So after months of umming and ahhing over alloy decisions I'm almost decided on what I want.

 

I'm currently on 19" extremes with 225/35s. 

Current offset is 51 and 7.5j

I have 20mm spacers on the rear and 15mm on the front. I really like the way this sits. 

 

The wheels I'm looking at are also 19s with offset 52 and 9j.

From what I can figure out I should be able to run the same tyres (albeit with a slight stretch) and remove the spacers and the wheels should sit pretty much exactly the same. 

 

Or am I completely wrong? 🤣 I've lost myself in numbers.

Edited 30 July, 20241 yr by gs86

Ignoring the spacers, the inner rim will be 20.1mm closer to the suspension and the outer rim will be 18.1mm further out with the new alloys vs stock.

 

Compared to your current setup with spacers, that means the fronts will poke out by an extra 3.1mm (18.1 - 15) and the rears will poke in by an extra 1.9mm (18.1 - 20) so pretty close.

 

I'd be a little concerned about the inner spacing so I'd suggest you remove the spacers and double check you have clearance inbound...

The wheels will be sticking out a lot with them tyres on. Even with the 225 35 19 on 8j the wheels come past the tyres.

https://www.willtheyfit.com/

 

The wheels, IMHO, will be tight.

 

The tyres are a no go. Sizes for a 9" rim are 235 to 265.

 

 

Edited 2 August, 20241 yr by BluevRS245

I have 235/40 on 8.5 and they are about as stretched as I'd like to ever go. Lower tyre, narrower tyre and wider rim is asking for trouble IMO.

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

I have 235/40 on 8.5 and they are about as stretched as I'd like to ever go. Lower tyre, narrower tyre and wider rim is asking for trouble IMO.

Stretching the tyre doesn’t do anything good for performance, and only increases the risk to safety.

 

Running a 9” wheel with a 35 profile, I’d be inclined to suggest 245 as an absolute minimum. I’d also suggest that having the wheel 20mm closer to the strut probably isn’t the best idea either. Maybe try an 8.5” with 245?

Right you knowledgeable bunch.

 

New wheels found. 19" 8.5j, 45 offset.

 

Willythey fit shows me they will sit basically the same as my current set up with the extremes and spacers, wheels will be about 1.5mm further in the arch and around 6mm closer to the strut which should be fine. 

 

Would you go with 225s or 235s on this set up?

 

225 is the minimum reccomended so I'm thinking of just going for 235 for a bit of extra rim protection. 

 

 

I'm seeing:

 

Rear (20mm spacer) - Inner rim is 26.7mm closer to the suspension strut. The outer rim will poke out 1.3mm less than before. 

 

Front (15mm spacer) - Inner rim is 21.7mm closer to the suspension strut. The outer rim will poke out 3.7mm more than before.

 

So, the front and rears will be 6.7mm closer than OEM, and will poke out by 18.7mm more than OEM. From your current setup, that looks like a 1.3mm decrease in poke at the rear, and a 3.7mm increase at the front.

 

 

I'm not sure what the current OEM strut spacing is (it's ****ing rain here so not going out to measure, sorry!), but I found another post saying that the clearance on a Karoq 4x4 is only 10mm. Thus, reducing the clearance by 67% seems a bit unwise to me. It's also worth noting that the main issue with strut clearance is the tyre shoulder, and whilst going up to a 235 may technically increase grip by a fraction (not really...), you'll lose even more clearance, and potentially have speedo issues. That said, I'd still go for a 235 tyre, as 225 will be a bit stretched IMO, but I would personally sort the potentialclearance issue.

 

 

Depending on the strut clearance on a vRS (anyone?), have you considered doing something like a 40 offset? Doing so would mean a 235 is far more comfortable (rim is only 1.7mm closer to strut), and the only downside would be a increase in poke of 3.7mm at the rear and 8.7mm and the front.

 

 

Which wheels were you planning on?

To summarise:

- New wheels with no spacers would sit 6mm closer to the strut than standard.  This is small and should be ok but worth checking

- Old wheels and spacers have a staggered track front to rear.  New setup would not.  Front would poke out more, rear less compared to now.  Skinny spacers (5mm?) would solve this and also push away from the rear suspension.

 

What is the end goal?  Just wanting new wheels (not a bad thing) or a performance upgrade.  If performance then dropping to 18s with greater tyre wall height would be a better bet.  Bigger and wider wheels are heavier and more prone to damage.

Just spoke to someone with the same model facelift vrs who's got exactly the same size wheels with 235s on and also lowered. Says clearance is fine, no issues with fouling the strut or arch rubbing 👌

 @BluevRS245the wheels im looking at now are Rota ff01's. They tick every box for me, the right style, lighter than the extremes as they're flow formed, and not ridiculously expensive. 

 

@MarkyG82main goal is just new wheels without sacrificing much/if any performance, and getting something as close as possible to the stance I have currently.

It’s worth saying that OE strut clearance will be very tight anyway (at least to what some people expect). 

 

I liked the Bola FLE’s I had on my Leon. May be worth checking Bola out as they’re all from similar factories, but Bola command a lower price.

 

If you want performance and the best fit possible - check out the Revo RF019’s. They’re some of the lightest wheels you can get, are fully TUV certified and use OE bolts and hub spacing!

If it was my money I know what I’d be getting. You can see some photos of a PFL wearing them here

 

 

Edited 8 August, 20241 yr by BluevRS245

Yeah I really like the RF019's. Only problem is you can only get them from 1 or 2 places and they don't have any finance options other than pay in 3 🤣

Tyres will look stretched with the 225s and more risk of kerb damage 

Just used a trusty block of wood and a ruler to check the strut clearance on the front wheels. 

Current gap to strut is 38mm. Minus the 15mm spacer = 23mm.

New wheels would be 6.5mm closer so a clearance of 16.5mm. 

Does it change as the suspension goes through the travel?

On 10/08/2024 at 19:00, MarkyG82 said:

Does it change as the suspension goes through the travel?

 

I wouldn't have thought so - the strut is bolted on to the spindle. I guess there will be a slight loss of clearance with camber (rears as it settles, front as you turn), but that would be like a mm or two I'd have thought.

 

If you're wanting to double check, do some digging around on this forum for the right people to ask, or look at another MQB chassis forum. I'm relatively new here, so not sure who there is to ask, but know @ApertureS , @SashaGrace and @Ootohere are very knowledgeable (or might be able to tag someone else that could know). 

And they're on. Really happy with them. Fitment is perfect. 

 

Sits nicely! What tyres did you go for in the end?

1 minute ago, BluevRS245 said:

Sits nicely! What tyres did you go for in the end?

235's mate. Glad I did, I do like the stretched look but I don't like kerbed alloys 🤣. Not that the 235s offer that much rim protection but there would be nothing at all with 225s.

Went with PS5s this time, had PS4s on my old vrs and they were great. I've got uniroyal rs5s on the extremes so keeping those for winter wheels.

Sounds good!

 

I've currently got PS5 on the front and PS4 on the rear (long story lol but nothing really wrong with this). The 5 looks better than the 4, although this isn't really relevant. I find the wet grip to be pretty similar, although in the hot and dry, the 5 grips a little better. The major advantage of course, is that they're a harder compound, so will last longer. 

 

If you push your car, which end goes first? I've only had mine for a few months, but find the back steps out before the front goes. Wondering if this is me/the LSD, or somehow the tyres...

Yeah the back end will go before the front mate. I do find the diff does a good job of keeping traction, especially when pushing it hard in corners. 

 Thinking of going on a track day at some point to give it a real test.

I should admit, the vRS is only my second car, and the only other car I’ve ever pushed properly was my Leon FR, which almost never oversteered.

 

I recently hit a rough patch during a fast corner and the front held nicely, whilst the back stepped out… which gave me a bit of a fright! Best thing I’ve found is to enter a corner/rounadbout slower, and then power through it, letting the diff do the work.

 

I’m keen to do a track day too - just need to figure out what I’ll do re brakes and tyres