Hi people looking for some advice,

Recently brought a mk1 vrs and it currently has budget tires fitted which I want to replace,

They are 225-45-17

But looking tho the history it used to have 205-50s on it,

How ever I'm sure my last one had 215-45s on it,

What would be the best size to fit?

Thanks Dan

205 is the standard, some have fitted 225 for a bit of extra ride comfort and grip, although this is at the expense of economy slightly, so the trade off is up to you. If you fit 225 you may have to consider clearance issues in the future with spacers and/or lowering and such I guess. Compare prices of 205 and 225 as there will be a difference, but bear in mind the different characteristics of them.

As above really. 225/45 for grip, 205/for fuel economy (was std). Both have same overall rolling diameter so will be spot on.

The 215/45 you mention will go but will throw your speedo well out and suspect car would also struggle for traction a bit and be pretty uncomfortable.

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Cheers guys I opted for 205 50 falken ze 914s and really happy with the look now and grip is great

225/45/17's

Grip is fantastic, only lost 3-4Mpg

Can take corners flatout like our Lewis Ham ham.....

Only 3-4 mpg? About 40 miles less out of a tank? Think I'll stick to the 205 and take your word for it.

I only do short journeys so 225s are fine for me!

And I don't drive hard enough to make the most of the extra grip, SWMBO would slap me

I tried both over the six and a bit years of owning mine and preferred the 205 over the 225.  The lateral grip was better on the wider tyre and it made a huge difference on roundabouts for example but there were a few negatives.  It tramlined more noticeably, it wasn't as agile on twisty roads that needed quick changes of direction and the mpg did drop a bit.  Also I thought it looked worse on the 225 tyres as they bulged out quite a bit more and the car didn't look as neat.   

 

I guess it's a personal preference thing though.  Having said that I'm now running 235 width tyres and if I went any narrower then there wouldn't be enough grip....

Most other contemporary VAG cars ran 225/45 on 17's so it does seem a little odd that 205/50 is standard - I keep meaning to try 225's at some point but the potential for a 4-5mpg drop will make a big difference over the year.

 

To those that have had both - presumably the increase in grip will have less of an impact over standard than say adding a decent RARB?

And to the OP - good choice on the Falkens, unless you're looking to spend £££ on something pretty premium, it's between them and the Rainsports for the best tyre out there imho.

To those that have had both - presumably the increase in grip will have less of an impact over standard than say adding a decent RARB?

 

The RARB was the best mod by far, probably better than the remap I reckon.  The map was great in terms of straight line speed but everything went pear shaped in the corners because the stock setup was set up for too much understeer - for me anyway.  The wider tyres did help to a point but to be honest I found that the RARB, decent map and standard width tyres suited my driving style and was a good compromise as the family car and the need to transport children on long journeys.

Agree with the above, there are other ways of improving grip without adding tyre width and losing mpg. Rarb and strut braces have made hell of a difference and I'm still on standard shocks and bushes.

I went from the stock 205 to 225 width.

 

Pros-

 

Looks excellent-no longer pizza cutter width tyres

Lots more rubber choice and price is around the same

Dry grip improved

Improved steering feel.

 

Cons-

 

More road noise

Catches cambers more often

Increased torque steer

Greater care hitting standing water at speed