Iv just been out to my car to have a look see what tyres will fit under my back arch an by the looks of it I'm not gonna be able to go much wider than the original wheels due to lack of space.

I know absolutely nothing about it so someone please explain.

I'm getting som 13's so is there a certain size of tyre thats gonna fit under there?

Are you planing on keeping the original wheels? If so I'd stick with 165/65/13s as these will give you no problems even if you decide to lower the car. For alloys it depends on the offset. Most 13" wheels that fit the polo have an offset of ET38. You can use these tyres on anything up to a 6" rim with this offset and should still avoid scrubbage. ET45 is a slightly better alternative, but there are less wheels about with this offset (generally 70s watercooled vws and vauxhall wheels, or larger sizes; 14s, 15s etc) 175/60 will also just about fit, but it depends on the make ot tyre and how generous the arches are on your particular car.

sorry wasnt clear, gonna buy new rims and new tyres, hoping to drop it to the floor in the future but dont wanna do any arch work. tryin 2 avoid problems!

Thanks Mark

what size/offset wheels were you hoping to fit?

what size/offset wheels were you hoping to fit?

As i say i dont't really know what I'm talkin about so any ideas/advice will much appriciated

Mark

Mark,i recommend reading the offset topic pinned at the top of the forum. It explains much about wheel sizes,and should help you vision what you need. There are five main measurements of a wheel. Then tyre sizes are another matter - width (175=175mm wide) and profile (65= tread height from rim is 65% of the tyres width). But generally,if you want to slam your car down low on 13s,id recommend the following tyres:

165x55x13 - smallest i know of,actually look cute,fair handling and steering feel, lots of room - you could drop the car down to the floor and the tyres wouldn't rub the body.

175x50x13 - almost as small but slightly wider - grippier,but steering will be heavier. Outside of tyres get close to arches at full drop.

Both these tyres will reduce gearing,and as a result,your speedometer will over-read and top speed will be reduced in exchange for more acceleration.

165x65x13 - standard Polo GT size,correct gearing and good arch clearance when slammed. Not best on grip.

175x65x13 - slightly bigger,quite wide, and will fill arches. Higher gearing,good for motorway and progressive handling.

185x60x13 - old school XR2 size - right gearing,good handling,but a bit wide for a very lowered car or squareback.

All this is with correct spec wheel,of 5-6in rim.