VW Passat Wheel Upgrade from 15 to 17 - Good Idea?

[John Weber]

Hey guys, I had a little encounter with a curb because someone ran a stop sign. Insurance will replace two rims, a tire, and some body work. I have factory 15" alloy wheels, but thought it might be a good time to "upgrade". I'm looking at going from a 195/65/15 to a 225/45/17. Any pros/cons? I've always wanted a larger wider tire. 16's would be a bit cheaper, but hey if you are upgrading, I might as well do something that will look different. Any thoughts?

John

[Dan Mages]

225/45-17 is the correct ratio if you upgrade to 17 inches, so you should not have any problems there. Its hard to say if it is a good idea or not. Having a thinner sidewall will give you a stiffer ride. I recently upgraded my tires to Continental's ContiExtremeContacts. They have been a wonderful set of tires. They do well in all weather conditions and grip the road like none other.

3 bits (adjusted for inflation)

Dan

[Chuck Wintle]

IMHO you are likely to suffer rim damage more easily because of the reduced sidewall height. If the roads are rough in any way maybe the original 15 inch rims are the way to go.

[Michael Ballent]

All I can say is that it's going to cost me $650 to change my tires for the 17" wheels on my Jetta 1.8T. Uhg

[Rob Russell]

I have factory 15" alloy wheels, but thought it might be a good time to "upgrade". I'm looking at going ... 225/45/17. Any pros/cons? ... Any thoughts? ... John

I read an interesting article in Motor Trend earlier this year about the dynamics of larger wheels.

To summarize, when you put a larger rim on, your braking distance will increase and acceleration will decrease. The reason is the extra mass of the rim that's further away from the centerline of the wheel. Think about top fuel dragsters. They have those tires that blow up when the driver starts. If a larger wheel, smaller tire worked better - don't you think they would have done it?

If you want to go with a larger rim, pay careful attention to the weight of them. Your car's current suspension is designed to handle wheels that weigh what yours do. The article specifically mentioned people that put the huge 22" wheels on the large SUVs, and the dynamics of those huge wheels get really interesting. The concept does apply to all size changes.

So - what do you do? If you want to upgrade, check the weight of the rims. I'd spend the bux for a pair of rims that both look good and are at least as light as the ones you have now. You could probably get a set of rims that are lighter than the factory ones, which would offset the dynamics of increased diameter. Be sensitive, also, to rims that save weight by making the metal on the wheel center super thin. You want enough metal where the lug nuts hold the rim to the car so you don't get cracking.

The science behind this is the extra rotational inertia/momentum (starting/stopping) of the wheel because you have more mass spinning a greater radius away from center.

[Donnie Raines]

john,

I would not do it. I am VW nut through and through....I have owned a number of them and have raced three of them in the SCCA. While the larger wheel would look better....the quailty of the ride will suffer. Also, i dont know if you can get that wide a wheel under there...check first. Whenever I put wider wheels on I had to modify the wheel wheel. Also, expect to replace 17 inch tires on a regular basis becuase a) the wear faster b) the side wall will bust if you hit a pot hole...or any small hole for that matter...been there and done that many times c) plus they are not commonly found. If you are out of state and you have a flat....chances are you will be stuck.....and I am not sure that the two sizes you list are indeed "interchangebale".

Stick with the 15...or maybe even the 16.....you will happy that you did.

[Wes Bischel]

John,
Sorry to hear about the accident - but it sounds like you're turning it into an opportunity . My Olds came standard with 16's and is about due for a new set of tires. I have called around and not had any problems finding 16" tires - even found Goodyears at Walmart . A plus 2 change will look pretty dramatic, but going plus 1 might be easier on the finances in both first cost and replacement.

Just food for thought.

Wes - who got all excited trading up to 15" rims from the stock Falcon 14"ers - steelies with dog dishes naturally .

[John Weber]

Thanks guys, as long as the total cost is the same I've got the green from the wife to do whatever I want. You have about converted me down to 16's, but now I wondering on width. The recommended is a 205/55r16, I would like to either a 215/50r16 or a 215/55r16, however neither is as good a match diameter wise as the 205/55r16. So do you go with a larger wheel diameter, the 55 (.42" over), or a slightly smaller wheel diameter the 50 (.66" under). I think the 215's will fit otherwise - I'll double check with Tire Rack for sure. I've also hit the VW sites, but it's tough to get through all the "mod" talk.

John

P.S. In the day I thought I was a bad when I had 235/60r15's on my '77 Firebird...

[Donnie Raines]

John,

Call Allen Savage at Century VW 513-677-2710

he is the man!!! he and I have raced toghther

[Bob Winkler]

Several years back I upgraded my stock Jetta 14" wheels with 15" Borbet alloys from Tire Rack. I liked the look better and thought "what could it hurt." I immediately noticed the firmer ride, but ignored it because I liked the look.

Last year, my daughter (who I handed down the car to) complained of a vibration and took the car to a tire shop because of a flat. A simple pothole bent the rim and the tire lost air. The rim was straightened for $75.

But the real surprise, was that it turned out that all the wheels were out of round. I learned from this shop that much of his business is now rim fixes and replacement because of the low-profile alloy craze. He showed me how all my daughters rims were out of round (he had an awesome lathe), which is not uncommon, especially for Borbet and other French wheels. Something about the type of aluminum alloy used.

I bought my daughter 4 steel wheels with hubcaps and haven't look back since.

Good luck. Bob

[Dan Gill]

It all depends on what you want. You'll get more tire on the road and a little better cornering, but I wonder if you'll be able to tell the difference. I bought a GTI last year and went with the stock wheels, which are 16's. I would have accepted the 17's, but I didn't see that it was that big a deal.

Sounds like Donnie Raines has the most knowledge here on the subject.

By the way, I love my GTI. I am going to go through tires fast on it because I can't seem to keep my foot off the accelerator.

[John Weber]

Thanks guys, I even called Donnie's buddy. For good or bad the 17" used (2k miles) set I was going to maybe buy was sold out from under me. So I back to a brand new set and back to 16's to stay in budget. I'm looking at a
Mille Miglia A1


or a Borbet Type CA



The Mille Miglia might be a bit cheaper if I Tire Rack will do a price match, and they are made in Italy. The Borbets are made in Germany, and look to be a hair stouter. I'm leaning toward the Mille Miglia A1 as they have a bit more shine. Both wheels are in the same vain as the factory OEMS.



so anyone know about either brand? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm sort of flying blind on this one.

Thanks - John

Here is the car stock, although mine is Sliverstone (silver/gray) color: