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Max tire width on stock Detroit 18x7.5 wheels?

mkdir

New member
Hi everyone. So I Love my GTI diesel-gate notwithstanding, but I really want to put some meatier tires on it. While I drive my car pretty darn hard and enjoy the hell out of it, I just really want to make the ride feel more solid on less than perfect roads. I read another thread where a dude did this for Mexican roads using 225 / 45R / 18 up from the standard (correct me if I'm wrong) 225 / 40R / 18 and I had zero problems with how it looks.

I'm wondering if I can also increase the tire width, and if so how much safely that will fit on the stock 7.5 (right?) wheels. 230? 235?

I'm not looking for advice to get 17s or take my GTI as is please, but I HAVE to get new tires at this point and I'd love to use it as an opportunity to get meatier tires. If you have experience putting wider / thicker tires on the stock wheels Id love to hear about it. I don't care if it doesn't provide optimal track performance.


Q: What is the maximum tire width (in terms of added bulk) that can be used with an increased height/width ratio of 45, to fit, without any rubbing whatsoever, on stock 18x7.5 detroit wheels at standard height?
 

lilonespaz

Drag Race Newbie

Let me know if you can see the pic. I might need to change my privacy settings on Photobucket if not.
 

lilonespaz

Drag Race Newbie
Basiaclly what its saying is the Ideal size for a 7.5" rim is 215 or 225. Its also saying the max width is 235 but not highly recommended.
 

blower

Ready to race!
If you want to increase comfort and reduce NVH - you need to be going less width, not more, but as you say you want more profile.

I recommend fitting the 225/45 r18 - not that common a size on 18"s. They will fit, but may rub a bit under high suspension travel (car loaded with people and going over speed humps etc)

I had 18" 225/40 vancouver's on my highline and switched them out for 17" 225/45 - got some Madrid's from a mk7, look nice and the black gloss wheels do give the illusion of it being a lower profile tire than you actually have.
 

corrado917

Go Kart Champion
235, I had them before no issues at all, unless your car is stupid low, you won't rub. The feel is fairly noticeable with less wheel spin, a bit heavier but it flushes nicely the front & rear end of the car, think about 1 mpg less as well. 17" or 18" OEM run 235 is just fine.
 

mkdir

New member
Hi Guys, thanks for all your replies. I ended up going down the conservative route, leaving the width the same.

I got a set of 225/45R18 XL 95W Falken Pro G4 A/S.

I have to say - this is the way the car should have been from the get-go! It feels so much more substantive and solid and German! Bumpy roads no longer make my GTI feel like a gokart! It looks great too, you can barely tell there's a higher profile. It looks more solid. Less toy-like. High speed maneuvers on imperfect bumpy highways don't feel as terrifying.

Part of this perceived improvement might be because I came from a highly worn down set of Dunlop 225/40's, but I was able to drive the same brand's brand new 40's before the 45s (at first they didn't put the 45s which I requested so I had to go back!) and as far as I can tell I'm loving the new setup. It does feel slightly heavier, but again in a good way as far as I'm concerned. I could imagine getting lighter wheels with this tire size might offset the weight gains and make it even better.



Follow up: blower - what is NVH? Also, can you explain why less width would increase comfort? Does it absorb less energy?






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mkdir

New member
235, I had them before no issues at all, unless your car is stupid low, you won't rub. The feel is fairly noticeable with less wheel spin, a bit heavier but it flushes nicely the front & rear end of the car, think about 1 mpg less as well. 17" or 18" OEM run 235 is just fine.


Was this with 235/45/18 ? Or 235/40/18 ?


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corrado917

Go Kart Champion
235/40/18
 

lilonespaz

Drag Race Newbie
Follow up: blower - what is NVH? Also, can you explain why less width would increase comfort? Does it absorb less energy?


Noise, Vibration, Harshness

NVH is a way of saying if it will be more comfortable or less comfortable. Comfort also depends person to person so its usually compared to stock as a baseline.
 
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