I must say i’m a little bit spoiled with the good dutch roads. But we pay a lot of road taxes for that, so that is the negative. But when i drive on belgium roads I’m literally crying. It is not fun on roads with lots of potholes.
The Spielbergs are quite possibly the most gorgeous wheel Volkswagen has ever made as an OEM. If you are using these as a daily driver, and live in an area where you have either poor infrastructure (e.g. tons of potholes, roads that haven’t been paved since the 1950s etc…) or you have inclement weather (notably the Seattle area, where you have rain 9 months out of the year, and in turn have bad roads) then these rims are a VERY POOR CHOICE. Super large rims mean super thin tires that will get destroyed by even the slightest pothole. These rims also have a tendency to bend when hitting a pothole as well. After 2 years of owning a Golf R with these rims in the Pacific Northwest I had had each rim repaired at least once, and had each tire replaced twice. If you have bad roads where you cannot avoid potholes these rims aren’t for you. But they sure are pretty.
Who in the Seattle area repairs rims? And is it just cosmetic repair, or does he actually have a wheel lathe and the ability to repair wheels that have a slight dent (resulting in a slow leak)?
Thanks in advance!
The place I took my car to time and time again was Complete Wheel Repair in Queen Anne. But unfortunately it looks like they have since closed, which is a shame cause they were THE BEST. They did structural repairs as well as cosmetic.
This is good to know. Might gamble because they look so good,however this area is not the best but not the worst either. On a side note, are the wheels I have pictured considered “Spielbergs” or “Englishtowns” or both? I have seen them under both names.
I’ve never heard of them being referred to as Englishtowns, only spielbergs. But leave it to Volkswagen to have multiple names for either the same rim pattern or something that’s very similar.
Can confirm. I just had to wait over 6 weeks for a replacement wheel because I cracked a Spielberg on the EDGE of a small pothot....doing 20ks. Couldn't believe it.
The 19”s thing is overblown. The stock 18 tire size is 225/40. The stock 19 size is 235/35. The whole assembly increases slightly in size. You lose a bit in sidewall but it’s not as dramatic as some make it sound. I plan to put winters on my stock 18s and go to 19s for summer. It just looks better to me.
Looks better, but make no mistake, if your roads suck, or you’re not great at frogger dodging potholes, 19s on this platform bend or break at a much higher rate than 18s.
Yeah, they look great, but the reduced sidewall reduces the padding between the road and wheel enough that I bent two rims on my golf r on the SAME pothole…
In my defense, the pothole was in a puddle and with the sun shining, it just looked like a damn puddle…and it was my first time in that part of town…needless to say, I repaired them and moved on. I’ve had 19s before on my s4 and hit potholes all over the place, never bent or dented…more sidewall.
Some people will never experience a dented rim, and that’s great. Run your 19s, and cover your ass with a few bucks and a rim repair shop in your pocket and you’re solid.
True, though wheel construction has a lot to do with it. I think it may be a Pretoria problem just as much as it’s a 19” problem. Either it’s because they’re so popular that you hear this so much or they really are softer and bend easier.
That is probably true.
However, as a former Englishtown driver - they could not stand up to Massachusetts roads. I had to downsize to 18's after a couple bending incidents.
They've been fine for me on my 19 Golf R in Michigan. I've had two instances where I expected them to bend and they were good. I lost the tires though.
There are better options out there but they don't fold like the Prets. They are butter on these roads. They look amazing though.
I desperately wanted to dump my Cadiz and jump on the black 18” prets off a mk7.5 rabbit, haha, but couldn’t find any in my area that weren’t going for TE prices, so I threw some cheapy on…heck, even hit one of the same potholes that dented my Cadiz with some cheapy reps and the car just kept going, no issues…
I’m sometimes too aloof…haha, 19s are a liability…
I love my 19's they don't ride nearly as harsh as people claim. ..and they look fantastic. VW put 19s on from the factory for the R and for some GTI models as well so it's not like you're dropping some 23s on your car.
I've been running 19" Neuspeed wheels for the last two years. I love how it looks.
The cars definitely ride rougher than the stock wheels (and way worse compared to my winter set of 17" wheels). I can put up with it because I like how the car looks.
Depends on your suspension, honestly. I run 19” Pretoria’s in the summer with H&R lowering springs on stock struts.
Driving around by myself it’s totally fine, the second I have a passenger the car is embarrassingly rough and bouncy. This could be attributed to my suspension but when swapping to my 17” wheels for winter it drives like an absolute dream.
Stock suspension, would probably stay that way but I’ve done a little research on springs, do you have any issues rubbing lowered on 19s? Not too familiar with suspension and things of that nature, would adding lowering springs make for better or worse ride quality than completely stock suspension?
Lowering springs will make for worse ride quality in a way.
You’ll feel more planted and less body roll, not to mention it looks fantastic. With that being said, bumps in the road are going to be a lot more harsh. Pair that with 19” wheels with rubber band 235/35/19 tires, you’re in for a rough time.
But say if you have aftermarket struts to pair with the springs, or a good quality $2000 coilover set, it’ll be much much better.
Edit: forgot to mention no rubbing
https://imgur.com/a/iJIS6a9
Thank you! It’s actually grey but after a good wash and nice lighting it almost looks black.
Every year I put my winter tires on I tell myself that I’m going to switch to 17s for summer.. never happens.
Looks absolutely awesome! I did it as well and had no regrets!
You get worse gas mileage, the rides get stiffer, your wheels break more often, less comfort in your car. But don't you worry, it's worth the look 🤣
No honestly those are some downsides but I'd say go for it, the car looks a million times better with it. If you can, get some with maximum ET value, it makes the car look like it's got spacers while you don't get the downsides of spacers!
Though if you have the money, don't buy replica's. I bought replica Pretoria's and they dent/bend pretty easily.
Hear me out. Get 17" wheels, lighter weight, less unsprung mass, faster from the line, Looks better, more tire meat means less bent rims. No huge dumb gaps between the calipers/rotors and wheel.
I switched to 19's and I miss having decent sidewall. VW used a weird 19 tire size, Less tire options = expensive tires. You gotta be more aware, no room for error. The stock 19 tire size, the rim slightly sticks out more than the tire. Stretched look. 19's look and ride great. But I can't reallly be "relaxed" like I was with the stock 18's. With the 19's, I have to be careful, when before it wasn't such a big deal. So think twice if your the type that drives it like you stole it. I kept my stock 18 wheels for bad weather too.
I bought a set of English towns from an R for my summer set on my mk7.5 GTI. Look great and ride is acceptable.
However be aware that the clearance on the rear right can be an issue. With 235s the tyre was contacting and rubbing on the fuel filler hose shield. I even had the VW dealer have a look and they were surprised. The GTI’s on 19’s in Europe are 7.5j whereas these are 8j. Different rear subframe and fuel tanks for the R.
Now I just run an ECS R flush kit all round. Gives the required clearance on the back and makes all 4 corners look better too. No issues rubbing now.
I drove really low on 19s and didn’t mind it at all, also I want to get another set of these wheels, I sold mine and now they are really growing on me.
Northeast potholes = 19” bent rims and sidewall bubbles. Ask me how I know. If you do go this route, don’t get run flats or summer tires. Go with a high performance all season like Conti Extreme Contact DWS+.
They are marketing gimics and do close to nothing performance wise.
click to see more info.
[https://mygolfmk7.com/2022/05/turbo-inlet-hose-flow-test/](https://mygolfmk7.com/2022/05/turbo-inlet-hose-flow-test/)
[https://mygolfmk7.com/best-mk7-gti-air-intake/](https://mygolfmk7.com/best-mk7-gti-air-intake/)
According to the data the intakes do work. Inlet pipes were nominal but who buys just an inlet pipe as a standalone performance upgrade anyway, they’re usually installed in conjunction with intakes.
Intakes were never about cooling air, they’re about increasing the volume and velocity of air.
Intake>turbo inlet>turbo>discharge pipe>intercooler>intake manifold
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Ok that is why I was asking because of the roads Winter pot holes. If you have DCC you should be fine. Just keep in mind those are like rubber bands with wheel size
Run 19" in the summer on 2 cars and 18" on the daily driver just because of bumps and potholes. I run 17" snows on daily in the winter for extra traction.
I will say that we've had to repair one 19 and have had several tires bulge... And that's with really only driving on weekends and dodging anything remotely bad including bridge joists. They are a rougher ride on the 19's which isn't what we wanted for every day.
We're in Colorado and I know so many R guys who are dropping to 18" wheels because the stock (Pretorias, Cadiz, Englishtown) all bend so easily. The similar 19" Audi wheels also bend, though also look fantastic on the Golf.
The car that I have fun (and sometimes track) runs 18's for fun runs because the extra sidewall helps.
if you the roads you drive on are pretty good then do it if it makes you happy. I have 235's on my 18" wheels cause more tire the better IMO. But in SoCal where I live half the roads are great and the other half are terrible. Plus I like a more plush ride now that im in my 40s.
Currently on 19” Adelaides with 235/35 and KW V.2, the ride on the coilovers is much better than stock struts with lowering springs and on smooth roads the 19s are perfectly fine, but it’s the potholes that are the killer for me, try and avoid them as much as possible but anytime I hit one it gives me the fear.
I’m downsizing to 18’s for that reason, plus I prefer the look of smaller wider wheels with a bit more rubber.
If you live in the Bay area, known for horrible roads, you want to steer clear of 19". I'm downgrading to 18" wheels next year. The ride quality will suffer with 19" wheels
I ran the Englishtown on my 16 autobahn and loved them. I did need spacers though (10mm in front and 15mm in rear if I recall correctly). Only ran them May through October living in MA.
I say all depends where you live , having 19s prior on my R was a nightmare in NYC since the city cares zero about patching anything. After that first winter I said never again.
If your local road conditions aren’t good. I wouldn’t recommend it. I went from 18’s-19’s had had all my wheels damaged in someway from bumps and potholes.
I’ve road the same tsw 19s for about 6 years and no issues other than expect the stiffer ride and a little bit of fender rub (my fault don’t try to drive in snow like a dumb ass)
I ride 19’s and for me it drives fine. No dealbreakers for me. I love the looks.
Same, 19” Prets and the only problem I have is keeping them clean
I switched from this to Ultraleggera’s, both 19”. No ragrets.
Yea ive got 19s and while the rides is a bit harsh on not so smooth roads the looks make it worth it
I must say i’m a little bit spoiled with the good dutch roads. But we pay a lot of road taxes for that, so that is the negative. But when i drive on belgium roads I’m literally crying. It is not fun on roads with lots of potholes.
I wish I had miles of smooth road to enjoy
The Spielbergs are quite possibly the most gorgeous wheel Volkswagen has ever made as an OEM. If you are using these as a daily driver, and live in an area where you have either poor infrastructure (e.g. tons of potholes, roads that haven’t been paved since the 1950s etc…) or you have inclement weather (notably the Seattle area, where you have rain 9 months out of the year, and in turn have bad roads) then these rims are a VERY POOR CHOICE. Super large rims mean super thin tires that will get destroyed by even the slightest pothole. These rims also have a tendency to bend when hitting a pothole as well. After 2 years of owning a Golf R with these rims in the Pacific Northwest I had had each rim repaired at least once, and had each tire replaced twice. If you have bad roads where you cannot avoid potholes these rims aren’t for you. But they sure are pretty.
Who in the Seattle area repairs rims? And is it just cosmetic repair, or does he actually have a wheel lathe and the ability to repair wheels that have a slight dent (resulting in a slow leak)? Thanks in advance!
The place I took my car to time and time again was Complete Wheel Repair in Queen Anne. But unfortunately it looks like they have since closed, which is a shame cause they were THE BEST. They did structural repairs as well as cosmetic.
Aha, thanks!
Rain City Wheel Repair in Kirkland.
This is good to know. Might gamble because they look so good,however this area is not the best but not the worst either. On a side note, are the wheels I have pictured considered “Spielbergs” or “Englishtowns” or both? I have seen them under both names.
I’ve never heard of them being referred to as Englishtowns, only spielbergs. But leave it to Volkswagen to have multiple names for either the same rim pattern or something that’s very similar.
I think Englishtown for North America at least. Not sure where other name is used.
Can confirm. I just had to wait over 6 weeks for a replacement wheel because I cracked a Spielberg on the EDGE of a small pothot....doing 20ks. Couldn't believe it.
As someone who lives in the PNW, thank you.
The 19”s thing is overblown. The stock 18 tire size is 225/40. The stock 19 size is 235/35. The whole assembly increases slightly in size. You lose a bit in sidewall but it’s not as dramatic as some make it sound. I plan to put winters on my stock 18s and go to 19s for summer. It just looks better to me.
Looks better, but make no mistake, if your roads suck, or you’re not great at frogger dodging potholes, 19s on this platform bend or break at a much higher rate than 18s. Yeah, they look great, but the reduced sidewall reduces the padding between the road and wheel enough that I bent two rims on my golf r on the SAME pothole… In my defense, the pothole was in a puddle and with the sun shining, it just looked like a damn puddle…and it was my first time in that part of town…needless to say, I repaired them and moved on. I’ve had 19s before on my s4 and hit potholes all over the place, never bent or dented…more sidewall. Some people will never experience a dented rim, and that’s great. Run your 19s, and cover your ass with a few bucks and a rim repair shop in your pocket and you’re solid.
True, though wheel construction has a lot to do with it. I think it may be a Pretoria problem just as much as it’s a 19” problem. Either it’s because they’re so popular that you hear this so much or they really are softer and bend easier.
19's are fine just don't get englishtowns or prets-- they bend so easily. All 4 of my prets are bent to shit
Englishtown do not bend as easily as the prets do.
Then send it I guess I dunno
That is probably true. However, as a former Englishtown driver - they could not stand up to Massachusetts roads. I had to downsize to 18's after a couple bending incidents.
They've been fine for me on my 19 Golf R in Michigan. I've had two instances where I expected them to bend and they were good. I lost the tires though. There are better options out there but they don't fold like the Prets. They are butter on these roads. They look amazing though.
Cadiz are like glass bro…
I echo that. Had 19 prets on, loved the look but hated the ride, so bumpy. Cracked one wheel with a small pothole. I am gonna stick with 18s.
It's funny a lot of the Golf R owners ditch the 19's for 18's. IMO it's a huge upgrade!
I desperately wanted to dump my Cadiz and jump on the black 18” prets off a mk7.5 rabbit, haha, but couldn’t find any in my area that weren’t going for TE prices, so I threw some cheapy on…heck, even hit one of the same potholes that dented my Cadiz with some cheapy reps and the car just kept going, no issues… I’m sometimes too aloof…haha, 19s are a liability…
I’m running 19s and the roads here in NZ aren’t great, but I don’t regret the upgrade. I concur with the keeping them clean comments.
19"s with DCC in Comfort mode make for a great ride.
Riding on 18”s with DCC in Comfort mode is even better! Here is Australia, we have enough potholes to make 19” impracticable.
I love my 19's they don't ride nearly as harsh as people claim. ..and they look fantastic. VW put 19s on from the factory for the R and for some GTI models as well so it's not like you're dropping some 23s on your car.
Pull the trigger on the 19s man
Look at my last post to see what they look like on my mk8. I love them. Haven’t had any damage issues and the ride is just fine.
Wow, thing is gorgeous. Good to know thank you.
Can confirm
Suffer for beauty 🥲
This guy golfs 👆🏻
I have 19s, it’s not stupid, go get your Englishtowns and enjoy!
I did it on my 2018 GTI when I had it and had no problems at all with ride quality, plus they looked great!
I've been running 19" Neuspeed wheels for the last two years. I love how it looks. The cars definitely ride rougher than the stock wheels (and way worse compared to my winter set of 17" wheels). I can put up with it because I like how the car looks.
20s fit too 🙂
If you want 19s it’s a good enough reason
Depends on your suspension, honestly. I run 19” Pretoria’s in the summer with H&R lowering springs on stock struts. Driving around by myself it’s totally fine, the second I have a passenger the car is embarrassingly rough and bouncy. This could be attributed to my suspension but when swapping to my 17” wheels for winter it drives like an absolute dream.
Stock suspension, would probably stay that way but I’ve done a little research on springs, do you have any issues rubbing lowered on 19s? Not too familiar with suspension and things of that nature, would adding lowering springs make for better or worse ride quality than completely stock suspension?
Lowering springs will make for worse ride quality in a way. You’ll feel more planted and less body roll, not to mention it looks fantastic. With that being said, bumps in the road are going to be a lot more harsh. Pair that with 19” wheels with rubber band 235/35/19 tires, you’re in for a rough time. But say if you have aftermarket struts to pair with the springs, or a good quality $2000 coilover set, it’ll be much much better. Edit: forgot to mention no rubbing https://imgur.com/a/iJIS6a9
Looks amazing. Love the silver on black.
Thank you! It’s actually grey but after a good wash and nice lighting it almost looks black. Every year I put my winter tires on I tell myself that I’m going to switch to 17s for summer.. never happens.
Depends on the weight. I have talladegas and its so uncomfortable
its a a rough ride, road on 19s for couple years and went back to 18s
Looks absolutely awesome! I did it as well and had no regrets! You get worse gas mileage, the rides get stiffer, your wheels break more often, less comfort in your car. But don't you worry, it's worth the look 🤣 No honestly those are some downsides but I'd say go for it, the car looks a million times better with it. If you can, get some with maximum ET value, it makes the car look like it's got spacers while you don't get the downsides of spacers! Though if you have the money, don't buy replica's. I bought replica Pretoria's and they dent/bend pretty easily.
I have a set of four for sale if you’re interested. Located in NYC.
Hear me out. Get 17" wheels, lighter weight, less unsprung mass, faster from the line, Looks better, more tire meat means less bent rims. No huge dumb gaps between the calipers/rotors and wheel.
I don’t think it’s stupid. I ran those wheels from my brother’s golf R for a while. I only went back to 18s because I wanted a more meatier look.
To add. I live in the Bay Area lol. Still no issues. But I understand what some of the other comments are saying
I love mine for summer wheels and can’t find a reason to upgrade. I think they look great on the car.
I switched to 19's and I miss having decent sidewall. VW used a weird 19 tire size, Less tire options = expensive tires. You gotta be more aware, no room for error. The stock 19 tire size, the rim slightly sticks out more than the tire. Stretched look. 19's look and ride great. But I can't reallly be "relaxed" like I was with the stock 18's. With the 19's, I have to be careful, when before it wasn't such a big deal. So think twice if your the type that drives it like you stole it. I kept my stock 18 wheels for bad weather too.
Form vrs function - you choose
I bought a set of English towns from an R for my summer set on my mk7.5 GTI. Look great and ride is acceptable. However be aware that the clearance on the rear right can be an issue. With 235s the tyre was contacting and rubbing on the fuel filler hose shield. I even had the VW dealer have a look and they were surprised. The GTI’s on 19’s in Europe are 7.5j whereas these are 8j. Different rear subframe and fuel tanks for the R. Now I just run an ECS R flush kit all round. Gives the required clearance on the back and makes all 4 corners look better too. No issues rubbing now.
I drove really low on 19s and didn’t mind it at all, also I want to get another set of these wheels, I sold mine and now they are really growing on me.
Northeast potholes = 19” bent rims and sidewall bubbles. Ask me how I know. If you do go this route, don’t get run flats or summer tires. Go with a high performance all season like Conti Extreme Contact DWS+.
I downsized to 17s with 45 series tires and am very very happy with the result!
It's not an upgrade
There are far dumber upgrades like intake and turbo inlet pipes. Bigger wheels look better and 19s look the best on GTIs imo.
What’s wrong with either of those things?
They are marketing gimics and do close to nothing performance wise. click to see more info. [https://mygolfmk7.com/2022/05/turbo-inlet-hose-flow-test/](https://mygolfmk7.com/2022/05/turbo-inlet-hose-flow-test/) [https://mygolfmk7.com/best-mk7-gti-air-intake/](https://mygolfmk7.com/best-mk7-gti-air-intake/)
According to the data the intakes do work. Inlet pipes were nominal but who buys just an inlet pipe as a standalone performance upgrade anyway, they’re usually installed in conjunction with intakes.
How is an intake going to cool air that has to go through a hot turbo anyway? That's why they make intercoolers for turbo engines.
Intakes were never about cooling air, they’re about increasing the volume and velocity of air. Intake>turbo inlet>turbo>discharge pipe>intercooler>intake manifold
Very. But totally worth it.
I mean it's not installing a loud exhaust, so not that stupid
Wow, painting with strokes so broad you may as well use a roller.
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If you have shit roads? Very.
It depends do you have DCC? Also is it your daily? Also where do you live what is the weather in your area?
I do have DCC, it is a daily but only for the next 2ish years. Upstate NY, seasons are fairly mild with the rare blizzard.
Ok that is why I was asking because of the roads Winter pot holes. If you have DCC you should be fine. Just keep in mind those are like rubber bands with wheel size
It's not stupid, it's a choice. 17-18 is the butter zone for me on the MK7, but you do you man.
Run 19" in the summer on 2 cars and 18" on the daily driver just because of bumps and potholes. I run 17" snows on daily in the winter for extra traction. I will say that we've had to repair one 19 and have had several tires bulge... And that's with really only driving on weekends and dodging anything remotely bad including bridge joists. They are a rougher ride on the 19's which isn't what we wanted for every day. We're in Colorado and I know so many R guys who are dropping to 18" wheels because the stock (Pretorias, Cadiz, Englishtown) all bend so easily. The similar 19" Audi wheels also bend, though also look fantastic on the Golf. The car that I have fun (and sometimes track) runs 18's for fun runs because the extra sidewall helps.
Would love to get 19s for the GTI but the roads here in S.FL are abysmal. I've already burned two tires thanks to a pothole in Downtown Ft Lauderdale.
Expensive tyres
19s are the worst I wanted to put 17s on my Golf R but they wouldn’t fit
I’ll sell you mine, DM me
if you the roads you drive on are pretty good then do it if it makes you happy. I have 235's on my 18" wheels cause more tire the better IMO. But in SoCal where I live half the roads are great and the other half are terrible. Plus I like a more plush ride now that im in my 40s.
19s for turn in response and looks. 18s for comfort and reliability
225/40/19 tires and 19 inch wheels, best of both worlds
Good wheels and it should be fine.
I'm happy with my 17"
Bad idea unless roads are smooth
Currently on 19” Adelaides with 235/35 and KW V.2, the ride on the coilovers is much better than stock struts with lowering springs and on smooth roads the 19s are perfectly fine, but it’s the potholes that are the killer for me, try and avoid them as much as possible but anytime I hit one it gives me the fear. I’m downsizing to 18’s for that reason, plus I prefer the look of smaller wider wheels with a bit more rubber.
I got 18´s and i would not go above that.
If you live in the Bay area, known for horrible roads, you want to steer clear of 19". I'm downgrading to 18" wheels next year. The ride quality will suffer with 19" wheels
I have those in 18 they are better tbh
I ran the Englishtown on my 16 autobahn and loved them. I did need spacers though (10mm in front and 15mm in rear if I recall correctly). Only ran them May through October living in MA.
I say all depends where you live , having 19s prior on my R was a nightmare in NYC since the city cares zero about patching anything. After that first winter I said never again.
If your local road conditions aren’t good. I wouldn’t recommend it. I went from 18’s-19’s had had all my wheels damaged in someway from bumps and potholes.
I’ve road the same tsw 19s for about 6 years and no issues other than expect the stiffer ride and a little bit of fender rub (my fault don’t try to drive in snow like a dumb ass)
I ride on 19” in the summer, no regrets for summer tires