04/16/2017 - Look what the Easter Bunny brought me!
In my quest to further enhance and refine my OEM+ approach I finally acquired some OEM Pretoria's. You may recall in my original post on this thread I mentioned my desire to have these wheels, well after many trials and tribulations I finally have a set!
I was able to secure a low-mileage set, basically takeoffs, in excellent condition. This particular set was manufactured by Borbet. BBS being the other official supplier of Pretorias. I am not aware of the inter manufacturer differences, although I assume there must be some?
19x8 et50. approx. 21lbs/wheel. Lowered on VW DG springs
Any concerns I had plus-sizing to a 19" on the little 1.8T were immediately swept away during the initial test-drive. The OEM Pretoria's, utilizing flow-formed technology, make for a strong and light wheel. These wheels in fact weigh a few ounces less than my 18" OZ's I previously had on the car. The combination of the overall weight reduction in wheel/tire combo, combined with the superior Continental rubber on the Pretoria's, made for some confidence-inspiring handling in the curves. The stock 1.8T handles these wheels well, as having an even lighter wheel/tire combo on a smaller engine really helps to liven things up! While there is perhaps a slight degradation in comfort when driving over rough roads, this is vastly offset by both the aesthetic and the performance aspects. However, now that I have a very 'open' wheel, I REALLY need to do something about these anemic brakes that come on the 1.8T..