Upgrading Wheels

[Railwayman]

Hi all. I have a 2021 CUPRA Leon 245 and am going to upgrade the rather basic looking 18” wheels when I get round to it (a busy year) I have a new set of 19” CUPRA R wheels (copper spokes) in my attic and wondered if anyone had gone through this process already. I bought the wheels because they look awesome on the MK 3s and didn’t consider tyre pressure monitors, tyres etc Do I transfer the old monitors or would it be best to buy new? Is there anything else I should consider? I appreciate the 19” wheels will be less comfortable, but it a hot hatch when all said and done!

 

[SRGTD]

The mk3 Cupra and Leon TPMS is an indirect system and I don’t think this changed to a direct system with the mk4, in which case there’ll be no TPMS sensors in the valves or mounted on the wheels to transfer over. With indirect TPMS, the system uses the car’s ABS sensors to monitor differences in rotational speed of the car’s wheels rather than wheel mounted TPMS sensors to trigger possible low tyre pressure warning).

Other things to consider;

• Overall rolling radius; new wheel/tyre set-up. This needs to be the same as your existing set up, otherwise your speedo will be inaccurate. I think the tyres that Cupra fit in the factory to 19” alloys are 235/35 R19’s; hopefully someone with 19’s on their mk4 Cupra Leon can confirm this.
• If the width and / or offset of the 19” alloys is different to the existing 18” alloys, then there‘ll be a change in how far the wheel tucks under or pokes out from your car’s wheel arch. You can check these differences (if any) by inserting the details of your new and existing wheel / tyre set-up into the calculator at www.willtheyfit.com. The calculator will also calculate other important numbers such as possible speedo reading error.
• Be aware that the risk of damage to alloys increases with lower profile tyres as there’s less of a cushioning effect from the tyres to protect against damage (buckling and / or cracking) from potholes, raised / sunken drain covers and the poor condition in general of many roads. Also, with lower profile tyres and larger alloys, there may also be an increased risk of kerb damage when parallel parking.
• Based on previous discussions on the mk3 forum board, be aware that those copper coloured diamond cut alloys may be problematic to get refurbished if they do get damaged. It seems that not all wheel refurb companies are able to reproduce the copper coloured diamond cut finish.
• Fitting different alloys to the OEM factory alloys is considered to be a modification for insurance purposes, so don’t forget to inform your insurance company.

 

[andycalvia]

The MK3 alloys I must admit do look a lot better than the MK4. However what looks good on one car may look wrong on another. My old MK3 FR alloys looked so good compared to the ones I have now, but I do think they would look a bit odd on a MK4.

 

[BigJase88]

The mk3 Cupra and Leon TPMS is an indirect system and I don’t think this changed to a direct system with the mk4, in which case there’ll be no TPMS sensors in the valves or mounted on the wheels to transfer over. With indirect TPMS, the system uses the car’s ABS sensors to monitor differences in rotational speed of the car’s wheels rather than wheel mounted TPMS sensors to trigger possible low tyre pressure warning).

Other things to consider;

• Overall rolling radius; new wheel/tyre set-up. This needs to be the same as your existing set up, otherwise your speedo will be inaccurate. I think the tyres that Cupra fit in the factory to 19” alloys are 235/35 R19’s; hopefully someone with 19’s on their mk4 Cupra Leon can confirm this.
• If the width and / or offset of the 19” alloys is different to the existing 18” alloys, then there‘ll be a change in how far the wheel tucks under or pokes out from your car’s wheel arch. You can check these differences (if any) by inserting the details of your new and existing wheel / tyre set-up into the calculator at www.willtheyfit.com. The calculator will also calculate other important numbers such as possible speedo reading error.
• Be aware that the risk of damage to alloys increases with lower profile tyres as there’s less of a cushioning effect from the tyres to protect against damage (buckling and / or cracking) from potholes, raised / sunken drain covers and the poor condition in general of many roads. Also, with lower profile tyres and larger alloys, there may also be an increased risk of kerb damage when parallel parking.
• Based on previous discussions on the mk3 forum board, be aware that those copper coloured diamond cut alloys may be problematic to get refurbished if they do get damaged. It seems that not all wheel refurb companies are able to reproduce the copper coloured diamond cut finish.
• Fitting different alloys to the OEM factory alloys is considered to be a modification for insurance purposes, so don’t forget to inform your insurance company.

Was there not a law recently passed from our EU friends that required individual tyre pressures so i would think maybe the new one has independant sensors in the wheels?

OP does your car display actual tyre pressures?

Also how do your valves look in your current wheels? If they are metallic and quite large and you have individually dispayed tyre pressures i would assume you have direct monitoring system.

In that case you will require your old sensors to swap to your new alloys. Not a hard job when mounting the new tyres

 

[Railwayman]

The mk3 Cupra and Leon TPMS is an indirect system and I don’t think this changed to a direct system with the mk4, in which case there’ll be no TPMS sensors in the valves or mounted on the wheels to transfer over. With indirect TPMS, the system uses the car’s ABS sensors to monitor differences in rotational speed of the car’s wheels rather than wheel mounted TPMS sensors to trigger possible low tyre pressure warning).

Other things to consider;

• Overall rolling radius; new wheel/tyre set-up. This needs to be the same as your existing set up, otherwise your speedo will be inaccurate. I think the tyres that Cupra fit in the factory to 19” alloys are 235/35 R19’s; hopefully someone with 19’s on their mk4 Cupra Leon can confirm this.
• If the width and / or offset of the 19” alloys is different to the existing 18” alloys, then there‘ll be a change in how far the wheel tucks under or pokes out from your car’s wheel arch. You can check these differences (if any) by inserting the details of your new and existing wheel / tyre set-up into the calculator at www.willtheyfit.com. The calculator will also calculate other important numbers such as possible speedo reading error.
• Be aware that the risk of damage to alloys increases with lower profile tyres as there’s less of a cushioning effect from the tyres to protect against damage (buckling and / or cracking) from potholes, raised / sunken drain covers and the poor condition in general of many roads. Also, with lower profile tyres and larger alloys, there may also be an increased risk of kerb damage when parallel parking.
• Based on previous discussions on the mk3 forum board, be aware that those copper coloured diamond cut alloys may be problematic to get refurbished if they do get damaged. It seems that not all wheel refurb companies are able to reproduce the copper coloured diamond cut finish.
• Fitting different alloys to the OEM factory alloys is considered to be a modification for insurance purposes, so don’t forget to inform your insurance company.

This is exactly the information I was looking for, thank you. I bought the CUPRA alloys as I thought it would be less problematic to switch them, particularly as the VZ2 & 3 trim levels have 19” rims as standard, so I didn’t think it would affect too much provided I fitted the correct tyres. I am also pleased that I can potentially just leave the tyres on the 18” wheels and sell them as a low mileage set with tyres (hopefully through the forum)

 

[Railwayman]

Was there not a law recently passed from our EU friends that required individual tyre pressures so i would think maybe the new one has independant sensors in the wheels?

OP does your car display actual tyre pressures?

Also how do your valves look in your current wheels? If they are metallic and quite large and you have individually dispayed tyre pressures i would assume you have direct monitoring system.

In that case you will require your old sensors to swap to your new alloys. Not a hard job when mounting the new tyres

Thanks for the info. I will have a look later and feedback

 

[Railwayman]

The MK3 alloys I must admit do look a lot better than the MK4. However what looks good on one car may look wrong on another. My old MK3 FR alloys looked so good compared to the ones I have now, but I do think they would look a bit odd on a MK4.

I had a Leon FR in desire red and the alloys looked excellent after I had them powder coated in black. I do think CUPRA could have tried a little harder with the standard wheels on the MK4, I’m hoping that the copper against the urban silver will really lift the side view

 

[SRGTD]

Was there not a law recently passed from our EU friends that required individual tyre pressures so i would think maybe the new one has independant sensors in the wheels?

OP does your car display actual tyre pressures?

Also how do your valves look in your current wheels? If they are metallic and quite large and you have individually dispayed tyre pressures i would assume you have direct monitoring system.

In that case you will require your old sensors to swap to your new alloys. Not a hard job when mounting the new tyres

Below is the TPMS section from the Nov 2021 Owners Manual for the mk4 Leon which states it uses the ABS sensors to measure rotational differences of the Road wheels which suggests it’s an indirect system. It does state in the manual that if only one tyre is affected, then it will indicate which tyre has the potential pressure loss, so presumably it can do this by identifying which wheel is rotating at a different speed to the others.

I couldn’t find the Cupra Leon manual on the Cupra website, but assume the TPMS for both the Cupra and Leon would be the same.

 

[Railwayman]

Thanks for the confirmation. My daughter has a MK4 FR which just happens to be in driveway and both cars appear to have identical standard valves. Photo of the CUPRA valve attached

 

[BigJase88]

Below is the TPMS section from the Nov 2021 Owners Manual for the mk4 Leon which states it uses the ABS sensors to measure rotational differences of the Road wheels which suggests it’s an indirect system. It does state in the manual that if only one tyre is affected, then it will indicate which tyre has the potential pressure loss, so presumably it can do this by identifying which wheel is rotating at a different speed to the others.

I couldn’t find the Cupra Leon manual on the Cupra website, but assume the TPMS for both the Cupra and Leon would be the same.

View attachment 32578

Yeah they can detect which wheel is flat. Not sure if it can tell you exactly what one on your info display though. Also you won't be able to see exact tyre pressures.

The positive is you dont have to replace sensors when the battery goes flat circa every 5 years at £50 a go

 

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi.
If you have any issues with insurance at all for a changes of wheels then please free to drop me a line.
Regards,
Dan.

 

[Railwayman]

Hi.
If you have any issues with insurance at all for a changes of wheels then please free to drop me a line.
Regards,
Dan.

Thanks Dan