Help wanted with wheel woes (long)

[Bruce Stapley <bstapley@megsinet.com>]

I've been meaning to ask the list for input on my wheel problems for
some time, and a recent posting from Anthony Noel finally prompted me to
it:
>
> ...I'm in the process of searching for new wheels, and am thinking of 17 or 18
> inch wheels...
>
So here's my story of grief, and my questions to the list, for Anthony's
benefit as well as my own:

I have a 98 GLX with only 9k miles, and from day one, I was as fed up as
the next guy with the stock God-Awfuls, and disappointed with the
appearance (and cleanability) of the stock 15" rims. When a minor
pothole took out one of each at the same time (Monday AM commute in a
suit in the rain) I took the opportunity to replace both, intending to
step up to 16" rims with 50-series tires to better fill the wheel wells.
But I let a Tire Rack guy talk me outta changing my overall diameter,
since I feared dealer/aftermarket warranty problems due to odometer
misrepresentation. The Tire Rack guy convinced me that 215/40's on 16"
rims wouldn't be appreciably more susceptible to pothole damage on
Chicago's fine road system than would be the stock setup, and since that
would look sweeter (and cost less) than 15s and 50s, I bit. Within about
four months of putting on the new setup (215/40ZR16 Pirelli P7000 on OZ
Racing Cygnus 3-spoke; MUCH improved handling), I had lost four rims and
one tire. All of the losses have been from MINOR potholes at speeds
under 30mph, except the one where I was probably doing 45 (the one where
I lost the tire AND the rim was when creeping through a construction
zone -- I knew the bumps were there, I was creeping along due to Wheel
Loss Fear, and I still lost 'em both!). It seems clear to me that the
cause of all this wheel/tire damage is the stock suspension; since I
took delivery, I've been appalled at the bottoming-out over minor bumps
(like speed bumps) at low speeds. Right now I've replaced two of the
rims, have one slightly bent one on one rear, and a stock wheel/tire on
the other rear (same overall diameter as the Pirellis), because I
haven't been able to bring myself to re-buy the other two wheels and
tire until I figger out how to make it all stop.

So my questions to the list are:
1) Is every 98's stock suspension as bad as mine, or am I blessed?
2) If mine is especially bad, do I have any hope in hell of recourse
from VW? I've always assumed that if mine was an exception case, there'd
be no measurement I could use to prove the extent of badness, and that
the dealer/VW wouldn't do anything about it. Since it's still under
dealer warranty...
3) If I replace the stock suspension, will the aftermarket ride better
protect my rims, or is it likely to be harsher? (Open-ended question, I
know.) I'm thinking about H&R (or is that HoR?) coil-overs, as those
seem to be highly favored among listers. (Of course, I don't have an
extra grand or two lying around; what I do have is for my Harley down
payment.)
4) Are 40s just too damn short no matter what suspension you're riding,
and should I chuck the rubber and pick up 50s or 60s and damn the
odometer? Lots of you guys are riding on 40s; how many are on the stock
suspension?
5) Finally, if I do toss the 40s in favor of 50s and want to compensate
for the diameter difference, does Garrett have accommodation for tire
diameter in his chip? How about Nospeed?

TIA,
Bruce Stapley
98 GLX "Oddball stock wheel" Edition