which handles better?? GTI STOCK 17's or 18's

[istFASTanbul]

I have 17s on mine my roommate has 18s
I am around 177pounds he is 140maybe both cars full tank of gas
dead even no difference from 0-140
The handling is unbelievable on his, there is a huge difference!
He can corner way faster than I can he flies through the corners I can not his car feels really stiff.
His tires are also different so that's also a fact but 18s handle alot better than 17s.
So both 18s and lowering will be really good on a GTI.

p.s. When he drives mine he feels sorry for me because of the difference between 2 cars. The cars feel totally different on any road.
If you like a stiffer ride do not even think about it get 18s!!!

 

[Plyngntrffc]

it depends more on the tires as to which HANDLES better, not necesarilly the size of the wheel itself

 

[Finnegan]

I test drove 2 GTI's one with the 17's and one with 18's. The only difference I could tell was that the 17" one had a smoother ride than the 18".

 

[RJS5689]

I dont see where people can call 18" wheels rice? Take a look at any exotic sports car and tell me what they sit on? 18/19. Ok the GTI isnt an exotic sports car, but its still a good performer, not to mention how much better 18s look filling up teh wheel wells! Also i have never seen a ricer on here sitting on 18s. They usually sit on their stock shit, or 17s, maybe 18s. The HUGE wheels around here are on 300cs, the new 7 series, S classes, Escalades, some GS classes....

 

[NoRegrets78]

I have 18s and love the way they grip.

I put 16" oem rabbit wheels with conti all seasons on for the winter and noticed 2 main differences...

Grip SUCKS. The 16's don't grip worth a damn accelerating but being as i'm not pushing limits as far as handling, they don't handle all that bad I do miss the 18's for acceleration grip especially from a stop making a turn.

The 16's ride much smoother than the 18's, and that is welcome on NY roads...much nicer ride. It's a toss up for me...I love the look and grip of the 18's but I love the ride of the 16's.

 

[Scotaku]

Both are a function of sidewall height and stiffness.

 

[gti5dr06]

I have 17s on mine my roommate has 18s
I am around 177pounds he is 140maybe both cars full tank of gas
dead even no difference from 0-140
The handling is unbelievable on his, there is a huge difference!
He can corner way faster than I can he flies through the corners I can not his car feels really stiff.
His tires are also different so that's also a fact but 18s handle alot better than 17s.
So both 18s and lowering will be really good on a GTI.

p.s. When he drives mine he feels sorry for me because of the difference between 2 cars. The cars feel totally different on any road.
If you like a stiffer ride do not even think about it get 18s!!!

is your friend with the 18's lowered?

 

[RJS5689]

Also, my firend has 18s on his GTI, i have 17s, to me the difference is a slight bit noticable... but i still prefer the 18s.

 

[istFASTanbul]

is your friend with the 18's lowered?

No.

 

[Shifty]

It's all about the tires. The factory 18's have the summer Conti's instead of the 17" all-seasons. I hate the damned tires on my 17's. If I'd have known they were so bad I'd have sprung for the Huffs at the dealership...

Oh well, new shoes coming soon...

 

[Slipstream]

It's all about the tires. The factory 18's have the summer Conti's instead of the 17" all-seasons. I hate the damned tires on my 17's. If I'd have known they were so bad I'd have sprung for the Huffs at the dealership...

Oh well, new shoes coming soon...

Do tell.

 

[gti5dr06]

No.

do u both have summer tires too?

 

[Scotaku]

If you happen to see the oem summers, I recommend them. Nearly 10K with a good 500 miles of that at the absolute edge on track days this year and they're wearing well. Still very confident in the rain though getting glassy as it gets cold. They warm up well though and I'll run them in another few weeks at VIR before I swap to all-seasons.

 

[fusion01]

In my opinion, for everyday driving, it's a simple case of practicality vs styling. From everything I've read, the 17's are more comfortable, but I reckon the 18's look much more suited to the size of the car itself. I got 18's and my girlfriend does find the ride harsh, but then f*ck it, it's par for the course. I didn't buy a Mercedes and dig the firm, tight feel of the suspension / tire / rim combo. All depends on the individuals preferences...

Noticing here US drivers get Conti tyres? Here in South Africa we get the euro spec and the gti came standard with beautiful Bridgestone Potenza RE050 - $200 a tyre. Most impressed.

Tonight I pushed my max speed with 260 kph on the clock (162.5 mph). Lovely downhill straight with revs sitting at 6k. Had a little more left there, but considering the downhill, I reckon I hit the top speed of 235 kps (what with overexaggeration on the clock). It was over quickly at that speed: road gets eaten voraciously. The experience inspired confidence: all felt damn solid.

Did it matter that I had the extra weight of the 18's? Hell no!

 

[absoluteczech]

Tonight I pushed my max speed with 260 kph on the clock (162.5 mph). Lovely downhill straight with revs sitting at 6k. Had a little more left there, but considering the downhill, I reckon I hit the top speed of 235 kps (what with overexaggeration on the clock). It was over quickly at that speed: road gets eaten voraciously. The experience inspired confidence: all felt damn solid.

Did it matter that I had the extra weight of the 18's? Hell no!

isnt there a limiter on the gti...?