Alloy Upgrade

[J_hutchison]

Looking to get new alloys for my 67 1.2 TSI Polo.
Standard on then is 15" (picture attached)
Been looking at 15"s still but what affect would going up to 16" have on things such as; the ride and fuel consumption etc.
I think 16"s will look a bit better.

I do like the Mirabeau alloys but they are 17" would like something like then in a dark grey to go nice with the black paint as I think black alloys with black paint will be lost.

[SRGTD]

@J_hutchison; If you were considering 17” alloys, I’ve just put my VW Motorsport alloys in anthracite grey up for sale In the For Sale section. Link below;

https://www.uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=75429

[RUM4MO]

Maybe even keep these 15" and get some winter tyres for them, and so save the new better wheels/tyres for Summer use only.

If you buy these 17" at that price you will have some cash left to do that - even after your "collecting " petrol money!

[amer6R]

There isn't a huge load difference between 15" and 16" you can get more grip, and consumption will be the same and ride comfort.
Where you will get the difference is on 17" because of low profile tires. The stability will increase, breaking a tiny bit increase, steering feel, but it will get a bit harsh( but keep in mind not so so much at all with stock suspension).

[J_hutchison]

I've decided 16" will suit best. Just cant decide a colour.
I like black alloys but the problem I find is they seem lost on a black car.

[J_hutchison]

These are ones I quite like. Gloss black with polished face.

[RUM4MO]

These wheels that you have shown, look like they have a form of diamond finish on them, maybe not the best plan to have wheels with that by choice, especially up here in Scotland as the rock salt etc will attack them and make them look very scabby quite quickly.

I just thought that I would mention that.

Also if buying any wheels that are not listed as being "OEM" you will be using tapered seat bolts and possibly hub rings, so remember to keep a wheel set of original bolts in the car in case you get a puncture and need to use the steel spare wheel.

[J_hutchison]

These wheels that you have shown, look like they have a form of diamond finish on them, maybe not the best plan to have wheels with that by choice, especially up here in Scotland as the rock salt etc will attack them and make them look very scabby quite quickly.

I just thought that I would mention that.

Also if buying any wheels that are not listed as being "OEM" you will be using tapered seat bolts and possibly hub rings, so remember to keep a wheel set of original bolts in the car in case you get a puncture and need to use the steel spare wheel.

Thanks mate. Shane really as diamond finished wheels look great. My biggest problem is picking a colour to go with the paint

[SRGTD]

These wheels that you have shown, look like they have a form of diamond finish on them, maybe not the best plan to have wheels with that by choice, especially up here in Scotland as the rock salt etc will attack them and make them look very scabby quite quickly.

I just thought that I would mention that.

Also if buying any wheels that are not listed as being "OEM" you will be using tapered seat bolts and possibly hub rings, so remember to keep a wheel set of original bolts in the car in case you get a puncture and need to use the steel spare wheel.

Thanks mate. Shane really as diamond finished wheels look great. My biggest problem is picking a colour to go with the paint

RUM4MO is correct - they are diamond cut. Diamond cut wheels are often described as ‘machined’, ‘polished’ and IMO aren’t ideally suited to year round use on a car that’s used as a daily driver in areas with potentially harsh winter weather conditions.

If I owned a black car, I’d be looking for a set of either silver of anthracite grey alloys with a painted or powder coated finish. I’m personally not keen on black alloys as I think much of the detail of the wheel’s design gets ‘lost’, unless you’re close up to the wheel, and black wheels also show up brake dust build up quite badly and after just a few miles driving, so they only really look clean just after they’ve been washed.

The last two cars I’ve owned came with diamond cut alloys from the factory, and I changed them for an alternative set with an anthracite grey painted / powder coated finish. My current car also has diamond cut alloys, and I’m planning on changing them for something more durable within the next 2 - 3 months.

[J_hutchison]

These wheels that you have shown, look like they have a form of diamond finish on them, maybe not the best plan to have wheels with that by choice, especially up here in Scotland as the rock salt etc will attack them and make them look very scabby quite quickly.

I just thought that I would mention that.

Also if buying any wheels that are not listed as being "OEM" you will be using tapered seat bolts and possibly hub rings, so remember to keep a wheel set of original bolts in the car in case you get a puncture and need to use the steel spare wheel.

Thanks mate. Shane really as diamond finished wheels look great. My biggest problem is picking a colour to go with the paint

RUM4MO is correct - they are diamond cut. Diamond cut wheels are often described as ‘machined’, ‘polished’ and IMO aren’t ideally suited to year round use on a car that’s used as a daily driver in areas with potentially harsh winter weather conditions.

If I owned a black car, I’d be looking for a set of either silver of anthracite grey alloys with a painted or powder coated finish. I’m personally not keen on black alloys as I think much of the detail of the wheel’s design gets ‘lost’, unless you’re close up to the wheel, and black wheels also show up brake dust build up quite badly and after just a few miles driving, so they only really look clean just after they’ve been washed.

The last two cars I’ve owned came with diamond cut alloys from the factory, and I changed them for an alternative set with an anthracite grey painted / powder coated finish. My current car also has diamond cut alloys, and I’m planning on changing them for something more durable within the next 2 - 3 months.

Thanks mate, yeh that was my thought with it being a black car that it would be lost on it. I do think black alloys complement white cars well.
A design like this picture is what I quite like. Maybe Silver will give a nice contrasting look from the black paint.

[SRGTD]

For the Polo’s bolt pattern (5x100) it looks as if the 16” version of the ZX100 alloys are a 6.5J x 16” wheel with an offset of ET44.

https://proline-wheels.de/en/collection/zx100/

There’s a configurator on the Proline-wheels.de website. Using the configurator, here’s what a black 6c Polo would look like with 16” ZX100 Prolines fitted;

[J_hutchison]

For the Polo’s bolt pattern (5x100) it looks as if the 16” version of the ZX100 alloys are a 6.5J x 16” wheel with an offset of ET44.

https://proline-wheels.de/en/collection/zx100/

There’s a configurator on the Proline-wheels.de website. Using the configurator, here’s what a black 6c Polo would look like with 16” ZX100 Prolines fitted;

618069C9-1D85-4D0B-8F7F-FE4A56216D84.png

So would those alloys fit then?
They look quite good in that model picture

[J_hutchison]

For the Polo’s bolt pattern (5x100) it looks as if the 16” version of the ZX100 alloys are a 6.5J x 16” wheel with an offset of ET44.

https://proline-wheels.de/en/collection/zx100/

There’s a configurator on the Proline-wheels.de website. Using the configurator, here’s what a black 6c Polo would look like with 16” ZX100 Prolines fitted;

618069C9-1D85-4D0B-8F7F-FE4A56216D84.png

So would those alloys fit then?
They look quite good in that model picture

[SRGTD]

They should fit without any issues - If you select 16” alloys for a 2017 VW Polo 6c on Wheelbase Alloys website, Proline Zx100 is one of the wheels returned in the search results.

Your existing wheels look like those fitted to the Polo Match or Match Edition, in which case I’m assuming your existing wheel / tyre combination is 6J x 15” (offset ET40) with 185/60 R15 tyres. Assuming the Proline ZX100 are 6.5J x 16”, offset ET44 (Wheelbase alloys website don’t state what the wheel width and offset are - just that they’ll supply the best fit for your car), if you fit 215/45 R16 tyres to minimise speedo reading errors, the difference between your existing set up and the Prolines with 215/45 R16 tyres is as per the picture below (screen shot of the wheel / tyre fitment calculator from www.willtheyfit.com website);

As RUM4MO has said earlier in this thread, you would need different wheel bolts, and probably a set of spigot rings as the centre bore of most aftermarket wheels is larger than the centre bore of VW OEM wheels. Wheelbase Alloys should supply a fitting kit with the wheels they sell that should include new bolts and / or spigot rings if they’re needed. You would need to specify the the wheels are for a 2017 6c Polo so they supply the version of the wheels with the correct bolt pattern for the Polo (PCD 5x100).

Fitting aftermarket wheels is considered to be a modification for insurance purposes, so you’d also need to inform your insurer of the change.

[J_hutchison]

So are OEM alloys less hassle when fitting?
I've only found 1 OEM website for VW and the choice was terrible. Is there any good OEM sites?