Hi,

Asking for a friend...!

 

Mate has a Up GTI and I said he'd have problems with potholes when he had it and he does - he pops the tyres on a regular basis.

 

He's tried sourcing some alternative wheels that have a larger profile but which retain the overall rolling circumference. 

Apparently, such wheels exist as they are sold with a winter tyre option in Germany but he reckons that they are not available in the UK.

 

Has anyone tried putting larger wheels/tyres on their Citigo, that aren't Up GTI wheels/tyres, that would have taken it to somewhere that he could also go to with his Up?

Or is the problem the front brake size?

 

Cheers in advance.

 

So smaller wheels and less low profile tyres. More sidewall.

?

What size wheels and tyres are on now?  16" or  6.5jx 17. 

 

 

What size does the owners manual say is required if fitting Snow chains?   Maybe 5 1/2J X 15, 185/55 R 15.

As to the front discs, what size of wheel is required as a spare wheel, do 15" steels fit? 

 

@Carlston might be able to help. 

4 hours ago, Ootohere said:

So smaller wheels and less low profile tyres. More sidewall.

?

What size wheels and tyres are on now?  16" or  6.5jx 17. 

 

 

What size does the owners manual say is required if fitting Snow chains?   Maybe 5 1/2J X 15, 185/55 R 15.

As to the front discs, what size of wheel is required as a spare wheel, do 15" steels fit? 

 

@Carlston might be able to help. 

He says they're 165/65 R15 currently. 

 

He's got a spare, cos he was fed up of the foam, but it only fits on the rear apparently, so when he pops the front tyre, he has to put a rear on the front then the spare on the rear. 

 

He's not sure what size the spare is.

 

Yes, he wants more sidewall so he pops fewer tyres but he also wants to keep the rolling circumference the same because he says it can't be changed.

Edited 18 September, 20241 yr by briscaF1

Surely (Shirley)  that is not the size they left the factory with.    He knows 15" fits then and like 14" does not..     Up! GTI will be needing tyres with an appropriate speed rating even if the can never goes above 70mph.       A set of All Weather 15' tyres should be good.    There is about as much sidewall with the size fitted. 

16 minutes ago, Ootohere said:

Surely (Shirley)  that is not the size they left the factory with.    He knows 15" fits then and like 14" does not..     Up! GTI will be needing tyres with an appropriate speed rating even if the can never goes above 70mph.       A set of All Weather 15' tyres should be good.    There is about as much sidewall with the size fitted. 

 

I thought he'd told me some rubbish and you've confirmed it.

 

I had him check and they're 195/40R17

The GTI has far fewer options for wheels less than 17", as it has bigger brake calipers and disks.

There are 16" wheels that fit - check on the Up! Owner's Forum; tons of info there.

A lot of GTi owners change to 16" to reduce the pothole issues, and improve ride comfort.

1 minute ago, freemansteve said:

The GTI has far fewer options for wheels less than 17", as it has bigger brake calipers and disks.

There are 16" wheels that fit - check on the Up! Owner's Forum; tons of info there.

A lot of GTi owners change to 16" to reduce the pothole issues, and improve ride comfort.

He reckons he's asked in the forums and the options all involve the rolling circumference changing such that the speedo reads significantly out over 50 mph. 

 

I thought he should be ok with 16", too, but I'm not sure what tyre options that leaves.

 

Just wondered if anyone had any better information over here.

If he's in one of those strict EU countries such as Germany, he would have to stick with the tyre and rim sizes that are listed in the car's CoC (Certificate of Conformity).

 

This might include 185/55R15 fitted to a 5.5Jx15 ET41 4/100 57.1 rim. If this size is listed in the car's CoC, then they should fit.

 

15" alloy rim and matching hub cap for Up!

1	1S0601025R	Aluminium rim	'WAFFLE' 5.5Jx15 ET41 4/100 57.1
	1S0601025R 8Z8	Diamond silver

2	1S0601149D	Hub cap
	1S0601149D CIX	silver/white

https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/vw/RDW/UP/723/6/601/601050

 

5.5Jx15 ET41 4/100 57.1 alloy rims WAFFLE (for VW UP!) (£349.99 for a set of four)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195538276336

 

Hub cap 1S0601149D CIX

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196529674050

 

Edited 19 September, 20241 yr by Carlston

You can use almost any wheel size and keep the rolling radius of the tyre about the same -  with the right choice of tyre. Check an on-line tyre chart.