Bigger alloys without affecting comfort

[DavidYorkTaylor]

Hello all! Am new to the T6 forum and have a question!! Got 4 year old T6 Moted yesterday and it looks like I will need to invest in 4 new Tyres in next 6 months.. Thw van currently has standard wheels. Thinking of larger wheels with low profile. I don’t want to minimize the feel of the ride, and not thinking of altering suspension.. what’s the biggest wheels we can have? Any recommendations before we start looking at potential options??

 

[DaveD]

Hello all! Am new to the T6 forum and have a question!! Got 4 year old T6 Moted yesterday and it looks like I will need to invest in 4 new Tyres in next 6 months.. Thw van currently has standard wheels. Thinking of larger wheels with low profile. I don’t want to minimize the feel of the ride, and not thinking of altering suspension.. what’s the biggest wheels we can have? Any recommendations before we start looking at potential options??

David, welcome to the forum.
Tyres and wheels are a huge subject.
And I'm no expert!
If you're happy to splurge the cash you can get 20 inch alloys with low profile tyres, I think some have gone even larger, but everything is a compromise and if you don't want to change your suspension you might have to make a choice between aesthetics and comfort. You can't defeat physics, sidewall soaks up bumps.

 

[Greenmachine]

Bigger wheels will increase unsprung weight, and will have a detrimental effect. Any reason why you don’t want to change the suspension?
It’s not until you put decent shocks on that you realise how bad the OEM ones are.
Have a read of the many threads on the subject, I don’t think anyone regrets changing their suspension

 

[DavidYorkTaylor]

David, welcome to the forum.
Tyres and wheels are a huge subject.
And I'm no expert!
If you're happy to splurge the cash you can get 20 inch alloys with low profile tyres, I think some have gone even larger, but everything is a compromise and if you don't want to change your suspension you might have to make a choice between aesthetics and comfort. You can't defeat physics, sidewall soaks up bumps.

Bigger wheels will increase unsprung weight, and will have a detrimental effect. Any reason why you don’t want to change the suspension?
It’s not until you put decent shocks on that you realise how bad the OEM ones are.
Have a read of the many threads on the subject, I don’t think anyone regrets changing their suspension

Thanks for the guidance. No real reason not to change suspension. Conscious that sometimes we go to festivals with rough ground so keen to have something which remains comfortable as well as smarter..
Any advice re suspension as well as wheels!? Live in North Yorkshire so would be good to get all fitted in one day….

 

[JOG]

Talk to @CRS Performance who can do the lot in a couple of hours! He is also recognised as a suspension guru!

 

[Greenmachine]

Yep, second that,.
I wanted a bit more comfort, but retaining a bit of clearance for rough road use, and Steve levelled out the van and totally transformed the ride and handling.
For reference I’m running 20’s

 

[ginkster]

Welcome. Fitting bigger wheels alone will make the ride harder and impact handling due to the smaller tyre sidewall and higher unsprung mass. However, altering the suspension can recover this and, done right, can actually improve ride and handling over the original (not difficult!). I’d agree with Jog and suggest contacting Steve at CRS. He can supply for local fitting or you could make the journey down to see him. I did exactly that and made a mini trip out of it, doing a Britstop near Cannock the night before and visiting CRS the next morning. They were done in 90 mins with new suspension and ARBs all round. Worth the trip.

 

[DavidYorkTaylor]

Excellent thanks all. Will act on this advice!!

 

[DaveD]

Talk to @CRS Performance who can do the lot in a couple of hours! He is also recognised as a suspension guru!

Wot E said!
I went there, best money I spent on the van.

 

[S40FTH]

I am new to all this!

We recently bought a T6.1 Kombi and I want to upgrade the wheels from the standard 17'' Devonports. We use the vehicle for everyday driving and weekend trips, as a day van, etc.

I want it to look good but still maintain a comfortable ride. What do you think about upgrading to 18's, 19's, or 20's? What are your thoughts on suspension options?

What are the effects of bigger wheels and lowering on the overall ride of the van compared to the standard wheels?

Looking forward to your thoughts and advice! And sorry for the basic question!

S40 FTH

 

[VWDAZ71]

Went from 17’s to 18’s on mine and I felt the ride improved slightly.

 

[DXX]

Reminds me of the ‘70’s when ever kid wanted their Mum to adjust their school trousers to get that extra magical inch.

 

[VWDAZ71]

I just thought the 17’s with original tyres looked too small for my Caravelle. That extra inch makes all the difference!

 

[Lubrown]

RE wheel size this is a good place to look…
The differences between 17, 18 and 19 inch tyres - Tyre reviews and ratings

The tests were done on a Golf GTI but the principal is the same.

It’s a great website for all questions tyre related.

You can even weight ratings to suit your needs to find the best tyre for you.

 

[S40FTH]

RE wheel size this is a good place to look…
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/The-differences-between-17-18-and-19-inch-tyres.htm

The tests were done on a Golf GTI but the principal is the same.

It’s a great website for all questions tyre related.

You can even weight ratings to suit your needs to find the best tyre for you.

Thanks for this. Much appreciated. Would you be able to reset d the link? Its not showing anything?

 

[Bav]

I am new to all this!

We recently bought a T6.1 Kombi and I want to upgrade the wheels from the standard 17'' Devonports. We use the vehicle for everyday driving and weekend trips, as a day van, etc.

I want it to look good but still maintain a comfortable ride. What do you think about upgrading to 18's, 19's, or 20's? What are your thoughts on suspension options?

What are the effects of bigger wheels and lowering on the overall ride of the van compared to the standard wheels?

Looking forward to your thoughts and advice! And sorry for the basic question!

S40 FTH

Same advice as provided to the OP - PM @CRS Performance, discuss your requirements and follow his advice. He's 2.5 hours away from you, but you'll really enjoy the drive back (or, if you'd prefer, Steve can supply parts for local fitting).

 

[Lubrown]

Not sure what happened there but hopefully this link will work…

The differences between 17, 18 and 19 inch tyres - Tyre reviews and ratings

 

[Bigsidavies]

Another thing to consider is sidewall strength (and therefore I assume rigidity). When I go on big foreign trips I remove my 20” wheels with 245/45/20 tyres that are 103 mpv tyres and replace with my original Devonports that have 109C rated van tyres and from memory about 48psi. The ride with those tyres is so hard by comparison. I guess they are designed for delivery drivers to smash up kerbs etc. - might as well be solid tyres.
So 20’s with the correct suspension is not necessarily a less comfortable ride.

 

[Lubrown]

Another thing to consider is sidewall strength (and therefore I assume rigidity). When I go on big foreign trips I remove my 20” wheels with 245/45/20 tyres that are 103 mpv tyres and replace with my original Devonports that have 109C rated van tyres and from memory about 48psi. The ride with those tyres is so hard by comparison. I guess they are designed for delivery drivers to smash up kerbs etc. - might as well be solid tyres.
So 20’s with the correct suspension is not necessarily a less comfortable ride.

I think that’s a good point. My 215/65 16” tyres are a 107/109 and despite having tall sidewalls along with Koni special active shocks and normal ride height using OE springs the ride is very harsh (to be frank it’s absolute crap in terms of comfort). I keep looking at replacing the wheels with either 17 or 18 which would allow me to run lower pressures and lower ratings according to the sticker in the door. I think that would give a better ride. Although being a T28 we do get near the limit if fully loaded so tyre ratings need considering.

Sticker below for info…

 

[CRS Performance]

I think that’s a good point. My 215/65 16” tyres are a 107/109 and despite having tall sidewalls along with Koni special active shocks and normal ride height using OE springs the ride is very harsh (to be frank it’s absolute crap in terms of comfort). I keep looking at replacing the wheels with either 17 or 18 which would allow me to run lower pressures and lower ratings according to the sticker in the door. I think that would give a better ride. Although being a T28 we do get near the limit if fully loaded so tyre ratings need considering.

Sticker below for info…
View attachment 243235

There are a few things you could consider so we can get the best out of the Active shocks.