Largest Tire without lift?

keith102

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2005
Location
Ball Ground, GA
TDI
2015 Golf TDI 6spd
205/65/16 (26.5" dia) in General Altimax RT does rub in aggressive turns on a 00 TDI Jetta with 155K miles on stk worn suspension
 

Fix_Until_Broke

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Location
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta, 03 TT TDI
Bumping this up for anyone else who'd played around with 205/75/15's on a MKIV and how much of an issue the rubbing is.

I might be able to get my hands on a used set of these to try out for a few days (and if I do, I'll report back my findings), but wanted to see if anyone else has gone down this road.
 

cpoore

Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Location
Martinsville, IN
TDI
06 Beetle and a 79 Wanderlodge with 3208 CAT
Tires and lift with ESP

I am beta testing on my 06 TDi NB with 2" metalnerd lift and have 225/60/15 and 255/60/15 tires on it. The tires came first and did provide some lift. The ESP did come on even with just the taller tires, but only on high angle road entry. I dont drive aggressive (not the point of this car). In three months it has came on maybe once a month. I just turn it off. I do plan on stiffening the car up later with thick sway bars, and some strut tower braces. I love the lift and the tires... going for a beach buggy kind of thing.
 

mr.mindless

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Location
Rochester, NY
TDI
2002 Galactic Blue Jetta GLS
am I blind? where are your pictures at NB.org? you link to a page in the gallery section but there are no photos?
 

TDICADDGUY

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Location
Blaine, MN
TDI
2012 BMW X5 35D
mr.mindless said:
am I blind? where are your pictures at NB.org? you link to a page in the gallery section but there are no photos?
They show up for me...maybe you need to be logged in as a member?
 

mr.mindless

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Location
Rochester, NY
TDI
2002 Galactic Blue Jetta GLS
must be the case. that's a shame, I'm not registering over there just to look at pictures. I'd like to see the car though.
 

cpoore

Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Location
Martinsville, IN
TDI
06 Beetle and a 79 Wanderlodge with 3208 CAT
I dont know if I can link to the other site... might get ticked. I did set the gallery to public (thought anyone could see it then - hence why its in my signature). But I guess public means different things to different folks. Here is two pics, one with tires before lift kit and one after lift. The tires look great either way. Rear tires did rub tiny but on large bump on that inner liner though.
--before lift---


--after lift--
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2006
Location
Fairbanks, Alaska
TDI
'98 Jetta, and and "02 on the way
Wow, we have just put the metalnerds lifts on a 2002 Jetta, and I want to put over stock size tires on....the 205/75/R15 are the standard size for Subaru wagons (I think) and are fairly common. If I could run the 215/75/15's how much taller are these. They were not in your chart. Note, I am getting my computer recalibrated.
 

Redrom

New member
Joined
Dec 6, 2009
Location
Western MA
TDI
2000 Jetta
Great chart Jay - so are all the tires listed compatible, or just the one's specifically listed as such in the right hand column?

I'm looking at buying a set of 205/70R15 snow tires from a neighbor... Thanks!
 

jayb79

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 20, 2000
Location
Exeter,NH
Only the tire diameters noted have been test fit, and of course anything smaller. I have not fit them personally but have made notes in the chart as others have tried them.
 

mr.mindless

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Location
Rochester, NY
TDI
2002 Galactic Blue Jetta GLS
look up the actual specs on the tire model you are looking for. variations from listed dimensions of half an inch or more are common.


jayb79, I'm disappointed you didn't include my reports in your table.
 

JettaTDlie

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Location
Woodstock ON
TDI
'02 Golf
Bringing this thread back. Lots of good info. Wondering if anyone can help me determine the biggest tires for this setup on an '02 Golf:

- Metalnerds 2" lift kit
- Bilstein TC Sports
- VR6 Wagon Suplex springs
- 15x8 ET12 rim, 5" backspacing

How will this rim fit? I'm expecting it to clear the strut no problem, but will poke out of the fender some. That is the look I'm going for. Hoping I can run a 225/70/15 General Grabber AT2 with overall diameter of 27.4"... but will I have major rubbing issues? I'm fine heating and bending wheel liners.
 
Last edited:

PB_NB

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Location
Vancouver, B.C.
TDI
1999 New Beetle
I have 18" snows and 19" summers.

215x40x18 ET35 Snows
235x35x19 ET30 Summers

Car is lowered and doesn't rub. Difference here is the Beetle fenders are plastic so they don't have the metal lip on the inside that the Golf and Jetta have. There are tuners that roll the lips up on the Golf and Jetta so they can lower the car without rubbing.
 

JettaTDlie

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Location
Woodstock ON
TDI
'02 Golf
I'm currently running 225/40/18s on a 18x7.5 ET23 rim, lowered about 2 inches and have no issues. My current suspension is getting tired, but I'm considering lifting my Golf over 2 inches above stock height.
 
Last edited:

[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
TDI
02 golf ALH
Just tried some 225/75/15s
they rub HARD on the firewall when you turn
gonna try some 205/75s next, pretty sure I've got some in the back yard under about 2' of snow
 

mr.mindless

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Location
Rochester, NY
TDI
2002 Galactic Blue Jetta GLS
Would an inch of lift help them fit? Probably not, right? How about a big hammer?

I don’t have any front wheel liners in the new wagon, I was thinking of seeing how big I could go. I think I like the idea of a chunky wagon.
 

[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
TDI
02 golf ALH
3lb hand sledge would probably help a lot
lift wouldn't change a thing, the firewall is pretty perpendicular to the ground where it's scrubbing. Pull the plastic out and there's a nice pinch seam, that snags on the tire as you turn right on the right side, while turning left on the left side.

Mine's also got a larger fuel line coming through a rust hole in the rocker panel, up in the fender and to the engine bay, so removing the plastic liner's a bad idea there. Though I could pop a new hole in the firewall in a more conventional location... Also gets pretty close to the fenders with sagged out upper strut mounts, and only clears the spring bucket on the strut because I was trying with some trailer tires with pretty narrow tread width (narrower than 195/65 uniroyals). Overall the 225/75's are not the easiest to fit, but having seen where it rubs I have high hopes for the 205/75s (also trailer tires hah)

ETA: yeah, volvo XC70s and audi allroads do have that neat big tire no lift look to them that I dig too
 
Last edited:

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
Taller tires are completely the wrong approach. The amount of lift is minimal with taller tires, however it will effect your final drive ratio/speedometer in a negative way. If you want lifted do it at the springs/struts. Seriously, don't do downgrades to your car by putting wrong diameter tires on your car.
 

[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
TDI
02 golf ALH
Taller tires are completely the wrong approach. The amount of lift is minimal with taller tires, however it will effect your final drive ratio/speedometer in a negative way. If you want lifted do it at the springs/struts. Seriously, don't do downgrades to your car by putting wrong diameter tires on your car.
Odometer's running 8% slow with the VSS I cobbled together to run an 0a6 transmission on a car with a non-ABS based VSS.
1st is just on the edge of being 'low' instead of 'first'
6th could live with an RPM drop as well

explain to me how taller tires isn't the solution to all of these minor annoyances

see also, lifting anything but a BGTL mud truck is stupid when you can fit enough tire with a little minor sawzall/welder/hammer work
Know what, I'm going to give the 225s a second try just for you.
 
Last edited:

[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
TDI
02 golf ALH
goodyear endurance 205/75/15 fit with no rubbing and sagged out upper strut mounts
didn't bother trying to fit the 225s with a hammer, because of laziness
 

mr.mindless

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Location
Rochester, NY
TDI
2002 Galactic Blue Jetta GLS
I ran big tires for max clearance and the fact that I like a chunky look. Not the wrong solution to either of those problems.

My early efforts on my first mk4 came from heinously cheap excellent condition snow tires. Also a great reason.

In between that first mk4 and my latest crop I ran an AMC Eagle wagon on 235/75r15 ATs. Woulda been nice to drop a tdi in that chassis but I sold it for too much money to ignore. So ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Some short strut spacers would be a good way to increase max tire size with minimal lift while slightly improving frontend geometry too. Hand in hand upgrades. Maybe I’ll see if I can fit some 30x9.5s someday. Shame Ford Ranger doesn’t share a boot pattern, I’d have some goofy crap to bolt on from the Brolites.
 
Top