Summer wheels ready for the season. I purchased the rims used, and although they looked good, I decided to check them thoroughly before mounting the tires. Unfortunately, it turned out that two of them weren’t perfectly straight and required straightening. The previous owner probably hit a pothole with one side – well, these things happen.
Even minor irregularities can cause wobbling, especially at higher speeds, so it’s worth ensuring that the rims are perfectly straight.
Summer wheels specification
- Tires: Bridgestone Turanza 6 215/40 R17 87W XL
- Rims: Barcino 17″ from Cupra 6J 7Jx17H2 ET43
Photos
In the pictures below are my black 17″ Barcino rims with Bridgestone tires. I still can’t get used to their dark color, but at least they match my cat 🙂
Fitting Barcino rims to Polo 9n3
Currently, I drive my old 9n3 more often, which serves as my commuter car, so I decided to first test fit these wheels on the older Polo. I had 15mm spacers on the front because someone had oddly attached the ABS cable, and I didn’t want to fix it yet, so it was simpler to add a spacer to prevent the rim from rubbing against the cable 😀
What was immediately noticeable is that the Barcino rims from Cupra have very convex spokes. The 15mm spacer with the standard ATE caliper from Polo 6R WRC Street with 310mm discs allowed for a substantial free space – another caliper would easily fit here…
Na powyższych zdjęciach widać dobrze, że felga w miejscu zacisku jest wypukła i wyraźnie wystaje poza oponę. Przy tak zaprojektowanych szprychach można bez problemów zastosować większe zaciski hamulcowe bez stosowania bardzo dużych dystansów.
Summary and plans
The wheels will be used on my 9n3 for a while, and later I’ll move them to the Polo 6R. Initial driving impressions are very positive – the Bridgestone Turanza 6 tires have good road grip. I hope the tires will handle my slightly dynamic driving style in the 6R 🙂
