Alloy Wheels

[kevin t]

hi can some one help me ... I want to buy a new set of alloy wheels either 17" or 18". If I put either these sizes on will it knock my speedo out on my MK2 galaxy? Thank you for your help.

[chromedome]

Also make sure you can get extra load tyres in those rim sizes.

[malcolm.dobell]

Assume you're talking about a Mk1 or Mk2 galaxy.

 

if you buy 17" wheels you can use 225/45x17 94W tyres. This combination is used on some of the Sharan/Galaxy/Alhambra as atandard. My Alhambra has these wheels as standard.

 

the diameter of this combination is roughly the same as the other tyres I've had on Alhambra/Galaxy; 215/60x15, 195/65x15. Other models use 205/60x16.

 

all of them use the same speedo setting.

[ads81]

Also make sure you can get extra load tyres in those rim sizes.

 

When I looked into fitting 18's on my mk1 a year or so back my local tyre fitting company said if I was to go for 18's then the tyres would be safe load wise as all 18's are heavy duty.

[Ghia-X]

Also make sure you can get extra load tyres in those rim sizes.

 

When I looked into fitting 18's on my mk1 a year or so back my local tyre fitting company said if I was to go for 18's then the tyres would be safe load wise as all 18's are heavy duty.

 

 

Your tyre company doesnt know what theyre talking about .

 

All tyres have a load index on them and Galaxy`s need a tyre with a minimum 94 load index and they need to be either reinforced or extra load also .

 

Any 18 inch tyre , or any tyre for that matter , below this load index is simply not safe to have on a Galaxy .

Edited May 21, 2011 by Ghia-X

[ads81]

When I looked into fitting 18's on my mk1 a year or so back my local tyre fitting company said if I was to go for 18's then the tyres would be safe load wise as all 18's are heavy duty.

 

 

Your tyre company doesnt know what theyre talking about .

 

All tyres have a load index on them and Galaxy`s need a tyre with a minimum 94 load index and they need to be either reinforced or extra load also .

 

Any 18 inch tyre , or any tyre for that matter , below this load index is simply not safe to have on a Galaxy .

 

What they said was that all 18 inch tyres are above the load rating required for a Galaxy and that the width of the tyre and also the profile of the tyre have a bearing on the load index. As for knowing what they are talking about they are a local firm established for over 40 years and a firm who'll tell you to bring a car back in a thousand miles rather than take your money there and then.

[Ghia-X]

Once again , your comment proves that this particular tyre company havent the foggiest idea what they are talking about .

 

All 18 inch tyres are NOT above the load rating required for a Galaxy....thats the stupidest comment Ive ever heard and if thats the advice this company are giving out , then they wouldnt get my business because they are WRONG!!

 

18 inch tyres can have a load rating starting at 88 , which is normal for your average car , say a Golf or a Focus (This load index tyre wont have reinforced sidewalls either). This is nowhere near high enough for a Galaxy , which requires at least a 94 index load rating and be marked "extra load" or "reinforced" . The lower rated tyre wont have strong enough sidewalls to carry the weight or the stress loads that will be exerted on the tyre by a Galaxy when cornering , braking or high speed motoring and it could fail with disasterous consequences.

 

If your tyre company were to fit 88 rated load index tyres (or any tyre under the correct load index) to your Galaxy and you went out and had an accident , your insurance company would probably refuse to cover you if it was found that you had the incorrect tyres fitted to your car.

[cprob]

Once again , your comment proves that this particular tyre company havent the foggiest idea what they are talking about .

 

All 18 inch tyres are NOT above the load rating required for a Galaxy....thats the stupidest comment Ive ever heard and if thats the advice this company are giving out , then they wouldnt get my business because they are WRONG!!

 

18 inch tyres can have a load rating starting at 88 , which is normal for your average car , say a Golf or a Focus (This load index tyre wont have reinforced sidewalls either). This is nowhere near high enough for a Galaxy , which requires at least a 94 index load rating and be marked "extra load" or "reinforced" . The lower rated tyre wont have strong enough sidewalls to carry the weight or the stress loads that will be exerted on the tyre by a Galaxy when cornering , braking or high speed motoring and it could fail with disasterous consequences.

 

If your tyre company were to fit 88 rated load index tyres (or any tyre under the correct load index) to your Galaxy and you went out and had an accident , your insurance company would probably refuse to cover you if it was found that you had the incorrect tyres fitted to your car.

 

 

Have a look here:

 

http://www.rotationuk.com/gbu0-display/tyre_load_ratings.html

 

A Galaxy is about 2500kgs which is 625kgs per wheel ... without any people/luggage etc. I always fit tyres with a load rating of 98 which have a load rating of 750kgs.

[kevin t]

thanks for your help BUT if you put 17" or18" on dose the speedo go out thanks

[malcolm.dobell]

thanks for your help BUT if you put 17" or18" on dose the speedo go out thanks

 

if you don't put low profile tyres on wheels then "yes" the settings will be wrong.

 

for 17", wheels, if you use the tyres I've quoted above, then the speedo will be OK.

 

if you go for 18" you need even lower profile 225/35x18. As others have said they must be reinforced. The speedo will still be OK

 

17" wheels with 225/45x17 wheels are quite mainstream and therefore not outrageously expensive. Also they might sharpen up the handling a bit but not completely destroy the ride.

 

18" tyres are a lot more costly, there's much less choice and I suspect your backside will regret the decision the firt time you hit a pothole!!

 

if you do change, don't forget to tell your insurer!!!

[Ghia-X]

Once again , your comment proves that this particular tyre company havent the foggiest idea what they are talking about .

 

All 18 inch tyres are NOT above the load rating required for a Galaxy....thats the stupidest comment Ive ever heard and if thats the advice this company are giving out , then they wouldnt get my business because they are WRONG!!

 

18 inch tyres can have a load rating starting at 88 , which is normal for your average car , say a Golf or a Focus (This load index tyre wont have reinforced sidewalls either). This is nowhere near high enough for a Galaxy , which requires at least a 94 index load rating and be marked "extra load" or "reinforced" . The lower rated tyre wont have strong enough sidewalls to carry the weight or the stress loads that will be exerted on the tyre by a Galaxy when cornering , braking or high speed motoring and it could fail with disasterous consequences.

 

If your tyre company were to fit 88 rated load index tyres (or any tyre under the correct load index) to your Galaxy and you went out and had an accident , your insurance company would probably refuse to cover you if it was found that you had the incorrect tyres fitted to your car.

 

 

Have a look here:

 

http://www.rotationuk.com/gbu0-display/tyre_load_ratings.html

 

A Galaxy is about 2500kgs which is 625kgs per wheel ... without any people/luggage etc. I always fit tyres with a load rating of 98 which have a load rating of 750kgs.

 

What kind of Galaxy do you have that weighs in at 2.5 tonnes ?? Must be a Mk3 is it ?

 

The Mk1 Galaxy has a kerb weight of 1645kg and 1858kg depending on the model

 

The Mk2 Galaxy has a kerb weight of 1681kg and 1727kg depending on the model .

 

The new Mk3s are heavier which is why they run 98 or 99 load index tyres as standard but the earlier Mk1 and Mk2s only need a 94 or 95 load index tyre

Edited May 22, 2011 by Ghia-X

[Ghia-X]

thanks for your help BUT if you put 17" or18" on dose the speedo go out thanks

 

Changing to 17 or 18 inch wheels wont affect the speedo so long as you choose the correct profile tyre.

 

A 17 inch wheel would need a 225/45 x 17 tyre which would keep the speedo correct....likewise with an 18 inch wheel you would need a 235 / 40 x 18 tyre

 

If you go for smaller 225/40 x 18 tyre then you wont get it with the required load index.

 

Ive run my Galaxys over the last 9 years on every size of wheel available from standard 15 and 16 inchers , through 17 , 18 and 19 inch rims , right up to 20 inch and have never had a problem with my speedo reading off.

[Amarok]

When you fit bigger wheels it has the affect of speeding up the speedo i.e.

 

standard wheels 30 MPH indicated 28MPH actual

 

Bigger wheels 30MPH indicated 25MPH actual

 

the important issue is your speedo don't UNDER read i.e. indicated 30MPH actual 38MPH !! (Flash, Flash, Kerr-Ching money please )

 

on a personal note I have found these super low profile tyres apart from costing shed loads of money give you the ride of a go kart ! with the current state of our roads and I use my Gal every day I need maximum comfort and for that more rubber in the wall please simples ;)

[cyborg]

Think we've been here before ..anyway the ESC or ESP (Electronic stability control) or even ABS are function's that rely on wheel speed to deduce traction control .Personnely I think you'd be a fruitcake to start messing with wheels and tyres that are outside handbook specifications .Especially when the manufacturer has calibrated the control of these systems to close parimiters for you and family saftey.

 

I suppose you could always disable abs ..:lol:

 

Somtimes I sound like me dad :lol: