19 inch wheels VMR?

Hello all, my car came stock w the Porto wheels (17) I decided to upgrade the wheel set up w the GTi Detroit wheels which are 18, however, I don't like the look. I've seen pics of the VMR wheels on a few Golfs, GTi, Audis etc.

But the issue is the size 19, which I know my ride quality and comfort will suffer. Now I've been told that no matter the wheel size is the tire that matters most in regard to comfort, ride quality etc. but being 19inch wheel, I don't thing there is much room to play with.

Wondering if anyone have decided to upgrade their wheels w 19? Would love to hear pros, cons, ride quality, comfort etc. What tires are the best or give the most reasonable ride quality in a 19 inch setup. The car looks sweet w the 19 and some spacers to give the car a nice sporty, aggressive stance. But I'm a bit concern so a little guidance/assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, the Detroit GTi wheels are very heavy compared to the Portos, I think that mpg/performance suffers w such a heavy wheel... But then again, I'm no suspension expert or car guru, just my opinion. Anyway, looking forward to the help.

Thanks in advance!

19's are awful... and you live in Chicago? Are you a masochist? The ride is uber harsh due to the 35 series tire you need to run. 18's are the biggest I would personally go - if you get the right wheel 18's can look bigger. Not to mention the heavier weight... 17s are ideal in terms of comfort IMO, but are too small in the looks department. You are right, Detroits are just ugly and common. I went with 18x8 TSW Nurburgrings which weigh 18.5lbs each, which is pretty light for an 18" wheel.

Bottom line is that 19's do look great but unless your streets are paved with glass, the ride will suck and I promise you you will destroy tires left and right in Chitown... You need to just find wheels in 18 that you like, Neuspeed makes a nice light forged wheel that is relatively inexpensive. http://www.neuspeed.com/264/24/0/2860/881203s-rse12-light-weight-wheel.html

nikhsub1 said:

19's are awful... and you live in Chicago? Are you a masochist? The ride is uber harsh due to the 35 series tire you need to run. 18's are the biggest I would personally go - if you get the right wheel 18's can look bigger. Not to mention the heavier weight... 17s are ideal in terms of comfort IMO, but are too small in the looks department. You are right, Detroits are just ugly and common. I went with 18x8 TSW Nurburgrings which weigh 18.5lbs each, which is pretty light for an 18" wheel.

Bottom line is that 19's do look great but unless your streets are paved with glass, the ride will suck and I promise you you will destroy tires left and right in Chitown... You need to just find wheels in 18 that you like, Neuspeed makes a nice light forged wheel that is relatively inexpensive. http://www.neuspeed.com/264/24/0/2860/881203s-rse12-light-weight-wheel.html

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Thanks for the link, those wheels look nice.. Yeah the detroits are ugly IMO. I miss the stock 17 but it makes the car look un-inspiring.. In regards to tires which tire will make the 18 look better, size wise?

VMR wheels looks pretty nice too! Check them out, $899 for the complete set..

VMR is slightly less than Avante Garde... same design, but Avante Garde is gravity cast, and therefore lighter and stronger.

To be honest, I would never again put 19" wheels on a VW or BMW, despite how many others do it. You lose a lot of traction, believe it or not, and it is less enjoyable to drive all around... for what? 18" wheels look great. And are comfy, a little firm, but still comfy enough. And they grip really well.

I went with oem 18" goals and love them. 21lbs, oem look, and it is one of those rare things you see... a golf tdi 4 dr on 18" goals. Just my .02

nikhsub1 said:

Neuspeed makes a nice light forged wheel that is relatively inexpensive. http://www.neuspeed.com/264/24/0/2860/881203s-rse12-light-weight-wheel.html

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Those wheels look amazing in the gallery, fantastic mass for an 18", too bad they are $300/ea . By the time you do all 4 + decent rubber... probably not getting out for under $2K. Good, light wheels are never cheap tho.

My $.02 = Raderwerks LW10-BK.

For now I have the 17" Anthracite Goals. They look good on the candy white (imo) and I rarely see them in Portland. After having 18" TSW Sakatas for 40K miles on my MKV, I sure do appreciate both the ride and [lack of] road noise of these Goals. I can't imagine 19's on a daily driver!

I plan to attack the handling via springs and sway bar before I [even remotely] consider wheels. Hard to stick to the plan sometimes

I had 19s. Ride quality was fine, but it depends on road conditions. I'm on 18s now (strictly because of the wheels I want only has 18s that would fit), but 19s looked better personally to me aesthetically (this is subjective). I will say that the ride difference between 18s and 19s isn't that great... this coming from someone who had 17s, 18s, and 19s on this platform.

I think there's a big difference in road noise / handling going from 17 to 18. I haven't owned or ridden in a VW w/ 19's. I gotta think after you did springs, bushings, sway bar - it would be pretty loud in there

19"s are awesome. Just watch the damn road and you'll be fine.

veedubfreak said:

19"s are awesome. Just watch the damn road and you'll be fine.

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You must be unfamiliar with the roads in Los Angeles or Chicago.

19's
lowered
seattle metro area


TDI - 7.29.12 by -BIRD, on Flickr

everything turned out better than expected.

Just an FYI. I'm running Hankook Evo Ventus V12.
They seem to be more comfortable than the Falkens i have on my 18's

The car looks awesome but this pic illustrates very well how little tire there is between the road and the wheels...

agreed and thank you

VMR Makes the majority of their wheels in size 18s as well; what wheel did you want to get OP?

nikhsub1 said:

You must be unfamiliar with the roads in Los Angeles or Chicago.

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I drive plenty in LA and 19s are fine. Heck, even the 22s on my 7 handle LA roads well enough. Upgrade your suspension and tires. Avoid obvious potholes.

Bob Sacamano said:

...everything turned out better than expected.

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Bob - Do you have a build thread for your MKVI TDI?

aznwhip said:

I drive plenty in LA and 19s are fine. Heck, even the 22s on my 7 handle LA roads well enough. Upgrade your suspension and tires. Avoid obvious potholes.

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I'm not talking about Chino Hills, I mean - Hollywood, Downtown, the canyons etc. Horrid roads. I have upgraded suspension, 18's with DWS and a lot of the time I wish I were on 17's. Come drive my hood on your 22's

*edit - as a side note, my buddy has a 2003 A8L unmodded. He went through an area where there were metal plates - that were obviously too high and it broke his subframe, deployed his airbags and caused over $5k of damage. Less than 1 mile from where I live. This is what I'm talking about, real urban areas. Specifically this was at Melrose and Hudson (incase anyone cares)

I'm not lowered. I thought about it, but I really enjoy being able to haul through intersections without dragging ass.

evolDiesel said:

Bob - Do you have a build thread for your MKVI TDI?

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sort of
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=269700
and
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4770816-Aviary-MKVI-TDI

17's, rear sway bar (haven't figured out which yet), H&R Sport Springs, DG Skid Plate.. that's the plan so far to optimize handling, minimize this buick-like body roll, and yet maintain some semblance of daily driver comfort

nikhsub1 said:

I'm not talking about Chino Hills, I mean - Hollywood, Downtown, the canyons etc. Horrid roads. I have upgraded suspension, 18's with DWS and a lot of the time I wish I were on 17's. Come drive my hood on your 22's

*edit - as a side note, my buddy has a 2003 A8L unmodded. He went through an area where there were metal plates - that were obviously too high and it broke his subframe, deployed his airbags and caused over $5k of damage. Less than 1 mile from where I live. This is what I'm talking about, real urban areas. Specifically this was at Melrose and Hudson (incase anyone cares)

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I've done it; you just get used to it and deal with it...or just stay stock. I had stock 17s, 18s, and 19s on my B5 S4 and drove all over west side. Difference between riding on 18 and 19 is not much, especially when lowered. Stock 17s, sure it's a little more plush, but then you feel the difference in having a smaller width rim. I say, if you can deal with 18s, 19s is nothing....except cost of tires.

I say, if people want comfort, drive a crown vic.

19" tires aren't even that expensive now. So many vehicles come with them these days that the selection is fairly good. I remember back in 98 when I got my 95 jetta putting 17"s on a car was a big deal, if you found a way to cram 19"s on an MK3 you were a baller. When you have been driving a slammed vehicle with only 2-3" of sidewall on your tires for 15+ years you sort of learn to watch the road like a hawk so you don't kill your wheels.

nikhsub1 said:

I'm not talking about Chino Hills, I mean - Hollywood, Downtown, the canyons etc. Horrid roads. I have upgraded suspension, 18's with DWS and a lot of the time I wish I were on 17's. Come drive my hood on your 22's

*edit - as a side note, my buddy has a 2003 A8L unmodded. He went through an area where there were metal plates - that were obviously too high and it broke his subframe, deployed his airbags and caused over $5k of damage. Less than 1 mile from where I live. This is what I'm talking about, real urban areas. Specifically this was at Melrose and Hudson (incase anyone cares)

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Cause people in socal ONLY drive in the city they live in right? Of course, I'm not just talking Chino Hills (which isn't LA county). I make regular trips to downtown LA, San Gabriel Valley, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Pasadena etc for work/play. I've seen the crap roads all over and what I'm saying is that those crappy roads will suck on 17s, 18s, and 19s regardless. And I keep the 22s on super soft on my V3s so even though they're rattling like crazy going over all those roads, the ride inside isn't quite so jarring.

With 18s or or more you should be ready for problems. Only set of them I had, within a couple of months I ran over a speed hump in a dark neighborhood and bent 3 out of 4 of the rims. That was enough for me. 17s do the job just fine for me and are even recommended by some racers.

Please don't take this wrong, total waste of money. I do NOT like the looks, and from every practical standpoint those 19" rims with that rubber band for a tire around it, is dumb de dumb dumb... Where I live I see Bros driving their Oldsmobile with I guess 20-21-22 inch spinners.... ridiculous. One was broke down on the side of the road.... rim broke the front end, cool rim was half folded under the car. Ha ha ha ha ha!

I had stock 16" and went to 17" up for looks....again harder ride, more likely to get rim rash and slight knock on mpg..... I regret it and will likely go back to 16" in the future.

If I was Mayor Bummer-berg, I would out law stupid oversized rims.

My only stance is that I like it regardless of what people like gmcredneck think about it.

I'm assuming by "bros" you are referring to your kin??

last week I saw a 96 accord with really great rims. sadly the crumpled right front wheel well was blocking the view.

@BobSacamano - are you selling fur (nutria) hats down in battery park city again?

msantram said:

last week I saw a 96 accord with really great rims. sadly the crumpled right front wheel well was blocking the view.

@BobSacamano - are you selling fur (nutria) hats down in battery park city again?

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Faux sable. I like to call them Fa-ble.

Hahahaha...

i've been laughing at the sight of your "name" for a few days now. well played.

in certain circles i'm also known as Jay Riemenshneider

Love horse meat, visit the BK often.

HAHAHAHA! Is Buck Naked another alter ego?