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Some with 18 upgrade on FR have complained somewhat about ride but that's to be expected. I'm sure I saw a thread on here about leons running on 19s? Some one more knowledgeable than me will be along shortly.
if you want to go 18s, standard suspension will be slightly harsher than you 17s. general rule is the lower the profile of the tyre the harder the ride. 17s profile 45, 18s profile 40, 19s i think are 35.
If you do choose 19s i'd recommend changing the suspension set-up (i.e. springs).
I got my TDi FR on 18s and that was pretty harsh and crashy. i've now changed my suspension and it's much more comfortable yet the car is lower. The only thing that puts me off 19s is price jump for tyres when u move from 18s to 19s. i was very surprise how much more 19s were compared to 18s.
If you do choose 19s i'd recommend changing the suspension set-up (i.e. springs).
I got my TDi FR on 18s and that was pretty harsh and crashy. i've now changed my suspension and it's much more comfortable yet the car is lower. The only thing that puts me off 19s is price jump for tyres when u move from 18s to 19s. i was very surprise how much more 19s were compared to 18s.
My kw v1 coilovers and eibach anti-roll bars were £1128 fitted. they allow for height adjustment only. i went for the deeper end of suspension modding. some guys go have some very expensive set-ups.
The price of kw's have gone up £150 since i got mine.
You can use ur existing shocks by just changing to lowering springs. Springs i believe are available for less than £200, then u pay for fitting. anti-roll bars are about £250.
The price of kw's have gone up £150 since i got mine.
You can use ur existing shocks by just changing to lowering springs. Springs i believe are available for less than £200, then u pay for fitting. anti-roll bars are about £250.
Being boring and pratcial I suppose I personally don't like anything bigger than 17. Bigger wheels do look the business but can be a pain to live with.
Had 18s on the Cupra and they looked great, but was forever hitting them on kerbs when parking, go too close to a kerb and there the wheel takes the hit rather than the tyre.
A mate has 19s on his Civic Type R and he managed to clunk them most people do.
I got a refurb done on the Cupra as I hit one wheel really badly, the company who did it now sends me letter offering an annual subscription service for upto 6 refurbs in a year, seems to be a common problem with bigger wheels.
If you park on the drive, do very little street parking you can probably get away with bigger wheels, otherwise the bigger the wheel the more risk of damage.
Its gutting when you've spent probably an extra £1000 or so once you've bought the wheels and tyres and then you go an kerb one a few weeks later.
Also remember to tell your insurance once you do the upgrade...
Had 18s on the Cupra and they looked great, but was forever hitting them on kerbs when parking, go too close to a kerb and there the wheel takes the hit rather than the tyre.
A mate has 19s on his Civic Type R and he managed to clunk them most people do.
I got a refurb done on the Cupra as I hit one wheel really badly, the company who did it now sends me letter offering an annual subscription service for upto 6 refurbs in a year, seems to be a common problem with bigger wheels.
If you park on the drive, do very little street parking you can probably get away with bigger wheels, otherwise the bigger the wheel the more risk of damage.
Its gutting when you've spent probably an extra £1000 or so once you've bought the wheels and tyres and then you go an kerb one a few weeks later.
Also remember to tell your insurance once you do the upgrade...
19's will tend to be harsher on Britain's pot holey roads. Bigger potholes can chip the edges off the alloys. The tyres are expensive so you'll probably end up buying cheaper inferior tyres which will affect your handling and safety further. The FR suspension is pretty fidgety and unforgiving so the reduced tyre profile will only accentuate this. If you don't buy magnesium or lightweight alloys you will reduce performance as you may be adding in excess of 5kgs per wheel which will actually slow you down. You will suffer tramlining on roads with bad camber.
Cheap big a$$ alloys might look the nuts, but all that glitters is not gold. If you're going to be poncing about in MaccyD car parks then do it, if you enjoy serious driving and want to limit you long term costs I'd not go bigger than 18's unless you buy BBS or something of that ilk.
Cheap big a$$ alloys might look the nuts, but all that glitters is not gold. If you're going to be poncing about in MaccyD car parks then do it, if you enjoy serious driving and want to limit you long term costs I'd not go bigger than 18's unless you buy BBS or something of that ilk.
Good point to check out the tyre prices as well.
I could get a Pirelli P-Zero Rosso for the Cupra for £117 fitted at a local dealer (was slightly more on the net).
At 14K mine were still legal but performance has been affected.
Not sure what the life of tyres on the FR is, but imagine its not 25K like you get out of some cars.
18s may be cheaper tyres as I assume they'll be the same size as the Cupra. 19s probably be less in demand and more expensive.
I could get a Pirelli P-Zero Rosso for the Cupra for £117 fitted at a local dealer (was slightly more on the net).
At 14K mine were still legal but performance has been affected.
Not sure what the life of tyres on the FR is, but imagine its not 25K like you get out of some cars.
18s may be cheaper tyres as I assume they'll be the same size as the Cupra. 19s probably be less in demand and more expensive.
I've just bought an FR with 18" alloys, and you have me a bit worried about the ride. I didn't notice it too much in test drive but maybe I was just on ok roads.
Is it really that bad with 18's? How much would changing to springs that lessen the firm ride?
the car definitely doesn't lean into corners as much as before with the bigger anti-roll bars. with the car being lower the grip levels have improved both in wet and dry conditions. the rear end is also more planted when cornering fast (this was possible without anti-roll bar upgrade), previously the rear end would feel a little unstable when cornering fast.
Is it really that bad with 18's? How much would changing to springs that lessen the firm ride?[/QUOTE]
I'm not speaking from personal experience here, just remembering what I read. If it were a major problem there would have been a lot more noise about it on here so I wouldn't worry. If you're really worried have a sniff around the dealerships and see if anyone has one and get a test drive.
I'm not speaking from personal experience here, just remembering what I read. If it were a major problem there would have been a lot more noise about it on here so I wouldn't worry. If you're really worried have a sniff around the dealerships and see if anyone has one and get a test drive.
if you on a budget try eibach lowering springs first, springs are cheaper.. if you find the standard anti-roll bars are not up to the job then get them. Bearing in mind changing anti-roll bars won't give you a better ride, whereas the springs will. so, it theory if could give you a well balanced upgrade.
The ride on TDi FR's are especially bad on standard suspension. Very crashy over bumps and too easily unsettled on a bump mid corner.
The ride on TDi FR's are especially bad on standard suspension. Very crashy over bumps and too easily unsettled on a bump mid corner.
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