17s on a mk2

haha, lots of tyres available i guess.

unsprung weight is a given, agreed, not sure what the difference would be though, ill be using mono block porsche calipers and lightweight 2 piece discs, and the wheels will be lightweight, so might not be as much of a difference as someone using heavy single piece discs and single pot slider calipers like a set of 312's off an S3 and some heavy 17' no name wheels

Std 312mm single pot brakes are around 17kg a side, i think the porsche setup will be 8 or 9 kgs

 

Unsprung weight is key now your getting into it

Volk/rays te37 rims I run are one of the strongest lightweight rim's you can buy designed for big brakes.

4.25kg a rim 16"



BBS 512 split rims 9.5kg a rim 17" in loft 3 years now lol



My old Borbets 16" wheel 10kg a rim could not run over 280mm on G60 calipers ...4 pots no way

 

those old borbets are not good then, even a porsche 996 turbo front caliper will go over stock 312mm discs with stock mk4 16's - i know as i have it all, but the turbo calipers are just too big and getting a lightweight 2 piece disc to suit the 60mm pad sweep area is a nightmare

 

Here is my Mk2 rolling on 7 x 17 ET42 BBS LMs, Toyo T1R 205/40/17, 19mm spacer on the front & 20mm spacer on the rear. Some arch work was necessary and the car runs full Mk3 16v front suspension and rear beam with a 10.5mm stub axle spacer.... No rubbing, I'll let you make you own minds up as to whether 17's look pants. I'm a little bias

 

in my own humble opinion, 15,s for drivers. anything bigger for tarts

hmmmmm, as he breaks open another beer

 

Lol I'm a fooking Tart

Love that car but that has put me of trying my 17's to big

 

i think the 17,s just look too big,

furthermore, in my mind, the capacity of air in the tires serves as a component of the suspension system in the vehicle. so combined with the shockers/springs, this acts as part of the overall handling package. if you change one of the parameters then this will obviously affect another. as long as you have a good balance that you are happy with then all is well really.

common sense really in my mind, but in summary i think you sacrifice looks for ride quality.(depending on your perspective)

 

I have a whole bunch of those Yokohamas. Can you show a little more of what you had to do to get them to fit?

 

I didn't fit them, they were too big. It would basically require a full wide arch kit, much like the Berg Cup cars.

 

A 1kg saving in unsprung/rotating mass is equal to 3kg static mass (so says a recent Evo article on the subject...)

Beyond that a bigger/wider rim has more centrifugal forces and moment of inertia to overcome. Also increased gyroscopic forces when turning, hence "funny steering" as mentioned earlier. Those can generally be offset by a decent set up; altering castor, etc.

 

Best thing I did with my Mk2 was go back to 15's from the 17's..