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Alloy wheel recommendations?

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15" or 16"

Hi all.
Upon fitting my newly refurbished RH Cups (15") to my 3dr 1.5gx, I have found that the front wheels protrude from the arches, whereas the rears sit just right.
A couple of members have confirmed that this is because the front track is wider than the rear track……..

So, here is my question.
Can you recommend alloys 15" or 16" that
1) suit the Mk1 look
And
2) have stepped sizes, ie narrower front wheels and wider backs…… In order that the wheels sit evenly in both front and rear arches?

If not, does anyone know the wheel offsets, to even up the wheel arch protrusion?

Thank you in advance for any info/help/guidance.

Jeff

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Hopefully someone will know mate … sadly I'm clueless

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Essentially the lower the offset or et the more the wheel will protrude, the higher the more it will tuck in the arch

The main issue with running some after market wheels is clearance on the front callipers
Even stuff with et 25 will poke a little and may even need a spacer, seems a lot of reps are like this

The only way to achieve the look you want is choosing certain makes of wheel or a manufacturer that does staggered sets and offsets, there's plenty out there

Personally i wouldn't run more than a 7j et 25 on the front of a Mk1
Looks like a beach buggy if you go too wide!

You can build a set of BBS RM or RS to exactly what you want from research on other owners cars you like the look of

Or there's company's like Dare, ultralite and others that make reps with offsets you can pick for the look you want, if you aren't a badge snob lol

Wheels are all very personal taste, but i reckon you can go far wrong with a set of classic 15's and a decent drop over them

I'm going for 7 front 8 rears on mine and it should, hopefully look like they grew there 👍🏻

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Hi
Thank you for this information.
I really appreciate it.
So a 45 et would sit further into the wheel arch than a 25 et!?
Cheers Jeff

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yes that's how it works, most Vw factory wheels are et35 ish

All depends on clearance needed for brakes etc

If you build a set of BBS splits you need to calculate it as it will move the et depending how wide the added outer rim

It's a bit odd as it's only where the tyre sits stat changes physically as the entire hub stays the same

Wheels are a nightmare to get just right lol

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Hi again
The et figure
i.e. 25et……..is the 25 a measurement in mm?
If so, am I right in thinking that an et45 would mean that the wheel would sit 20mm further into the wheel arch etc etc
Or am I completely wrong thinking this?
Cheers
Jeff

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It's quite a complicated way they work it out to be fair,

ithe measurement is taken from the hub to the external rim and inner rim

Which all becomes a bit of science above my pay grade

If you check website will they fit .com it shows schematics and you can type in your current or Oe wheel figment and work out if a new rim will present issue or fit well

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6" Porsche wheels I always liked on my mk1's

Really high offset et53. Then you can choose staggered adapters to get the fitment dialled in. 

D90's. 

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I agree Roach, a nice set of Porsche teledials or Fuchs windmills looks nice on a Mk1

They are just so expensive and rare now for the 7 & 8 x 15 inch fitments it's prohibitively expensive

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Have a look at this

https://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/forum/index.php?page=topicview&id=how-to_2%2Fborednow-s-guide-to

The easiest way to stagger the wheels is to get a set that fits the font and then use a spacer at the back.

And yes, ET25 vs ET45 means that the wheel will sit 20mm differently. (ET45 closer to the inner wing, ET25 closer to the lip of the arch), however only if the wheel width is the same  :thumbs:

Good luck

Ian

Cornish Host.
1980 VW Derby
Clive the Cabby
Ujum the Invisible
Mynx the  Tintop

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Sorry to go off on a tangent…
Is there any difference between those Dare and BBS apart from the centre cap and £1000 less expensive?

Whip
/wip/
Noun - Car

When the steering wheel was first put into use in automobiles, it was called the whip. The term has now been generalised to classify any automobile.

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BBS wheels are far superior in quality and finish than any of the reps

The others are cheaper for a reason, but if you look after them, clean and protect them properly with a decent wheel wax and a ceramic coating once in a while they will stay looking good

And give the look, personally i wouldn't ever run BBS centre badging on them like a lot of people do as they are what they are, copies

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I see where you're coming from, but if you have the BBS logo, you'll just be another Golf GTI with BBS alloys.
If you don't, there will always be that guy coming up to you saying "nah man, dem are fake BBS, ya nah."
Maybe VW logo would reduce the attention.

As much as I love the design, my car might start to look a bit bling with them as it is lowered.

Whip
/wip/
Noun - Car

When the steering wheel was first put into use in automobiles, it was called the whip. The term has now been generalised to classify any automobile.

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Anyone who knows their wheels will spot a copy rim a mile off, in the past i have had 17 inch chromed RS versions on my old VR6, and i had a set of black centred staggered width RM's On my old sportline cabrio that i built up myself 

Ultralite make some nice reps of them To be fair, and they are cheaper than the dare ones

Im considering a set for my Gti cabriolet

Unless i can find a nice set of original diamond cut snowflakes with red inserts then i likely will

I wont put BBS badges on them though, i only like the idea as they are 7 & 8 and good offsets for a mk1 and i have a set of brand new 195 45 toyos in the garage that will fo straight on them lol

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Well that's the thing… "anyone who knows their wheels" is about 0.1% of the population.

Are the Ultralite better than Dare? I couldn't find the BBS style in 15"

Smokwflakes look nice.

Are Toyos good? I'm about to get new tyres, but have no idea what to get.

Whip
/wip/
Noun - Car

When the steering wheel was first put into use in automobiles, it was called the whip. The term has now been generalised to classify any automobile.

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Think all the aftermarket are much of a much ness to be fair, most people in the VW scene know their wheels if they have been around a bit

Tyres are preferential choice really, depends what you want from them.

Personally on a 112 bhp golf cabriolet that gets pootled around a set of Toyos is fine, grip well, last well, decent price, proven brand, where in comparison my RS3 only ever wears Michelin Pilot sport 4 s

personally i wouldn't touch a Nangkang or anything like that if you gave me them free for life!  But there will be people that swear by them…..until they put you in a ditch 😂

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So ET works like this?

Untitled-1.jpg

Whip
/wip/
Noun - Car

When the steering wheel was first put into use in automobiles, it was called the whip. The term has now been generalised to classify any automobile.

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Re:

One seven one said

Essentially the lower the offset or et the more the wheel will protrude, the higher the more it will tuck in the arch

The main issue with running some after market wheels is clearance on the front callipers
Even stuff with et 25 will poke a little and may even need a spacer, seems a lot of reps are like this

The only way to achieve the look you want is choosing certain makes of wheel or a manufacturer that does staggered sets and offsets, there's plenty out there

Personally i wouldn't run more than a 7j et 25 on the front of a Mk1
Looks like a beach buggy if you go too wide!

You can build a set of BBS RM or RS to exactly what you want from research on other owners cars you like the look of

Or there's company's like Dare, ultralite and others that make reps with offsets you can pick for the look you want, if you aren't a badge snob lol

Wheels are all very personal taste, but i reckon you can go far wrong with a set of classic 15's and a decent drop over them

I'm going for 7 front 8 rears on mine and it should, hopefully look like they grew there
Can you get into trouble for choosing rims with a bizarrely low offset just to get fat tyres to fit without front ones rubbing?
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