Preferred rim and tire size for millage ?

WED

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2019
Location
San Francisco
TDI
2015 Golf Sport Wagon
Hello all
I'm the Newbe..2015 SE SportWagen tdi 6 speed
I need tires and am now an old man so I am chasing mpg vs corners.
My car has 225/45/17's dia. 24.97
I am thinking about changing the rims to an alloy 15 x 6 and running 195/65/15's dia. 24.98
I also will be buying Low roll resistance tires.
Any specific recommendations ?
Thx in advance
Bill D
 

WED

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Joined
Oct 20, 2019
Location
San Francisco
TDI
2015 Golf Sport Wagon
I would like to know which of the, very few, stock 15 x 6 VW alloy rims have least drag. I tried to match the ones is saw on Wayne's record breaker but I believe those are some trade secret rims, couldn't find a stock match...

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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Hybrid Jetta 15" alloy wheels. Those will be the lightest OEM wheel for the larger bolt pattern, not sure what they'd look like on a Golf though, but probably not bad.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I like those. Maybe not to the tune of $900 or so for the set, but they're nice. Wonder what the offset is.
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
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Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
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2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
You'll be spending a lot of money. To recuperate the cost over the miniscule Mpg savings is crazy!


Don't drive like a raped ape and you should get decent Mpg.
 

DivineChaos

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 27, 2019
Location
Minnesota
TDI
mk6 jetta sportwagen tdi
Hello all
I'm the Newbe..2015 SE SportWagen tdi 6 speed
I need tires and am now an old man so I am chasing mpg vs corners.
My car has 225/45/17's dia. 24.97
I am thinking about changing the rims to an alloy 15 x 6 and running 195/65/15's dia. 24.98
I also will be buying Low roll resistance tires.
Any specific recommendations ?
Thx in advance
Bill D
i presume your wagen is a TDI? If so you have the 312mm rotors in front. Therefore smallest you can go is a 16" rim. My dad and i have identical 2011 jsw TDI's. Aside from color, rims, and nav. His gets about 1-2mpg better on highway. mine has 225\45r17 his has 205/50r16. and if you have ever realised how your speedo is off by 4? well mine off the other way.
 

Rob Mayercik

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Dec 19, 2001
Location
NJ, U.S.A.
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS, Baltic Green/Beige
Check the clearance on your current wheels vs. your brakes - depending on what you have on your specific car, I'd think there's at least a chance the 15s wont' fit over your brakes.

In any event, driving technique and proper tire pressure will probably be more cost-effective than blowing $900 on rims and another $400-500 on tires.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
They fit. Golfs and Sportwagens with the 1.4 and 1.8T have the same brakes and come with 15s.

However, I think the offset for the GSW wheels are 35, not 50. That may be a problem.
 

WED

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Oct 20, 2019
Location
San Francisco
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2015 Golf Sport Wagon
I need new tires anyways so low resistance tires are in my future.
These we're on Wayne's 2015 TDI which he recently got the Guinness record on. I can't read what size they are but they look like 15's to me.
I feel the larger side walls would ride a little more comfortably and I really could care less about looks. I wouldn't buy new but would put the apb out to some contacts and maybe one gets rekt so I can pick up three years or something. Again I'm just having fun here but need new tires...
I also understand that the high mileage tires flex a lot less with silica at all.


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Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
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West Hill, Ont.
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2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
Wed, if you want to drive like Wayne's 2015 TDI. Gerdes has been termed a “hyper-miler,” you have to do HYPERMILING which means drafting immediately behind an 18 wheeler, about 15' behind on the highway, going downhill in neutral. You'll go faster downhill but going uphill according to Gerdes as you are going uphill you will drop your speed since keeping up speed will use too much fuel. Don't race away from a stop and try NOT to stop if at all avoidable. The article also mentions sticking to the speed limit. It also means to drive as if you have a raw egg between your foot and the pedals.


You'll piss off a lot of people behind you when it takes you 2-3 minutes to reach any kind of low cruising speed and don't go faster than about 50 Mph, after that the fuel mileage goes down.


But if you enjoy wasting your money on $ 900.00 rims and drive like a :eek: just think how much fuel $ 900.00 will buy.


Having said all that, maybe the OP is just a troll trying to stir up the pot !!!
 

WED

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Location
San Francisco
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2015 Golf Sport Wagon
Thanks Jetta Pilot

Found them, they're from all the way back to 2013 Jetta hybrids so now they are selling for cheap. I
BTW I don't intent to hold anyone up...
I pull a heavy duty 5 x 8 aluminum trailer, which for the record is as large is a large as a full size pickup truck at 40 sq ft. feet, larger than my 4 x 9 utility body work truck at 36 sq ft. I upgraded the trailer from a 2,000 lb Axel to a 3,500 lb torsion axle with brakes... Weighs in at 500 lbs.
I'm also running a blue tooth Curt Echo brake controller which works well.
I can drive up any freeway grade, thus far, easily going 65 mph.
As a Building and Electrical Contractor this has greatly expanded the usefulness of my little diesel. My truck now sits at the job...
My next task at hand it to break the parachute which is following me being the front of that damn trailer.
This is our first prototype for the front with a cover for the top to follow shortly. I'm doing fuel mileage tests now to document the difference, before and after we install the nose cone.
We also installed Firestone airbags in the rear springs. With the free wood I am hauling it is easy to adjust it so my tongue weight is around a hundred and 120 lb with a scale.
Fun 4 me...


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WED

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2015 Golf Sport Wagon
I am patient so I'm not sure about the reproduction but here are the specs.
I believe the offset on my 17's are 49.00mm where these are 50.00mm.
I also understand that reproductions might not be apples and apples so more fun research.
Also the picture in the previous text was prior to the Firestone airbags and the entire back of my wagon was stuffed with hundreds of pounds of gear...
Fyi Bill


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DivineChaos

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Minnesota
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mk6 jetta sportwagen tdi
They fit. Golfs and Sportwagens with the 1.4 and 1.8T have the same brakes and come with 15s.

However, I think the offset for the GSW wheels are 35, not 50. That may be a problem.
Unless i forgot, i said if its a TDI Wagen, 15" wont fit because of the large 312mm breaks.
 

DivineChaos

Top Post Dawg
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Location
Minnesota
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mk6 jetta sportwagen tdi
Yea im pretty sure the smallest you can go are 16". I tried some 15" i had from a different car. rear worked, front not so much. that being said, the 205//50r16 is stock. you could go 195/ 55 r16 in a LRR tire. When i switch from my 17s to my 16 my FE goes up by about 2mpg highway. I put my 17s on because winter. The 16s have a LRR tire and the 17s are a very good Multi season.
 

WED

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2015 Golf Sport Wagon
Thx DC

I had another friend chime in about taction also especially hauling a trailer in wet weather so it looks like some new LRR 17's for now.
I do believe some Pizza cutters are in my future though...

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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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Aug 16, 2004
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South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
2015 Golf Sportwagens have 288mm front brake rotors. '14 and earlier had 312s.
 

DivineChaos

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 27, 2019
Location
Minnesota
TDI
mk6 jetta sportwagen tdi
2015 Golf Sportwagens have 288mm front brake rotors. '14 and earlier had 312s.
Oh. That is strange. I guess im wrong. :eek: the early mk6 had 288mm which was increased to 312 for the rest of the run. i wonder why they decided to go to the smaller ones on the mk7 gsw
 

DivineChaos

Top Post Dawg
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Location
Minnesota
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mk6 jetta sportwagen tdi
Thx DC

I had another friend chime in about taction also especially hauling a trailer in wet weather so it looks like some new LRR 17's for now.
I do believe some Pizza cutters are in my future though...

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Well scratch my earlier outburst. being you have a mk7. They have 288mm front rotors. so you should be able to fit 15" rims. find a junkyard and find a set.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
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Location
outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
Oh. That is strange. I guess im wrong. :eek: the early mk6 had 288mm which was increased to 312 for the rest of the run. i wonder why they decided to go to the smaller ones on the mk7 gsw
There is no such thing as a "mk6 Sportwagon". The Jetta/Golf wagon continued on the A5 underpinnings, same as the 2005.5-2010 Jetta sedan. They just gave them a minor facelift and a revised dashboard after that first year. It is all the A5 underneath.

The only A6 sold here was the Golf. That's it. But, both the A5 and A6 are very similar, there is not a huge difference.

And of course the Jetta sedan started with the NCS platform in 2011, which is completely different.

But VAG has a habit of parts binning certain things over certain models. The base NCS Jetta S with the SOHC 115hp 2.0L engine for instance has the same small front brakes as the A4 2.0L/TDI cars do, but the NCS with the 2.5L, 2.0L turbo gas, or the TDI, all have the same front brakes as the standard A5 did.

You want some REAL confusion, look at the T'reg/Q7/Cayenne as well as some (most) of the bigger Audis. You essentially have to get the tape measure out to order brakes for those.
 

hskrdu

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Oct 17, 2003
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Maryland and New England
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2003 Golf GLS 4D 5M, 2015 GSW SE 6M
What about the (Astana?) wheels from the e-Golf? I think they are smaller than the most recent ones on the Jetta Hybrid, and designed for aero FE gains. Not sure how much they weigh. The 15's linked will prolly weigh less, but the aero advantage on the highway for the e-Golf versions may be significant. Someone else would have to chime in on the effect, if any, on decreased venting for the rotor with Astanas.
 

WED

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Oct 20, 2019
Location
San Francisco
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2015 Golf Sport Wagon
I checked out some other electrics and hybrids today.
The Chevy Volt has 17 x 7's like my 2015 SE sport wagon and they run 215 /50 R17 Michelin Energy Saver All Seasons
Tire diameter is about +.5" which is close to my stock.
The new Volt is about 3,535 lbs and I am around 3,225 lbs.
Then a newish Honda hybrid with the same model tire in 215/55 R16
Looks like there is a trend here.


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WED

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Location
San Francisco
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2015 Golf Sport Wagon
I went to the Michelin Energy Saver A/S website and found that both the potential tires sizes I'm looking at come in two options for each size. I didn't see a difference until I noticed that one out of the four has a 51 PSI Max while all the other three have a maximum PSI of 44...
My stock 225/45/17 = 24.97" x 8.86 w
215/50/17 = 25.50" x 8.90 w
205/60/16 = 24.90" x 8.40 w
90V SL BSW 215/50/17 44 psi max
91H SL BSW 215/50/17 44 psi max
91H SL BSW 205/55/16 44 psi max
91V SL BSW 205/55/16 51 psi max
When I look at the differences incise I'm a surprise that the 215/50/17 is wider than the 225. The 91V 205 may be the golden egg I guess, at least for today.
Looks like I might be getting a set of 16' after all.


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IndigoBlueWagon

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South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
FWIW, I had Michelin Energy Savers on my MKIV on 15" wheels. Scary to drive. Soft sidewalls, very little grip, terrible in rain. Took them off after 8K miles before I had an accident. Now running General Altimax RT43s, and love them. 25K on them and little noticeable wear. And I'm getting 50+ MPG consistently. Very quiet, good in rain, even OK in snow.
 

WED

Member
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Oct 20, 2019
Location
San Francisco
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2015 Golf Sport Wagon
Thx for the FYI advice.

Whatever I buy I intend to tryout a tire which is a designed (Low Roll Resistance) one.
If anybody else has good experience with some of the following please let me know.
Please see attached.


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SilverGhost

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Mar 25, 2005
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Back in So Flo - St Lucie
TDI
'05 Golf - totaled :(, wife's '13 Beetle - buy back, TDIless
When OH said Jetta Hybrid wheels, I was thinking of these -


17" Buenos Aires is what they are. 205/50R17 I think was the size.

Low rolling resistance tires, I think(they usually have Conti, so maybe not?)

Jason
 
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