Interested in gauging people' opinions n the 19" xtreme's - particularly anyone has has them!

 

I'm thinking about moving to the new vRS and these seem reasonable value if bought has part of the Black + pack (£800 and that includes the black grill etc and sunset glass) as opposed to £260 each as an after thought.

 

I think they look great on the vRS but that's probably just personal opinion! 

 

Are there any potential downsides from having the xtremes over the standard alloys (tyres are more expensive? increased road noise? ride quality perhaps)

 

Any comments welcome!

I've been very happy with them, and they even pass the litmus in-laws test for comfort!

There is no serious impact on road noise I can detect compared to the demo Octy's I test drove on 18s.

That said, yes, tyres are slightly more expensive, and you will want to avoid potholes (I do this naturally in any car I'm driving - except rentals - as I'm used to riding on 21s)!

I'd say do it, they look great.

Brooksuk - I was in exactly the same position as you, umming & arring about wheel choice. I added and then removed the 19" from the order more than once. In the end I didn't take them, I went with anthracite Gemini 18", which I'm pleased with. Ultimately for me, this is my first "sporty" car, I felt the ride was too firm on the 19" shod demo. Everyone's different though, I suspect I was affected by a 'placebo' effect of some sort. No doubt you will be happy whichever you choose. 

Don't mean to open the proverbial can of worms, but I would personally stay away from any heavy rim because of added momentum.

Don't mean to open the proverbial can of worms, but I would personally stay away from any heavy rim because of added momentum.

True, but what is the weight difference? Rubber isn't exactly light and there will be more of it on the 18s. Would be surprised if there is much difference between the 18/19 once they have the tyre on...

I don't know the weight difference, but it's not only the weight difference (there also is more air in an 18s equipped wheel than in a 19s wheel), is the momentum.

 

There's more metal on the peripheral and this shall have a - perhaps negligible?, perhaps not so negligible - detrimental effect.

 

And, since I don't have hundreds of hps, I preferred to be on the briskier side

 

IMHO

Edited 21 November, 201411 yr by Genoa1893

I haven't tried the VRS with 19", so my opinions are purely based on..well opinions. We went for the 18" Gemini (Summer) and 17" Crystal (Winter) because:

1) the 17" Crystal were a present from SKODA.

2) I have never driven anything larger than 18" so wasn't sure about the comfort.

3) My wife's A3 (which will be replaced by the VRS) runs on 15" and until now she never had to worry about kerbs, so just takes them all head on ;-): The 19" would last for one tank fill I guess. So I thought that the 18" are a little more forgiving while my wife get's used to being more careful around the bends in town.

4) we drive a lot in Belgium, which doesn't have the best road surfaces (I'm being VERY kind and politically correct here), and while you try to avoid one pothole, you may just slip into a bigger one. So the comfort and risk of a puncture were an issue. I'm doing fine with the Scirocco on 18" on the same roads.

 

I never worried to much about the price difference for tyres 18 vs 19, I found that the price difference between Dunlop, Goodyear, Conti, etc. were more important than the price difference in size.

A nice wheel but in the UK you have to take a pretty expensive options package now to get them.

I actually personally think the Gemini Anthracite is a better looking wheel and would rather spend the money on a couple of other cheap choice options.

Reasonably split opinion then! I do try to avoid all pot holes anyway and have never managed to kerb the Blackline's 18" wheels in 2 years (that's why the wife has never driven it!!).

 

I'm still slightly un-decided!!

To be honest I think there is only one way to decide: test drive (preferably over the roads you usually drive)

And if that doesn't solve it then just decide what looks good. I like both equally and so resorted to my reasoning above to choose. I even thought about getting the Turini or the Pictorius, but thought they might be too difficult to keep clean. Since I can barely keep up with cleaning my white Scirocco with white painted alloys.

The demo I drove had 19s, and I thought the drive was relatively pleasant (for a hot hatch). Even with 19s it's far better than my Leon Cupra R.

Love mine, no issues on ride quality and would honestly say it rides better than my mk2 vRS on 18" Neptunes. Car is lowered on Eibach spends though so not stock.

They also look the dogs imho

I like them but then I'm bias as I've got them on my mk2FL

I originally spec'd the anthracite Geminis then ended up getting the Xtremes, in large part because after I decided I wanted them I haggled with the dealer and got them for no additional cost! TBH, initially I actually preferred the styling of the Gemini, but I wanted 19s as I think generally the thinner the tire, the better the car looks (to a point...) I was anticipating getting another set of 19s at some point and thought I might be able to keep the P-zeros that come on the Xtremes. Also, better resale... However, I've now fully come round to them and think they look fantastic, very well matched to the vRS! My wife hates them (looks wise), but I get tonnes of positive comments about them.

During the wait for my car, while I was trying to make up my mind on the wheels, I was lucky enough to drive a vrs with Geminis for the best part of a week then with Xtremes for the same - I was concerned about the ride. I couldn't notice any perceivable difference in ride between the two sets of wheels. None. Nor could my wife, who has a notorious "princess and the pea" complex about bumpy ride (long story involving pregnancy and an STi forester with coilovers...) We live a rural part of the city with terrible roads and lots of speed bumps, still didn't notice any difference in ride.

Other random points: they're really easy to clean (a big bonus!), I'm a little concerned with the "fixibility" and longevity of the wheel with that great looking lacquer coating, strangers stare at your wheels sometimes, you get really good tires on them (pirelli P zero), fewer around, give yourself a wide margin of error from the kerb when parking - stone/concrete will not be kind to them!

Personally, I'm really stoked I ended up deciding on the Xtremes, probably my best spec choice and the one I agonised the most over (mostly because I had 4 months to agonise over it while I waited for delivery!).

Edited 21 November, 201411 yr by kitset

Love mine, no issues on ride quality and would honestly say it rides better than my mk2 vRS on 18" Neptunes. Car is lowered on Eibach spends though so not stock.

They also look the dogs imho

They do look smart! Mind made up.

Oh, if I'd known it only took a photo...

My only concern when I first had them was the ride height as standard. As you can see from the picture below the car looked more like a 4 x 4. It needed the drop to really set them off imho.

My blackline also looked quite high initially but appears to have settled lower over time..

My only concern when I first had them was the ride height as standard. As you can see from the picture below the car looked more like a 4 x 4. It needed the drop to really set them off imho.

My L&K on factory option sports suspension sits lower than that!

Only 'cause everyone else is...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/95923901@N03/14927122520/in/set-72157646717102389

Edit: Hmmmmm, photo doesn't seem to be loading from phone - will fix from pc.

Edited 21 November, 201411 yr by kitset

I have them on my Octavia, and I love them, ride doesn't feel any different from the 18" shod demo I drove. I like them and think they suit my car. Each to their own and all that.

I'm made already 20K KM on the 19" Xtreme alloys and i can say that it's perfectly fine i don't feel discomfort or anything.

 

One important thing is tire pressure on those i have Vredestain tires and on the website they recommend 3.0+ bar pressure. I did it and that was an nightmare. I'd settled at 2.4Bar for 2 person.

 

Quick question to other owners of the 19" Xtreme on what tire pressure do you drive ?

Edited 22 November, 201411 yr by maqio

Quick question to other owners of the 19" Xtreme on what tire pressure do you drive ?

40 psi (2.75 bar). That's what the dealer recommended and I've had no reason to change it. I did get a nail through a rear and found out the tire pressure sensor got tripped when I dipped to 34 psi. Was good to find out it works!

I've got the 19" xtreme on my vRS the ride is good doesn't feel eny different to the 18" Gemini demonstrators I had a go in.

They look sweet they're easy to clean and I think they are the best wheel to have on the vRS

I've just swapped from 19"s back to 18's after a few weeks of ownership. Maybe I am just getting old but I found the ride too busy and jiggly especially on longer drives. As already advised, take the 19"s for a decent length test drive to make sure you are happy with them. The change back to 18"s has set the ride quality where I want it I am now very happy with the car.