19's...too much hassle?

[tazsura]

Hi guyz,

A mate of mine is selling set of 19" x 8J Superleggera for dirt cheap. The offset is 45 and they come with 235/35 tyres. I've got 17" superleggera's on at the moment with 215/40. I was thinking of upgrading but probaby to 18's not 19's...but the price i'm getting on the 19's had changed my mind.


Will these fit on my Leon (Leon SE with factory sports suspension)? I'm thinking of lowering the car to...but don't want it slammed..just a nice drop so that it don't look like its floating in mid-air. Is this going to be a lot of work?

Whole new suspension kit? Coilovers?

Help & Opinions please...!

Thanks guyz

Taran

 

[Icecavern]

19's have been fitted to Leons, but the offset on those wheels is wrong I think.

 

[CupraSteve]

i think 19's are a bit overkill, will affect your acceleratation and handling

 

[tazsura]

Yeh, the correct offset is 35mm. I would need spacers but i'm not too bothered about that.

As for the acceleration and weight...the 19" superleg's weigh less than the standard 15" alloys! I guess that where the hefty price tag comes from for the O.Z's!

 

[CupraSteve]

the weight is only part of the problem, its the rollign diamter and width thats the main issues

 

[jenk]

Do it

 

[CupraSteve]

all depends what you want, if you want performance stay small, 17" at max, if you just want looks then get 19's but IMO doing things like Revo or any remap/tuning and sticking 19's on is a complete contradiction and pointless tbh

 

[Icecavern]

the weight is only part of the problem, its the rollign diamter and width thats the main issues

Rolling diameter should be about the same with the correct tyres. Yes the width will be more than on the standard Leon wheels but with 8" wide alloys you have no reason to go wider than the 225 width tyres on an LCR.

 

[CupraSteve]

its a leon cupra isnt it? there is no way you could get tyres to match the rolling diameter for 16" wheels for 19" rims

 

[jenk]

Its not going to be that much different

 

[tazsura]

I'm not too bothered about performance. It's only a 1.6 SE not LCR...so its only used around town. Got a 3.0 A4 Cab...and a new toy on the way so the Leon will just be looking nice!

The rolling diameter with 225/35 R19 is 25.2 inch whereas with the standard
195/65 R15 the car came with the diam was 25 inches. So that should not be too much of an issue...i think the car will equate to being 0.9% too slow on the speedo.

The guy is selling the wheels with 235 tyres so that the only reason im asking. I think i'll change them for 225 sections straight away if I do buy the wheels.

Any suggestions for a suspension kit? probably a 30-40mm drop...?

Cheerz

Taran

 

[CupraSteve]

ahh in that case then makes sense

i would never stick 19's on my car, as it goes against my principles of keeping it best performance and as nimble as possible. Its a well known fact that the smaller the wheels the faster the acceleration, i thought this was widely accepted, but people on here seem to go against this.

But as your not fussed and have a relativley small engine anyway then go for it

 

[Icecavern]

Its a well known fact that the smaller the wheels the faster the acceleration, i thought this was widely accepted, but people on here seem to go against this.

That might be because it's complete tosh...

A smaller rolling radius ( not wheel size ) may give you an increase in speed, but then your speedo will be out, gearing will be different, and you'll probably find the suspension is designed around a specific rolling radius too

As said going from 195/65 R15 to 225/35 R19 makes no difference to the rooling radius and so is exactly whats required.

EDIT just to add bigger wheels sometimes weigh more than smaller alloys, but once you take into account the weight of the rubber it gets a little closer. And as said these 19's weigh less than the standard alloys, so less unprung weight, which is good

 

[CupraSteve]

i cant believe you dont think that smaller wheels make for better acceleration it totally alters the gearing, i agree the speedo etc will be out because the overall gearing will be changed

obviously if you have smaller wheels with massive profile that makes the rolling radius the same as a larger wheel with low profile then the rollign radius will be the same, then the only factors are the weight and width

but a smaller wheel with a smaller rolling radius WILL make the car accelerate faster

 

[Dodson]

How much would you be wanting for the 17's if you did upgrade?

 

[Icecavern]

i cant believe you dont think that smaller wheels make for better acceleration it totally alters the gearing, i agree the speedo etc will be out because the overall gearing will be changed

maybe I put that across wrong...

Yes it will change your speed in each gear, but your handling will be because you've now buggered up your suspension geometry

 

[CupraSteve]

i would say to a certain extent that smaller wheels should help your handling as you will lower your centre of gravity

 

[tazsura]

Brilliant. Thanks guys. Very helpful.
I've jus emailed the guy...lets hope they are still available

DODSON - I've not really thought about how much I want for the 17's. Was thinking of maybe putting them on my old mans A4 saloon. They are in need of a refurb but they do come with TOYO PROXES T1R's with at least half the tread still remaining. I dunno...£200?

Cheerz

Taran

 

[Sam20v]

answering your lowering issue
if your putting 19" on, the lower profile will make your ride harder, dropping 40mm will make it look great but again the ride will be hard, if its just a town car and you want it to look nice........then your ok go for it........

i used Eibach pro kit (reputed 40mm drop)....you can use the springs with OEM shocks, but i advise going for the lot in one go.......but this is more pricey......there are lots of companies with lowering kits its best to shop around....if its just looks and not performance, then you may as well look for a cheaper option.......
it will looks good!

 

[tazsura]

Sam,

I dont want the car to only just look good. But I obviously understand that putting 19's on it is not the best thing for handling etc and the ride will be hard...

I dont really want to spend any more than about 400-500 quid on suspension. I must admit i'm a complete novice when it comes to suspension stuff! What are the differences/advantages/disadvantges of coilovers compared to full kits etc should i change dampers/shocks?...

I was thinking of changing springs and shocks...is this advisable?

I saw this on the awesome.gti website. Any good?
http://www.awesome-gti.com/ - (Under leon mk1/ Suspension sub menu)

Koni Ride-Height Adjustable Suspension Kits

Cheerz

Taran