will the size of alloys make a difference? 19" 18" ??

[shazo]

hello there, im new to the forum, i have a 1.9 tdi FR 130 ibiza. i was just wondering if 18" or 19" alloy wheels will make any difference to the car performance?
the vehicle came standard with the FR alloys which are 17" and very nice, however i may decide to upgrade. ino deffinatly on the 1.2 if you upgraded to 18" it slowed the car down.
also if it makes any difference i will be buying the alloys after my remap, ino the tdi remaps make the car torquey so personal i didnt think the size of the alloys made much difference?
any help will be apreciated.

 

[Aimez]

Hey welcome firstly,

But 19"s!! They will not fit and make the car look like a tractor! Also on a 1.2 with tiny discs underneath will look a bit rubbish tbh. 18s have only been done by a few on here is you type int eh search bar 18s I'm sure you will get some pics, when it has been done arch work has been done to make then not catch on the arch liners and obviously slammed on coilovers. Best sticking with 16s 17s as larger wheel will make your speedo out and prob not make the handling very good.

 

[shazo]

a local lad around here had 18s on a 1.2, he said it never moved at all, i have the 1.9 tdi FR so it come standard with nice 17s, i might just drop it on coil overs for time being and then later go for some 18s with a really low profile tyre. but before i do that im interested in finding out if it has an affect on the performance of the FR.

 

[Aimez]

old forum member called rashcupra (have a look in readers ride I'm sure if you search it will be there) his IHI cupra had BBS on with stretched tyres on and rolled arches tbh it is the only time I think it worked most of the time it just looks stupid. Also he had strut braces and ARB to help with handling so hard to tell.

 

[robepton]

Larger wheels will also widen your trak. The same as wheel spacers would.

I would bare in mind that if you get larger low profile tyres so that you don't increase the overall diameter by much then your gonna be paying a lot more for ya tyres.

Steering will be slightly stiffer but i belief you can get the power steering setting changed using vag com.

 

[CJRamze]

Not always Robe, Depends on the wheel itself
You've got to remember the larger the wheel the bigger the weight, And on a 1.2 its going to put more of a strain on the engine and as theirs not much torque it will slow it considerably.

You dont want to even attempt putting 19's on a car, that sounds mad.
18's requires arch work and its not even worth it.
Stick with 17's tops and some low profile tyres with a stretch!

 

[kidinspace]

Remember that changing your wheels/tyres will affect your speedometer reading.
The difference between going from a 14" to a 17" could mean a difference in about 4 - 5 mph, meaning you could get done for doing 35 in a 30 zone because that's what you speed is reading.
If you are going to change the wheel size you then need to get a tyre the keeps the ratio as close as possible.
This Tyre Size Calculator will help.

.G.

 

[shazo]

iv already seen 18s on a 1.2... he had no problems with space or ride, he just lost his performance.
my tdi FR came standard with 17s, so a jump to 18s with low profile tyres shoulding change the speedo much.
hmmm for time being i might just spray the standard 17s white or black... and save up for some 18" BBS rims.

 

[borderboy]

I really don't know why you lot are against 18's ? ? ! !

they DONT require arch work...... mine is lowerd on coilovers and very very rarely has bother !

mine are 8" wide not 8.5" and have 215 tyres on......

 

[robepton]

I really don't know why you lot are against 18's ? ? ! !

they DONT require arch work...... mine is lowerd on coilovers and very very rarely has bother !

mine are 8" wide not 8.5" and have 215 tyres on......

ditto;
I've got 215/35/18s no arch work done and I've got 5mm spacers on the front. I haven't lowered it yet but when I do it will only be 35-40mm and I'm confident it'll be fine.

 

[robepton]

Not always Robe, Depends on the wheel itself
You've got to remember the larger the wheel the bigger the weight, And on a 1.2 its going to put more of a strain on the engine and as theirs not much torque it will slow it considerably.

You dont want to even attempt putting 19's on a car, that sounds mad.
18's requires arch work and its not even worth it.
Stick with 17's tops and some low profile tyres with a stretch!

I was making an over generalised statement i suppose but definitely something to consider.
I checked the weight of my old wheels against my new ones and i lost at least 3 kilograms per a wheel. Although i will admit that the moment of inertia has probably increased as the weight is further away from the wheel.
If you use the tyre size calculator thing carefully then you shouldn't have to increase you over all diameter.

 

[Aimez]

well round here the roads are really appalling and in the country so would be a bad idea to have 18s without arch work. Not against 18 as I said rashcupras old IHI looked stunning in the metal with them on but he had arch work and coilovers but without coilovers and on a 1.2 would be a bit stupid IMO. He did ask what we thought so that's what I think.

 

[RichieRich]

i somtimes have probs with my 18"s on my golf let alone an ibiza! only dropped 35mm im gonna have no sump if im not careful... and tbh if u like the ride keep within 17"s id say.. also tyres are more expensive im lookin at over £100 a corner!

 

[shazo]

i forgot about this post... i did eventually get 18s... they fitted really well, and with it being the 1.9tdi fr 130 the performance was stil there, however they have been sold now and am back on the standard 17 inch FR wheels,
im probably going for a de-cat, straight through exhaust (no back box) and K&N or pipercross induction kit, all should be complete by end of this week, and then next week a remap ... so al probz leave the alloys for a little while till i get some more moneys

 

[krussel]

i forgot about this post... i did eventually get 18s... they fitted really well, and with it being the 1.9tdi fr 130 the performance was stil there, however they have been sold now and am back on the standard 17 inch FR wheels,
im probably going for a de-cat, straight through exhaust (no back box) and K&N or pipercross induction kit, all should be complete by end of this week, and then next week a remap ... so al probz leave the alloys for a little while till i get some more moneys

Can i ask why you got rid of the 18's.

I am finding it bad enought with the standard low profile on 17's with all these bloody pot holes

 

[shazo]

getin rid of the 18s has nothing to do with pot holes or ride... was the simple fact that he offered me more moneys then i paid for the alloys ... and i thought i would use that money for better alloys like GOLF GTI alloys but instead al go for remap ect

 

[Aimez]

remap better than wheels, score!

 

[shazo]

yeah, hes read the current map off my ecu today, and there going to modify it and then put it back on or something, but prior to that i had the cat and rear back box removed and just a nice oval tip put at the end... all you can hear now is the turbo whistle !! sounds unique, cant wait for a remap.

 

[Aimez]

Can i ask why you got rid of the 18's.

I am finding it bad enought with the standard low profile on 17's with all these bloody pot holes

prob why I am having the same prob, makes me want to go back to stock 16s and higher profile tyres cos of the shitty roads.

 

[CDJONES3495]

I've just fitted some 18's on my car the golf gti onces in anthricite with a 215/35/18 on them and there mint.
Not changed the speedo and it corners just as b4 on the 16's (as mine is the pre facelift fr tdi). They don't rub
on the arches on the stock sus set up but it doesn't look like it's on stilts either. But i have been told that if u
lower it, it can rub but only on the front the backs are surppose to be fine unless you drop it past 40mm.