Alloy wheels upgrade ?

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Andy1273
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Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by Andy1273 »

Hi all,

I currently have 16inch VW Polo Rivazza wheels on my 6c TSI and been thinking about upgrading or refurbishing my current ones?
Keep on I have and have them resprayed black or go for something new?
Do like the look of the BOAVISTA ALLOY WHEELS 17" which I believe were on the 6R R line models? These in particular look very nice in black.
Or go all out and but a set of VW Polo Alloy Wheels 17" Motorsport in either black or I quite fancy the
Anthracite finish?

So few questions, I'm presuming both the Boavista and Motorsport 17" will both fit straight on?
Will changing from 16" to 17" mean I will need lower profile tyres?
Any one have either of these alloys fitted, and any pros and cons?
Any comments welcome .
cheba
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by cheba »

Both those wheels will fit. They are Polo 6R wheels, and will fit on the 6C since the chassis and axles are the same.

You need lower profile on the 17 inch tyres than the 16 inch tyres. You can use an online tyre diameter calculator to check which profile gets you the closest to the circumference of the 16 inch wheels.
Willni
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by Willni »

There's no real pros or cons list for changing alloys, it will change your speedometer by going up a size ( Personally I haven't had any issues with it ) and if you're going to paint wheels black why get 17 inch alloys? Black doesn't show the shape of alloys, so in my opinion you might as well run steelies!

What colour is your car? Personally I really like Anthracite ( Audi Titan Grey ), currently running BBS CV's in Hypersilver on my polo though and Standard Castille's in OEM Silver for winter. Anthracite suits all colours so you'd be happy with that I'd say.
SRGTD
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by SRGTD »

Agree with Willni on black alloys - the design of the wheel gets ‘lost’ (black wheels/black tyres). Also, with gloss black wheels in particular, in my opinion, they always look dirty unless they’ve just been washed (same as a black car) - brake dust makes them look a dull greyish-brown and they also show up any swirl marks from a poor washing technique.

I think Rivazzas, Boavistas and Motorsport alloys for the Polo are all a 7J wheel with an offset of ET46, so the stance of your car with either 17” option would be the same as you have with your existing 16” Rivazza alloys. As cheba has said a couple of posts earlier in this thread, the 17 alloys will need a lower profile tyre to the tyres fitted to your current wheels, so that the overall rolling radius of the 17” wheels + tyre is the same as your current wheels + tyres. I have 17” Motorsport alloys in anthracite on my Polo GTI and the tyre size is 215 / 40 R17. I’ve not found any disadvantages compared to the factory fit ‘Serron’ alloys that were on the car when I bought it. The big advantage for me is the Motorsport alloys aren’t diamond cut (the original Serrons are), so the powder coated/painted finish is hardy and durable for use in the UK, and there’s no risk of white worm corrosion. With a larger wheel/lower tyre profile than you currently have, you may notice a slightly firmer ride compared to your current ride.

I don’t think you can buy new anthracite coloured Motorsport alloys in the UK any longer (only black or white). However, anthracite Motorsports are available on this German website €189 (roughly £165) each, plus shipping costs;

https://shops.volkswagen.com/en_GB/web/ ... 904_VWZ_OZ

Here’s my car with the anthracite Motorsports, so you can see what they look like on a 6c Polo (click on picture to increase to full screen size);
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Andy1273
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by Andy1273 »

Very nice SRGTD! I've seen your pic before which is one of the reasons why I like the look of the Motorsport ones.

The only thing I don't like about gloss black alloys is the black alloy black tyre, they seem to get lost?
And if the design of the alloys get lost then there isn't much difference between the Rivazzas and Boavistas truth be told.

Slightly firmer ride? And change in speedometer, in what way will it change?

Will it need lowering to look better too?
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RUM4MO
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by RUM4MO »

If you fit the approved size of tyres to your 17" will be very nearly the same rolling circumference as your 16" are, so very little - only a few %age error in your speedometer.

The reason for the speedometer reading changing when you fit wheels/tyres of a different size than approved for the car is, each revolution of the wheels equates to the car travelling so far along the road, and that is how the speedometer can work out your speed as it has been calibrated to accept that one revolution is so many mms - and it takes the frequency and so can work out the speed, in UK's in MPH.

Now, when you alter that distance travelled with a wheel rotation you should be able to see that it makes the speedometer reading false, smaller distances from a single rotation means your speedometer displays a higher speed than the car is travelling, and the converse for larger distances from a single rotation, which could get you fined quite easily.
SRGTD
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by SRGTD »

The ride might be slightly firmer compared to your current ride because with lower profile (40 aspect ratio) tyres fitted to 17” wheels compared to the higher (45 aspect ratio) profile of tyres on your existing 16” wheels, you’ll have less tyre sidewall depth to help soak up the bumps.

If the overall rolling radius of your combined wheel+ plus tyre is the same as your current wheels + tyres, then any speedo error will be negligible. Assuming your current wheels/tyre combination is 7Jx16 (ET46) and tyres are 215/45 R16, then fitting the ‘standard’ GTI size tyres (215/40 R17) to the 17” wheels will keep the overall rolling radius pretty much the same as you currently have. The ‘Will they fit’ calculator at the link below calculates the effect on your speedo reading as -0.65%, so when you’re travelling at 30mph, the speedo will be showing 29.8mph and when travelling at 60mph, the speedo will be showing an indicated speed of 59.6mph, so negligible speedo impact.

https://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?w ... offset2=46

My car isn’t lowered. The GTI has a relatively firm ride, and lowering it would be likely to result in a firmer ride which I wouldn’t want.
Andy1273
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by Andy1273 »

So would it be advised to get the speedometer re-calibratied too the new 17" ?
If the car displays a higher speed than I'm actually doing that's better isn't it so if the Speedo is displaying 30mph I will be doing less? Will this change though the faster the speed? For instance if the display is showing 60mph will I actually be going faster?
Andy1273
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by Andy1273 »

Currently running on Pirelli 215/45R/16
SRGTD
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by SRGTD »

Andy1273 wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 1:33 pm So would it be advised to get the speedometer re-calibratied too the new 17" ?
If the car displays a higher speed than I'm actually doing that's better isn't it so if the Speedo is displaying 30mph I will be doing less? Will this change though the faster the speed? For instance if the display is showing 60mph will I actually be going faster?
For that degree of speedo difference, absolutely no need to get your speedo recalibrated. The difference between having new tyres with 8m, of tread and worm tyres with 2mm of tread will produce a larger speedo ‘error’ than you’d get from fitting 17” wheels with 215/40 R17 compared to your current wheel and tyre combination.

As per the ‘results’ table on the ‘Will they fit’ website, when your speedo is showing 60, you’d be travelling at 59.6mph, so a negligible difference.
Dink
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by Dink »

SRGTD wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 1:28 pm
My car isn’t lowered. The GTI has a relatively firm ride, and lowering it would be likely to result in a firmer ride which I wouldn’t want.
I think you'd be surprised by the eibach lowering springs. They offer a slightly better ride than standard and not too low to make the rear end look broken
SRGTD
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by SRGTD »

Dink wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 6:16 pm
SRGTD wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 1:28 pm
My car isn’t lowered. The GTI has a relatively firm ride, and lowering it would be likely to result in a firmer ride which I wouldn’t want.
I think you'd be surprised by the eibach lowering springs. They offer a slightly better ride than standard and not too low to make the rear end look broken
Thanks for the info Dink. I’m not really into the modding scene - I’m too old for that now 😄 (retired), so I’ll stick with the standard suspension set up. The only changes I tend to make to a car’s factory build is to change the wheels if the car comes with diamond cut alloys, as I dislike diamond cut wheels with a passion!
Willni
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by Willni »

SRGTD wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 6:36 pm Thanks for the info Dink. I’m not really into the modding scene - I’m too old for that now 😄 (retired), so I’ll stick with the standard suspension set up. The only changes I tend to make to a car’s factory build is to change the wheels if the car comes with diamond cut alloys, as I dislike diamond cut wheels with a passion!
Haha SRGTD you mustn't have seen the 75 year old with the 600bhp Golf R :wink: we'll see you at stage 3 in a year :P
Andy1273
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by Andy1273 »

I've decided I want a set of Boavista 17 inch alloys so if any one has a set for sale or part exchange for my Rivazza alloys plus cash let me know, I'm willing to offer a good deal if the wheels are in good condition?
SRGTD
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Re: Alloy wheels upgrade ?

Post by SRGTD »

Willni wrote: Sat Nov 10, 2018 8:33 pm
SRGTD wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 6:36 pm Thanks for the info Dink. I’m not really into the modding scene - I’m too old for that now 😄 (retired), so I’ll stick with the standard suspension set up. The only changes I tend to make to a car’s factory build is to change the wheels if the car comes with diamond cut alloys, as I dislike diamond cut wheels with a passion!
Haha SRGTD you mustn't have seen the 75 year old with the 600bhp Golf R :wink: we'll see you at stage 3 in a year :P
Yes, I’ve seen him and his car; much respect for what he’s done, but not for me 🙂; I’m content with my standard Polo GTI with non standard wheels.
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