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With the proper offset (35), the 225/45-17's shouldn't bulge out at all. Also, if you go to the 215/45-17, you will change the overall diameter of the tire, which will throw your speedometer off slightly. The 225/45-17's are the closest to the factory diameter, with a difference of only 0.3%, which is almost negligable.

Forgot to mention, my wheels are 17" x 7.5". With the 8" width, it may stick out a little? Not sure only having seen the 7.5" width with the 225's up close (on my car).

<br>Don't worry. Ihave 225/45/17's on 17x8 wheels<br>and they fit perfectly within fenders. Go for it!!

The Golf GTI came in Europe w/ a smaller and narrower tire than the optional tire here in the USA. Why? Because a car is a gestalt of balance and too much tire can undo a car's performance. In the USA...lot's of people go for a "go fast look" because they don't have what it takes to really GO FAST! Same with rock hard suspensions, it makes 30mph feel really "neat" but they can be dangerous as hell at 80 mph on a less than smooth road. Keep your stock tire size but look for a stickier tire...and then work on your driving before you spend money working on your car. Enjoy what the Piech folks built and designed, they DO know what they are doing.