I'm not really a smart guy, I just play one on the internet.  Thanks, Clive,
for better explaining/substantiating what I was speculating.

> d) Don't forget that 15" tyres are heavier generally as well as the wheels,
> making the situation even worse.

Yeah, I wasn't sure about that.  I compared a few random tire specs online
and the difference was minimal.  But, I was comparing a 205/65-15 and a
205/70-14, which probably have about the same amount of rubber.  I suspect
that larger tires, like 215's, would start to make a difference.

> The unsprung mass has to be controlled by springs and dampers.Driving slowly
> over bumps and bad terrain won't hardly be affected, but when driving at any
> speed other than a crawl WILL. The wheel's displacement will be greater, the
> forces put into the chassis via the shock absorbers will be greater and the
> shock absorbers will heat up more, be less effective and more easily lose
> control of the wheel - the outcome is worse bump and rebound control and
> hence less good roadholding, bump tolerance and ride harshness (a well know
> side effect of going to larger wheels, whether wider or taller and why I
> generally have avoided them like the plague, ditto lowered suspension with
> less travel). Its even been known for the shock mountings to eventually
> fatigue crack under these circumstances (but not to my knowledge VW's).

Again, a much better description of the point I was trying to make.  Which,
again, makes me wonder if a 215/65-15 or 205/65-15 w/ the added weight
(mass) of big wheels would be outperformed (depending on the definition) by
a smaller/"narrower", but much lighter 205/70-14, or better yet, 195/75-14
set up....?  I guess this is where the seat-of-the-pants comes in again?

> My Syncro seems fine with 15" Audi alloys, but then, the Syncro's unsprung
> weight at the front is quite high anyway (driveshafts, outboard CVJ's,
> strong well designed suspension  and bearing componentry, reasonably decent
> brake disc and caliper sizes etc) so the OEM shockers will already be quite
> well rated and the % change not so much...
>
> ... not so for the 2WD Transporter though!

Well, so far, feedback I've received suggests people still prefer their new
set-ups, heavy rims and all...So I guess we'll see...

James
90 Carat