Downgrading my alloys to 15".

[Boroboy]

I'm thinking about downgrading my alloys from 16" to 15" for comfort with my 1.2tsi.
Could someone confirm 5 X 112, 6J X 15, Et43 with 195 65 15, 91H, tyres fitted, would be the correct size? Does anyone know if it would be ok to put alloys on with a different Et size, i.e Et48 or not? As I could buy alloys cheaper with an Et of 48, instead of 43's.
Cheers.

 

[SRGTD]

I’d suggest you go for a drive in a Leon that’s fitted with 15” wheels first to see if you notice any discernible difference in ride quality between 15” and your existing 16” wheels before investing in a set of new wheels and tyres. I doubt there’d be a massive difference in ride quality.

If your existing wheel / tyre combination is 6.5j x 16 ET46 with 205/55 R16 tyres, then fitting 6j x 15 ET43 will result in the following clearance differences;

• increased clearance of 9.4mm between suspension strut and inner wheel face
• front face of wheel will protrude outwards 3.4mm less than your current wheels

With a 6j x 15 wheel with an offset of ET48, the clearance differences compared to your existing wheel / tyre set up will be;

• increased clearance of 4.4mm between suspension strut and inner wheel face
• front face will protrude outwards 8.4mm less than your current wheels, which in my opinion could look a bit odd as the wheels might look ‘lost’ and hidden under the wheel arches.

You’ve said that the 15” wheels with the less aggressive (ET48) offset are cheaper. Depending on how cheap they are, cheap might equal poor quality - either in terms of the structural integrity of the wheel or the quality of finish. They may also not have been subjected to the stringent safety / quality testing (TUV, ABE, JWL or equivalent certification) that wheels produced by well known reputable wheel manufacturers. If considering buying used wheels, always check that they’re not buckled or cracked or have had structural repairs.

Also bear in mind that changing your wheels would be a vehicle modification for insurance purposes, so you’d need to inform your insurer, and they might charge you an increased premium.

 

[Jazzjames]

Tyres make a huge difference. Better to invest in some quality new rubber and see what that does before you start messing about with changing wheels etc.

My mum’s Golf GTD had some bridgestones on that were so loud and rock hard. Once they wore down we changed them to some Michelin PS4s and the car rides much better and is much quieter now.

 

[Boroboy]

I’d suggest you go for a drive in a Leon that’s fitted with 15” wheels first to see if you notice any discernible difference in ride quality between 15” and your existing 16” wheels before investing in a set of new wheels and tyres. I doubt there’d be a massive difference in ride quality.

If your existing wheel / tyre combination is 6.5j x 16 ET46 with 205/55 R16 tyres, then fitting 6j x 15 ET43 will result in the following clearance differences;

• increased clearance of 9.4mm between suspension strut and inner wheel face
• front face of wheel will protrude outwards 3.4mm less than your current wheels

With a 6j x 15 wheel with an offset of ET48, the clearance differences compared to your existing wheel / tyre set up will be;

• increased clearance of 4.4mm between suspension strut and inner wheel face
• front face will protrude outwards 8.4mm less than your current wheels, which in my opinion could look a bit odd as the wheels might look ‘lost’ and hidden under the wheel arches.

You’ve said that the 15” wheels with the less aggressive (ET48) offset are cheaper. Depending on how cheap they are, cheap might equal poor quality - either in terms of the structural integrity of the wheel or the quality of finish. They may also not have been subjected to the stringent safety / quality testing (TUV, ABE, JWL or equivalent certification) that wheels produced by well known reputable wheel manufacturers. If considering buying used wheels, always check that they’re not buckled or cracked or have had structural repairs.

Also bear in mind that changing your wheels would be a vehicle modification for insurance purposes, so you’d need to inform your insurer, and they might charge you an increased premium.

Thanks for the info, I think increasing the tyre wall dept by 10mm would make a difference regarding comfort, as I've done this many times previously with different manufacturers, obviously it would affect cornering slightly, increasing a tyre wall depth from 55 to 65. I'm just trying to find out if an Et43 on the 15s was OEM? Insurance is not an issue, obviously I'd let my company know of any change.
The wheels would be purchased from a reputable seller (new).
Cheers.

 

[Boroboy]

Tyres make a huge difference. Better to invest in some quality new rubber and see what that does before you start messing about with changing wheels etc.

My mum’s Golf GTD had some bridgestones on that were so loud and rock hard. Once they wore down we changed them to some Michelin PS4s and the car rides much better and is much quieter now.

Yes different tyres make a difference with ride comfort, but so does down grading a wheel size, as that's obvious too.
I've always found Uniroyal tyres to have softer tyre walls. Depends what you want from a tyre really.
Thanks for the input.

 

[Deleted member 103408]

One other point to consider if you go smaller then you will have a bigger gap all round the wheel in the wheel arch and it can look odd with a small wheel in a big space.

Check out this site for what was / is OEM https://www.wheel-size.com/size/seat/leon/

And this one for the impact of size changes https://www.willtheyfit.com/index.p...2=35&wheel_size=19&wheel_width=8-5&offset2=50 but obviously change the setup from mine to yours.

 

[SRGTD]

Smaller wheels might be a reason for a dealer to ‘adjust’ the p/ex value of your car if you trade it in against another Seat when the time comes to sell, unless you store the original wheels and refit them prior to selling the car. Some potential private buyers might also not like the ‘small wheel / high tyre sidewall’ look.

Tyres make a huge difference. Better to invest in some quality new rubber and see what that does before you start messing about with changing wheels etc

That’s a really good point. This is what I’d do, rather than downsize the wheels.

 

[Boroboy]

One other point to consider if you go smaller then you will have a bigger gap all round the wheel in the wheel arch and it can look odd with a small wheel in a big space.

Check out this site for what was / is OEM https://www.wheel-size.com/size/seat/leon/

And this one for the impact of size changes https://www.willtheyfit.com/index.p...2=35&wheel_size=19&wheel_width=8-5&offset2=50 but obviously change the setup from mine to yours.

The overall circumference would be around the same (give or take 2mm). Larger tyre, instead of larger alloy.
Yes I checked that site, stated that the et was 43 on the 15s. Was just looking for clarification of this really.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Boroboy]

Smaller wheels might be a reason for a dealer to ‘adjust’ the p/ex value of your car if you trade it in against another Seat when the time comes to sell, unless you store the original wheels and refit them prior to selling the car. Some potential private buyers might also not like the ‘small wheel / high tyre sidewall’ look.


That’s a really good point. This is what I’d do, rather than downsize the wheels.

Not too bothered about that really, doubt dropping to 15s from 16s would make any difference on my 1.2tsi se, by the time I come to sell it.
Running two sets might be an option though, as the ones I have on now are all season tyres, could use them over the winter. Use summers over the summer time on 15s. I've also done that in the past too, although it's nice just having one tyre for all year round use. As I live up North, usually get snow over the winter period.
Neither am I bothered aesthetically what they look like (larger tyres walls).
Having extra meat on a tyre, in experience, has always given extra ride comfort.
Cheers.

 

[Boroboy]

Also the tyres I have now have a load rating of 94 XL, OEM's being 91s. Which may also add to the ride quality of my tyres.
I still think increasing the tyre wall depth, along with fitting a decent tyre with the correct load rating would be the best option for a softer ride.

 

[Jazzjames]

Thanks for the info, I think increasing the tyre wall dept by 10mm would make a difference regarding comfort, as I've done this many times previously with different manufacturers, obviously it would affect cornering slightly, increasing a tyre wall depth from 55 to 65. I'm just trying to find out if an Et43 on the 15s was OEM? Insurance is not an issue, obviously I'd let my company know of any change.
The wheels would be purchased from a reputable seller (new).
Cheers.

FYI

The aspect ratio eg 55 or 65 as you have mentioned, is not measured in millimetres, but is rather a percentage of the tyre’s tread width.

Best of luck with the search for comfort. May want to check out a few reviews of comfortable tyres, as I think there are quite a few alternatives to Uniroyal these days.

(Who came up with a dimension standard that uses millimetres, percentage, and inches!?)

 

[Boroboy]

FYI

The aspect ratio eg 55 or 65 as you have mentioned, is not measured in millimetres, but is rather a percentage of the tyre’s tread width.

Best of luck with the search for comfort. May want to check out a few reviews of comfortable tyres, as I think there are quite a few alternatives to Uniroyal these days.

(Who came up with a dimension standard that uses millimetres, percentage, and inches!?)

I think we are talking roughly a 10% difference within tyre wall size between the 55s and 65s. I'd have to get my tape measure out then with regards to mm's.....Making my brain work, there's around 14mm difference within tyre wall depth between the 65 aspect ratio and the 55s. I.e 55% of 205, against 65% of 195. So I was 4mm out, originally.
The ride ain't too bad really. Maybe I need to persist for a bit longer. Then change my tyres, possibly wheels. Everything else about the car is very good. Love the dsg box.
As far as Uniroyal tyres go, I've always been very happy with them. Although I've never bought them for longevity, rather comfort and wet grip.
Thanks for putting me straight on this, 1/2 an inch gained, relatively speaking is not a lot gained regards to comfort really. So maybe the choice of tyre, may be the best option.
Food for thought.
The other thing to consider is that going to 15s I'd lose 10mm in width. Would this make a difference with the ride quality too? Having a larger tyre wall, with a narrower tyre. Against a slightly narrower side wall with a wider tyre. Never straight forward.

 

[Boroboy]

I've decided to go with a new set of 15's with all season tyres, Goodyear Vector gen 2s. Gaining extra tyre wall height will increase comfort, being my priority.
I've downgraded wheels previously, found decent results from doing so. I'll post my findings later.
I'll be eventually selling my 16s with nearly new all season tyres fitted. Very good for winter use, as tried and tested. I'll put them within the for sale section when the time comes. If anyone's interested.

 

[Jaco2k]

and here I was thinking "Is going 20" too much?"

 

[BoomerBoom]

It would be too much for my internal organs to withstand!

To the original poster; I've driven Leon's with 15, 17 and 18 inch wheels but the 15 was the most comfortable of all - it felt as good as the old Citroen suspension over rough surfaces. You'll notice the difference in hard cornering, as the higher sidewall will distort more, but other than for aesthetics the 15 inch is the one I'd go for.

 

[Boroboy]

It would be too much for my internal organs to withstand!

To the original poster; I've driven Leon's with 15, 17 and 18 inch wheels but the 15 was the most comfortable of all - it felt as good as the old Citroen suspension over rough surfaces. You'll notice the difference in hard cornering, as the higher sidewall will distort more, but other than for aesthetics the 15 inch is the one I'd go for.

Agree, as it's not at F1 car I'm sure I'll cope on corners with the higher tyre walls...
Although us higher tyre wall drivers are becoming a dying breed.
I once drove a 2CV, now that brings a whole new meaning to soft suspension. Was that a kerb I just went over?....
I suffer from back ache just looking at those 18 or 19s.

 

[Jaco2k]

Agree, as it's not at F1 car I'm sure I'll cope on corners with the higher tyre walls...
Although us higher tyre wall drivers are becoming a dying breed.
I once drove a 2CV, now that brings a whole new meaning to soft suspension. Was that a kerb I just went over?....
I suffer from back ache just looking at those 18 or 19s.

Don't want to be an ass, but F1 cars have massive sidewalls and tiny rims

 

[Boroboy]

Don't want to be an ass, but F1 cars have massive sidewalls and tiny rims

Not for long, as you'll find from 2021 they'll be moving up to 18's.

 

[Jaco2k]

Not for long, as you'll find from 2021 they'll be moving up to 18's.

Because they are worse, will reduce grip and add excitement.
...and make the cars look better, of course

 

[Boroboy]

Finally bought a new set of alloys, fitted Bridgestone A005 tyres for all year round use. I've noticed a big difference in comfort levels, reason I changed them, not for looks. They're 0EM sized alloys from a reputable seller, fitted 195 65 15's onto them. All ok with my insurance company too. No extra charge for the downgrade.