16" or 15" vs. stock 17" wheels?

I definitely notice the MPG's are higher on my wife's JSW with the 16 inch wheels wrapped in a 195 wide vs my JSW with 17's and 225 wide, as well as the rest of the things you mentioned, BUT I really like the way the bigger wheels make it look. I am going to start using mine for business travel next week and if I feel it's losing me more than a few bucks a trip I would consider swapping the wheels. I am driving 500-1000 miles a week right now, so we will see.

My JSW came with 16" wheels and I love them. Now I just have to get some better tires.


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lrpavlo said:

I have Audi RS4 19" on my JSW and would gladly trade for some 17's!

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If you were closer, you could get the 17-inch Audi wheels out of my basement.

I agree that 16s are the best compromise between the way the vehicle looks and any fuel economy gains plus savings down the road on less expensive tires. With the JSW you really can't go any smaller than 16 due to caliper clearance.

The above pictured wheels look great, actually! mrezo, do you know what they weigh (with or without the tire)?

I am very happy so far with the 15s both from a ride comfort perspective and the fuel economy realized from reducing wheel weight by 36.8lbs total coming from the 17s . I don't think I can find a reasonably priced set of 15s or 16s that are lighter than the stock 15 inch steel wheel.

secteur_cyclist said:

I agree that 16s are the best compromise between the way the vehicle looks and any fuel economy gains plus savings down the road on less expensive tires. With the JSW you really can't go any smaller than 16 due to caliper clearance.

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True. The JSW has the same size front disc and calipers as the MKV GTI I believe.

secteur_cyclist said:

The above pictured wheels look great, actually! mrezo, do you know what they weigh (with or without the tire)?

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Thanks! According to http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/wheels/16-vw-wheel-gallery-5x112.htm the Biolines weigh 22lbs. I don't know how much they weigh with tires. Never weighed them. But I'll get the chance to soon when I readjust my coilovers. So, I'll keep you posted.

Thanks secteur cyclist.... great work.... the weight difference is surprising. I think the 15" look great with the black covers and black paint...

For a 2011 VW Golf 2-door TDI, 6 spd manual - slightly less than 3000 lbs. GVW...
Tire dealers here are refusing to put on any tire that is not OEM standard size. I have standard Porto 17x7 wheels. Seems like you guys up north are constantly changing tires out to whatever you want summer or winter. Has anyone else run into this situation?

Another challenge...I've also been refused the mounting of T rated tires instead of officially required H rated or higher. I'm thinking about Conti TrueContact in 225/50/17. Apparently they don't come in an H rating. I've probably never had the car over 80 (50,000+ miles). Is the H rating that important? If it is I might go to (TireRack top rated) Pirelli P7 Cinturato All Season - H rated!

With either tire I'm assuming tire pressure 10% under the 51 psi maximum, which would be a slightly harsher ride. But the slightly taller 225/50 would alleviate some of this problem. Ultimately, I would have slightly lower RPM at highway speed and LRR all around for slightly better mpg.
Agreed?
Where does everyone get their tires installed if they aren't getting the standard tire size?

Just tell them it's a 2.5L. Those came with 15s.

The local VW dealer has no problem with me running 15s. As IBW said, if you're going to have a tire place do the installation tell them it's a base model golf 2.5 liter. They all came base with the steel wheels I'm running. The circumference on the 15 inch wheel/ 195/65/15 tire combo is also identical to the 17 inch Porto / 225/45/17 tire combo (no speedometer and odometer issues).

As for T rated tires, I would suggest against that. The issue isn't with the speed rating alone, but the weight limit rating as well. I would honestly stick to H rated tire and play it safe, even if you never "utilize" the speed rating of the tire. I would be more concerned with an insurance company looking to deny an accident claim based on tires out of specification, in a case of any kind of accident. Adjusters look at everything.

Secteur...Good points. Most appreciated.

for those suggesting 195-55-16 for snow tires on a sportwagon would load capacity be enough
air pressure adjustment
or would 195 60 16 be closer
205 55 16 stock on sons 2010

I am surprised that the 16 STEEL wheel/tire combo was lighter than the 17 aluminum alloy! Good info!

lithgow said:

I am surprised that the 16 STEEL wheel/tire combo was lighter than the 17 aluminum alloy! Good info!

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I did not weigh a 16 inch steel wheel, only the 15 inch.

If someone could weigh a 16 inch JSW steel wheel, please post it here as I am curious as well on its weight.

I just picked up a new to me 13 jetta tdi with 16's and was wondering if anyone with 16's has upside from 205 55 to a 205 60 or 215 55? It just seems like at highway speed I'm at 22-2300 rpm and slightly lowering that with an inch taller tire might help. Mpg's being the overall goal.