Wheel/Tire upgrade?

[NotGReddy]

Hi all, new to the forums and was wondering what the best kind of wheel/tire setup would be an improvement over my current 185/55/15 handling-wise whilst also improving the look of the car?

I’ve looked at countless other forum posts, etc and I’ve come down to a few options:

Run GTI specs (17x7, 215/40 I believe?)

Or run 16x7/16x6.5.

Anyone able to tell me if running these kind of specs would ruin my handling? any advice is greatly appreciated!

[2226]

I run 215/40R17 on a 17x7.5 rim on my Polo 1.2TSI and get outrun by regular TSI on 15s.

17s look good, but they take a bit more effort to roll.
And 40 profiles don't care much for even small potholes. Put that together with these soft modern allow wheels and you'll have issues. I've already had a buckled and cracked rim repaired.

I reckon 16s would be nice compromise.

[SRGTD]

Although I’ve changed the alloys on my last three cars, I’ve never ‘upsized’ to a larger wheel / lower profile tyre than the the original OEM wheel / tyre setup, therefore I’m not sure how your car’s handling would be affected if you fit 17” alloys and low(er) profile tyres. However, what you will notice with 17” alloys and tyres with 40 aspect ratio sidewalls is that the ride will be much firmer.

If you were planning on going for Polo GTI spec alloys, below is a list of VW 17” OEM alloys for the 6r and 6c Polo. The Polo BlueGT also had 17” alloys so I’ve included those too. With the exception of the Parabolica alloys (standard on the 6c GTI) which are 7.5Jx17”, offset ET44, all the others are 7Jx17”, offset of ET46.

• Montani (as fitted to the Polo BlueGT); 7Jx17” ET46. Were available in either silver or anthracite painted finish

• Serron - diamond cut finish (were a factory fit option on the 6c Polo GTI); 7Jx17” ET46

• Parabolica - diamond cut finish (standard factory alloys on the 6c GTI); 7.5Jx17” ET44

• Motorsport (weren’t available as a factory fit alloy; were sold as an accessory through VW dealers parts departments); 7Jx17” ET46. Were available in anthracite, black or white painted finish.

• Monza (as fitted to the 6r GTI); 7x17” ET46. Available in either a silver painted finish or diamond cut (diamond cut version was called Monza shadow).

A bit of a ‘brain dump’ below in no particular order of things to bear in mind when considering changing wheels / tyres;

• Tyres; VW’s factory spec tyres for 17” alloys on the Polo are 215/40 R17 which isn’t a very common size, so they tend to be quite expensive

• Changing the alloys on a car is a modification for insurance purposes, so it’s necessary to inform your insurance company who may charge an additional premium - whether or not they charge extra may depend on how mod-friendly they are.

• Diamond cut alloys (also often described as ‘machined’ or ‘polished’) - the diamond cut finish isn’t very durable and is susceptible to white worm corrosion, especially if diamond cut alloys are on a car all year round and the car is used as a daily driver (UK winter weather and diamond cut alloys isn’t a good combination). I’d always go for alloys with a painted / powder coated finish as the finish is much more durable.

• I’d avoid cheap Chinese imported alloys as the quality of finish and structural integrity can be ‘questionable’. They’re also unlikely to have been TUV, ABE, JWL (or similar) tested and certified in the same way that alloys from reputable known manufacturers will have been.

• Many non OEM aftermarket alloys use different bolt types to OEM alloys; VW OEM alloys use ball seat (also known as radius seat) bolts whereas most aftermarket alloys use bolts with a tapered seat. It is really important from a safety perspective that the correct bolt type is used to maximise the contact patch between the bolt seat and the bolt hole in the alloy wheel - if not, the bolts could work loose. Reputable retailers of new aftermarket alloys should provide a fitting kit that includes the correct bolt type and spigot rings if needed. Keep the bolts from one of the original wheels in the car in case you need to fit the spare wheel on the car.

If buying used alloys;

• If they’re being sold as genuine OEM VW alloys, always check - or ask the seller to provide pictures - of the reverse side of the spokes which will include such details as VW’s part no, the spec details (width, diameter, offset, the manufacturer’s name etc). That way, you’ll be anble to tell if they’re genuine OEM alloys and not cheap replicas.

• A well prepared, clean set of alloys - face and reverse side of each alloy - will no damage or only minimal damage (e.g. just a few stone chips) could be an indication (but not a guarantee) they’ve been well cared for.

• Always get the seller to confirm they haven’t suffered any structural damage or had any structural repairs.

• If they’re diamond cut, ask the seller how many times they’ve been refurbished. The refurbishment process for diamond cut alloys involves re-cutting the face of the wheel and removing a layer of metal to get back to ‘clean’ metal; more than two cosmetic refurbishments and too much metal will have been removed, which could compromise the structural integrity of the wheels and render them unsafe.

[amer6R]

I run 215/40R17 on a 17x7.5 rim on my Polo 1.2TSI and get outrun by regular TSI on 15s.

17s look good, but they take a bit more effort to roll.
And 40 profiles don't care much for even small potholes. Put that together with these soft modern allow wheels and you'll have issues. I've already had a buckled and cracked rim repaired.

I reckon 16s would be nice compromise.

additional rotation mass effects everything, you can feel the difference in braking power on 256 mm front brakes

[2226]

Don't forget the Canyon in 17x7.5 ET38.

Isn't the ET on the Parabolica on 6C a ET35?

[2226]

additional rotation mass effects everything, you can feel the difference in braking power on 256 mm front brakes

Yip. Braking actually felt much better on my 2006 mk1 Golf with 13s and 256mm brakes than it does in this Cross Polo with 17s and 288mm. I'm sure the 300KG extra mass doesn't help either.

[SRGTD]

Don't forget the Canyon in 17x7.5 ET38.

The Canyon is an alloy for the VW Caddy van and has a 5x112 PCD (see screenshot below) so won’t physically bolt onto the Polo’s hub assembly as the Polo’s PCD is 5x100.

IMG_0224.jpeg (46.12 KiB) Viewed 3418 times

Isn't the ET on the Parabolica on 6C a ET35?

No, genuine OEM VW Parabolica alloys - part no. 6C0601025K - have an offset of ET44; see screenshots below of the reverse side of a genuine Parabolica. I’ve seen cheap replicas in the style of the Parabolica’s with an offset of ET35 though - see link below;
https://www.redpowermotorsport.ie/produ ... le-wheels/


Genuine Parabolica alloy; size/offset and part number;

IMG_0222.jpeg (30.34 KiB) Viewed 3418 times

IMG_0223.jpeg (29.97 KiB) Viewed 3418 times

[2226]

I run Canyons.

[SRGTD]

I run Canyons.

The Cross Polo was never sold in the UK, so it’s unlikely there’ll be any Canyon alloys in the UK with the correct PCD of 5x100 to fit a Polo.

[2226]

Ah yeah you're right.
I recall something now about someone building their own version over there because of that very reason. 2-door as well, looked pretty cool.