18" alloys on a golf

Fabritzo

Has anyone bought a set from Rochford? From what I can see the average price for a set of 18's with some form of rubber is about €1200?

unkel

mrbungle wrote:

18"s are available

Right. Just for the craic I rang Ballsbridge Motors (one of the biggest VAG dealers) and asked specifically if the 18s are available factory fitted on a new GTI. The answer was yes. Quote was €815 incl. VAT

I then sent an email to VW Ireland with the following text:

email from unkel to VW wrote:

Hi, I'm interested in buying a new Golf GTI 3-doors. On volkswagen.ie the standard alloys are 17" and there is no option to upgrade to 18". I just rang Ballsbridge Motors and they quoted me for factory fitted 18" as an option. Could you confirm 18" are indeed a factory fitted option? If so, why is it not on your website, or on the website of any VW dealer for that matter. Please email me at your earliest convenience. Kind regards

I'll post here if / when I get a reply from VW

Big Balls wrote:

Isn't is just AMAZING that some of the best performance cars in the world (Ferraris, 911 Turbos, GT3s, Aston Martins, Continental GTs) all come with 18" and 19" wheels!

Incredible. Do you not read other people's posts at all? :rolleyes:

I explained why bigger / wider wheels can improve acceleration in high power cars but that it will give slower acceleration in a car like the 75BHP Golf. Then Anan1 explained the same thing using slightly different wording...

quarryman wrote:

another issue i have is "kerbing" them

Indeed it is. I thought I had a slow puncture there a few months ago. Turned out the inside of the alloy had dented, letting out air. Took the guy about 10-15 minutes to diagnose and fix. Tyre pressure has been fine since. Owner charged me nought as he was interested in an E38 with M60 engine (my current car with the engine of my previous car) so I had some useful advice for him

mrbungle

unkel wrote:

Right. Just for the craic I rang Ballsbridge Motors (one of the biggest VAG dealers) and asked specifically if the 18s are available factory fitted on a new GTI. The answer was yes. Quote was €815 incl. VAT

Damn. Now I look like a liar, I said €810 !!!

mrbungle

unkel wrote:

If so, why is it not on your website, or on the website of any VW dealer for that matter.

Seems to me that all the VW webpages look the same, didn't see any real difference when I was looking around for my cyar a few months ago.

Only thing that seemed to differ on the VW pages, from garage to garage was Used Cars. Looks like they're powered centrally from VW HQ somehere in Ire.

Only saying this cos I've never seen any individual dealer offers or discounts or anything to differentiate 1 VW page from the other. (Apart from the 'home page').

Besides: Enough, pedants.

cantdecide

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

wohahahah hahaha hahah... is this guy for real? and he says his into cars..hehehe

me thinks we are dealing with a little rev head with posters of all those cars he mentioned on his bedroom wall in his mother house...
and knows nothing about power to weight ratios, torque and bhp...
now run along "bigballs" (sorry for laughing) this is for adults.

???
i thought alloys looked good. i was also thinking that when you gain rim, you lose tyre to keep the rolling radius (wrong phrase maybe) correct. there is a red '98 1.4 golf locally with 20's.

the 18's on my previous A4 were actually smaller (but wider) than the original 15" steels and made no discernable difference to acceleration or ride quality.

a lot of jap cars harden up pretty quickly IMO but the vag cars always respond well even if they're lowered.

once you spend any amount of money on wheels, you simply start using your electric mirrors more than you did before. it's the only way to mind them (also, breath down the neck of your tyre fitter and avoid moremiles in ballincollig- i nearly punched him after what he did to my beautiful alloys)

for the new golf, my choice would be RS6s.

Anan1

cantdecide wrote:

???
i thought alloys looked good.

They do, but you can't see them when you're driving. Each to their own, but I have no interest in spending money on making my car look more attractive to other road users. Apart from anything else, I'm not sure that they care.

maidhc

Big Balls wrote:

Isn't is just AMAZING that some of the best performance cars in the world (Ferraris, 911 Turbos, GT3s, Aston Martins, Continental GTs) all come with 18" and 19" wheels!

Because they need the extra grip that the larger contact area that the big wheels offer.

Having a thin sidewall and very stiff ride also has benefits in an Aston that don't apply equally to a Golf.

Anan1

maidhc wrote:

Because they need the extra grip that the larger contact area that the big wheels offer.

Having a thin sidewall and very stiff ride also has benefits in an Aston that don't apply equally to a Golf.

I think he may have run away...

unkel

maidhc wrote:

Because they need the extra grip that the larger contact area that the big wheels offer

Explanation #3 and the shortest and sweetest at that

BTW, I haven't got a reply from volkswagen.ie yet. Will post when I get it

Cyrus

unkel the 18" rims are def a factory fit option on mkv gti, a friend has them

very similar in style to the 17"s but have a dark finish on the inner part of the curves

Big Balls

My point on performance cars was that if 18" wheels + have SUCH a negative effect on cars, why do the best in the world come with them. You were all making out that the worst thing you could possibly do is stick big wheels on your car!!!! I was not disagreeing that a 1.4 Golf does not need 225 wide tyres.

And I'm sorry but the "sure only other people can see the outside of your car" is SUCH a weak argument. YOU know what you own car looks like as you're the one who owns it!!! Whether other people notice your car or not is irrelevant in my eyes.

And I cannot believe there are people still trying to make out that 18" wheels on the GTI are not an option. They also spell xenons incorrectly on the VW Ireland site, I wonder are they not available either!!?

Big Balls

Anan1 wrote:

I think he may have run away...

No Anan, I just have a life and don't hang around this site 24/7.

unkel

Cyrus wrote:

unkel the 18" rims are def a factory fit option on mkv gti

I believe you, others and the VW dealer

Just funny it's not on the website. I can only imagine someone interested in buying a new Golf GTI might also be very interested in getting 18" instead of 17" alloys. A lot of people browse before they call these days. Might put people of that it doesn't seem to be an option on the website. €815 is an ok price for an upgrade (factory fitted) but it would cost a lot more to have it done aftermarket

Still no reply from VW. Nearly 24 hours after my email...

Anan1

Big Balls wrote:

My point on performance cars was that if 18" wheels + have SUCH a negative effect on cars, why do the best in the world come with them. You were all making out that the worst thing you could possibly do is stick big wheels on your car!!!! I was not disagreeing that a 1.4 Golf does not need 225 wide tyres.

Actually, you said that wider wheels will not make a 1.4 Golf slower:

Big Balls wrote:

If you go for genuine lightweight wheels and the right profile of tyre, the car will not be slower.

We said that they will, and explained why. This is the point at which you chose to go quiet, rather than simply accepting that you were wrong.

Hobart

Big Balls wrote:

My point on performance cars was that if 18" wheels + have SUCH a negative effect on cars, why do the best in the world come with them. You were all making out that the worst thing you could possibly do is stick big wheels on your car!!!! I was not disagreeing that a 1.4 Golf does not need 225 wide tyres.

And I'm sorry but the "sure only other people can see the outside of your car" is SUCH a weak argument. YOU know what you own car looks like as you're the one who owns it!!! Whether other people notice your car or not is irrelevant in my eyes.

And I cannot believe there are people still trying to make out that 18" wheels on the GTI are not an option. They also spell xenons incorrectly on the VW Ireland site, I wonder are they not available either!!?

You put forward a thesis that bigger wheels can make a car slower as a myth. The fact is that they do and can. It is not a myth. So, in that regard, you are incorrect.

You then try to add weight to your "myth" argument by asking the question as to why high-performace super cars and the like have 18"+ wheels. That really is quite a silly question, and I even think you realise that.

You were wrong. You are just finding it hard to come to that resolution, thats all.

Unkel. The 18" alloys are a factory fit option here. I have them on my GTI. They can be ordered online in the UK, for some reason, and not here.

Link=> http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/gti/carconfig.jsp?menu=b

Big Balls

Hobart wrote:

asking the question as to why high-performace super cars and the like have 18"+ wheels.

That wasn't a question on my part, I'm well aware why. Again, my point was highlighting that if big wheels are such a bad idea (as was made out in the thread) then why do the likes of Porsche stick them on their cars. Fact of the matter is, they're not always a bad idea and a lot of you were taking that fact away from the original poster by listing off the laws of physics.

Bottom line is, if he wants to stick bigger wheels on his car then there's nothing stopping him!!!!!!!

Hobart

Big Balls wrote:

That wasn't a question on my part, I'm well aware why. Again, my point was highlighting that if big wheels are such a bad idea (as was made out in the thread) then why do the likes of Porsche stick them on their cars. Fact of the matter is, they're not always a bad idea and a lot of you were taking that fact away from the original poster by listing off the laws of physics.

Bottom line is, if he wants to stick bigger wheels on his car then there's nothing stopping him!!!!!!!

I think he knows that.

I also think somebody pointed out that going, for example, from standard 14" wheels to 18 or 19" wheels on a 75bhp car, is not best recommended. Trying to add weight to your argument by saying if big wheels are a bad idea why do they have them on 400+bhp cars, is silly. And I think you realise that.

Anan1

Big Balls wrote:

That wasn't a question on my part, I'm well aware why. Again, my point was highlighting that if big wheels are such a bad idea (as was made out in the thread) then why do the likes of Porsche stick them on their cars. Fact of the matter is, they're not always a bad idea and a lot of you were taking that fact away from the original poster by listing off the laws of physics.

Nobody was saying they're a bad idea in general. We said that they would make a 1.4 Golf slower. You said that they wouldn't. We explained why they would. You appear unable to admit that you were mistaken. What part don't you understand?

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

Big Balls wrote:

That wasn't a question on my part, I'm well aware why. Again, my point was highlighting that if big wheels are such a bad idea (as was made out in the thread) then why do the likes of Porsche stick them on their cars. Fact of the matter is, they're not always a bad idea and a lot of you were taking that fact away from the original poster by listing off the laws of physics.

Bottom line is, if he wants to stick bigger wheels on his car then there's nothing stopping him!!!!!!!

hmmmmmmm... i think you may be confusing yourself.
will i explean for the 100th time "why likes of Porsche stick them on their cars"

Big Balls

Anan1 wrote:

Nobody was saying they're a bad idea in general. We said that they would make a 1.4 Golf slower. You said that they wouldn't. We explained why they would. You appear unable to admit that you were mistaken. What part don't you understand?

I understand it all fine thanks Anan. Have you learnt that roundabout thing yet? Seeing as we're giving out the lessons?

Big Balls

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

hmmmmmmm... i think you may be confusing yourself.

Ah jaysus here's the intelligent poster again!!!!!!!!

Kermitt

His username is 'Big Balls' .. Clearly its a masculinity issue (or an overcompensation one:D )

Big Balls

So that makes you a what? Homosexual frog?

delly

Can't say a word on wheel sizes, but for the love of god avoid the 1.4 if at all possible. Saying its slow would be an understatement.

Kermitt

Big Balls wrote:

So that makes you a what? Homosexual frog?

HE HE HE we have him rightly revved up now lads!! Oh I love when people resort to the 'you're gay' argument!! so satisfying!!!

BTW I have a 1.4 golf and if I put 18" wheels on it - It would go S L O W E R....

Big Balls

Hardly a "you're gay" comment.. but if we're analysing usernames.. !

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

Big Balls wrote:

Hardly a "you're gay" comment.. but if we're analysing usernames.. !

take it easy big boy no need to get so cranky and spit the dummy out. you believe whatever you want,

now pick your toys up and put them back in the pram...

Big Balls

Have you anything else to contribute but this crap??

Kermitt

Big Balls wrote:

Hardly a "you're gay" comment.. but if we're analysing usernames.. !

I don't see where the connection is.... Anyhoo - I think we've strayed sufficiently far off topic to be in another time zone.

Big Balls - I suggest you transfer to the Personal Issues forum

Big Balls

How bout I suggest you go to the THICK forum?

You suggest my username means something to do with me.

You username represents a children's puppet which for years has been suspected as a homosexual character.

Are you seeing the connection yet? Seeing as you've reduced it to slagging over usernames, I'm doing exactly the same.

Has........ the........ penny.......dropped.......yet?