[Santoshbhat]

Swapped out the Apollo Alnacs for 195/60/15 Michelin P3STs on my 17K run Polo GT TSI. The Michelins are simply outstanding. The Alnacs were good for the first 10K kms. Almost Michelinesque in their behavour. But offtlate they had become too noisy and the outer grooves had worn out a bit unevenly. As it is the Polo has poor brakes, I did not want to compromise safety further by having tyres with poor grip. Keeping 28~ PSI for the city really is giving me a magic carpet ride.

[e-katz]

Originally Posted by Epic

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.

The price for alloys were for set of 4 or 5? Kindly PM me the dealer whom you purchased it from.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by e-katz

The price for alloys were for set of 4 or 5? Kindly PM me the dealer whom you purchased it from.

Price of the alloys were for a set of 04. Dealer is Saifee Tires at Santacruz West.

[Lego28]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Swapped out the Apollo Alnacs for 195/60/15 Michelin P3STs on my 17K run Polo GT TSI. The Michelins are simply outstanding. The Alnacs were good for the first 10K kms. Almost Michelinesque in their behavour. But offtlate they had become too noisy and the outer grooves had worn out a bit unevenly. As it is the Polo has poor brakes, I did not want to compromise safety further by having tyres with poor grip. Keeping 28~ PSI for the city really is giving me a magic carpet ride.

i would suggest you to keep the pressure at least 30+, as Low pressure can cause sidewall bulge if you drive the car into a pothole or breaker.

i myself got my Apollos changed to 185 65 R15 Michelins, and the increase in sidewall is a boon.

[e-katz]

Originally Posted by Epic

Price of the alloys were for a set of 04. Dealer is Saifee Tires at Santacruz West.

Is there any impact to mileage due to this tire size? Are you satisfied with this upgrade?

[Epic]

Originally Posted by e-katz

Is there any impact to mileage due to this tire size? Are you satisfied with this upgrade?

Not found any loss or gain in mileage. I am very satisfied with the upgrade.

[e-katz]

Originally Posted by Epic

Not found any loss or gain in mileage. I am very satisfied with the upgrade.

I have a 2011 trendline with 14" wheels. do you think i can upgrade to the same configuration?

[Epic]

Originally Posted by e-katz

I have a 2011 trendline with 14" wheels. do you think i can upgrade to the same configuration?

Yes of course! The car is the same and so is the suspension set up. The Trendline & Comfortline comes with 14" rims with 175/70/R14 and Highline with 15" rims with 185/60/R15 tires.

You have two choices here in the 16" set up:

If you are 'comfort' oriented then 195/55/R16
If you are 'handling' oriented then 205/50/R16

As a matter of fact, the 2018 Polos come with 16" rims as stock with 195/55/R16 tires.

[Nikz]

Hi All,

I am using 2017 POLO TSI with stock Good Year Assurance 195/55/R16. I would like to up size it to 205; but really confused whether to go for 205/55/R16 (which will increase the ground clearance by 5mm approx.) or 205/50/R16 (which will reduce ground clearance by 5 mm).

Can you suggest me which one is better for an enthusiastic driver; Michelin Pilot Sport 4(205/50/R16) or Pirelli P7 Cint (205/55/R16).

[ShubhamGhute]

Originally Posted by Nikz

Hi All,

I am using 2017 POLO TSI with stock Good Year Assurance 195/55/R16. I would like to up size it to 205; but really confused whether to go for 205/55/R16 (which will increase the ground clearance by 5mm approx.) or 205/50/R16 (which will reduce ground clearance by 5 mm).

Can you suggest me which one is better for an enthusiastic driver; Michelin Pilot Sport 4(205/50/R16) or Pirelli P7 Cint (205/55/R16).

The idle upsize without scrapping the tyre would be 215/50/R16, as it will not affect the side wall height to much extent. But I think the stock size (ie:195/55/R16) is quite well configured. There is no point is going above 195 section rubber patch as it will be too much of tyre for the car. 195 is the idle size and even in international market, polo come with same width.

A good set of tyres within same size (Michelin Primacy 3ST, Continental MC5 etc.) will give you much nicer grip, noise reduction and comfort which the goodyears suffer from.

P.S. This is my individual opinion and I neither offend you nor your idea to upsize the tyres.

[prince85]

I think the 16" Portago alloy wheels on the recent Polo GT's and even the regular Polo Highline+ variant looks stunning. Guys, an idea about the specifications of the same with respect to offset and width of the wheel?

Thanks

[binod049]

Hello Fellow BHP-ians! This is my first post on T-BHP.

I own a 2014 VW Polo 1.2 MPI Comfortline variant. The car came with 15” steel rims with 185/60-R15 Goodyear tyres and has clocked little over 33,000 KMs. In the last four years, the tyres have had quite a few punctures and pothole-hitting incidents (slightly bent rims!), plus they have become extremely noisy lately. I have been thinking of upgrading to Alloy Wheels paired with good set of tyres.

At first, I thought I’d go for 15” alloys, but considering the fact the new Polo (even 1.0L Petrol) comes with 16” alloys and 195/55-R16 Tyres, I thought why not go for the same specs! I’ve shortlisted 16” Momo Screamjet EVO alloys but unable to decide on tires. MOMO dealer in Bangalore is suggesting 205/50-R16, but I am not sure if it’ll be overkill for 1.2MPI Polo. I am also not sure if upgrading to 16” is a good idea at all. Thoughts?

[ShubhamGhute]

Originally Posted by binod049

I am also not sure if upgrading to 16” is a good idea at all. Thoughts?

Upgrading from a steel wheels to alloy wheels is a good idea. While I personally prefer 15” on polo, upgrading to 16” has its own pros and cons.

Pros;

• You will have marginally more grip with 16”
• Your car will ‘aesthetically’ look better
• 16” has variety of premium tyre options (195 and above)

Cons:

• Pricey! 16” alloys and suitable tyres will be pricey as compared to 15”
• Ride quality won’t be as comfortable as 15”
• It will make your car slightly slow

As your polo is 1.2 MPI which isn’t meant for outright performance & acceleration, I think 15” with 195/60 rubber will be the most ideal package for your polo. Anything above 195 will be an overkill (both in 15” as well as 16”). Also, ride quality will be much better with 15” as compared to 16” due to additional sidewall height. Get genuine alloy wheels from reputed brands and good quality tyres. Michelin Primacy 3ST and Continental MC5 are preferred choices which are known to provide silent ride and optimum balance between ride comfort, grip, and durability.

PS: This is my personal opinion based on my knowledge and general facts.

[VKumar]

I have recently upgraded the shoes of my baby to 195/60 R15 MRF Z-Sports and I wouldn't have been a happier man.

Z Sport IMO is a wonderful tyre to live with at just 5k per piece, the grip and handling is just wonderful, I am not a squeal lover and they are providing me more than enough grip around the corners or while braking than I demand out of them, in fact I tried braking from 80-0, 100-0 and once 120-0 and it was satisfactory in all three conditions.

[binod049]

Originally Posted by ShubhamGhute

[*]Ride quality won’t be as comfortable as 15”[*]It will make your car slightly slow[/list]

These two reasons are enough for me to stay with 15". However, I wonder, If such an upgrade would compromise comfort and performance, why VW decided to offer 16" alloys with 195/55 tyres on 1.0L Polo Highline Plus?

Also, there is no sure shot way of finding out if VW have made suspension/ABS tweaks on highline plus models. Maybe, I should take a test drive to find out!

@Epic - Would love to hear you opinion on this.