[jepeso]

Hi, new to this forum, and I'm planning to upgrade my wheels from 17 inch. The sensible thing to do is 18 inch, but I've come across a pair of 19 inch wheels that I can't get over. I'm not going to lower my car, so I'm wondering if it would look ridiculous? Anyone who's got examples?
Thank you in advance! ?

 

[GTINC]

Hi, new to this forum, and I'm planning to upgrade my wheels from 17 inch. The sensible thing to do is 18 inch, but I've come across a pair of 19 inch wheels that I can't get over. I'm not going to lower my car, so I'm wondering if it would look ridiculous? Anyone who's got examples?
Thank you in advance! ?

Why would it look any more ridiculous than any other vehicle with 19 inch wheels?

 

[slyder280zx]

i did lower mine but these are 19's

my biggest thing would be what kind of ride quality do you want and how off do you want your speedo
example i'm running 225/35 i think the ride is fine and it's almost the same overall diameter of the stock wheels and tires

if you wanted a more plush ride go for 18's with a bigger tire than me

if you don't care about the speedo go for 19's with something like a 225/45

this is keeping in mind the wheel is 8-8.75 wide

 

[palincss]

Hi, new to this forum, and I'm planning to upgrade my wheels from 17 inch. The sensible thing to do is 18 inch, but I've come across a pair of 19 inch wheels that I can't get over.

What are you hoping to accomplish? The most sensible thing by far is to leave them alone and stay with 17". Cheapest, least amount of work, guaranteed to work, etc.

 

[surfstar]

:thumbdown:

19" wheels are not an "upgrade" on an Alltrack. Also the "sensible" thing would be to stick to the stock 17s.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effects-of-upsized-wheels-and-tires-tested

 

[Roadhog74]

Yes it would look completely ridiculous. Obviously that's just my opinion on a subjective question, but hey, you asked.

 

[Aonarch]

18 is the perfect sweet spot if you want a larger look. Find a wheel that you like where the spokes extend to the lip, making them visually look larger.

19's are tough tire size wise, which is the main thing you need to focus on.

17s are too small if you want the big wheel look.

^ just an example.

Then stick with 225/40/18. Don't mess with tire sizes. Stick to factory.

I work for a high performance wheel company and do plus size fitments all day long on performance cars and exotics. For a FWD VW, just stick to stock sizing parameters.

IF you do go with 19s stick with a 225/35/19 tire. NOTHING ELSE. That is as close to possible as the factory dimensions.

 

[feels_road]

What he (Aonarch) said.

Except, if you want the best handling at reasonable speeds (below 80-90 mph sweepers) and the best traction in tight curves and where the Sportwagon / Alltrack are meant to shine, stick with 17" and change the width or the manufacturer, or both. High-performance all-seasons are great in the winter in much of the US except in cold weather regions, and high-performance summers are great almost everywhere, then.

 

[jepeso]

Thanks for all the answers and opinions. I appreciate the feedback. I still haven't decided wich wheels I should go for, but I'm not going to rush it. My 17's are okay for now, and I know the sensible thing is to stay with 17's or 18's. But I've just come across a set of BBS CH Motorsport in 19, and they have been one of my favorite wheels ever since they came out. Decisions, decisions...

 

[jiffyjetta]

18 is the perfect sweet spot if you want a larger look. Find a wheel that you like where the spokes extend to the lip, making them visually look larger.

19's are tough tire size wise, which is the main thing you need to focus on.

17s are too small if you want the big wheel look.

^ just an example.

Then stick with 225/40/18. Don't mess with tire sizes. Stick to factory.

I work for a high performance wheel company and do plus size fitments all day long on performance cars and exotics. For a FWD VW, just stick to stock sizing parameters.

IF you do go with 19s stick with a 225/35/19 tire. NOTHING ELSE. That is as close to possible as the factory dimensions.

I would have to disagree with this statement. I have ran 245/35 tires on my last 2 vws and they are absolutely the best upgrade I've done.

 

[surfstar]

I would have to disagree with this statement. I have ran 245/35 tires on my last 2 vws and they are absolutely the best upgrade I've done.

For what? Looks?

Look at the link upthread, I posted. That wide of tire will actually hurt your performance.(excluding if you're heavily modified and can't put down power without tires that wide)

 

[jjvincent]

Put the 19" on it because I can tell that's what you really want. Last thing you need is something that will irritate you every time you are walking up to your car or you are sitting in a diner looking at your car out in the parking lot. For everyone else, this is not about handling, it's about looks. If you want handling, then get the softest tires you can and it doesn't matter what diameter the wheel is.

 

[jiffyjetta]

For what? Looks?

Look at the link upthread, I posted. That wide of tire will actually hurt your performance.(excluding if you're heavily modified and can't put down power without tires that wide)

I had major traction issues in the past even with good tires.
The 245s gave me much more traction in a straight line as well as in a corner. Especially in the rain.
Sure they may hurt performance in certain ways, but they absolutely increase traction.

 

[slyder280zx]

Honestly now seeing my wheels on if they came in 20's I would have picked those, but at the same time some 17's or 18's would be rad too because when I air out I would sit lower. It's a constant battle of what I want the car to look like. It's all a matter of how you want YOUR car to look and or perform. I don't think 19's are that big or obnoxious I would say if you're looking for a custom or tuner or euro whatever terminology you wanna pick they would be the minimum wheel size. They perfectly fill the arches and are small enough if you want a higher profile tire for comfort it will work. And if you're worried about your speedo readings go check out willtheyfit.com you can plug in your current setup and your new setup and they give you new readings like when your speedo says 60 how fast or slow you're actually going. So you're not caught going 70 when your car says 65

Thanks for all the answers and opinions. I appreciate the feedback. I still haven't decided wich wheels I should go for, but I'm not going to rush it. My 17's are okay for now, and I know the sensible thing is to stay with 17's or 18's. But I've just come across a set of BBS CH Motorsport in 19, and they have been one of my favorite wheels ever since they came out. Decisions, decisions...

 

[Aonarch]

I had major traction issues in the past even with good tires.
The 245s gave me much more traction in a straight line as well as in a corner. Especially in the rain.
Sure they may hurt performance in certain ways, but they absolutely increase traction.

More contact patch will theoretically give more traction, but if you ran a 225, or even 235 width tire, say a Michelin Pilot Super Sport, you should have had plenty of traction. With the proper suspension a 225 Michy will give you about 1 g on the skid pad.

 

[jjvincent]

Funny part is, what we do in racing to get a car to handle never looks cool but it works. For the street, you want it to look cool.

 

[surfstar]

Funny part is, what we do in racing to get a car to handle never looks cool but it works. For the street, you want it to look cool.

Fashion over Function

 

[MK7_JSW]

:thumbdown:

19" wheels are not an "upgrade" on an Alltrack. Also the "sensible" thing would be to stick to the stock 17s.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effects-of-upsized-wheels-and-tires-tested

Agreed, the whole purpose of a all-track is its ruggedness and durability, putting 19s just be in line with like those city dudes with big rims on otherwise rugged SUV just looks ridiculous.

 

[Aonarch]

Agreed, the whole purpose of a all-track is its ruggedness and durability, putting 19s just be in line with like those city dudes with big rims on otherwise rugged SUV just looks ridiculous.

I have 20s on my ATS mind you, with 305 rear, but for the All Track I think I'm going to downsize from 18 to 17. They look good with some sidewall.