Rim recommendations

Can anyone recommend nice looking VW or Audi rims that will fit on a stock JSW ( i dont plan on doing any lowering to it) i just picked up a 2014 tdi comfortline and it has some plain 16inch alloys which i find kind of dull.

17" Goals if you can find some! Anthracite or Silver depending on the colour of your car.

crashtested said:

17" Goals if you can find some! Anthracite or Silver depending on the colour of your car.

Click to expand...

I think I saw those at Rock Auto for around $120

Not sure, they look pretty close, they gave some other nice ones too

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...+diesel+turbocharged,3307092,wheel,wheel,7644

i have a 2014 platinum grey metallic. no sunroof looks like that



i just saw this car



so maybe gunmetal grey rims? 18s might be good?

I absolutely love my Monte Carlo 17" x 7.5" ET47 wheels with slightly bigger 235/45/17 tires. I think they are perfect! They're from a B6 Passt, but theyr're perfect for our cars.

Monte Carlo 17" x 7.5" ET47 wheels @ ECS Tuning

Whoops! Mine are not chrome like the link at ECS. I like silver painted. They don't have them listed at ECS at the moment, but I'm sure they can be found, new or reconditioned.


on Flickr

There's a lot of wheel options for the 5x112 bolt pattern. Since you're staying with a stock ride height an 18" wheel should fit fine, but you might want to run a lower numerical offset or at least research the wheel a bit more to see if anyone has fitment issues. You're best bet on a budget is some Audi or VW take-off's in your local classifieds, just be sure you know the center bore otherwise you might need to run some hub centric rings. I think it's 57.1mm.

Best place to find all that info is @ VW Vortex in the fitment threads of the MK5 and MK6's (they run from dozens to hundreds of pages). MPG's take the cake on this forum since a larger and sometimes heavier wheel will typically increase rolling resistance, but some of us don't mind the sacrifice.

Here's a link to another good resource that should have most all the stock Audi/VW wheel info you'll need. https://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/wheels/oem-vw-audi-wheels-gallery-database.htm

Hope that helps.

Pharcyde145 said:

There's a lot of wheel options for the 5x112 bolt pattern. Since you're staying with a stock ride height an 18" wheel should fit fine, but you might want to run a lower numerical offset or at least research the wheel a bit more to see if anyone has fitment issues. You're best bet on a budget is some Audi or VW take-off's in your local classifieds, just be sure you know the center bore otherwise you might need to run some hub centric rings. I think it's 57.1mm.
Best place to find all that info is @ VW Vortex in the fitment threads of the MK5 and MK6's (they run from dozens to hundreds of pages). MPG's take the cake on this forum since a larger and sometimes heavier wheel will typically increase rolling resistance, but some of us don't mind the sacrifice.
Here's a link to another good resource that should have most all the stock Audi/VW wheel info you'll need. https://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/wheels/oem-vw-audi-wheels-gallery-database.htm
Hope that helps.

Click to expand...

so i can use 18s with a 57.1mm center bore. and the offset needs to be between 45-50 based on that website link?

There is interplay between the width of the wheel and the offset for the fitment. You can use the calculator at the link below to compare different possibilities.

myturbodiesel - tire wheel gearing calculator

For a comparison, I think 8.5" wide with a 45 offset is a good reference for a maximum combination without front poke. That is also safe for not interfering with the suspension. I favor 8" wide ET45, which is a bit more conservative.

PS: You can definitely run 18" wheels, but like with any wheel choice the center bore matters and so does the bolt pattern and type of lug bolts, e.g., Center Bore: 57.1mm, Bolt Pattern: 5x112, and Ball Seat Wheel Bolts.

ksing44 said:

There is interplay between the width of the wheel and the offset for the fitment. You can use the calculator at the link below to compare different possibilities.
myturbodiesel - tire wheel gearing calculator
For a comparison, I think 8.5" wide with a 45 offset is a good reference for a maximum combination without front poke. That is also safe for not interfering with the suspension. I favor 8" wide ET45, which is a bit more conservative.
PS: You can definitely run 18" wheels, but like with any wheel choice the center bore matters and so does the bolt pattern and type of lug bolts, e.g., Center Bore: 57.1mm, Bolt Pattern: 5x112, and Ball Seat Wheel Bolts.

Click to expand...

ball seat wheel bolts? wat. i have to worry about bolts now too?... maybe i should just buy rims from the vw dealer?

wolf1389 said:

ball seat wheel bolts? wat. i have to worry about bolts now too?... maybe i should just buy rims from the vw dealer?

Click to expand...

Most places selling wheels will help guide you to wheels that fit your car and use the same hardware. It just gets weird if you start buying used wheels from other car manufacturers hoping to make it work on a VW.

I found a set of 17" Karthoums mounted on 10/32 tread Michelins for $462 including shipping on Ebay.

wolf1389 said:

so i can use 18s with a 57.1mm center bore. and the offset needs to be between 45-50 based on that website link?

Click to expand...

In theory, yes, the offset for our stock wheel is about 54mm. Going numerically lower would extend the wheel outwards.

KSing44's calculator link is another good resource to help you crunch numbers for comparisons.

The reason for different offsets even in production wheels is because of different applications (i.e.: larger brakes for different platforms, wider dimensions of larger platforms etc.). Most of them you can get away with running as long as your center bore matches, but you can use the hub centric rings to help with that. This is key and shouldn't be overlooked because it can effect handling.

As for wheel bolts it depends if the wheel you're buying needs a specific type, either conical, ball seat, flat etc. This just makes sure it has seamless contact with the wheel once fully tightened. They're typically $1-2 each and you can usually buy them bulk from places like IDParts, ECS etc. in whatever style you need.

But then you want to ask yourself, are you truly happy with wheel bolts? Having to keep the wheel lined up perfectly the properly begin the threads for the bolts. Why not get the wheel stud conversion and hang that sucker right on there. Lol. That is a whole other can of worms. Save yourself the money from buying at the dealership and learn some useful knowledge about your ride in the process. At the end of the day all it really is is personal preference.

Enjoy.

wolf1389 said:

Can anyone recommend nice looking VW or Audi rims that will fit on a stock JSW ( i dont plan on doing any lowering to it) i just picked up a 2014 tdi comfortline and it has some plain 16inch alloys which i find kind of dull.

Click to expand...

I was in the same situation with my 2013 Golf and the standard 16" rims. I bought a set of 17" Salamanca rims and installed new Pirellis and I love them! The Salamanca rims seem to be much more common on cars in the US, while here in Canada the defacto 17" rims seem to be something like 90% Portos...at least on the Mk6 Golfs and wagons, etc...

Anecdotal story....just what I see on the road.

Rembrant said:

I was in the same situation with my 2013 Golf and the standard 16" rims. I bought a set of 17" Salamanca rims and installed new Pirellis and I love them! The Salamanca rims seem to be much more common on cars in the US, while here in Canada the defacto 17" rims seem to be something like 90% Portos...at least on the Mk6 Golfs and wagons, etc...
Anecdotal story....just what I see on the road.

Click to expand...

those salamancas look nice. do they come in 18s? or the vw luxor wheels in 18s as well? hehe

wolf1389 said:

those salamancas look nice. do they come in 18s? or the vw luxor wheels in 18s as well? hehe

Click to expand...

I am curious as to why 18"? They reduce fuel economy and tires cost more when need to be replaced.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPyg3ilw3KU

18s had the best reviews apparently.

wolf1389 said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPyg3ilw3KU

18s had the best reviews apparently.

Click to expand...

Interestingly, the measurement criteria in the video did not cover either question that roadlust mentioned. However, at the end of the video, the guy did mention that the best tire for anyone may not be the best tire for the next person. He recommended that each driver do their own research and choose the tire that best meets their own criteria.

The video covered dry handling, wet handling, and “comfort”. Add in looks, durability, efficiency, cost (initial or long-term), and availability. We all have different priorities, and personally, my priorities are rarely set in stone. Like everything else in the world, there is no “best” choice, the answer will always be “it depends”.