Wheel Change ????? Confusion

Hi guys i am wanting to change the wheels on Mk1 golf 1.3 driver 3 dr for some deep "Ish" dished superlites alloys but ive just been on the dog & bone to        "Midland Wheels warwickshire"        & he says deep dished are for rear wheel drive cars + it wont ride/track well & it will rattle :dontknow: ,,,i do like the deep dish look but if its going to spoil the ride&handling then that just wont do for me :cry: ,,,please guys any advice on this would be very welcome………cheers Rick….

12bandit said

Hi guys i am wanting to change the wheels on Mk1 golf 1.3 driver 3 dr for some deep "Ish" dished superlites alloys but ive just been on the dog & bone to        "Midland Wheels warwickshire"        & he says deep dished are for rear wheel drive cars + it wont ride/track well & it will rattle :dontknow: ,,,i do like the deep dish look but if its going to spoil the ride&handling then that just wont do for me :cry: ,,,please guys any advice on this would be very welcome………cheers Rick….

As long as you get the correct (ish) offset and there's enough clearance for your brakes it doesnt matter what wheels you put on there.  I think (correct me if im wrong) and mk1's wheels offset is ET35, i run ronal LS's with an ET25 and i have no trouble at all. Im pretty sure there are people on here with a 0 offset :dontknow:

Do you have a link to the wheels you're looking at?

The wheel seller is right - but for the wrong reasons. Wide wheels will make a small/low powered car underperform, because it will increase the rolling resistance. Also, bear in mind the wider the wheel, the less traction you have in wet weather.

No sorry i dont have the link,,,its just summat my son is thinking of doing but he is not sure yet on which ones to fit & sizes either,,he just wants that smart Dub look,,but he really does like the superlites look,,cheers Rick

As said really you will be fine, just check to see if they clear the caliper as small deepdish wheels can sometimes cause a problem there. For an 8j width wheel try an offset of around et25ish, 7j width up to et33-35 really.

Its a tricky game fitting new wheels especially aftermarket items, dont worry about the "deepdish" thing just dont go too wide and too low of an offset.

Remember lower the ET the further they stick out. Higher ET's can cause a problem too though if its too high like ET49 they may welkl hit the shocks etc.

Cheers for all your help guys,,,,,Nice Jetta  

not sure we should dismiss this e.t. so lightly. im sure vw didnt pick this 35 e.t. out of thin air but was the result of various calculations. also this was on a 5 1/2 inch wheel, if we then fit 7 inch wheel with a lower e.t. the track will be increased by about 4 inches which must put those calculations out. incidentally i run 7 by 15 e.t. 35 but car is nicer to drive on 6 by 14.

My son is also planning to put 13" Superlites or similar on his 1.3 Driver, so we have been discussing this very subject for some days.

AFAIK  most deep 13" rims nowadays are designed to fit on the old-style Minis, although there may be some about for Ford Escort Mk1 & 2s.  Minis, I think, have a 4 inch PCD and may need those "wobbly bolts" to fit a Golf's 100mm PCD hubs, whereas the Fords are 108mm and will not fit.  You won't find any with the "correct" offset for a Mini (see below), let alone a Golf.

Although the Mini is FWD, and Ultralights, Superlights, Minilites etc are designed to fit Minis, it is fair to say that deep-dished wheels are meant for RWD cars.  This is because the front hubs on FWD cars are larger to accomodate CV joints and larger wheel bearings, so the wheel rims are often inset to keep the centre line of the tyre somewhere near the point where the steering turns.  A dished wheel moves the tyre away from this axis, which is why the car won't track well and will be affected by uneven roads etc.  However, Mini owners have been fitting deep-dished wheels for years.

As an indication of how far they are dished, or offset, our motorcycle trailer is made from a Mini rear subframe and suspension but has no brakes, so it doesn't have the spacer that's built into the brake drum; Standard 12" steel wheels (4.5" width) won't fit as they foul the suspension but 12 x 6" alloys with wider tyres fit because they are offset (and therefore dished) so much.

But they look great, so ! think we're going to try them on the Golf.  I'd appreciate any comments, particularly from anyone who has actually fitted their Golf with wide 13s.  Incidentally, the rolling resistance is irrelevant in this case as the car currently has 195/50s on its 15" BBSs!

paul_c said

The wheel seller is right - but for the wrong reasons. Wide wheels will make a small/low powered car underperform, because it will increase the rolling resistance. Also, bear in mind the wider the wheel, the less traction you have in wet weather.

The wider the tyre the more grip in any weather as a larger footprint.  The tyre choice is the only thing that affects wet weather handling, and the wear on the tyre.  The deeper the grooves the better the water dispresion and the more tyre contact with dry surface, the shallower the grooves get the less water is pushed out from under the tyre until you get to slicks which would cause you to run on a cushion of water.

GTIJoe said

paul_c said

The wheel seller is right - but for the wrong reasons. Wide wheels will make a small/low powered car underperform, because it will increase the rolling resistance. Also, bear in mind the wider the wheel, the less traction you have in wet weather.

The wider the tyre the more grip in any weather as a larger footprint.  The tyre choice is the only thing that affects wet weather handling, and the wear on the tyre.  The deeper the grooves the better the water dispresion and the more tyre contact with dry surface, the shallower the grooves get the less water is pushed out from under the tyre until you get to slicks which would cause you to run on a cushion of water.

Not true. The contact area is the same (given the same pressure and force) but its wider, therefore its also shorter fore-aft. Aquaplaning renders a proportion of the contact area useless - this amount is a length related to the speed. There will be less available area to grip. So, wide tyres will grip less in wet weather.



http://www.chris-longh…ibles/tyre_bible_pg2.html

i think regarding the speed limits on the roads in this country and all the rules and regs that manufaturers have to abide by, no 1/2 decent tyre is ever going to be pushed to the point that it loses traction unless you drive like an idiot!

argument over!  :wink:

my 2p…I run ET27 15x7's and the only difference I've noticed is some arch rubbing and less wet traction.

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