Can I get all your thoughts on these wheels please?

[Dutch77]

Thread revival of sorts.. mainly cause you guys seemed to share similar tastes to me.

I'm tossing up between new wheels or springs. New wheels would stay 18 inch and still have an itch to go matte black, although am partial to the anthracite greys that are going around now as well - this potentially sort of ties in with the grey plastic that fills out the front, rear and side skirts on the mk6 GTI. Problem is I am still left with a wheel gap which somehow does seem to be emphasised on cars running after market wheels. On the flip side I could keep stock Detroit rims and run the VWR springs which is the right drop on the GTIs in my eyes.

(In a perfect world I'd do both, but funnily enough they're going to end up costing similar, and life dictates I make a choice.. especially as I have a tune and dump pipe on the way).

Anyway big fan of VMR 710s, have seen an easy buy right now for $1k flat by GTC wheels (yes a rep of a rep.. I know).

Volkswagon VW 18" GTC Wheels Matte Black GT-CX Golf V VI MKV R R32 GTI TSI TDI | eBay

Assuming the links work you get to see a white mk6 on stock suspension with the wheels on..

Also, these and the VMRs only come in x 8.5 which is wider than what I want.. the offset is 45 and recommended tyre size is still the same as my stock Detroits 225/40.. but I whack these details in to an offset calculator and it spits out 7mm less inner clearance and 19mm extra on the outer.. this seems an issue to me although plenty of guys seem to run similar set ups?? (Martin, are you there.. you seem like the expert!)

Essay over.. new wheels, or springs, forget it all.. thoughts guys??

[code618]

My 0.2c is that those VMRs are awesome and you should buy them. These would be the aftermarket choice for my RS in race blue.
I'm not sure about the 8.5 width - there are several gurus on this forum and other threads that would offer wisdom here

[Martin]

I fully agree with all your points

How about Enkei 18" x 8" ET45???
I have purchased a set - they weight 9.1kg each



ENKEI RAIJIN wheels 18 x 8 +45 5-112 VW GOLF R GTI R32 AUDI A3 A4 S3 PASSAT R36 | eBay

[cyclesoul]

I got my 50mm lowered h & r springs for 274 LANDED from orange speed in Germany, why not have both

8.5x45et will b fine, im about to fit some 18x8.5 et42 which from what I've read is as much offset as u can run and maintain normal camber and no guard humping, apparently u can fit up to 9.5 et45 on the back! I've gone for klutch republik sl14 check em for something different

[Mysticality]

Springs first, I reckon.

Then when you (eventually) get the new wheels you can do an awesome set of before and after shots.

[Dutch77]

Thanks guys.. I knew there'd be responses when I checked in.

I was originally going to keep stock wheels and do springs.. problem is I am yet to find a cheap install in Adelaide that I TRUST; so VWR springs were suddenly going to cost almost $1100 to get on the car, and cheaper alternatives like H&R or Eibach were still coming up to $800-900. It got me thinking again about my original plan of wheels, particularly when I discovered how many options are out there. I suppose part of me also realises as a daily driver that I don't want anything too much harsher than what I have now (no DCC on this GTI).

I actually like those Enkeis.. they're actually a slightly cleaner design than the GTC without the small holes around the hub, and I am liking the 8 inch width over 8.5; that gives the same inner clearance as stock, and 12mm extra poke on the outside which I understand is not an issue. Although I guess they are $250 more. I am assuming there will be little/no difference as the driver between these wheels and even stock, given the tyres will be the same.

I'm still a little worried about the wheel gap when going after market, I assume the 12mm extra poke on the outside helps emphasise that gap. My car at stock height isn't too bad in that respect - here's a side pic, I fiddled the filter to highlight the tyre/wheel gap (so yes, I do actually have tint on the windows!).



And yes, I plan to be as indecisive as Tigger was when he started the thread.

Although Martin's Enkeis may be a game changer - have you got these yet? Any reason for the swap or just a change from the RS4 reps? First link that came up when I googled these was someone in the US having a whinge about paint quality and picking up a heap of stone chips (admittedly on gravel road).. is this a big issue on any of these black wheels? I don't travel many gravel roads, but they do crop up now and then.

[donweather]

I've gone for klutch republik sl14 check em for something different

Yep, def like these in the silver. What colour did you go for? Post a pic please when they're on.

[Rubbadub]

Be careful if you are planning to use those wheels on less than pristine roads regularly.

Enkei Raijin Review: Poor Quality Finish - VW GTI MKVI Forum / VW Golf R Forum / VW Golf MKVI Forum / VW GTI Forum - Golfmk6.com

[Martin]

So, on the poke issue, our Octavia wheels were inside the guard
Going to 8" wide rims with ET45 gives a near perfect finish, looks great
The rears are just inside the guard
The fronts are barely inside the guard top lip but a tad outside the bottom of the guard

The Golf may well be different in this regard
I'm sure we can arrange a trial fit for you to see the actual fitment - pretty important when spending $1k+

Although Martin's Enkeis may be a game changer - have you got these yet? Any reason for the swap or just a change from the RS4 reps? First link that came up when I googled these was someone in the US having a whinge about paint quality and picking up a heap of stone chips (admittedly on gravel road).. is this a big issue on any of these black wheels? I don't travel many gravel roads, but they do crop up now and then.

I do have the wheels - they are awesome
Note - you need hub centric rings
(I got them thrown in for free as he advertised these wheels as fitting VW CB 57.1mm)

I simply love this spoke pattern (don't know what it's called)
This pattern is what I originally wanted
I would have bought the VMR wheels in this pattern but the 8.5" width held me back
I've been keeping a hopeful eye on wheels and found the Enkei's

The RS4's have become my track day tyres and have semi slicks on them
While the RS4's do look good and match the car and clear my BBK,
they are simply not as stunning as the Enkei

Right now my Enkei wheels are away being painted the exact same colour as the car - Anthracite Grey
(I do like the black - but I've seen photo's of a Grey Octavia with Grey wheels and it rocked - see below)
All the wheel painters are telling me that powercoating is a thing of the past
They say most car wheels come painted with two pac and clear coat
They all tell me no problem with brake dust etc
If the Enkei paint is soft/poor I won't have this problem
(If the wheel is soft, that's a different matter)



Only a few outfits in Oz are able to do a really good job of powder coating
The preparation has to be absolutely perfect otherwise it shows through in the finish
If you have any scratches, gouges or kerb damage,
these will have to be finished (filled & painted) again after powder coating - so why bother?

[brad]

I worked out that 17x9 off the Audi TT will fit under the guards. ET45 IIRC. very little clearance between the rim/tyre & the strut but still do-able.