience, no scrubing.

Are you lowered?

[noone]

Remember, offset is also relative to the rim size.

What this means: The distance from brakes to wheel (or wheel to the guard) on same offset (2 different wheels with same offset) but different rim width (7" vs 7.5") is different.

Many variables with wheels.

KHOGTI, what is your rim width?

[jamesatfish]

For reference, I'm running Audi TT wheels (not sure of the offset or exact wheel width, but I can check) with 215/40/17s as road tyres. The car is lowered on Bilstein PSS9s.

No rubbing to report under any situation - and that includes some quite aggressive track / motorkhana driving.

[noone]

Do you think better shocks would reduce the travel of the suspension when going over big bumps (compared to the stocks with H&R springs for example).

[Grant]

For reference, I'm running Audi TT wheels (not sure of the offset or exact wheel width, but I can check) with 215/40/17s as road tyres. The car is lowered on Bilstein PSS9s.

No rubbing to report under any situation - and that includes some quite aggressive track / motorkhana driving.

Do you know if your car is as low as one on H&R springs? I have the same wheels and will go to 215/40s next time if I can.