MK5 Golf GTI

General => Random Chat => Topic started by: tony_danza on January 04, 2013, 03:27:07 pm

Title: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: tony_danza on January 04, 2013, 03:27:07 pm
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effects-of-upsized-wheels-and-tires-tested
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: Deako on January 04, 2013, 03:43:44 pm
But grip and braking efficiency were improved, with the only real negatives being mpg and sprint times. As well as the obvious cost and comfort differential!  :happy2:

Not as drastic a change as i thought we would see to be honest.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: rich83 on January 04, 2013, 03:47:20 pm
17s and slicks FTW!
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: Kalpsn2000 on January 04, 2013, 03:48:12 pm
So 17s for acceleration and 18s for slightly more grip and better looks, with hardly any reduction in ride comfort.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: R32UK on January 04, 2013, 03:48:22 pm
much prefered running my golf on 19".... car felt more stable and handled better. Was probably marginally slower, but its not always a race to get where you want to go.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: neg on January 04, 2013, 05:41:59 pm
Weight depends on the type of wheel too - you can get larger wheels which are much lighter nowadays.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: monte on January 04, 2013, 06:15:22 pm
Meh...  :booty:

My 19" Ultraleggera's weigh 20.4 lbs or 9.2 kgs each  :happy2:
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: Veee-dubber on January 04, 2013, 06:56:23 pm
Pretty sure we can all live with this, I know I certantly can - noooo way am I sacking of my 18's for crappy 16's again :)
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: tony_danza on January 04, 2013, 07:32:46 pm
All valid points, if you choose well, you won't see much difference... I wasn't necessarily agreeing with the article.

However, a set of big heavy replicas - it shows how they can affect things.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: neg on January 04, 2013, 07:34:02 pm
All valid points, if you choose well, you won't see much difference... I wasn't necessarily agreeing with the article.

However, a set of big heavy replicas - it shows how they can affect things.

Thats the biggest problem with Reps, very heavy.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: RedRobin on January 10, 2013, 10:48:26 pm
.
OEM genuine Monza 18's = 11kg each

OZ Alleggerita 18's = 8kg each
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: Frenzy on January 10, 2013, 11:03:33 pm
basically means feck all in a road going car. I'd hazard a guess that a good deal of enthusiasts pouring over the mass of their wheels could shed more weight from the vehicle by eating fewer pies if they're in search of performance gains  :grin:
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: rich83 on January 10, 2013, 11:04:58 pm
basically means feck all in a road going car. I'd hazard a guess that a good deal of enthusiasts pouring over the mass of their wheels could shed more weight from the vehicle by eating fewer pies if they're in search of performance gains  :grin:

True... but 20kg saving in total weight is very different to 5kg saving on each wheel.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: Frenzy on January 10, 2013, 11:11:13 pm
true as the mass on the wheels is unsprung vs. the tubby pie eater who is sprung, er if you get my drift  :chicken:

however i still come back to road going cars supposed to be doing road going speed limits, one isn't supposed to be searching for the apex on every left, or god forbid, right hand turn  :laugh:
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: GTI-Pirelli on January 10, 2013, 11:45:41 pm
Pretty interesting.

Another thing to consider is brakes. The larger size wheels aren't just for aesthetics, they usually fit round some decent size stoppers!
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: RedRobin on January 11, 2013, 12:00:08 am

basically means feck all in a road going car. I'd hazard a guess that a good deal of enthusiasts pouring over the mass of their wheels could shed more weight from the vehicle by eating fewer pies if they're in search of performance gains  :grin:


....I don't agree. Although my car has done occasional trackdays I DO search for the apex of corners though always obeying the road markings and I DO have fun driving enthusiastically on the road when the conditions are safe enough to allow it.

You don't have to be driving at high mph speeds to have fun in a GTI.

The combination of lighter weight wheels and other handling mods significantly and noticably increase the feedback and make a GTI more tactile to drive. Alloys like the OZ Alleggerita's also better accommodate bigger brakes and deliver better brake ventilation.

What you are saying about tubby pie eaters has some relevance but is far more relevant to sport such as riding uphill on pedal bikes. IIRC my race bike only weighed 17lbs but I weighed nearly 11 stone even when race fit.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: john87 on January 11, 2013, 10:15:47 am
...What I don't get is why the OEM 18's (monza 2's) are so heavy, despite supposedly utilising 'hollowcast' technology?
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: RedRobin on January 11, 2013, 10:32:47 am

..What I don't get is why the OEM 18's (monza 2's) are so heavy, despite supposedly utilising 'hollowcast' technology?


....Genuine Monza 2's most definitely do have BBS's patented 'Hollow Technology' and apparently the Mk5 GTI Monza is the wheel which BBS used to create and test their technology.

I think they are heavier than expected because there is still a lot of alloy material in the five 'spokes' - The spokes are big compared with many other wheel designs..

Goodness knows what a Monza 2 replica weighs!

Genuine OEM Monza 17's weigh ~10kg.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: tony_danza on January 11, 2013, 10:39:18 am
I think they switched to cheaper Ronals from late '06? There's weren't hollow.
Title: Re: How bigger wheels make your car rubbish - explained.
Post by: RedRobin on January 11, 2013, 10:47:15 am

I think they switched to cheaper Ronals from late '06? There's weren't hollow.


....Was it as early as late '06?

I weighed one of my early '06 genuine BBS Monza 18's on certified (annually recalibrated for local sea angling club) scales and it was 11kg, or may have been 11.?? - I'd have to look it up.

I wonder if the Mk6 alloys are BBS with Hollow Technology or another brand without........   :popcornsoda: