19" 8.5j Wheels on a Polo - Will it work?

[Polovivo]

Hi Guys,

Need some advice please.
Thinking about fitting 19" Rotiform wheels that are 8.5j et45 on my Polo. I don't have access to a wheel to test fit.

I currently am running a 19" 8j et43 wheel with no issues.

The optional wheel on a Polo GTi is 18" 7.5j et51.

Will the 8.5j et45 work without catching on the shock?

Many thanks.

[monkeyhanger]

Hi Guys,

Need some advice please.
Thinking about fitting 19" Rotiform wheels that are 8.5j et45 on my Polo. I don't have access to a wheel to test fit.

I currently am running a 19" 8j et43 wheel with no issues.

The optional wheel on a Polo GTi is 18" 7.5j et51.

Will the 8.5j et45 work without catching on the shock?

Many thanks.

If you are running et43 at the moment without snagging the wheel arch lining then you've got better fitting arch lining than me - I only had about 5mm clearance between top of tyre on the inside edge and arch lining before I adjusted the hang.

So you're looking to mount a wheel 1" wider than a GTI's Brescia, but with a slightly lower negative offset.

Brescia ET51 on a 7.5J = 146.25mm depth of wheel behind the wheel mounting plate.

ET45 8.5J Wheel = 152.95mm depth of wheel behind the wheel mounting plate.

You only need an extra 6.7mm clearance into the arch linings, definitely won't snag the shocks, might rub the arch linings without adjusting them to stop bowing outwards.

Also to consider though - how far is the outward face of the wheel going to pop out towards or even beyond the wheel arch?

Brescia protrudes 44.25mm beyond mounting face.

8.5J ET protrudes 62.95mm beyond mounting face.

Those 8.5Js are going to stick out about 10mm beyond the wheel arches. If the maximun suspension travel is beyond the wheel arch to top of tyre gap at stock (I honestly don't know what the full travel is on a Polo to the stop bumps), you've got serious issues as that tyre will snag the arches causing a blowout and/or creasing of the wheel arch.

Having wheels sticking out beyond the bodywork is going to look crap IMO.

[Polovivo]

Thank you for this.

Will try and do some measurements on the car.

[SRGTD]

Having wheels sticking out beyond the bodywork is going to look crap IMO.

Agree. And in the UK I think it’s illegal to run wheels that protrude beyond the bodywork if they could catch / injure a person. There would also probably be insurance implications. Might not be illegal or have insurance implications in South Africa though where the OP is located.

Also, 8.5J wheels would presumably need 235 width tyres, which would increase the risk of rubbing when the car is fully laden, cornering or travelling on poor/damaged roads, especially if the wheels protrude beyond the bodywork.

[Polovivo]

Thanks Guys,

The 8.5j wheels did not work. Way too wide for the Polo, ET45, the wheel caught on the shock.

I see that 8.5j works perfectly on the new Audi A1, probably has a wider body.

[SRGTD]

Thanks Guys,

The 8.5j wheels did not work. Way too wide for the Polo, ET45, the wheel caught on the shock.

I see that 8.5j works perfectly on the new Audi A1, probably has a wider body.

Some 8.5j may fit the new A1. However, you always need to consider the offset in conjunction with the wheel width; too aggressive an offset and you’d experience rubbing of the tyres against the wheel arches or the wheels would protrude beyond the wheel arch edge.