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Final decision with new wheels / tire combo. 235/45-17 vs 245/45-17

daymoon

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Portland Oregon
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
Getting ready to pull the trigger on a new set of tires and wheels for my 17 sport. When I got my car a year and a half ago I went ahead and picked up a set of Enkei TS9's with 225/45-17 DWS 06 because I didn't love the idea of 18's on our shitty roads that are never repaired. Despite having marginally better sidewall than stock 18's, the actual look of the wheel and the amount of meat on the tire is less than impressive, due to me having to slightly stretch the 225's on a 8 inch rim, dumb me didn't do enough thorough research before purchasing

I've always loved the look of meaty tires on MK7's, more specifically this picture which inspired me to buy the car to begin with.

1637698244070.png


I found similar wheels that seem to have some popularity on the forums called Motegi MR131's in Bronze, they're 17x8, and through my findings they should clear the PP brakes fine similar to the TS9's. I'm also going to pair them with (likely) the new DWS 06 Plus's which are just better in all aspects compared to their predecessor. If you guys have any other suggestions of good A/S tires let me know, as I've also had an eye on Vredestein Quatrac Pros which are also highly praised, lesser so on MK7's but just in general.


Now the big question, do I go 235 or 245? My car isn't lowered, and the only suspension modification I have currently is a thicker rear sway bar so clearance isn't a concern.

This user tested the wheel sizes making sure they fit, and ended up getting 235's
car.PNG


Here's another 235 in my color
1637698625411.png


Here's a 245, and currently the only example I could find with that size, they also mentioned they are lowered so theres that.

1637698692579.png



Ok opinion time, what do you guys think? 235 or 245? I know about the speedometer being off slightly but though that isn't really a concern as its a tiny amount, plus I think you can fix it using obd11. If you guys want I can post my current wheels and how they look kinda off and stretched, essentially opposite of the look I'm going for (comfort and perfomance wise too)!

Also, where to buy? Both tire-rack and CARID have the wheels and tires for the same price roughly, anyone know if theyre doing on day black friday sales?
 
Last edited:

daymoon

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Portland Oregon
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
Consider the contact patch of the tires you're going to run. I have 235/45 Yokohama A052 (on 17x8 +45) and they're about an inch wider than the rest.View attachment 231334
When you say run a inch wider than the rest, are your referring to the stock setup? I'm currently on 225/45-17 on 17x8, so same wheel size but need more sidewall. Go to a 50 would make it way too tall even for 235 which is why I think 245-45 would be ideal (plus I dig the look of em).
 

ChristopherNeil

Drag Racing Champion
Location
San Diego
Car(s)
MK7 GTI
My factory rims were the 18x7.5 on 225/40. The contact patch on my specific tire is about an inch wider than most 235/45 tires. You can compare them on tire rack.
 

Supermoto

Autocross Champion
Location
San Diego
Car(s)
2019 Autobahn DSG
Ive been looking for a new set of wheels and I was gonna go with some 19s but this has swayed me in the complete other direction. Now I wanna go big and meaty.
 

Dog Dad Wagon

Autocross Champion
Location
Go Birds
Car(s)
16 Touareg TDI
Ive been looking for a new set of wheels and I was gonna go with some 19s but this has swayed me in the complete other direction. Now I wanna go big and meaty.

it’s the way to go for REAL enthusiasts who are in it for the visceral aspects, not the cosmetic. 19’s are purely cosmetic. 17’s are for the real ones.
 

-DK-

Go Kart Champion
Location
Bay Area
Car(s)
2017 GTI SE
it’s the way to go for REAL enthusiasts who are in it for the visceral aspects, not the cosmetic. 19’s are purely cosmetic. 17’s are for the real ones.
Aside from comfort and wheel weight, are there handling advantages as well?
 

Desslok

Autocross Champion
Location
PA
Car(s)
2019 Rabbit
Aside from comfort and wheel weight, are there handling advantages as well?
The shorter sidewalls of the 19" tires will flex less than those of 17" tires. So in the case of identical brand and width of tires, 19s will handle better.
There are always compromises, but 17s are better suited for daily driving. A softer ride being the difference you would feel every day.
 

-DK-

Go Kart Champion
Location
Bay Area
Car(s)
2017 GTI SE
The shorter sidewalls of the 19" tires will flex less than those of 17" tires. So in the case of identical brand and width of tires, 19s will handle better.
There are always compromises, but 17s are better suited for daily driving. A softer ride being the difference you would feel every day.
Agree 100%. I had an e39 that came with 19s. I swapped back to 17s and was 1000x better Just wondering about handling of 17s vs 18s. Thanks
 

Supermoto

Autocross Champion
Location
San Diego
Car(s)
2019 Autobahn DSG
Agree 100%. I had an e39 that came with 19s. I swapped back to 17s and was 1000x better Just wondering about handling of 17s vs 18s. Thanks
Well basically if you are comparing two of the same tire, one with a taller sidewall, the shorter sidewall (18) will handle better. But there are plenty of 17s that handle great, plus you get the better daily driver performance.
 

D.Gage

Autocross Champion
Location
Virginia
Car(s)
17 Gti
it’s the way to go for REAL enthusiasts who are in it for the visceral aspects, not the cosmetic. 19’s are purely cosmetic. 17’s are for the real ones.
FOH “REAL ENTHUSIASTS”, not everyone lives in an area with shitty ass roads to complain about all the time. 19s are purely the best looking size on a MK7, no question. Real ones...smh
 

daymoon

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Portland Oregon
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
090F5C6A-BCFF-49B3-B2F5-150F440D2D27.jpeg

Overall I really like these. Got them wrapped with DWS 06 Plus, they’re phenomenal in the rain since I can tell so far, hard to break traction. The extra meat on each wheel helps absorb bad potholes which is a huge plus. So far no downsides from my last set, you can call me a happy customer.

The only thing to note is if you’re getting these wheels and tires as a set from tirerack or carid and they mount and balance them for you, you’ll likely will have to get the weights either moved away from the wheel face as they’ll make contact with the caliper (if you have the PP package) or just rebalanced with the weights an inch or two from the lip.
 

Will_

Autocross Champion
Location
SF Bay Area
Car(s)
2017 GTI S DSG
View attachment 232664
Overall I really like these. Got them wrapped with DWS 06 Plus, they’re phenomenal in the rain since I can tell so far, hard to break traction. The extra meat on each wheel helps absorb bad potholes which is a huge plus. So far no downsides from my last set, you can call me a happy customer.

The only thing to note is if you’re getting these wheels and tires as a set from tirerack or carid and they mount and balance them for you, you’ll likely will have to get the weights either moved away from the wheel face as they’ll make contact with the caliper (if you have the PP package) or just rebalanced with the weights an inch or two from the lip.
Nice meaty setup. Love it
 
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