17 inch wheels?

[AlphaBiker]

Just purchased a used '03 GL a week ago. It has the 15" basic wheels with plastic hub caps. Can I switch to 17" wheels and tires without running into any driving problems? If so can someone suggest tire brands and correct size? Thanks

[nicoleos]

Sure, some jettas can handle even up to 19" wheels. When you get up to 17" and 18", they start all low profile, so you shouldnt have a problem with rubbing. Do you plan to lower? The prices depend on speed ratings. I believe the lowest you can go is H-rated. Z being the best and most expensive. You can try a 205/40/17. 205 being the width of the tire. 40 being the height, in percentage of the 205, if you didnt already know.

[AlphaBiker]

Originally Posted by nicoleos

Sure, some jettas can handle even up to 19" wheels. When you get up to 17" and 18", they start all low profile, so you shouldnt have a problem with rubbing. Do you plan to lower? The prices depend on speed ratings. I believe the lowest you can go is H-rated. Z being the best and most expensive. You can try a 205/40/17. 205 being the width of the tire. 40 being the height, in percentage of the 205, if you didnt already know.

Thank you very much for your reply. No I do not plan to lower the car. Changing the wheels and tires will be the only modification. I'll be 50 in December and a little old for all that other stuff. But I do like nice wheels. How would the tire size you recommend effect the performance of the car if at all?

[TypeX]

I just ran across this and thought I would point something out.
If you increase the size of your wheels without lowering the car, you end up with way too much ground clearance and an overall bad look . There is a Civic that I see everyday that's rockin 18" rims with a stock suspension, and it just looks plain stupid . If you only want to put nice wheels and don't care at all for other mods ( ), then you might want to consider keeping them the same size.

[nicoleos]

I agree, if you want to lower your car, you should prob lower it, if even an inch, just so your car will look normal. With bigger wheels, it will significantly raise your auto.

[swollen]

Originally Posted by TypeX

I just ran across this and thought I would point something out.
If you increase the size of your wheels without lowering the car, you end up with way too much ground clearance and an overall bad look . There is a Civic that I see everyday that's rockin 18" rims with a stock suspension, and it just looks plain stupid . If you only want to put nice wheels and don't care at all for other mods ( ), then you might want to consider keeping them the same size.

Upping the wheel size will not raise your car. Running larger wheels with improper sized tires will raise your car. A4 Jetta's came with 17's stock so you can get away with them with out looking goofy on a factory ride height car. If you start going bigger than 17" the larger wheels, and progessivly smaller tires, give the illusion of there being more fender gap ie: the vehicle looks raised. The ride height will not be changed, it will just look that way.

Look in your local classifieds fro someone selling there factory 17's. Also look on www.vwvortex.com in the classified section for someone in your area.

mike.

[AlphaBiker]

Originally Posted by swollen

Upping the wheel size will not raise your car. Running larger wheels with improper sized tires will raise your car. A4 Jetta's came with 17's stock so you can get away with them with out looking goofy on a factory ride height car. If you start going bigger than 17" the larger wheels, and progessivly smaller tires, give the illusion of there being more fender gap ie: the vehicle looks raised. The ride height will not be changed, it will just look that way.

Thanks for all of the replies.

eddie