I'm toying with the idea of some 18" alloys for the spring next year. I've searched ebay 'till the wife has told me I'm obsessed, so will give it a rest for now.

I'm aware that the reps are heavy, vary in quality and that second hand tyres are a minefield all of their own. My racing days are over and I'm more inclined to cruise the roads of North Yorkshire than to tear them up. Some older posts on here by people who can do maths reckon that cheap 18" wheels can add 60-80kg to the car overall, so I'm aware of all the cons of cheap wheels.

So, do I go with a wheel and tyre package with a budget up to £550, or dabble in the dark side of second hand wheels? I'm more inclined to get a used set on here as the majority of folks who sell stuff via Briskoda are decent people and wouldn't sell a fellow member a cracked/dented set of wheels.

Any suggestions as I rarely buy anything new and tend to go second hand for budget reasons? I'm currently looking at RS6, RS4 or the old favourite, BBS CH reps.

Cheers.

p.s. below are a couple of links to some sets on ebay...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18-VW-GOLF-MK4-97-04-1-4-2-3L-ALLOY-WHEELS-AND-TYRES-5x100-/230715240477?pt=UK_CarParts_Acc_Wheels_tyres_Rims_Car_Wheels_ET&hash=item35b7b3301d#ht_2805wt_982

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260908189226?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_8722wt_1142

Billy's the guy to ask, he's got a serious wheel fetish, won't be surprised if he's got 3 or 4 spare sets to sell lol

pm sent Andrew

Billy's the guy to ask, he's got a serious wheel fetish, won't be surprised if he's got 3 or 4 spare sets to sell lol

If I had any spare cash on a regular basis, I'd be the same. Mine goes on stuff that doesn't make me smile. It's about time I spent some money on something that does and a nice set of wheels would do just that. Oh, and possibly some new coilovers and a full stainless exhaust, an R32 interior, grey carpet, full paint correction and a few other bits and bobs.

Wheels would help for now though.

My 19s are for sale still in the for sale section. Just had about ten coats of wax shining nicely

Got some 18" RS4's in the for sale section. Nice n cheap

I'm toying with the idea of some 18" alloys for the spring next year. I've searched ebay 'till the wife has told me I'm obsessed, so will give it a rest for now.

I now how you feel, I spent 5 months trying to find the right 18" wheel to replace the spiders without spoiling the OEM look of the car and another 5 months after I'd bought them trying to decide if I'd done the right thing.

12 months later I'm really happy with my choice of wheel and would never ever go back to the std 17" spiders (which are now on the wifes vRS SE).

IMO the 17" spiders are just too small for the car by todays stds and more than anything else really date the car....hell, I've even seen a humble fucus zetec with 18" alloys fitted.

The only slight down side is as you mention you will almost certainly add weight to the car, in my case changing from 7x17" spiders with 205/50 17 tyres to 8x18" wheels with 225/40 18" tyres added 3kgs over and above the 19.2kgs the spiders/tyres weighed in at.

On the road I cant feel the extra weight at all and it does'nt seem to have made any difference to the way the car performs or the ammount of fuel it consumes....it still goes like $hit of a stick and drinks V power.

If you are ever over Guisborough way and if it would help you decide what to do, I'd be happy to let you have a look at my black octy vrs with 18s fitted.

Bill.

My 19s are for sale still in the for sale section. Just had about ten coats of wax shining nicely

I had a quick look, but couldn't see them. Not sure if I'm man enough for 19s though.

edit : Found them. I'd seen these before and was tempted, but way out of my price range I'm afraid.

Got some genuine 18" RS4's in the for sale section. Nice n cheap

I'd considered these, but would rather not have to refurb this time. I've done it in the past and ended up out of pocket come resale time. Thanks though.

I now how you feel, I spent 5 months trying to find the right 18" wheel to replace the spiders without spoiling the OEM look of the car and another 5 months after I'd bought them trying to decide if I'd done the right thing.

IMO the 17" spiders are just too small for the car by todays stds and more than anything else really date the car....hell, I've even seen a humble focus zetec with 18" alloys fitted.

Bill.

What did you go for in the end Bill? There's loads of choice, but not much suits the car. If they're too new a design they look wrong. If they are to fussy then again it doesn't look right. I was considering the Audi options because of budget. If I had enough, it'd be some Inovit RD21 in white. To get those though I'd need a change of career & income. :(

I will be selling my RS4 cheap when I get a set of TD.

Billy's the guy to ask, he's got a serious wheel fetish, won't be surprised if he's got 3 or 4 spare sets to sell lol

cheers,

I do have a few sets lol,

2x 17" spiders (1 black and 1 silver)

1x 18" LCR Ronals

1x 18" TD pro race 1.2

These are for sale:

http://s650.photobucket.com/albums/uu221/claytarget_god/Team%20Dynamics%20Pro%20Race/

Reps are not all that bad and even tho they are a tad heavy you dont really notice too much while cruising, but come to the small country lanes lighter rims come into their own, make the car so much more planted. the TD rims are actually lighter than some tyres Ive had on them lol.

I might be getting rid of some of the rims so I am down to one set of 17 and one 18s lol, not make my mind up yet.

billy

@billy i love the LCR ronals dude

has anyone tried the likes of rotas or comps on octys?

need a refurb badly tho.

Told ya Billy had a wheel fetish!!

They look stunnin mate!! Would love a set for my yellow submarine esp if i get my brembos fitted this week

Told ya Billy had a wheel fetish!!

mind you Dave used to be Fatty5000 has a few sets too.

These are for sale:

Reps are not all that bad and even tho they are a tad heavy you dont really notice too much while cruising, but come to the small country lanes lighter rims come into their own, make the car so much more planted. the TD rims are actually lighter than some tyres Ive had on them lol.

billy

These have been on my 'like' list for some time. I know I won't be needing to shave tenths of a second off my commute to work, but I am concerned about lumbering the car with four deadweights at each corner. These are proper lightweight wheels and what I should be going for. Ideally, I'm after some wheels with tyres to keep costs down. Very nice wheels though.

I would not bother tbh, stick with the standard 17"s I have had 2 sets and don't like the way it drives so much so I am looking at switching back to 17"s

I would not bother tbh, stick with the standard 17"s I have had 2 sets and don't like the way it drives so much so I am looking at switching back to 17"s

I've just pm'd you about the wheels you're selling. When you say you don't like the way it drives, what do you mean?

@billy i love the LCR ronals dude

has anyone tried the likes of rotas or comps on octys?

Using my powers of wheel visualisation that are spot on almost 20% of the time I think that a set of Compomotive MO6 would look amazing on the Octy. No use to the OP mind because my credit card went on strike just glancing at the price tag of a new set.

OP of the ones listed I would say that CH reps would look great as would the RS4 style that Bowders is selling. Another one for the mix though, how about LM reps? If I ever got beyond talking about new wheels they are probably what I would go for (all be it in 17").

18" rims gove you more noise, less grip.

They look better tho and if you get lightweight ones then you notice.

I went from spiders to R32 reps to the TDs and OMG instantly noticed the difference. The grip is better and at speeds it feels more planted. also you can take corners with more confidence.

One thing I did notice tho is on Reps I got better MPG!!!

Personally I would stick to the Spiders tho as they give you an all round package. was just a shame they never made them 7.5x18.

Hmm. It seems that I could be about to spend a load of money I don't have on something that isn't worth it. The sensible train of thought is that reps don't seem to be the way to go. However, the vain boy racer in me wants some new rims to go croozin on.

I suppose that you are right Billy, the Spiders offer the best compromise between weight, handling & looks. They still look too small though.

So the only sensible 18" wheels are lightweight versions such as the TDs. I'll have to start saving.

I've gone down to 16" for my winters and i'm really enjoying the smoother ride, 17's were just right for handling and comfort, would of thought 18's would be alot harsher

I'll look after your Spiders for you Andrew.