OK ladies and gents, your opinions please!

I'm considering some new wheels and so far my (rather random) choices are- 1st Pro Race 1.2s in gloss black, 2nd Dezent Motion and 3rd RS4 Reps... as I say a random collection but the pro race 1.2s are by far my favourites.

Anyway I can't decide if I should go for another set of 17s or make the change to 18s?

How do 18s effect the ride and handling etc.?

Also the car will remain at stock ride height for the forseeable future as suspension mods stick about £200 on my otherwise reasonable insurance quote.

The car spends its days blatting up and down the dual carriageway for work and taking spirited trips down the back roads by night so ride and handling effects need to be considered in equal measure :p

Any advice and experiences would be great, thanks.

Well I am biased coz I have 18" RS4's on mine. But if I had my choice again I would go for 18" Pro Race 1.2's, lovely wheels. And defo in black. I am going to get my RS4's painted in black.

18" wheels will make the handling a bit harder as you tend to feel the road surface a bit more. Also due to the lower profile tyres, especially if lowering the car too. At standard ride height I believe you will still get good feel with 18". The VAG group cars all takes 18" reasonably well. IMHO anyway.

I went from 16s to 18s and I don't think the ride is particularly different - though I suspect I would notice more if I went back the other way.

And IMHO 18s look really good.

I've got 18's on and to be honest, theres a little more road noise, and it's a tiny bit harder over rougher roads, but thats it. The lower profile means I can turn in a bit harder too, as theres less rubber to 'fold' under the strain!

I went for 18" TDs as per Bowders post

I'd lower the car first before I fitted wheels but that is just me

I've got the 18" Dezent Motion alloys fitted & I think they look gorgeous & are a good quality for the price:thumbup:

I've had no problems going from 17" to 18", but TBH I have alway thought that with the size of the Octavia 17" wheels look too small

Mine aint a vrs but i went from 16 - 18 inch wheels on my elegance and i think it slightly improved handling, does need lowering though but i like them all the same. I went for RS4's.

There is 1 or 2 pictures of it if you go to local meets-East of england meets-Ipswich meet in August and Bury meet in October. Also there's a black vrs in the same pics and the wheels on that look the muts nuts.

Edited 21 October, 200916 yr by Stug71

Also consider the effect on MPG. Maybe some that have made the jump to 18" can comment on that.

Steve

Here's my 18" RS4's

Also consider the effect on MPG. Maybe some that have made the jump to 18" can comment on that.

Steve

I haven't noticed a difference in mpg but I haven't really taken notice.

16s

18s

Rob you car is looking sweet mate. Great pic

Yep, does look great Rob. I wasn't sure when you first posted about getting those but they look spot on

Steve

Rob you car is looking sweet mate. Great pic

Cheers!

Yep, does look great Rob. I wasn't sure when you first posted about getting those but they look spot on

Steve

I love them! They'll look even better when i get my springs fitted and lower the car just a little bit.

Oh and they're almost paid for! (0% finance - rude not to)

I reckon the stance looks pretty good already, but a touch lower never goes amiss!

Do you ever run into issue on NZ roads with ride height?

Steve

I reckon the stance looks pretty good already, but a touch lower never goes amiss!

Do you ever run into issue on NZ roads with ride height?

Steve

Yes! Kerbs are huge and I have to be careful. Car park slopes are steep and it catches on some. And roadworks are a nightmare sometimes!

The springs will lower by about 10-15mm but I intend to combine them with Koni FSDs which will cancel out a little of that lowering.

Ouch! :eek:

Also consider the effect on MPG. Maybe some that have made the jump to 18" can comment on that.

Yeah. While the tyre width will probably stay as 225, cheap wheels will tend to be heavier, and thus add to fuel economy, and if my experience rings true, shortens the life of wheel bearings a lot to.

You're dropping from a 225/45/17 to a 225/40/18 - so potential for heavier wheels (although the Pro Race series from TD is excellent in this regard) but also an increase in drag and a slight change in rolling radius. The last shouldn't be too far out, as you're dropping to a lower profile tyre in compensation for the increase in wheel diameter.

Steve