VW Polo : Tyre & wheel upgrade thread

[Ketan T]

Originally Posted by AbelAFC

I'm fairly certain Duelers are for big SUVs and can't be fitted to your Polo.

You are right. I Googled and found that out. Just forgot to update over here. No one seems to have used Ecopia though.

I am now thinking of MC5.

[Epic]

So I have been looking to upsize my stock rims on my VW Polo 1.6 Highline. I prefer Silver/Hyper Silver colored rims to black, bronze, anthracite, etc as they will stand out better on my black car. The problem is either the model I want is not available or the size and color is not available. I prefer rims with 10 spokes.

I have come across the Momo Quantum and they come in two colors; Matt Anthracite and Matt Anthracite Diamond Cut. The Diamond Cut are not available. Now since I prefer silver and not black; I believe anthracite is sort of I between? I am not sure but I am unable to know whether anthracite will stand out on a black car and not blend in. I have seen images on Google but unable to be sure of how they actually look.

Can anyone help in this regard?

[ayazhajimalang]

Originally Posted by subrasri

Thanks Rajesh. It's GT TSI, the 2017 model now comes with 16" alloy wheels (195/55/16). That's the only change in the new model compared to the 2016 model.

Sriram

Hi Sriram,

Can you please share some pics of the new 16" alloys? I want to see the design. Thanks!

[batterylow]

Originally Posted by ayazhajimalang

Hi Sriram,

Can you please share some pics of the new 16" alloys? I want to see the design. Thanks!

Here you go, this is also a tsi.

[subrasri]

Originally Posted by ayazhajimalang

Hi Sriram,



Can you please share some pics of the new 16" alloys? I want to see the design. Thanks!

Here you go..
Attachment 1619139

Attachment 1619140







On a separate topic, would appreciate some tips from tall GT TSI owners to get most comfortable seating position? Am 5'11 and initially after driving my new GT for few kms started experiencing pain in my ankle area on my right leg. I lowered the seats and pushed them all the way back. This position was fine for sometime but soon started experiencing pains again in my ankles especially while driving in bumper to bumper traffic. To make it worse even my left foot starts feeling numb and I feel exhausted when I drive continuously for an hour or so especially in the eve traffic. I thought it's probably due to the brakes which are protruding compared to the accelerator and as a result ankles get strained while toggling between them in bumper to bumper traffic.

Also I found the brakes to be slightly on the harder side probably as they are still new?

I also drive a Linea T Jet and ironically I found it more comfortable to drive in bumper to bumper traffic with its feather light controls compared to the new GT. Not that I enjoyed driving my T Jet in bumper to bumper traffic but just relatively I found it less stressful than the GT.

I really want to take the GT to work as I find it easier to zip through in traffic and one of the main reasons for buying this was to enjoy the convenience of an automatic especially in bumper to bumper traffic. Unfortunately I haven't been able to enjoy this convenience so far.

I am going to try out different seating positions on trial error basis but if anyone has any useful tips on seating position for tall people would appreciate if you can share?

I am really hoping things would improve once I start driving more and get used to the new vehicle.

Sriram

[antardaksh]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

The SA told me that in VW, a single piece alloy costs Rs. 20K. For a set of four,

Hi Vipin Kumar,

I got the same quote from dealer. You can search online and might be able to find people who have replaced OEM rims with aftermarket once and are willing to sell a set at reasonable price. Tyre dealer where I got tyres replaced had a set of Polo OEM 15' rims, I do not remember price but it was around 25K for used one (set of four).

Regards.

[deepfreak15]

So after 37250 kms on my stock Alnacs (Polo TSI) decided it was time to replace my tires. I had not faced any problem with their performance and at no point in time felt they were struggling to perform their duties.

Decided to switch to MRF ZSPORT 205/55/R15 , I know many of you will scoff at that choice, 205 being an overkill for the GT . Changed the tires while in Salem. As soon as the tires were swapped it made the wheels look really cool. While driving from the shop to my house the only change in feel was at low speeds I felt the steering wheel had lightened up (I think it might have to do with the tread pattern).

The next day was traveling back to Bangalore and was all excited to experience any change in grip/performance. On the highway the tires performed damn well till 80kmph post that there was a horrible vibration that crept through the pedals, wheels and then the entire car! I thought speeding up would make it go away but it only got worse . My heart literally sank and limped to Bangalore and reached home with a splitting headache (because of all the vibrations).

Nikhilb2008 to the rescue , as soon as I reached Bangalore gave him a call and fixed an appointment for that weekend. Reached his office on the 18th for March at 9 am. My main concern was that this had to be sorted before the Team-BHP Thekkady drive on the 24th. That morning spent at Nikhil's was truly educational . He explained each and every feature of the hi-tech machinery he was using and gave me a good schooling on wheel balancing , road force and wheel alignment. I would recommend him anytime, very professional set up and when the owner is a subject matter expert it only helps even more.
Due to my office schedule could not find a slot to test my car at highway speeds so said a prayer and decided to wait it out and test on the Thekkady trip. 24th Morning moment of truth, start from Bangalore was at 4am and first stop at Salem, decided to leave the convoy behind and took off because I really wanted to check how the car behaves. Boy oh Boy, what joy! The car had truly transformed. Off the 37K kilometers done it would be safe to say 35K of this covered this Bangalore - Salem stretch, so you could say I know this road really well. It was like I found another lane on that road altogether. Body roll drastically reduced, steering felt really weighted up as the speed increased, absolutely no vibrations (phew), I could place the car anywhere on the road with precision (Im guessing because of the stiffer sidewall and larger contact area).

The only negatives I can come up with after 1.5K with the new tires (30/32 PSI) are :

-I can no longer cruise at triple digit speeds with one hand (well I can if I want too but the steering weighs up and I feel confident only with two hands on the wheel..which I guess is a good thing).

- Music no longer sounds loud at vol setting of 12, have to bump it up a notch, guessing that means there is more tire noise

- Twice under normal braking the tires screeched (guessing this is because they haven't been broken in yet)

In conclusion , there are two things I would recommend (MRF ZSPORTs and Madhus/Tyre Professionals)

[NickKohl123]

Finally time for update:

I changed my stock apollo alnac after 43k kms of running. Thanks to input provided by Nikhilb2008, I decided to compare and go for one out of these 3 - Yokoham Earth 1, Michelin P3ST aand Continental MC5. After visiting more than 5 tyre shops in Pune and getting rates from all of them ... I went for Yokohama Earth 1, costing 4800 per tyre. Lowest rate quoted to me by Lokamanya Tyre at Karve Road, Nal Stop (He does charge extra for alignment, and weights which costed me around 600 rupees for both, charges extra 2% for CC but nothing extra for debit card)

I did not upgrade size (185/60-R15) of my tyre because of these reasons
1. my car is still in warranty until July 2018.
2. not much to gain in terms of ground clearance for me.
3. I am not very aggressive driver so it is okay for me to stick to same size.
4. Last but not least saved around 4000 rupees

Feedback for Earth 1 after 1000kms and tested them on very rough off road conditions:
1. Ride is smoother and comfortable as compared to alnac
2. Steering feedback assures confidence to driver.

Only issue is accumulation of lot of small stones in tyre grooves. But looking at design of michelin and conti I guess it would might have been the same case for them as well. Hope it helps to people who are looking to get new pair of shoes for their POLOS

[1.2TSI7DSG]

My GT has done around 39k km now. I will be shortly going for a new tyre set.
Luckily my extended warranty also ends this November and hence, I am thinking of upgrading the tyres to 195/60 R15.

I have the below four choices in mind:
1. Bridgestone Potenza RE88- I love this brand - had a lovely time on my Manza Indica and 800 in the past- am sure this one won't disappoint
2. Michelin Primacy 3ST - a lot of people have used these - this will be my first tryst with Michelin
3. Apollo Alnacs 4G - Essentially the same tyre as the Accelere - shouldn't change the performace per say - but it would come cheaper than the others, right?
4. Yokohoma S drives- Few choose this one - those who have opted do recommend it - comes slightly cheaper than the marque brands

Am looking for any pointers that might help me to choose the next set of wheels for my GT.

My key requirements are
1. Life
2. Performance- especially noise and steering feel
3. Cost

I have a nearly unused OE spare Apollo Accelere tyre of 185/60 R15 size. Can I retain it as a temporary spare or do I need to change this one as well?

Any other suggestions are welcome

Thanks in advance

[aneezan]

Changed the stock JK tires of my Polo 1.2 Tdi to Michelin Energy XM2. I had already decided I wanted these. The dealer adamant on selling Bridgestone since he was a preferred dealer for the same, however, I told him there wasn't a choice.
The JK tires have worked up 45200 KM and were rough, noisy. More than this was a "thud-thud" bump which is felt at low speeds.

Post the short ride home, I could really feel the difference. All the road noise and the harshness has reduced. I got these for Rs 21,000(including wheel balancing and alignment)





The stock JK tires:-

[Epic]

So after a looong wait (since May 2017), I finally installed a new set of rims and tires for my 2011 VW Polo 1.6. My car was previously running on the stock 15" rims and 205/55/R15 Continental MC5 tires.

I had already decided that the rims would be 16" but it took me a lot of time to decide the design and color/finish of the rims. I finally bought the rims in May 2017 and decided to install them post the monsoons.

The second deciding factor were the tires. The perfect size for the Polo is 205/50/R16 but the only tires available in this size were the Yokohama S-Drives which looked gorgeous but tend to get noisy after a couple of kilometers. The ride isn't that great too. The option left was the Continental MC5 in 195/55/R16. I felt this size was more of a compromise as I did not like the profile that much but had no choice.

Months passed and in August I got to know the Michelin launched the Pilot Sport 4 and that was available in 205/50/R16!! So,after a patient wait, I finally got them installed. Here is the outcome!

Rims : Momo Quantum 16" X 7"
Color : Matt Anthracite
Tires : Michelin Pilot Sport 4 - 205/50/R16

The Tire


Manufacturing Details


Side Profile


3/4th Profile

[antardaksh]

Originally Posted by Epic

The second deciding factor were the tires. The perfect size for the Polo is 205/50/R16 but the only tires available in this size were the Yokohama S-Drives

Hi,

As mentioned by you this is the key issue while upgrading to 16inch on Vento/Polo. Its good that we have one more option available.

I am sure you would have done thorough research, were you able to check if tyres in this profile 205/50/R16 available easily/off the shelf on tyre stores.

It would be helpful if you could share cost of tyres/alloys.

Regards.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Epic

So after a looong wait (since May 2017), I finally installed a new set of rims and tires for my 2011 VW Polo 1.6.

Those 16 inch alloys and the 205 section tires look awesome on the Polo. This will be my upgrade as well when the current set of tires wear out. Can you please share the cost of the alloys and tires?

[Epic]

Originally Posted by antardaksh

Hi,

As mentioned by you this is the key issue while upgrading to 16inch on Vento/Polo. Its good that we have one more option available.

I am sure you would have done thorough research, were you able to check if tyres in this profile 205/50/R16 available easily/off the shelf on tyre stores.

It would be helpful if you could share cost of tyres/alloys.

Regards.

Originally Posted by graaja

Those 16 inch alloys and the 205 section tires look awesome on the Polo. This will be my upgrade as well when the current set of tires wear out. Can you please share the cost of the alloys and tires?

Thank you antardaksh and graaja. This upgrade has definitely changed the entire look of the car.

The tires need to be ordered as this size is apparently imported and not regularly stocked. It took a day though to get it post ordering with some advance.

Tires were 8.5k a piece and rims were 38k I think if I remember correctly.

[Rajesh Rawal]

Query:-

Has anyone here updated to the 195/60 patch ( 15 inches) to mrf zsport?

Any reviews would be helpful