Improve ride quality — softer sidewalls or smaller wheels?

[Chogokin]

18's...but with taller sidewalls?

 

[GTIfan99]

18's...but with taller sidewalls?

Heavy.

 

[StorableComa]

Running 225/45/17s when I upgraded from my stock 15 inch wheels. I'd say it's only slightly harsher than the huge sidewalls that came with the 15s and by no means as kidney bruising as low profile tires on 18s was with my MK6. Might bump up to a bigger tire on the next set as I'm still stock ride height.

I'd also go 16 or 17" personally, but that's due to having to replace a lot of 18" wheels due to bending thanks to potholes and crappy roads.

 

[Desslok]

Heavy.

All else being equal, 17" wheels obviously weigh less than 18s. Less obvious however, is that 17" tires weigh more than 18s.

 

[GTIfan99]

All else being equal, 17" wheels obviously weigh less than 18s. Less obvious however, is that 17" tires weigh more than 18s.

All depends on width, side wall height and the actual model of tire.

 

[bentin]

Heavy.

Does it really matter? On a daily driver, or even on a track car that's not about winning money, could you really tell? I mean, on an NA Miata, with 100 lb/ft of torque at 6500 rpm, light wheels have a huge impact. But on a car that weighs 50% more and makes 3x the torque pretty much right off idle, does it ultimately matter? I mean, just changing from heavy Michelins to just about anything else will save a good amount of weight, but you'd likely be giving up the balance that most Michelins provide.

I mean for a PS4S a 225/40/18 and a 225/45/17 are both listed as 21# and a 225/50/18 is only 23#, so you're adding 8# (if they'd fit, but let's ignore that) to the outer edge of the wheel, so you would likely expend more energy in braking and accelerating, but you'd also be changing the tread contact area, so it could be no net effect.

I come at this from a different background, I do abide by lighter is better, but I've had to challenge that a little bit recently. I mountain bike a lot, and I recently started using tire liners that add half a pound to each wheel at the rim, for the benefit of being able to run less pressure with fewer flats and better damping for large impacts, preserving carbon rims. The weird thing is that the added weight didn't slow me down, but I actually set faster segments with them and don't really notice an impact on expended energy. It would be cool to hook up the power meter to see if there in an impact, but it's got to be negligible.

Again, given the choice between two near equals, I'd take lighter, but if you're trying to accomplish something specific, a little extra weight isn't always a deal breaker. If it were, the PS4s weight penalty compared to other decent wear summers would have scared more people off of them.

 

[GTIfan99]

Does it really matter? On a daily driver, or even on a track car that's not about winning money, could you really tell? I mean, on an NA Miata, with 100 lb/ft of torque at 6500 rpm, light wheels have a huge impact. But on a car that weighs 50% more and makes 3x the torque pretty much right off idle, does it ultimately matter? I mean, just changing from heavy Michelins to just about anything else will save a good amount of weight, but you'd likely be giving up the balance that most Michelins provide.

I mean for a PS4S a 225/40/18 and a 225/45/17 are both listed as 21# and a 225/50/18 is only 23#, so you're adding 8# (if they'd fit, but let's ignore that) to the outer edge of the wheel, so you would likely expend more energy in braking and accelerating, but you'd also be changing the tread contact area, so it could be no net effect.

I come at this from a different background, I do abide by lighter is better, but I've had to challenge that a little bit recently. I mountain bike a lot, and I recently started using tire liners that add half a pound to each wheel at the rim, for the benefit of being able to run less pressure with fewer flats and better damping for large impacts, preserving carbon rims. The weird thing is that the added weight didn't slow me down, but I actually set faster segments with them and don't really notice an impact on expended energy. It would be cool to hook up the power meter to see if there in an impact, but it's got to be negligible.

Again, given the choice between two near equals, I'd take lighter, but if you're trying to accomplish something specific, a little extra weight isn't always a deal breaker. If it were, the PS4s weight penalty compared to other decent wear summers would have scared more people off of them.

Honestly, yes, you can tell the difference with heavier tires. I swap between my 225 and 255 all the time. Market difference.

 

[bentin]

Honestly, yes, you can tell the difference with heavier tires. I swap between my 225 and 255 all the time. Market difference.

Same wheel? And after five minutes, can you still tell?

 

[swcrow]

For MK7.5 GTI, the sidewall heights (thickness) for the mentioned sizes:

stock 225/40 R18 = 90mm
235/45 R17 17x8.5 = 106mm
245/40 R17 = 98mm
245/40 R18 = 98mm

Great info!

 

[jimlloyd40]

All else being equal, 17" wheels obviously weigh less than 18s. Less obvious however, is that 17" tires weigh more than 18s.

And 18" tires cost more.

 

[Desslok]

But in the OP's case, not as much as buying a whole set of 17" wheels and tires.

 

[jimlloyd40]

But in the OP's case, not as much as buying a whole set of 17" wheels and tires.

True but he can't get a very much softer ride staying with 18" wheels.

 

[GTIfan99]

Same wheel? And after five minutes, can you still tell?

Different tires, both mounted on 17 x 8.5 RSE16's.

 

[ourlee]

Being a wheel whore….. this makes me want to sell my 18” APR wheels and go down to 17s…..hmmmm

I need 8.5” snow wheels. Are yours bright silver?