17"or 18" Wheels Best for a T6 Ocean

[Ian-s]

Hi All, Happy New Year.
I purchased a used T6 Ocean this year that had 18" VW Springfield alloys fitted (tyre 255/45 R18)
They look and handle great, but I have been a little disappointed with the firmer ride and the Hankook tyres are only 1/2 worn, but have become much too noisy so I need to do something.
It seems reasonably easy to get hold of decent Devonport alloys for a sensible price and would fit 235/55 R17 tyres. (apparently Bridgestone Turanza are fitted by VW, so I presume a good option in this size ?)
I have never driven a Cali with 17" wheels so I have no comparison.
My consideration is whether is research getting better (especially quieter and / or better ride) 18" tyres, or to use this opportunity to switch to Devonport 17".
Any advise or shared similar experiences would be much appreciated.
Kind regards Ian.

 

[B J G]

I don't know where you are located but I'd suggest finding someone local with a 17" wheeled Cali to let you do a comparison.
Advantages of 17" wheels are cheaper tyres, far wider range of tyre manufacturers and tread designs to choose from. The need for 103 load rating seems to be the main restriction with the 18" size.
18" wheels with 255/45 tyres are actually very slightly less in circumference than 235/55/17.
The 17" tyres will absorb more of the impact of our rough roads than 18" ones.

 

[Alan Andrews]

Unless the suspension was changed at the time the 18in wheels were fitted, then you are liable to experience more of a wallowing feeling when driving on smaller wheels with more height in the tyre wall.

I'd suggest trying to tee up with someone with another van with the standard 17in wheels and tyres and have a test drive. Then decide what you prefer.

Like most things it is going to be a compromise.

 

[2into1]

On the upside, your 18s will be worth a few £

 

[cbdubs]

I have both types of wheels, 17" Davenports with 215 60 Goodyear Vector tyres, which I run in the winter and 18" T6 sportline wheels with 255 45 General Tyres. The van definitely handles better on the 18's but the ride is firmer and you feel more of the bumps. I prefer the looks of the 18's though. My 18" tyres will be due for replacing this summer so will fit winter tyres on so I can run them all year round and not bother with the Davenports.

 

[Ian-s]

I have both types of wheels, 17" Davenports with 215 60 Goodyear Vector tyres, which I run in the winter and 18" T6 sportline wheels with 255 45 General Tyres. The van definitely handles better on the 18's but the ride is firmer and you feel more of the bumps. I prefer the looks of the 18's though. My 18" tyres will be due for replacing this summer so will fit winter tyres on so I can run them all year round and not bother with the Davenports.

Thanks for you views, I understand the VW recommended 235/55 R17 size tyre (on devonport) does give a good compromise between the 2 tyre options you mention Still considering what to do !

 

[Ian-s]

On the upside, your 18s will be worth a few £

Yes financially it is no problem !,

 

[Ian-s]

I don't know where you are located but I'd suggest finding someone local with a 17" wheeled Cali to let you do a comparison.
Advantages of 17" wheels are cheaper tyres, far wider range of tyre manufacturers and tread designs to choose from. The need for 103 load rating seems to be the main restriction with the 18" size.
18" wheels with 255/45 tyres are actually very slightly less in circumference than 235/55/17.
The 17" tyres will absorb more of the impact of our rough roads than 18" ones.

Hi Thanks for the response, I was trying to avoid doing a phantom test drive at a dealer, but I may have to !

 

[cbdubs]

Thanks for you views, I understand the VW recommended 235/55 R17 size tyre (on devonport) does give a good compromise between the 2 tyre options you mention Still considering what to do !

Yeah, I had a set of 235 55 17 on a set of Thunder alloys that I used for a few months. To be honest, didn't really notice a difference between that size and the 215 60 profiles - still very wallowy and didn't feel as sure footed as the 18's.

 

[cbdubs]

Ian-s - where abouts are you based - doesn't say on your info panel?

 

[No_heroes]

I have had both and I think the 17s are much better for this type of vehicle. The 18s look better, but limit your all-season etc tyre choices and have a much harder ride- especially in the back. That little extra sidewall adds a lot in comfort and robustness at the cost of very minor handling characteristics. Both handle absolutely adequately for the type of driving I do in the Cali.

I am personally against this trend of massive wheels. Any SUV with 20+ wheels is essentially a big road car. Heavy cars, wide tyres with tiny sidewalls- especially with all the pot holes and kerbs around us usually results in damaged rims and shredded tyres!

Utilmately the game changer for me was the peace of mind having a full size spare. Essential in my view.

 

[Marc7400]

Over here in our Holland, we have very many bumps on the road, so no 18 inch for us. We use 17 inch vector all weather Goodyear, great grip and not that expensive. In 4 motion, we only switch the tires from front to back every 10k km. To avoid the tire noise

 

[Dick]

I changed from 18's with Hankook tyres to a virtually new set of 17's with Bridgestone tyres shortly after geting my second hand van due to the poor ride.
It has made a difference but I will now be investing in different shock adsorbers soon, as one of the strut top mounts has started to get noisy after 50,000 miles.
Also added a spare wheel but kept the gunk and compressor.

Yep it might not look quite as nice but as I get older I value my comfort more than my looks.

P.s. the 4 wheels and tyres cost less than a new set of 18" tyres .



Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk

 

[mountainman]

I don't know where you are located but I'd suggest finding someone local with a 17" wheeled Cali to let you do a comparison.
Advantages of 17" wheels are cheaper tyres, far wider range of tyre manufacturers and tread designs to choose from. The need for 103 load rating seems to be the main restriction with the 18" size.
18" wheels with 255/45 tyres are actually very slightly less in circumference than 235/55/17.
The 17" tyres will absorb more of the impact of our rough roads than 18" ones.

Totally agree with this comment. I have 18" wheels on mine, factory fitted and came with the Berghaus edition It restricts the choice of tyre considerably. I never get more than 15,000 miles out of the tyres I have chosen thus far and I could do with better impact resistance as I do many miles on rough Scottish single-track roads.

 

[motacyclist]

Regarding ride and handling, I find no discernible difference between our previous Cali with 17” and the current one with 18” Springfields. Fitted with Hankook tyres, I haven’t noticed they are any noisier either.

The van was a showroom one with the 18” already fitted, I wouldn’t have specced them as I don’t see any particular advantage over the 17”, and as mentioned above tyre choice is more limited. Also more easy to catch the rims on the kerb.

 

[BGE Warsash]

Hi - my 2wd 2017 ocean came with 18 inch wheels on hankook summer tyres and no spare - I purchased winter tyres for use October to March as I travel to the alps each year and value the performance in snow - I also had vw fit a proper spare with a 17 inch winter tyre on a steel wheel for good measure - I change the tyres with my local tyre fitter for 20 gbp per corner and so far all fine - my other option would of course been to have a set of winters on 17s - I may do this in future when my existing winters wear out - my only traction problems have actually been in the spring on soft grass campsites - I always carry the tow rope

 

[Trebor]

Over here in our Holland, we have very many bumps on the road, so no 18 inch for us. We use 17 inch vector all weather Goodyear, great grip and not that expensive. In 4 motion, we only switch the tires from front to back every 10k km. To avoid the tire noise

Hi @Marc7400 Why does swappig tyres front to back avoid tyre noise ? My tyres wear evenly all round ?

 

[B J G]

Hi - my 2wd 2017 ocean came with 18 inch wheels on hankook summer tyres and no spare - I purchased winter tyres for use October to March as I travel to the alps each year and value the performance in snow - I also had vw fit a proper spare with a 17 inch winter tyre on a steel wheel for good measure - I change the tyres with my local tyre fitter for 20 gbp per corner and so far all fine - my other option would of course been to have a set of winters on 17s - I may do this in future when my existing winters wear out - my only traction problems have actually been in the spring on soft grass campsites - I always carry the tow rope

Might be worth carrying a pair of traction mats, take up little space.

Such as these but lots of others available https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-Wint...h=item468e1b92b4:g:T-AAAOSwPYNcN4Bk:rk:1:pf:0

Couple of strips of old carpet can do the same job, chuck after use and replace with the same thing.

 

[mountainman]

Hi All, Happy New Year.
I purchased a used T6 Ocean this year that had 18" VW Springfield alloys fitted (tyre 255/45 R18)
They look and handle great, but I have been a little disappointed with the firmer ride and the Hankook tyres are only 1/2 worn, but have become much too noisy so I need to do something.
It seems reasonably easy to get hold of decent Devonport alloys for a sensible price and would fit 235/55 R17 tyres. (apparently Bridgestone Turanza are fitted by VW, so I presume a good option in this size ?)
I have never driven a Cali with 17" wheels so I have no comparison.
My consideration is whether is research getting better (especially quieter and / or better ride) 18" tyres, or to use this opportunity to switch to Devonport 17".
Any advise or shared similar experiences would be much appreciated.
Kind regards Ian.

Hi there,

I have a 2012 Cali Berhaus edition. It's a 180. This came with the so called Dakar 18" wheels. I use the van in Scotland both winter and summer. I have put up with them but given the choice again I'd go with 17" wheels for two reasons. More tyre choice and better shock resistance with a higher profile tyre. Essential as our roads seem to be disintegrating.