swap implications

[smk82]

I've had my R Estate now for a month or so and am really starting to love it. The minor thing niggling at the back of my mind however is the ride... I wasn't fortunate enough to find an R on the used market with the spec I wanted; I did originally want an estate with a few options, but the cadiz wheels due to the smaller size, cheaper tyres and better ride quality.. this was almost impossible to find as most cars with options typically also had prets, not cadiz, so I went for a car with the 19" prets but some of the other options that I wanted in the end. Most of the time I've found the ride quality not too bad on the 19", despite the fact of not having DCC, but there are some fairly bumpy roads around me which weren't too bad on my old A3 with 18", but can be quite unforgiving on the 19" which have got me thinking.

 

I'll admit that the car certainly looks better with the prets on, but I've seen estates with cadiz and they don't look bad to me either (with the exception of the pain of repairing diamond cut wheels). I'm planning on keeping the car for at least 4-5 years, but I'm in two minds with what to do with the wheels. I know that retrofitting DCC isn't possible, which leaves swapping the wheels out as probably the easiest option, as whilst adjustable coilovers from what I can see are available, these are designed to plug into the DCC system on the car (which mine lacks). Also what would happen to the suspension/wheel gap if I swapped to the smaller wheels - would it take a few days for it to adjust? (And I know swapping tyres is an option, but I'm running Dunlop SportMaxx, which are a fairly good tyre, not as hard at the bridgestones that everyone complains about).

 

The other niggle for me is what happens when I eventually sell on the car, as you can trace the original spec of the car and it would be listed as having pretorias fitted. Even if I swapped to cadiz (which are OEM), what would he impact be on the resale potential of the car and cost, as it would deviate from spec? I've posted this here and not in the sale/wanted section as I'm still deciding what to do...

[Nile]

Nothing wrong with Cadiz, after lots of deliberations, all my R's had them.

Refurbing them is the only issue. Tyres cheaper, ride could be softer. 

Keep the Prets as spare. I don't think you will have a massive difference in price when you re sell whether Prets or not in 4 yrs.

[arthouse]

I'd pick yourself up a used set of Cadiz, they're not hard to come by and not too expensive like the Pretorias. Keep the Prets, then when it comes to sell, you can offer with either set of wheels to the new buyer, then sell whatever you have left. 

 

I'm doing the opposite to you, swapping my Cadiz for Prets, i may keep my Cadiz and do what i'm suggesting you do

[PhilC22]

First, i would try to 'borrow'/test drive an R estate (or at least an R hatchback) on cadiz wheels to see whether the ride is in fact significantly better on those rough roads you mention. I suspect it might not be, and your old A3 is not a great comparator. For me, 19 inch prets on an non-dcc car are absolutely fine (even on roughish roads, as long as you dont bomb along) but this 'ride thing' is obviously very subjective. If you do decide to swap wheels i don't think this will have a significant effect on the car's resale value. Or, as said, you could just keep them and put them back on later.

[smk82]

When I first started looking at R estates, I test drove one with Cadiz wheels and it certainly seemed better, however I will probably do so again before I make any decision. If I did decide to change, it would be a swap as I don't particularly want to keep another set of wheels in the garage for 4 years (not really the room for that...

[gregozedobe]

Tyres and tyre pressure can make a difference to ride quality.  What pressure are you running ?  I run 38 psi all round on my hearse.

 

I have a vague idea some on here found an improvement in the ride (and handlng) by fitting Michelin PS4S (NB not PS4) to their 19" wheels.  Might be worth doing a bit of research on different tyres and experimenting with pressures before making a decision.

[PHILC]

I've got a hatch with Prets and DCC on Contis, I find the ride on Race (the hardest setting) isn't too jarring but the car does handle much better than on the softer settings. In fact Comfort setting is too soft to my mind and does nothing at all for the cars handling, it seems almost to stumble and bounce over drain covers etc. If I bought another R I would still have Prets but wouldn't bother with DCC. Is the rear end on an estate stiffer than the hatch? 

[Lew]

I have 19"prets on a non DCC hatch and find the ride and handling absolutely fine. Obviously its subjective though.

 

I came from a civic type R which was much worse, but seemed OK compared to the Ibiza Cupra I had before it, which was worse again, But seemed OK compared to the Smart Brabus roadster coupe I had before that.

 

You cant get worse than a Smart Brabus roadster coupe! I believe it had scaffold bars instead of suspension springs. Amazing fun when you were in the mood though, but a pain in the ass for the other 90% of the time!

[Vidman]

If you go to buy Cadiz second-hand - highly recommended - do make sure you buy VW OEM original wheels in pristine condition as refurb costs can be high, avoid after-market copies as they may be cheap but they are generally heavier and softer.

 

The extra give in the 18s sidewalls is quite noticeable giving a soft more compliant ride.

 

If you sell your Prets on you should be quids in, I would not worry about when you finally sell the car on as long as it has VW wheels no one is going to query if they came with the car - you can honestly say yes they are original VW wheel.

[Tom]

Interesting to hear about the 19" without DCC, as I'm looking for and estate with leather seats the few that have them also have the 19" prets, seen various mentions of these being harsh without DCC but doesn't really sound like a problem. 

[SIMK7.5]

I've got 19" without DCC (hatchback not estate) and the ride seems absolutely fine to me.

 

As said its all subjective, depends what you are used to. I was used to fast Ford suspension so the R seems like a limo to me!

[Peth]

Get a set of 18inch TD 1.2 wheels. Good quality reasonable price and a lot lighter than Cadiz.
The space under the arch is not really different as rolling diameter essentially the same due to increased tyre depth profile on 18s.


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[ashleyman]

I went from 18" Cadiz to 19" Pretoria and there is a difference in the ride firmness. The 18" is more forgiving and not as hard as the 19". Visually, there's quite a bit of difference in the arch gap between 19" and 18" wheels. Personally I like the look of the 19" wheels and the ride of the 18" wheels. 

 

I bought my 19" Pretoria after I got my car and I've kept the original 18" Cadiz wheels for when it gets sold. Also if you want to sell the car to VW during warranty they'll insist on it having the wheels it the left the factory on.

[smk82]

5 hours ago, Lew said:

I have 19"prets on a non DCC hatch and find the ride and handling absolutely fine. Obviously its subjective though.

 

I came from a civic type R which was much worse, but seemed OK compared to the Ibiza Cupra I had before it, which was worse again, But seemed OK compared to the Smart Brabus roadster coupe I had before that.

 

You cant get worse than a Smart Brabus roadster coupe! I believe it had scaffold bars instead of suspension springs. Amazing fun when you were in the mood though, but a pain in the ass for the other 90% of the time!

I've driven far worse than my R estate, this is true. I got given a Focus ST3 for a courtesy car a few months back that felt like it didn't even have suspension a great deal of the time, totally rock solid, great fun but not comfortable at all... I know its meant to be a "sporty" drive, but theres sporty and there's a requirement for back surgery which I'm sure I would need if I drove that daily for more than the few weeks I had it. As I've mentioned, a lot of the time its not that bad on the 19", but it is certainly worse than the 18" rims I had on my A3 without adaptive suspension. It when I'm on the rough roads that its bad, plus it seems louder as well. Although as SIMK7.5 quite rightly says, it is all subjective.. I'm also thinking on the lines of the cheaper tyres as well, as its about £600-700 for a set of 19", vs significantly less for 18"!

[NeilM]

I eBayed my 19" Cadiz (hated their look and so does my wife — done deal!) shortly after taking delivery and bought nice 18" aftermarket wheels/tires. The ride is more compliant, yet handling is really not compromised. The new wheels I chose have slightly lower offset, so the car's stance is improved a bit.

 

Just one more data point.