Anybody changed the rubber on their wolfsburg rims yet?(too much sidewall)

965 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by RandyWalters, Nov 26, 2001

20Vhybred

Discussion Starter · Nov 25, 2001

I was curious if anyone has changed the rubber out on their Wolfie BBS 16-6.5in rims to somthing a little wider with a shorter sidewall.I was wondering if a 215 45 r16 would fit.There is just a little too much side wall on the stock rubber for me.Thanks for any help

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rs4-380

· #2 · Nov 25, 2001

Re: Anybody changed the rubber on their wolfsburg rims yet?(too much sidewall) (20VsilvrGTI)

if you want to keep your speedo correct you can't just change the height of the sidewall. remember that the 45 in 215 45 r16 refers to the sidewall height as a PERCENT of the tire width, this is not an absolute figure. the generally accepted tire sizes for mkivs are
15"-- 195 65
16"-- 205 55
17"-- 225 45

[Modified by rs4-380, 4:40 PM 11-25-2001]

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Wildabeast

· #3 · Nov 25, 2001

Re: Anybody changed the rubber on their wolfsburg rims yet?(too much sidewall) (20VsilvrGTI)

Not yet, but i'd like too aswell.....

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RandyWalters

· #4 · Nov 25, 2001

Re: Anybody changed the rubber on their wolfsburg rims yet?(too much sidewall) (20VsilvrGTI)

quote:[HR][/HR]I was curious if anyone has changed the rubber out on their Wolfie BBS 16-6.5in rims to somthing a little wider with a shorter sidewall.I was wondering if a 215 45 r16 would fit.There is just a little too much side wall on the stock rubber for me.Thanks for any help

[HR][/HR]

Just yesterday i removed the stock OEM 205/55-16 Michelin tires from my Jetta Wolfy's stock BBS wheels and replaced
them with fat grippy 225/50-16 Dunlop SP8000's. They made a HUGE improvement in my car's handling !! A 215/45-16
requires a rim width of 7" to 8" so they're not suitable for the Wolfy wheels. If you really want a shorter tire you can use
a 205/45-16 but the sidewall will be pinched in quite a bit on a 6.5" rim. The 225/50-16's i just installed are a little more
pinched than i'd like on my wheels' 6.5" rims, but the minumum for that size is 6" so i'm within range. I can't believe how
simply changing to grippier fatter tires completely transformed the cars handling. I shredded the canyons this morning

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20Vhybred

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 25, 2001

Re: Anybody changed the rubber on their wolfsburg rims yet?(too much sidewall) (RandyWalters)

So your side wall remained the same but you gained width?Thats cool i will look into that.Anyone else?

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20Vhybred

Discussion Starter · #6 · Nov 25, 2001

Re: Anybody changed the rubber on their wolfsburg rims yet?(too much sidewall) (20VsilvrGTI)

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RandyWalters

· #7 · Nov 26, 2001

Re: Anybody changed the rubber on their wolfsburg rims yet?(too much sidewall) (20VsilvrGTI)

quote:[HR][/HR]Just yesterday i removed the stock OEM 205/55-16 Michelin tires from my Jetta Wolfy's stock BBS wheels
and replaced them with fat grippy 225/50-16 Dunlop SP8000's.[HR][/HR]

quote:[HR][/HR]So your side wall remained the same but you gained width?Thats cool i will look into that.Anyone else?[HR][/HR]

Yes, my new 225/50-16 SP8000 is virtually the same diameter (1/10th inch shorter) than the stock 205/55-16 Michelin,
The sidewalls on the new tires look a LOT more agressive, and the contact patch is 1½" wider on the pavement (now 8¼
vs. 6¾ for the Michelins). The stock Michelins were ¾" away from the front strut tube, but the new tires are only ¼" away
which is fine. Even if someone didn't want to go to the wider tire, simply replacing the stock rubber with a stock-sized
205/55-16 high-performance would make a huge improvement. I should have some pics within the week.

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RandyWalters

· #8 · Nov 26, 2001

Re: Anybody changed the rubber on their wolfsburg rims yet?(too much sidewall) (rs4-380)

quote:[HR][/HR]if you want to keep your speedo correct you can't just change the height of the sidewall. remember that the 45 in 215 45 r16 refers to the sidewall height as a PERCENT of the tire width, this is not an absolute figure. the generally accepted tire sizes for mkivs are
15"-- 195 65
16"-- 205 55
17"-- 225 45[HR][/HR]

A 225/50-16 is also the correct diameter for a MkIV and is about 1½" wider than the stock 205/55-16 tire so it
would work perfectly on a wider aftermarket 16x7 or 16x7½ wheel. A good alternative if someone doesn't want to
go to a 17" setup, like myself. A 16" tire can actually outperform a 17" tire in most real world conditions that we
see on the streets and highways.
Randy

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