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Volkswagen GTI Tire & Wheel Problems

57 messages,  Last post on Jan 01, 2011 at 11:17 AM

You are in the Volkswagen GTI Forum.

What is this discussion about? Volkswagen GTI, Tires, Wheels, Hatchback

Messages Page 6 of 6

#48 of 57 Re: 17" vs 18" 2010 GTI Los Angeles [perunest] by shipo

Jun 15, 2010 (3:46 pm)

Replying to: perunest (Jun 15, 2010 3:23 pm)
Uhhh... What?

#49 of 57 Re: 17" vs 18" 2010 GTI Los Angeles [shipo] by upstatedoc

Jun 17, 2010 (12:59 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Jun 15, 2010 3:46 pm)
In reply to the fastest land mammal from a few months ago.

#50 of 57 Re: 17" vs 18" 2010 GTI Los Angeles [upstatedoc] by nightmancometh

Jun 17, 2010 (9:14 pm)

Replying to: upstatedoc (Jun 17, 2010 12:59 pm)
Understood The fastest land animal joke was from the movie Airplane II. I'm really showing my age.
 
From the looks of the past messages, I'm going to go for the 17" wheels due to the feedback from all of you. Thanks for making my decision wise and practical.

#51 of 57 Re: 17" vs 18" 2010 GTI Los Angeles [nightmancometh] by perunest

Jul 08, 2010 (2:34 pm)

Replying to: nightmancometh (Jun 17, 2010 9:14 pm)
The 2011 GTI will come with 18" wheels as standard. Also with a better Bluetooth that stores your cell phone address book.

#52 of 57 Re: 17" vs 18" 2010 GTI Los Angeles [perunest] by pgo1

Aug 29, 2010 (2:20 pm)

Replying to: perunest (Jul 08, 2010 2:34 pm)
Will VW dealers be willing to swap the stock 18" wheels on the 2011 GTI for 17" wheels? I will likely be leasing, so selling the 18s myself is not an option. Is VW offering 17" wheels as an option. 18s seem extreme as the stock tire, especially in the North East.

#53 of 57 Re: 17" vs 18" 2010 GTI Los Angeles [pgo1] by shipo

Aug 29, 2010 (6:43 pm)

Replying to: pgo1 (Aug 29, 2010 2:20 pm)
Yes, 17" wheels are an option, but not necessarily a cheap option. Some dealers might do a swap, some might not; can't hurt to ask.

#55 of 57 GTI Tire Aspect Ratio by nano11

Jan 01, 2011 (10:08 am)

Has anyone gone up one notch in aspect ratio on their 18 inch wheels: from 40 to 45? Lot's of discussion about 17 v. 18 wheels, but not about making the tire a bit fatter.

#56 of 57 Re: GTI Tire Aspect Ratio [nano11] by shipo

Jan 01, 2011 (10:52 am)

Replying to: nano11 (Jan 01, 2011 10:08 am)
Moving from an aspect ratio of 40 to 45 will NOT make the tires "fatter", what it will do is make them "taller" thus introducing speedometer error. Said another way, by moving from 225/40 R18 to 225/45 R18 the width doesn't change one wit, but the outer diameter moves from 25.09" to 25.97", a fairly significant jump.
 
If you want to make your tires "fatter" what you'll need to do is choose a tire that is both wider and has the same outside diameter such as 255/35 R18. The problem here is that the tires may be too "fat" to work without significant rubbing inside your wheel wells; that and these tires also require a wheel that is at least 8.5" wide, wider (I believe) than the OEM wheels on the GTI.

#57 of 57 Re: GTI Tire Aspect Ratio [shipo] by nano11

Jan 01, 2011 (11:17 am)

Replying to: shipo (Jan 01, 2011 10:52 am)
You are correct: I should have said "taller" rather than "fatter." Objective would be to increase aspect ratio to make the 18's ride a bit smoother, deal with potholes, etc., without buying new set of wheels. Understood that change in diameter makes difference in speedo accuracy, but that is not a big deal.

Messages Page 6 of 6

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