Big wheels.... a joke?

[PC1212]

Probably upset a few folk but what is the point of 18 inch and greater alloys and tyres?

All I ever hear on this and other forums is "they look great"

Never hear anything about the extra cost, discomfort noise and possible extra insurance?

Friend has a 330D on 19 inchers and its horrible, crashing and jarring his way to work... but it looks nice parked up!

[GeeVRSman]

you sound like my mum!! lol

[PC1212]

you sound like my mum!! lol

Get to bed and turn the light off!

[GeeVRSman]

but my wife is watching a film :p

[fabio978]

If you want a good look for your car, you have to sacrifice something else.. :think:

[oobster]

Probably upset a few folk but what is the point of 18 inch and greater alloys and tyres?

All I ever hear on this and other forums is "they look great"

Never hear anything about the extra cost, discomfort noise and possible extra insurance?

Friend has a 330D on 19 inchers and its horrible, crashing and jarring his way to work... but it looks nice parked up!

Christ, not this horse-**** again.

Whats the point in having alloy wheels at all, why don't we all just run about with steel wheels on? Or, scratch that actually, lets all just drive about in EXACTLY the same cars, lets not allow any individualism at all.

Or.....

How about people who want to spend their own money on whatever they like are allowed to, without having to worry about what some eejit on an internet forum thinks about it.

Methinks the OP has a wee bit of envy with his wee 17" tadgers

[PC1212]

Anyone else?

[FUBAR]

Probably upset a few folk but what is the point of 18 inch and greater alloys and tyres?

All I ever hear on this and other forums is "they look great"

Never hear anything about the extra cost, discomfort noise and possible extra insurance?

Friend has a 330D on 19 inchers and its horrible, crashing and jarring his way to work... but it looks nice parked up!

lol you obviously havent read the other 20 million topics in here then. 18" are standard on VRS since about 2009 btw and some people on forum have 19" because they wanted a different look and picked a larger rim at same time because its their car and choice some look ok some look amazing. Even one or 2 people with 20"

watch this he seems comfortable enough and doesnt have a fare on board so all is good for 20"

ps oobster back away from my wheels!

[PC1212]

Well for the record I have not seen many Skodas looking different other than with stupidly big wheels... sure there are other ways to be a little bit different?

[PC1212]

lol you obviously havent read the other 20 million topics in here then. 18" are standard on VRS since about 2009 btw and some people on forum have 19" because they wanted a different look and picked a larger rim at same time because its their car and choice some look ok some look amazing. Even one or 2 people with 20"

watch this he seems comfortable enough and doesnt have a fare on board so all is good for 20"

Fair point... I bet the ride is shocking though....!

[FUBAR]

sure there are other ways to be a little bit different?

like a taxi sign on the roof?

[fabio978]

like a taxi sign on the roof?

Unfortunately that's the first "mod" i am gonna do tomorrow on my brand new vRS..

[FUBAR]

Unfortunately that's the first "mod" i am gonna do tomorrow on my brand new vRS..

If I was wanting a cab and I saw a VRS id be making a b line for it pronto and keeping the drivers number in my phone! Seen a few VRS taxis in UK always stand out from the commoners! I hope you make a fortune good luck!

everyone wants a fast taxi!

[fabio978]

If I was wanting a cab and I saw a VRS id be making a b line for it pronto and keeping the drivers number in my phone! Seen a few VRS taxis in UK always stand out from the commoners! I hope you make a fortune good luck!

everyone wants a fast taxi!

Thank you! I will post some pics of my TAXXI

[FUBAR]

Thank you! I will post some pics of my TAXXI

Please do you could put them in the "am I doing it right thread" there are so many pics in there but I don't think we have a taxi so far! At the end of the day its going to be one of the nicest taxi's in Italy! I have driven all over Italy and never seen a VRS one!

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/151725-you-are-doing-it-right-the-big-skoda-octavia-ii-picture-tread/page__st__840__p__2690803__hl__are%20you%20doing%20it%20right__fromsearch__1#entry2690803

[fabio978]

Please do you could put them in the "am I doing it right thread" there are so many pics in there but I don't think we have a taxi so far! At the end of the day its going to be one of the nicest taxi's in Italy! I have driven all over Italy and never seen a VRS one!

http://www.briskoda...._1#entry2690803

I've checked that whole topic, there are a lot of great pics and cars there! I'll be glad to add mines, plus i am planning to make some mods but not in the near future unfortunately..

Here in Milan there are already 2 vRS taxi, but they are hatchback and with 17" Zenith, while mine will be Estate with 18" Neptune.. i hope they will survive to our bad roads!

To come back to the subject, at the beginning i picked the 17" but having those bigger wheels was too much tempting..

The dealer who sold me the car told me something really true: "wheels are 50% of a car beauty".. and looking at the mentioned topic/gallery i agree completely!

[meta55]

my 2008 vrs has the 17's on it, to be honest my car sits better than the others with the 18's on, it already looks like it's lowered. But overall the 18's do look better compared to the size of the car to the alloy's but as far as 19's and 20's is a no go zone for me im afraid. the car look **** with that size of wheel, but as another post said, it's there money/car so has nothing to do with me so if i like it or not is my problem.

[Babs]

Because we're all cool klid gangstas on here. Dawg.

[paradad]

I've checked that whole topic, there are a lot of great pics and cars there! I'll be glad to add mines, plus i am planning to make some mods but not in the near future unfortunately..

Here in Milan there are already 2 vRS taxi, but they are hatchback and with 17" Zenith, while mine will be Estate with 18" Neptune.. i hope they will survive to our bad roads!

To come back to the subject, at the beginning i picked the 17" but having those bigger wheels was too much tempting..

The dealer who sold me the car told me something really true: "wheels are 50% of a car beauty".. and looking at the mentioned topic/gallery i agree completely!

& bad drivers........................ :devil: :moon:

[rob_e]

Reasons for big wheels? Improved brake cooling, allows bigger tyre/footprint, smaller sidewall gives more response to steering input, more room for bigger brakes, aesthetics.

So what if the main driver for some is aesthetics? If we only ever chose things purely from a performance/ functionality point of view we'd be living in a very dull world.

[wardth]

To answer the OP (IMHO) - very little point other than asthetics. The argument for improved brake cooling is questionable as most of the aftermarket wheels are designed on looks not on forcing the air towards the brakes (unless you buy something like Compomotive TH's). I'm pretty sure Octy 17's have the same width tyre as the 18's so there goes the larger footprint argument (unless you go to 19"+). Stiffer sidewalls giving more (better?) response to steering input - I'll give you that but of course the higher unsprung weight will probably negate any advantage in this area anyway and we are really only talking about initial turn-in feel? Most brake upgrades will fit under 18's and if you need 19's for your brakes then you are probably a nutter and need to seek help regarding your modifying habit because it's got out of hand

It has been accepted for some time now that larger wheels are utterly ruinous to the ride quality and handling of a car and are just a fashion thing. My first VRS came with 17's and I changed to 18's within 1K of buying it. The car handled noticeably better on the 17's and to be honest, there was almost no difference in looks. At the time I really felt I'd wasted my money as I had a car that handled worse and didn't look any different. Had I not already sold the wheels and tyres to another Briskoda member I'd have left well alone

I deliberated at the time of going to 19's but given that my boss went through two tyres and got a buckled wheel in a month on his Scirocco running 19's (same size as the Octy fitment), I'm glad I didn't. One of the guys a work has just got the shock of his life at the cost of the tyres for his 3 series coupe' on 19's as well althought to be fair they are stupid "run-flats" so tough luck mate!

Don't get me wrong - I think larger wheels look great and some on here look awsome but IMHO the additonal cost and reduction in handling simply isn't worth it.

Do I think it's a dumb thing to make your car look better but handle worse and cost more to run - yes, without a doubt but thats life and sadly the result of many modifications people make to their pride and joy!

Would I diss somebody for buying them - no - it's their money and it's up to them how they want to spend it and in fact where would we be without the nutcases doing everything they can to shoehorn on a set of 20's to their Skud?! however I get kinda wound up about people trying to justify larger wheels on grounds other than looks and on that note we go back to the OP

..........what size are yours sir?!

[PC1212]

To answer the OP (IMHO) - very little point other than asthetics. The argument for improved brake cooling is questionable as most of the aftermarket wheels are designed on looks not on forcing the air towards the brakes (unless you buy something like Compomotive TH's). I'm pretty sure Octy 17's have the same width tyre as the 18's so there goes the larger footprint argument (unless you go to 19"+). Stiffer sidewalls giving more (better?) response to steering input - I'll give you that but of course the higher unsprung weight will probably negate any advantage in this area anyway and we are really only talking about initial turn-in feel? Most brake upgrades will fit under 18's and if you need 19's for your brakes then you are probably a nutter and need to seek help regarding your modifying habit because it's got out of hand

It has been accepted for some time now that larger wheels are utterly ruinous to the ride quality and handling of a car and are just a fashion thing. My first VRS came with 17's and I changed to 18's within 1K of buying it. The car handled noticeably better on the 17's and to be honest, there was almost no difference in looks. At the time I really felt I'd wasted my money as I had a car that handled worse and didn't look any different. Had I not already sold the wheels and tyres to another Briskoda member I'd have left well alone

I deliberated at the time of going to 19's but given that my boss went through two tyres and got a buckled wheel in a month on his Scirocco running 19's (same size as the Octy fitment), I'm glad I didn't. One of the guys a work has just got the shock of his life at the cost of the tyres for his 3 series coupe' on 19's as well althought to be fair they are stupid "run-flats" so tough luck mate!

Don't get me wrong - I think larger wheels look great and some on here look awsome but IMHO the additonal cost and reduction in handling simply isn't worth it.

Do I think it's a dumb thing to make your car look better but handle worse and cost more to run - yes, without a doubt but thats life and sadly the result of many modifications people make to their pride and joy!

Would I diss somebody for buying them - no - it's their money and it's up to them how they want to spend it and in fact where would we be without the nutcases doing everything they can to shoehorn on a set of 20's to their Skud?! however I get kinda wound up about people trying to justify larger wheels on grounds other than looks and on that note we go back to the OP

..........what size are yours sir?!

Well in my job I do come across cars and wheels of all sizes, it seems the first thing many folk do without thinking of the consequences...

I suspect many don`t tell or forget to tell insurance companies and in my experience this is a sole factor for any company to refuse a claim!... many will try to wriggle out of even legitimate claims if they can!

Im not trying to poke fun at those that go BIG..... like you said its their money, and if its for looks then good luck to them.

however I suspect many will secretly be cringing as they crash and bang over the many speedhumps and potholes than now are a regular feature of the UKs roads.

For the record I have bog standard 16 inch VEGA wheels on my Octavia and along with the rest of the car looks like a TDI taxi... but thats how I like it

Quality 205 55 16 tyres cost £85 each... upgraded 18 inch zeniths would pump up my insurance by £150 and double the tyre price

Then you also run the risk of "Wannabe VRS" owner... I did drive a VRS and found the ride appalling, its the sole reason why I did not buy the car!

The ideal car for me is the YETI...

[wardth]

OK I didn't even cover the insurance angle - there are people out there running "illegal" remaps without bothering to tell their insurance companies so wheels would probably not be an issue for them either! It's all fine until something serious happens and the vehicle examiner and insurance asseror crawls all over your car with a fine tooth comb. These guys are far from stupid and know what they are looking at.

As you're not running a VRS then you can legit leave 16"'s on it IMHO but it's apparent that the larger sidewall tyres are more to your liking - withness the Yeti comment!

Not sure what you mean by appaling ride quality of the VRS - you need to drive a Beemer or anything with run-flats and then make the decision! I think the VRS on 18's is actually pretty good and it was improved on the FL models even further.

Personally 18 is enough for me and most people - it's a decent compromise between looks, ride quality, resistance to damage and cost of ownership. 18" tyres are a lot cheaper than 19's for a start and it's way too easy to bend a wheel on a pothole with 19's.

That said a nice set of "big-uns" is a constant temptation but I know I'd (personally) regret it

[wheelsofsteel]

I remember reading somewhere that when VW designed and tested the Golf V they optimised ride and handling based on 17" wheels .

I wanted a vRS on 17" as after driving one with 18" while it looked (slightly) better, I didn't think that the ride and handling was as good.

[marcevo1]

A) Big wheels on a road car = fashion and looks

Big wheels on a race car = big brake clearance

Down sides of big wheels:

awful ride / soft side walls therefore easy to damage and most cases really heavy wheels if cheap

Down side of small wheels:

Look naff...

Upside of small wheels:

Handling / poise / smoother and better feel

Personally I think 17's and 45 - 50 profile are about right as a compromise for road performance but deep down I'm still a wheel wh0re and 19's look ace.

Width plays a big part as well on handling.

On my 993 I went from 17's to 18's - looked mint - regretted it handling wise (and tyre cost wise!)

Golf g60 8.5 wide split bbs to 7 wide normals - loved it much better - looked naff in comparison

Integrale - went from 15's to 16's and it was dire - straight back on.

With vag cars I don't think they are as sensitive handling wise as they are not as hardcore standard.

When i change I imaging despite head saying 17's I'll stick to 18's purely on looks I think