Alloys & Tyres

[ftonewbie]

Hi

I want to put alloys and tyres on a standard GR auto...

I was thinking that 17's are the way forward from reading the other comments - as people seem to have had to alter the wheel arches etc when they went larger.
The sticker on the door advises 16's but they look a bit small and out of place.

Can someone advise me of the best wheel size / tyre ratio to get, avoiding any rubbing and unnecessary body work?

Thanks!

[Myfeckin FTO]

Hi

I want to put alloys and tyres on a standard GR auto...

I was thinking that 17's are the way forward from reading the other comments - as people seem to have had to alter the wheel arches etc when they went larger.
The sticker on the door advises 16's but they look a bit small and out of place.

Can someone advise me of the best wheel size / tyre ratio to get, avoiding any rubbing and unnecessary body work?

Thanks!

Welcome to the site! You might want to change your name though if you're planning on having the FTO for a while.

17's are an ideal size aftermarket rim - a good compromise between the small 16's and the too large 18's.

To keep to the stock diameter you will likely need a tyre profile such as a 215/40 R17 - though I ran 215/45 R17's for more comfort - that and they helped fill the arches better than the 40 profiles plus giving a more comfortable ride - I ran these on lowered Apex springs and uprated dampers and had the wheelarch liner riveted back as far as it would go. I wouldn't worry about a small bit of rubbing though - its only a plastic wheelarch liner and it would likely only happen at full lock unless your arch liner was very loose.

[ftonewbie]

Thanks for that myfeckin

I assume that I would get away with the 45's then and shouldn't have any rubbing really. My springs are standard (not lowered) and this should give me better clearance again - I mean I shouldn't have to worry about riveting back the liner etc. - am I right? Sorry - a real novice here! Will get more knowledgeable though and eventually become worthy of a name-change!

Cheers

[Myfeckin FTO]

...........I assume that I would get away with the 45's then and shouldn't have any rubbing really....

A lot will depend upon the type of rim you buy and the relevant offset of the rim - my rim didn't rub cause it had an offset of something like 30 so it sat out a bit from the hub - hence less chance of rubbing. Tyre types also have a lot to do with it - very flat shoulders tend to rub whereas the more rounded types tend not to.

The fact you don't seem to be considering lowering your car would make me recommend the 45 profile tyre - you'll need a little more profile to help fill the arches - the 40 profiles look lost on a standard height FTO.

[Dave]

get 18's or 19's on there!!! i've had both with a lowered car, and one on coilovers, and there was no rubbing!!!!

[Muad_dib77]

get 18's or 19's on there!!! i've had both with a lowered car, and one on coilovers, and there was no rubbing!!!!

Admittedly I do like the look of my 18s - but it's just not a very comfy ride on the backroads.. even with a 40 profile tire..

My personal choice if I had to do it all over again would be 17s with a 45 profile tyre on a lowered fto.

[CJ]

Admittedly I do like the look of my 18s - but it's just not a very comfy ride on the backroads.. even with a 40 profile tire..

My personal choice if I had to do it all over again would be 17s with a 45 profile tyre on a lowered fto.

I'm inclined to agree here, IMO, 18's are too big for the FTO and spoil the handling and ride quality somewhat.

CJ

[Sebastian]

My personal choice if I had to do it all over again would be 17s with a 45 profile tyre on a lowered fto.

i'm rolling on this ! and all i can say is that i'm missing the ''lowered'' stuff

[RussMan]

I ran with that but i had huge issues... I'm now running 17's with Apex Lowering springs on kyb dampers with 215/40/17's .. remember the 40 is only a percentage based on the width as oppossed to 40 being the actual profile of the tyre!

[Sebastian]

I ran with that but i had huge issues... I'm now running 17's with Apex Lowering springs on kyb dampers with 215/40/17's .. remember the 40 is only a percentage based on the width as oppossed to 40 being the actual profile of the tyre!

how is the KYB ? must change mine as well+ APEX is not a bad choice (good prices on camskill)