wheel compatibility
 

I wore out the tires on my vw golf, so I figure it's time to switch to LRR. it also seems like a good opportunity to swap from the 17" wheels I've currently got to 15" wheels, but I've been having a hell of a time finding some for a reasonable price.

a chap is willing to trade the 15" wheels from his subaru outback. the bolt pattern matches, but the hub center bore is off by 1 mm. the outback wheels have 56.1 mm but vw needs 57.1 mm. my hunch is that the smaller bore won't fit, but I don't know that. thoughts?

15 inch wheels are going the way of the dinosaur.
Some of the domestic tire manufacturers have started to completely drop 15 from their tire lines.
Soon you will only be able to get 15 inch tires that are made in China garbage.
Your best bet is 16 inch wheels.

Then you have lug centric and hub centric. I don't know which subaru uses and I don't know which one VW uses. I think they both use lug centric.
What about the back spacing?
Will the 15 inch wheel clear the front brake caliper?

I know 15" wheels were the standard equipment on the golf, so I assume they're alright on the break caliper count.

I'm not at all sure about the backspace, but I believe they have similar offsets. if they're the same width with the same offset, shouldn't the backspace also be the same?

I got some LRR tires with a 70,000 mile warranty for what seems like a great price to me. it will take me many years to drive that far, so I'm not too worried about obsolescence. I suppose I could buy another set to sit on...

I have no problems finding 14 inch wheels. Some of the best selling new cars come with 14's. I haven't paid much attention to it, but are 15's more rare?

EDIT: With 15's being standard equipment on a 2017 Toyota Corolla, I have a hard time imagining them going away.

I sure hope 15s don't go away anytime soon. Most of my cars use 15s, and larger wheels are wasted on most street cars. They just add unsprung weight in the service of looks.

If the hub bore on the Subie wheels is too small by that much it would be easy to machine them out. I put 6 lug Escalade wheels on a Kia minivan but had to have the bores machined out. That was a significant difference, not just a mm. If it were just that little I would have done it myself instead of paying $25 each to do it at a shop. It's easy to go the other way using the little rings wheel shops carry. I do know the steel 15" wheels on my Subaru fit the hub really tight, they are frozen on there every time I swap wheels which is twice a year. Maybe the VW just wants to give a little more space so you don't have to struggle with it on the side of the road.

Apart from the unsprung weight, other aspect that I consider important is the improved comfort, since a tyre with a higher profile in a smaller-diameter wheel tends to absorb more impact from the irregularities in the pavement.

Hint: Many of the "cheaper"(econo) lines of chevy/GM vehicles had 5x100mm with a 57.1mm bore, just like your VW, starting back in the 80s right up until mid-2000s.

There's lots of them. Chevy cavalier, Beretta, Corsica, etc; Pontiac Sunfire, Sunbird, Fiero, etc. Etc, etc.

Plus! Chrysler/Dodge used to use the same in the 90s. Lebaron, shadow, etc.

Here's what you need. A proper list:
Wheel Bolt Pattern Cross Reference Database and Conversion Guide: 5 X 100

Just makes sure it has the 57.1mm bore (or bigger) before you buy any. And ~ the same level of offset. (They should almost all be "high" offset anyway)

I have '00 Cavalier z24 16" wheels on my Fiero. They will swap right out with my Jetta's.

Hear, hear! When I bought my snow tires, I sought out 205/75R15s rather than the stock 205/70R15. At the time, I liked the idea of gaining a tiny bit more ground clearance for deep snow, but now the extra comfort of a taller sidewall and slightly higher gearing are bonuses. :thumbup: I would hate to be pumping up low-profile tires to improve my FE.

That is a great link! It's too bad we don't live closer together, tel. I think I still have all of the alloy 15s from my departed Beretta...

The first new car I ever bought was a 1990 Beretta GTZ 5 speed with the HO Quad 4. All black with, for it's day, huge 16" wheels. Chevy's goal was the best handling FWD ever made and according to some reviews they achieved it.