ALLOY WHEEL 'UP-GRADE'

[rottenronnie]

Hi...I'm thinking of changing my current alloys for some new ones.
I have a 1998 1.8SE 20v Passat with 15" Sport Rader alloy wheels which were fitted by VW garage for previous owner.
They look good when cleaned up but really need a re-furb and have been looking on E-bay for some 5 spoke Montreal 1 alloys...I think these were fitted to T-Sport models but are really hard to get hold of.
I was told by service guy at local VW garage that if I change my current alloys, they must be of the same size and for B5 model.Revised Passat alloys are different size/ofset is different and would not be a good idea--...could invalidate my insurance etc...
Is this true??
I see similar cars to mine with bigger / newer alloys.One posting says he upgraded to new replica Audi RS4 17" alloys for £450.00 inc. tyres.
I must admit, they do look pretty good!!
Any comments would be appreciated.
Phil (rottenronnie)

[simonr]

any change to your car should be run past the insurance co 1st tbh. They may charge you more, you may be lucky & get no extra cost but if you don't tell them & you do have an accident they sure as hell will try & use that to not pay out & they will cancel your policy leaving you uninsured!!!

re wheel & tyre sizes, as long as overall diameter is the same (or very close) with a acceptable offset you will be ok. Use this guide to check http://www.toyo.co.uk/tyre_converter.php

cheers Simon

[shaq]

My insurance company charged me an extra £50 to upgarde my wheels from 15" to 18s as they put this down as a "modification".

Simon aboive is right. If you don't tell them they could void you car insurance policy if they want to, as it is a breach of the terms of your insurance if you don't tell them about all mods to your car.

[belle2uk]

As I understand it answers to your insurance company only need to be to the best of you knowedge.

"Those were the wheels that were on it when I bought it...... honest "

"How was I to know about them not being origional equipment. "

As long as you didnt pinch them from Big Foot whose to say otherwise.

[rottenronnie]

Thanks to you all who posted replies to my question regarding alloys...they were very useful.
I've decided to stick to looking for a set of genuine VW Montreal 1 16" alloys and get them re-furbished if needed.These were fitted to the Sport 1.8T model, but am i right in thinking that they should fit my 'bog standard' 1.8SE...it says in Haynes manual that 15 and 16 " wheels can be fitted (7J x16") I cant see why they shouldn't???What is the offset for the B5 (96-2001) model...anybody know???
If anybody out there knows of a good set of these alloys for sale,post a reply please.Thanks again..Phil

[BenTaylor]

Any post 1996 Passat wheels will fit. They're 5x112 PCD and the offset should be around ET35