Bigger wheels and wider tyres on a 3L

[iwcham1979]

Hello guys, I have a Lupo 3L remapped to about 60+kw, and I am not satisfied with the looks and handling of the stock tyres (Grip is horrible)..!I want to buy these 15s off of a Polo Gti and buy some 195/45/15 tyres. So I have two questions. Will a 3L suspension be able to handle them? My 3L doesn’t have power steering, so I hope it will be just a little bit harder to turn the wheel? Stock tyres are 155/65/14. Cheers guys

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[bretti_kivi]

should fit and work. I had a Lupo at one point... these are exactly correct tyre sizes. 4x100, should be the correct ET, too.

- Bret

 

[iwcham1979]

Ok .Thanks. Someone said this would be roo much for a 3L because of the small/ight suspension, bit I don’t think it’s gonna be the problem...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Menno]

For what's it worth: I had an Arosa tdi (Lupo rebrand) and 15" rims with 175/55-15. Should keep the steering a tad lighter.
Must say, the Arosa has power steering.

New MINI rims:

 

[carlston]

There aren't any winter or all-season tyres in size 195/45R15. There's also very little choice in summer tyres, with very few of the latest models from the top brands.

Oversize 175/65R14 and 185/60R14 tyres are common and cheap sizes and would give a much better ride than 195/45R15. The level of grip would still be in a different league compared to the standard 155/65R14. The VW Caddy 1995-2003 used both these tyre sizes and is also based on the Polo MK3.

Alcar 6795 5Jx14 ET35 from the VW Up! would fit the Lupo. Mytyres are listing these for £35.20

mytyres.co.uk

Steel Rims for VW UP! 1.0
Your car

Car manufacturer: VW [change] Car model: UP! 1.0 [change] Car type: AA 999ccm 66 kW BJ.: 12.2011- [change]

ALCAR Rim type 4-hole steel wheel Size 5 x 14 Bolt pattern 4 x 100.00 x 57.00 Offset 35.00

 

[bretti_kivi]

He's in Serbia, not the UK.

I remember well the difference in roadholding with the 175 to 185 upgrade; 185/55R14s, I believe, from 175/60R14s or so. I still had 14s for winter. This was on a 1.0 Lupo and the differences were only positive. No issues with heavy steering, great feedback and much less roll.

I almost regretted not going to for the 45 section tyres on massive 15" rims, but it was a decent compromise. Need to think about my own summer tyre selection soon even though there's still 40cm of snow outside...

.Bret

 

[iwcham1979]

Thanks guys, I’m gonna look into 15s then. My 3L is gonna look funny on higher tyres, the speedo will be off, and the fuel consumption may suffer as well, cause aerodynamics are very important for the 3L.... I’m not sure the tiny magnesium rims would accomodate a wider 14 tyre also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[carlston]

The 3L Lupo wheels are 4.5Jx14 ET38

(1)	6E0601025D	aluminium rim	4,5JX14H2 ET38 Model data: PR-C5D
	6E0601025D Z17	avus silver	Period: 0603 - 0705

--><!--

Wheels, brakes Aluminium rim LUPO 3L TDI, GTI,FSI for 2006 Volkswagen Lupo / Lupo 3L TDI Europe market

www.oemepc.com

The same rims were fitted to the 3L Audi A2 1.2TDI

--><!--

Wheels, brakes Aluminium rim hub cap 14

www.oemepc.com

175/60R14 or 175/65R14 will fit a 4.5Jx14 rim.

ETRTO don't list these as approved sizes for the 4.5J rim because ETRTO group 50 to 65 series tyres together, eg. 175/50, 175/55, 175/60, 175/65 are all given the same approved widths. 175/50 and 175/55 don't fit a 4.5J rim, 175/60 and 175/65 do fit a 4.5J rim.

However, the more sidewall that you have the narrower the rim the tyre will fit to for any given tyre width.

Proof that 175/60 fits a 4.5J rim
165/50 4.5J (approved)
175/60 4.5J (should have been approved)
185/70 4.5J (approved)
As you can see from above, 165/50 and 185/70 fits a 4.5J rim so 175 will also fit provided that it has enough sidewall height...and enough sidewall height is in the middle of a 165/50 tyre and a 185/70 tyre...and a 175/60 tyre does have a sidewall height in the middle of a 165/50 tyre and a 185/70 tyre.

Further Proof that 175/60 fits a 4.5J rim
165/70 4J rim (approved)
175/60 4.5J rim (should have been approved)
185/50 5J rim (approved)
As you can see from above, 165/70 fits a 4J rim and 185/50 fits a 5J rim so 175 will fit a 4.5J rim provided that it has enough sidewall height...and that sidewall height will be in the middle of the sidewall height of a 165/70 tyre and a 185/50 tyre...and a 175/60 tyre does have a sidewall height in the middle of a 165/70 tyre and a 185/50 tyre.

175/60R14 has about the same outside diameter as 155/65R14, so the gearing will stay the same.

It makes sense to use the standard 3L Lupo rims because they are very lightweight.

As 175/60R14 fits, 175/65R14 will also fit a 4.5J rim.

175/60R14 is not a common size, but at least Michelin CrossClimate+ is available

Michelin 175/60R14 83H

Michelin Tyres / All Season Car / Michelin CrossClimate+ Michelin Cross Climate+ - 175/60 R14 83H XL TL Fuel Eff.: D Wet Grip: C NoiseClass: A Noise: 68dB All Season - Four Season - All Weather - Car/MPV Tyres - 14" R14" - 175/60/14, 175/60R14

Buy online cheap Michelin Tyres / All Season Car / Michelin CrossClimate+ Michelin Cross Climate+ - 175/60 R14 83H XL TL Fuel Eff.: D Wet Grip: C NoiseClass: A Noise: 68dB

www.camskill.co.uk

Michelin 175/60R14 83H

Michelin CrossClimate+ 175/60 R14 H tyres | Blackcircles.com

Buy tyres online and get them fitted locally with Blackcircles. Lifetime Guarantee now on all car, van & SUV tyres. Peace of mind, at no extra cost.

www.blackcircles.com

 

[bretti_kivi]

@carlston
Did you actually read the original question?

I know how light the original wheels are. I know they're a magnesium alloy. I know approximately how much they're worth on ebay (i.e. quite a lot). I know how narrow they are and how much approximately they contribute to fuel economy. The OP did not ask about that. I've no idea where the fascination with 14" comes from, but this was about 15" from the start.

I also know how a Lupo handles as I had one for two years directly before my A2 and I threw it around an awful lot of bendy country roads at speed - they were on my commute to the train station. All weathers, summer and winter tyres. I understand well the desire for less squidge, roll and the comfort compromise, because I did something very similar, only about 20 years ago.

 

[carlston]

I have a Lupo 3L remapped to about 60+kw, and I am not satisfied with the looks and handling of the stock tyres (Grip is horrible)..!I want to buy these 15s off of a Polo Gti and buy some 195/45/15 tyres. So I have two questions. Will a 3L suspension be able to handle them? My 3L doesn’t have power steering, so I hope it will be just a little bit harder to turn the wheel? Stock tyres are 155/65/14.

Consider oversize 195/50R15 instead of 195/45R15.

195/50R15 is a much more common and cheaper size than 195/45R15.

The outside diameter of 195/50R15 tyres is about 3.5% more than 195/45R15 tyres.

A remapped 1.2TDI engine should have no trouble pulling the higher gearing.

The speedo will still unread as it's about 5% optimistic as standard. It's easy to check as google maps now has a GPS speed readout.

There's a small chance of rubbing, but unlikely.

camskill are listing Vredestein Quatrac 5 in size 195/50R15 for both H and V speed ratings at about £45, and Uniroyal RainSport 5 for under £40. 195/50R15 is certainly a cheap size.