Alloys 14'' or 15''???

Hi all,

I am currently looking at a set of 14'' Le Castellet alloys to go on my 1988 GTI Cabrio.  I love the look of these wheels on a Rivage.

However, I have just realised that these also come as a 15''.  Does anyone have a view on whether 14'' will look too small.  I suppose one view is that it will be less harsh ride with more rubber with a 14'' rim than a 15''?

Am I right in thinking that these wheels do come in both a 14'' and 15''?  Will a 14'' Le Castellet  look 'wrong'?  Does anyone have a set of 14'' on with pics I could see?

Thanks all.

Hello,

I don't know whether those wheels were available in 14" and 15".  

My personal experience of changing wheel size is that unless you have low-profile rubber there is very little difference in ride harshness (I went from banded 15" steels to 18" alloys on my other car and the 18s were actually a much nicer drive).  The biggest difference will come from your suspension choice (i.e. poly bushes or rubber, coilovers versus conventional struts, etc.).

14s look perfect on a Mk1 but 15s give a slightly sportier and more modern (it's all relative for a car ultimately designed in the 1970s) appearance and it depends upon what you are specifically seeking to achieve in terms of looks and such. If it were my car then I would be happy with either and would probably look around first at tyre prices and availability as if you intend to keep the wheels and car long term then it is worth considering buying whatever will be most readily available and cost-effective in the longer term (perhaps).

I personally like the Castelettes when they are stripped and Polished to a shine…… they are 14" for the cabby OEM.

I took my Teardrops, stripped them, then polished them took about 3 hours per wheel to get them like mirrors, but well worth the effort IMHO.

The bigg difference is that the Castellets over on this side of the pond were painted silver metallic, and you have to strip them and polish them to look really really pretty….

Here is a Guide on the wheels offered on the Cabriolets/Golf Verts.

http://www.cabby-info.com/images/Wheels/WheelGuide.pdf

Here is a Size comparison chart for the MK1's from the highway collective…
http://www.highwaycollective.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/wheel-chart.jpg

Personally I'd go for 14" over 15" on the Mk1 Golf. I read the above but I disagree, I think whether tyres are low profile or not has a massive difference in comfort, especially so with lowered cars and stiffer suspension. There's just so much more tyre height on a 13" (with eg 70 profile tyres) over the equivalent overall diameter of tyre on 14" or 15" wheel. The bodywork and wheelarches just aren't big enough to run bigger tyres like modern cars have. Cars have gotten bigger and heavier, for example the current Polo is bigger than the first THREE generations of Golf!

Briano1234 said

I personally like the Castelettes when they are stripped and Polished to a shine…… they are 14" for the cabby OEM.

I took my Teardrops, stripped them, then polished them took about 3 hours per wheel to get them like mirrors, but well worth the effort IMHO.

The bigg difference is that the Castellets over on this side of the pond were painted silver metallic, and you have to strip them and polish them to look really really pretty….

Here is a Guide on the wheels offered on the Cabriolets/Golf Verts.

http://www.cabby-info.com/images/Wheels/WheelGuide.pdf

Here is a Size comparison chart for the MK1's from the highway collective…
http://www.highwaycollective.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/wheel-chart.jpg

Brian, do you have any pics of your polished up teardrops? I don't know whether to repaint mine (including the darker grey tears) or polish them up. Guess you lacquered them after polishing.

Cheers,

J

paceman said

Brian, do you have any pics of your polished up teardrops? I don't know whether to repaint mine (including the darker grey tears) or polish them up. Guess you lacquered them after polishing.

Cheers,

J

About the closest I have is this, and they needed cleaning:






I used aircraft paint stripper to remove the clear coat as well as the metallic paint on the wheel.  I was very careful not to get it on the tear drop as I wanted the Gray paint to stay as well as the background of the VW logo on the center cap.

IIRC I used 220 dry to get it smooth, followed by 400 wet, 600 wet, 800 wet, 1000 wet, 2000 wet, then 3000 wet.  After it was all clean and smooth I went to town with metal polish….  It was so shiny I could see my shoes reflection in them.  I didn't clear over them as it is very easy to keep clean with SOS pads with water, and then a Metal Polish, I have to "shine them but once about every year and a half….

It wasn't fun, and after I got started on the first, then said I'm effed now as I have to do the others,  I think it took me about a week off and on 2-3 hours a wheel…. Yes I left the insides painted Oh, and I marked the Tyres with sharpie to locate the wheel weights so I could get them back on in the right position after… I also shined the weights so not to be too obvious.