How good are the 2013 18" Passat wheels?

[gringojosh]

Are bent rims common with these? Got a 2013 Passat this March and had my first bent rim a couple weeks ago. Thinking about getting Enkei or BBS rims to replace the stock ones.

 

[Fixmy59bug]

Yeah, Vw alloy wheels tend to bend fairly easy.

 

[06bluebeetletdi]

Depends on your driving habits and conditions of the roads. I am at 90,000 miles, i’ve been driving mine since 22,000 miles. Zero bent rims, 90+% of my driving is highway and i have emailed nc dot multiple times to have pot holes repaired.

 

[thundershorts]

If alloy used for wheels is too hard, wheel will break on impact, needs to be soft enough to deform without breaking. Aftermarket wheels may, depending on manufacturer, may not be as good as oem wheels.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

18s bend easily because of the short sidewalls. Many VW alloys share the unhappy combination of being heavy and fragile. My son swapped out the 18s in his NMS with 16s from a TSI Passat from a wrecking yard. The wheels and new tires cost less than tires alone for the 18s. And they're much less likely to bend.

 

[bustNfuel]

I've bent TWO of mine, both right side wheels, on the same pothole a few weeks ago. It was right on the shoulder, hidden by the shade of a tree. Had a local wheel repair company work on them at $125 apiece, but it has taken them three times, and they're still not what I consider acceptable. Both wheels bent on the inside bead. The tires didn't blow or lose air, but they have sidewall damage from the impact (Continental ContiPro Contacts).

 

[BKmetz]

It's not just a VW thing. ALL 18", 19", & 20" wheels are at high risk of bending the bead. Shorter the sidewall the higher the risk. I too switched to 16" wheels from a base Passat S model. I picked up some nice 16" alloys for a Wolfsburg Passat for summer and steel wheels for winter. High sidewall tires cost a lot less than low sidewall tires.

Now that I'm retired and am no longer driving 150 miles/day, I have 18" wheels. I sold my 2014 back to VW with the 16" steel wheels with the crappy Hankook tires. For my 2015 SE I scored a set of 18" wheels with some nice Michelins. I swapped wheels & tires with a friend who was selling back his Passat SEL.

Yes, I like the ride better with the 18" wheels. A lot of that also depends on what tire one has. I have Michelin Premier A/S for my summer tires. For winter I have Michelin X-ice on 16" wheels. I was able to score a set of 18" wheels with Pirelli Cinturato P7 for the wife's car. This was a swap with another friend who sold his SEL back to VW. Even my wife who is NOT a car person, noticed how much better her car rode, tracked, and cornering was a lot tighter after we installed the 18" wheels with the Pirellis from the stock 17" wheels with the Hankooks. I have practically two identical Passats, one with Pirellis and the other with Michelins. The ride between the two is dead even. I cannot say anything about either tire having anything over the other.

Here's a photo I took a few years back at the Detroit Auto show. A Pirelli P-Zero mounted on a 22" wheel. That's probably a quick $1500 to replace both the wheel & tires after hitting an average pothole. Not for me.

 

[06bluebeetletdi]

Another option is to swap to 17s, my bug has the same size as a passat 215/55 17. I have Michelin Primacy mxm4s on both, quite happy with the tires, both sets are still pretty quiet at 48,000 miles (bug) and 45,000 miles (passat). Still have tires at 7/32”, im happy with how they are wearing.

 

[vwp13tdi]

It's not just a VW thing. ALL 18", 19", & 20" wheels are at high risk of bending the bead. Shorter the sidewall the higher the risk. I too switched to 16" wheels from a base Passat S model. I picked up some nice 16" alloys for a Wolfsburg Passat for summer and steel wheels for winter. High sidewall tires cost a lot less than low sidewall tires.

Now that I'm retired and am no longer driving 150 miles/day, I have 18" wheels. I sold my 2014 back to VW with the 16" steel wheels with the crappy Hankook tires. For my 2015 SE I scored a set of 18" wheels with some nice Michelins. I swapped wheels & tires with a friend who was selling back his Passat SEL.

Yes, I like the ride better with the 18" wheels. A lot of that also depends on what tire one has. I have Michelin Premier A/S for my summer tires. For winter I have Michelin X-ice on 16" wheels. I was able to score a set of 18" wheels with Pirelli Cinturato P7 for the wife's car. This was a swap with another friend who sold his SEL back to VW. Even my wife who is NOT a car person, noticed how much better her car rode, tracked, and cornering was a lot tighter after we installed the 18" wheels with the Pirellis from the stock 17" wheels with the Hankooks. I have practically two identical Passats, one with Pirellis and the other with Michelins. The ride between the two is dead even. I cannot say anything about either tire having anything over the other.

Here's a photo I took a few years back at the Detroit Auto show. A Pirelli P-Zero mounted on a 22" wheel. That's probably a quick $1500 to replace both the wheel & tires after hitting an average pothole. Not for me.
View attachment 111608

does 2013 Passat take 18 inch aluminum wheels? Or will it cause issues (clearance, gearbox...)?

 

[AverageAndy]

does 2013 Passat take 18 inch aluminum wheels? Or will it cause issues (clearance, gearbox...)?

Mine came stock with 18" rims. Tire size is 235/45R18.

 

[740GLE]

But you can also run 16" wheels and clear the calipers.