New Passat B8 - 19 inch wheels

[jameswrush]

Hi

Im just about to order my new Passat GT Estate. Night blue with black nappa leather.

Im really undecided about the wheels. I love the 19 inch Verona wheels over the standard 18 inch but Im concerned about them ruining the ride.

Has anyone driven both? Does it make much difference?

The car will have standard suspension.

My current car is a Passat B7 Sport with 17 inch wheels and sports suspension.

Thanks

[El-Cap]

Have the same car, same colour, with the standard 18" wheels and I think they both look good and give the car the right balance of ride and handling. Haven't driven on the 19s but my concern would be that it would introduce road noise and lose some of the comfort.

[P Adams]

I have a GT saloon with the Oxford 18" alloys and the ride is great. Although I do have DCC but mainly use it in normal mode. I was told not to have the 19" alloys by my VW MD friend who knows me very well and said I wouldn't be as happy with the road noise and ride with 19". I was coming from a B6 saloon with 16" alloys though! My wife has a B7 highline saloon with 17" and she loves the ride on mine as well as her car. You really need to try a car with 19" alloys - you might like them...

[gamichea]

Its not only the appearance and ride but also the vulnerability to kerbing bearing in mind all those who will drive. The wheel size is an indirect factor. The main factor is tyre aspect ratio, the number after the slash in the tyre size spec. The aspect ratio is a percentage of the tread width, the number before the slash, expressed in millimetres (apologies to those to whom this is old hat). Between them they govern the distance of the rim from the tyre surface.

I have had a B6 on 235/45 tyres, 17" wheels which never got kerbed, followed by a CC on 235/40 tyres, 18" wheels for summer which got kerbed a few times. In winter the CC was on 205/50 tyres, 17" wheels which never got kerbed.

Make of all that what you will. Hope it helps.

[jameswrush]

Im yet to hear a good word on the 19 inch wheels so looks like 18s are the way to go. Thanks for the advice.

[MattB247]

I have the 19s on an R Line with the lowered suspension and it's fine in my opinion: there's little body roll, it's firm but not harsh and I do a few hundred miles a day at times and never get out of the car feeling achey or shattered. They look bloody great and while yes, you do need to be a bit more careful parking near curbs and avoiding big potholes, I'm assuming you'd be as careful with 18s anyway?

With regards to noise, I went for the sound reducing glass - the loudest noise is from the engine, and that's just a drone.


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[gamichea]

I'm assuming you'd be as careful with 18s anyway?

I would be as careful but the extra margin is always useful to cover off a momentary lapse.

Avoiding potholes can be problematic due to issues such as lack of avoidance space on narrower roads, the road surface condition not fully registering in peripheral vision when there is a lot going on and also hiding in the dark or under water. My CC failed its MOT last December due to a buckled inner rim on the nearside rear alloy (205/50 x 17 tyre). The tester blamed a pothole. The tyre was fine, and had lost no pressure despite having had a slow puncture repaired the previous winter. The rim was straightened during the course of the day for £60 all in and that was that. I might not have been so lucky had it been the outer rim and/or a squatter tyre.

I have to agree those 19s do look the part.

[a900ss]

I know this thread is a little bit old now but I’m in the same boat as the OP. I’m spending an R Line estate and love the look of the 19's but would like feedback on ride quality. For what it’s worth, I’ll be doing 30k a year but over winter (and the worst of the potholes) I will be fitting 16” steelies with winter tyres on.

I'd also like feedback on if the X Diff is worthwhile?

Thnaks.