The baby Wheel/Tires/Suspension/Brakes FAQ/DIY. Contributions welcome!

[dpham00]

Well, not much here so far, but I wanted to have something which is better than nothing. If you have anything to add, or if something is incorrect, then please feel free to post below.

**All MKV wheels are 5x112**
-Stock diameter is ~25". You want to stick to this regardless of rim size.

General technical information about wheels(PCD, Offset, thread engagement rules, application guide, plus sizing):

http://www.needforspeed.co.uk/htmlpages/TechWheels.htm
(copy of link is also in the attachment)


ALIGNMENT SPECS:

Front:
Camber: -30' +/- 30' (US)
vs -44' +/- 30' (Euro)
Toe Out (at left and right lock) : 1deg 38' (US)
vs 1deg 22' (Euro)
Caster: 7deg 34' (US)
vs 7deg 47 (Euro)
Ride Height: 382mm +/- 7mm (US)
vs 360 +/- 7mm (Euro)
Rear:
Camber 1deg 20' (US) vs 1deg 45' (Euro)

Stock wheel weights:

GLI/GTI Classixs wheel - 17x7 et 54 -23lbs
Hufweisen (aka Detroit/Monza II) 18" wheel - 18x7.5 et 51 - 29lbs each

Links to useful threads:

Have a tire question? Ask away! - RedRabidRabbit and others answers questions regarding tires:
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13374

Golf-V Aftermarket Suspension Guide:
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4

Compilation of Aftermarket Wheels and photos:
http://www.golfmk5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66

Disabling TPMS message
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13506

Compilation of OEM wheels with part numbers:
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?p=418200#post418200

Simple DIY for those who's tires only rub a little bit
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10909

 

[VMRWheels]

Here's a question I answered in another thread. Might be more useful here.

What is corner balance?

Corner balancing is the process of matching the cross weights of your car. This means that the sum of the weight exerted to the ground between the driver's side front tire and the passenger's side rear tire is equal to that of the passenger's side front and driver's side rear. This is not to be confused with front to rear weight distribution.

Picture a table with four legs on a flat surface. If all the legs are the exact same length the table would be the most stable. If one of the legs is shorter than the other's, then the table would be teetering on two of the adjacent legs. This same theory applies to cars and their cross weights.

Let's take a MKV GTI for example which has a 60:40 front to rear weight distribution. For the sake of this example, let's say that the car without a driver is perfectly corner balanced (which is not the case at all because different components are or different sides of the car, eg. steering column, gas tank, various fluid reservoirs, etc...). So lets say a GTI with a curb weight of 3200lbs, 60:40 f-r weight distribution, perfectly corner balanced without a driver, would look like this. 960 pounds sitting on each front tire and 640 pounds on each rear.


front

960-----960

|
|
|​

640-----640

rear


Cross weights:
LF 960 + RR 640 = 1600
RF 960 + LR 640 = 1600

This is perfectly corner balanced. The car will handle the same when turning left and right, maximizing the tire contact patch and overall grip. But what happens if you were to add a 175lb driver to the mix? Your cross weights might look something like this now.


front

1060-----975

|
|
|​

690-----650

rear


Cross weights:
1060 + 650 = 1710
975 + 690 = 1665

No longer an ideal corner balance (similar to the table with one short leg). This means that the car will now handle differently when turned left and right. This is due to the tire contact patch no longer being fully maximized (meaning less overall grip) as it would be in a perfectly corner balanced car. Adjustable coil-overs allow you to make ride height adjustments on each corner and fine tune the cross weights in order to achieve an ideal corner balance.

What is road force balancing?

Road force balancing is a completely different topic altogether. All tires and wheels will have slight imperfections in the construction (some more so than others). A Roadforce balancer uses a drum roller that applies 1400 lbs of road force to the wheel/tire assembly as it spins. The machine is then able to take readings from the assembly and determine where the high spots are on the tire and match them with the low spots on the wheel (and vice versa) in turn minimizing the vibrations you would feel otherwise.

 

[sk8chip98]

hey guys great info...... but one question whats the stock off set of the class-x

 

[sk8chip98]

54 got it.......

 

[vwgtiforlife08]

if i dont have hub rings on my car will anything happen to it?

 

[EL PAALO]

Not that I trust vw.com, but they're showing the new non-2-tone huf as 18x8 and the denver as 17x7 ..........
Anyone have any conclusive evidence?
Is the build feature already showing '09?

 

[myfastredgti]

???i am running 19x8 235/35/19 right now, i want to get 19x9.5 255/35/19 or 265/35/19, can i do it, will it fit,?

 

[EL PAALO]

^
get a sawzall.

 

[Lima]

Did you guys know the 18" Hufweisen feature a world first in wheel manufacturing?

Watch this clip and find out why.

:thumbsup:

 

[heftylefty]

thats sweet! i feel proud.

 

[cisco1414]

I want 19"s on my GTI but dont want to lower it. Will there be a large gap in the wheel well if I dont lower it with the 19"'s? I dont want to spend $1500 for new wheels and tires, put them on and then have my car look stupid. Thanks.

 

[EL PAALO]

same gap as before.

 

[dosbox]

No link to the OEM Wheel thread posted by Magnus2387?

 

[asam]

Heftyleftys sig and avatar make me howl everytime I see it
some times when I'm falling asleep I see those cat eyes :lol:

 

[Tpass]

bolt alignment

the 5x112 set up for our wheels, is there a way to adjust it. what do people do if the wheels they want don't come with that set up?

say 5x114.....Works Emotion xt-7