Well, did the swap today, took off the 17s that came on the car, and swapped them for some 18s.

The (rubbish) pics speak for themselves really...

One of each!!

Suprisingly, the 18s don't weigh much more than the 17s, and the ride is only a tad more jittery... but the car feels much tighter on turn in, and less dive under braking. Needless to say they will be staying on the car!!!

Lot better mate!!

Car is looking hot.

Looks much better.

Re-spraying the car from pink to red was a good move too

Cheers Harry.

Got 20mm spacers on the back now too - will get a separate thread up about them

Looks much better.

Re-spraying the car from pink to red was a good move too

The latter pics were taken on my Canon IXUS 700, the pink ones on my K850i - I've checked and double checked the settings, but it just won't take a decent photo :( Theres dust under the lens cover as well which is impossible to get out as its a sealed unit :(

So will the 17's be appearing on a silver 1.9 TDI hatch in Wiltshire soon?

Looks good.... as most women say that extra inch does make a difference

So will the 17's be appearing on a silver 1.9 TDI hatch in Wiltshire soon?

Looks good.... as most women say that extra inch does make a difference

I couldn't possibly say

So will the 17's be appearing on a silver 1.9 TDI hatch in Wiltshire soon?

Looks good.... as most women say that extra inch does make a difference

Especially when you have 4 of them........

It looks well Tom, lovely colour too, it's just a shame you won't be keepimg it:D

The latter pics were taken on my Canon IXUS 700, the pink ones on my K850i - I've checked and double checked the settings, but it just won't take a decent photo :( Theres dust under the lens cover as well which is impossible to get out as its a sealed unit :(

Mate, the reason for the 'dusty' appearance on the pics is because you have taken the first set into the sun, never a good idea. Always try to make sure the sun is behind you.

Not that I am any David Bailey

Mate, the reason for the 'dusty' appearance on the pics is because you have taken the first set into the sun, never a good idea. Always try to make sure the sun is behind you.

Not that I am any David Bailey

Whilst this may be true, EVERY pic I've ever taken with the phone has been pants, including many others of the car, and they all look pink :(

It's a lovely shade of pink you've managed to capture though

Whilst this may be true, EVERY pic I've ever taken with the phone has been pants, including many others of the car, and they all look pink :(

I find that cameras in phones are always crap. Simply not up to the job.

Far better to use your Ixus.

Wish I had bought a red one now.

So, 18s are definitely better than 17s then?

So, 18s are definitely better than 17s then?

Of course - it's a known fact

So, 18s are definitely better than 17s then?

Not always! It depends on your outlook -

Looks - Well OK most people (that know what they are looking at) will prefer 18", me included. Certainly its the fashion at present and the marketing men are enjoying it.

Ride - difficult to quantify as suspension, tyres, etc are also influencing factors on this; but in general expect the ride on 18s to be slightly less supple than on 17s (but not by much).

Weight - I have sets of both 17" and 18" wheel/tyres both pretty 'standard' and the 18s are 2.5kg heavier per wheel/tyre. This will affect the ride/handling of the car.

Handling - the 18s will be sharper on turn in and more responsive in the dry (as a consequence of the shorter sidewall) but this can work against them in the wet (or cold) when the 17s will give a more forgiving and progressive response that can actually be faster.

In the EVO magazine tyre test 2007 where they tested tyres in 225/45 17 they used a Golf GTi that came with 225/40 18s and as a prelim and familiarisation on the wet handling circuit they put in a few practice laps. When they later did the actual test on 17s the car was a whole 2.5 sec per lap (around 65 seconds) quicker on the 17s!!

Food for thought (and discussion).

I will agree that the 18's look good and indeed better than the 17's but I prefer the 17's for 2 reasons- They will give a slightly better ride and they are £40 a corner cheaper to replace the rubber.

Steve

Well I just paid £128 for a pair of 18" Falken 452s delivered - how cheap are your 17s!!! :P

Well I just paid £128 for a pair of 18" Falken 452s delivered - how cheap are your 17s!!! :P

Where did you get those from Tom?

FALKEN TYRES / CAR / FALKEN FK452 FALKEN FK 452 - 225/40R18 92Y XL : £60.50 : Car Tyres - MPV Tyres - People Carrier Tyres : R18" - 225/40/18, 225/40 R 18 -

I want to know where you can get 225/45 17Ws for £20 each! :P

Something funny here; Camskills 225/45 17 Falken 452 are £6.30 more than the 18s :eek:

FALKEN TYRES / CAR / FALKEN FK452 FALKEN FK 452 - 225/45R17 94Y XL : £66.30 : Car Tyres - MPV Tyres - People Carrier Tyres : R17" - 225/45/17, 225/45 R 17 -

I know! :P

Whilst this may be true, EVERY pic I've ever taken with the phone has been pants, including many others of the car, and they all look pink :(

I took some pics of Katie's Clio when she was putting it up for sale on here and on Autotrader.

I was amazed that my Nokia N73 made it look better than my Canon Ixus 50 - no idea why and it could well be I had something set wrong but this is what I got.

N73....

Ixus 50....

My Falkens are £42.

Don't forget that the £40 cheaper is probably on the fitted price as opposed to the tyre only price.

18's are deffinately way better than the 17's Tom

18's look spot on, glad I went out of my way to find one with them one