Use of 17 inch wheels on a V6 TDI Sport

[LarryK]

Hi Chaps,

Can anyone help with my question before I commit to purchase additional wheels & tyres, namely : can I fit and reliably use 17 inch wheels on my touareg (UK spec V6 TDI Sport, regisdtered in 2005) which was supplies with 19 inch Atheo wheels fitted with 275/45 tyres (offset ET60, 5 x 130mm PCD for bolts) ? When I consulted VW they advised that they only approve wheel sizes down to 18 inch (for 255/55 tyres). The reason for my enquiry was that I wanted to fit a set of winter tyres and and use the narrowest width of tyre reasonably practicable for best performance on snow which would be a 17 inch wheel fitted with a 235/65 tyre, which keeps the outer diameter of the wheel / tyre combination the same as the original set-up. I have read several similar subject threads on the forum and my concern is whether the 17 wheel size has enough clearance on the break caliper assemblies. The new wheels would be 17 x 7.5J, offset ET55, 5 x 130mm PCD for bolts). The wheel website states that the Alutec wheel has TUV approval for use on VW Touareg models >3.0L

Any assistance with this question would be appreciated.

Thanks & regards
Laurence