16" vs 17" wheels

[Brussell11]

Hi everyone - my family placed an order for a T6 California Ocean, Automatic, 150 HP, etc. etc. We're thrilled, of course, but won't be getting it for a few months.

I selected the 'standard' steel 16" inch wheels. I did not want to put additional funds into 17" alloy wheels. From what I have read (in general), the main difference between 16" and 17" wheels is one of aesthetics - bigger wheels may look nicer to some. My question is if this is accurate for the California - is performance/ride better with the 17s? Many thanks to all for your advice.

 

[Borris]

The 16" tyres are much cheaper to buy than 17" and IMO they ride better. The higher side walls soak up the bumps better than the lower profile tyres and offer a little more protection against curbing the wheels. On a purely practical note the steel wheels are much easier to keep clean. I can't imagine that the performance would be any different between the two tyre sizes. Apart from that it is purely down to your own personal taste.

 

[Brussell11]

Hi Borris. Many thanks! Appreciate the feedback and help.

 

[uskoeln]

with 17" you should also get the stronger brake system. That was for me the only reason to take 17"

Regards

Uwe


Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk

 

[Loz]

with 17" you should also get the stronger brake system. That was for me the only reason to take 17"

That is the other way round, if you order the bigger brake chassis you HAVE to have the 17" wheels. Ordering 17" wheels doesn't automatically get you the bigger brakes.

 

[Jaydub]

Ours came on 16's and we switched to aftermarket 17's after around 2000 miles.yes the larger alloys do look nicer and gave us a much greater choice of alloys and tyres.the downside is,the ride is a little firmer,and the mpg dropped by around 2-3 mpg. Not big differences but just enough to notice.

 

[WelshGas]

Ours came on 16's and we switched to aftermarket 17's after around 2000 miles.yes the larger alloys do look nicer and gave us a much greater choice of alloys and tyres.the downside is,the ride is a little firmer,and the mpg dropped by around 2-3 mpg. Not big differences but just enough to notice.

I'm not so sure the change in wheel size should affect the fuel consumption but change in tyre type can certainly change it. The reason I say this is that VW sell 16,17 and 18" wheels for the California but only publish one set of Fuel Consumption figures. I presume therefore wheel size does not have an effect.
Tyre wall height is important in ride quality. So the bigger the wheel, less and stiffer sidewall - harsher ride.
There is a reason why VW don't supply 19" and 20" wheels.

Lastly, if there is a mpg difference between different wheel sizes fitted with similar tyres then it could be due to a change in the rolling diameter affecting the speedometer and hence the mpg calculation.

 

[Bigted]

Wheel size does effect mpg - if you look at any data where wheel sizes are different for model spec in vehicles you can see this. However in real world I'm sure the driver makes a bigger difference.

 

[WelshGas]

Wheel size does effect mpg - if you look at any data where wheel sizes are different for model spec in vehicles you can see this. However in real world I'm sure the driver makes a bigger difference.

But with the California I cannot find any such data relating to different wheel sizes. I understand different model specs with different wheels could have differing rolling wheel diameters. In my limited experience I haven't come across many vehicles that have the choice of different wheel sizes within a model spec. Different styled wheels but not sizes.

 

[calikev]

Also the weight of your shoes can make a big difference to fuel consumption

 

[WelshGas]

Also the weight of your shoes can make a big difference to fuel consumption

That's my problem.

 

[Loz]

You might have a different consumption figure if you have a wider tyre with your bigger wheel, as you would theoretically have a slightly greater rolling resistance as you would have more rubber touching the road even if the tyre was the same type.

 

[Skinnee D]

The extra resistance from increasing a tyre width should, in theory anyway, be possible to offset to some degree by choosing a wider tyre with a better efficiency rating than the one it replaces.

 

[sapto]

I tried to go somewhere between: winter on 215/65 R16C 109/107R standart steel wheels (VanContact Winter), summer 225/55 R17C 109/107H alloy (ContiVanContact 200). okay for me, looks good for me, ride is okay. It's not my daily drive and I as far as I can tell there isn't a difference in mpg/kmL.