Okay so when I loaded the car with approx 200KG weight in the back the wheels catch at the sides of the arches, it was so tight I couldn't even fit a piece of paper between the outer wheel arch and the tyre, I also couldn't get a finger in the top of the wheel arch it was that tight. Now I am not an expert but I assume the wheel should fit within the constraints of the wheel are and not foul on any park of it. Like I said in my earlier post I really don't want to end up damaging the car and with what I have found today if the car was fully loaded I think it would crack the outer wheel arch
Audi A2 205/50/R16 Tyres
- Thread starter rgh-key
- Start date
Birchall
Dick Chown Award 2016
timmus
A2OC Donor
timmus
A2OC Donor
Well, please do get the rear springs and spring seats looked at, either by yourself or somone who knows the A2. I've seen countless A2s where the spring seats have totally pulverised to nothing. From your profile, I see your A2 has done in excess of 151,000 miles. If the spring seats on your car have never been renewed, then chances are they'll have vanished long ago. Small breakages of the springs are usually spotted by MOT testers, but they can't spot missing spring seats because they wouldn't know the part was even supposed to be there.
There's no reason why you can't keep your TT wheels and have a perfectly functional A2. The tyre size and wheel geometry you've got is used by loads of people here. Almost everyone who uses the 7-spoke TT wheels (shown in the photo below) has 205/50/R16 tyres fitted. These wheels have exactly the same geometry as the 5-spoke TT wheels that you have fitted; they're 16", 7J, ET31. You can, however, fit 205/45/R16 instead if you want to decrease the size of the tyre's wall.
Plenty of people who use the same wheel/tyre combination load their cars with passengers and other heavy stuff without issue. My own wheels are admittedly ET35, but that's not a massive difference and I've never come close to scrubbing the rear arches. Believe me, I put some weight in the back of my A2 from time to time! In the photos you've posted, is there a lot of weight in the back of the car or is that the car's natural stance?
You're within a short distance of WOM Automotive, who know the A2 inside out and will be able to assess your rear suspension in a flash. Plenty of club members only wish they lived closer to them. I don't know how handy you are with spanners and such, so forgive me if you're perfectly capable of assessing these things yourself.
By the way, I posted some info/photos on your thread about wanting a Concert stereo. I hope it's helpful.
Cheers,
Tom
Interesting reading all this, bit of a swerve but lit you decided to change your wheels for something else I know Ross Canning has a cheap set of TT wheels for sale, with possible tyres too, and very cheap, I run these myself with no problems and my car is lowered by at least 20mm, you'll find them in the for sale section, pic of mine for attention, cheers Jeff
Attachments
In Reply to Timmus: I am handy with a spanner, just not used to Audi's I have been a Renault Owner for 10 years (so been handy with cars is a must) I am unsure about the configuration of the rear suspension are these seats at the top of the springs? The car is going to WOM Automotive on Tuesday this week for a Cam Belt change so I will get them to have a look, I will also get the rear wheels off and check myself over the weekend. Also that photo I posted is the cars natural stance.
In Reply to Jeffers66: Can I ask what tyres you have on your car on that photo?
In Reply to Jeffers66: Can I ask what tyres you have on your car on that photo?
Just to confirm they are 215/40/17's
Cheers Jeff
Could well make a difference especially with the different offset, but I'm sure Marcus at Wom will put your mind at rest, he knows his onions, and cars lol
timmus
A2OC Donor
The spring seats that deteriorate are at the bottom of the spring, between the spring and the axle. The seats at the top are much more rubust and last much longer.
Excellent news. Marcus will be able to establish what's up with ease.
It is sitting exceptionally low considering it's unladen, which does suggest there's something amiss. If it does turn out to be the spring seats, you'll be pleased to know they're very cheap and quick to fit.
Cheers,
Tom
PS: Your profile says that you have a 2002 TDI90. However, just for information, the TDI90 wasn't yet made in 2002 and all TDI90s came with rear disc brakes. In the photo above, your car has drum brakes on the rear axle, meaning you've got a TDI75.
timmus
A2OC Donor
There we have it! That's the problem. From Post 18...
This has happened to your car, along with countless other A2s. With these spring seats fitted, you should find that the ride height at the rear of the car is back to normal and that you get no issues from your wheel/tyre setup.
Are you also able to tell whether the springs are damaged at the very bottom? After the spring seats disintegrate, the tips of the springs frequently break off as a result of sitting directly against the metal of the axle. The coil of the spring should end with a nice square cut. If the coil ends in a sharp point, then you're probably missing a small piece of the spring. This also causes the car to collapse a little at the back.
Cheers,
Tom
Little update chaps, I have put some original A2 15" Alloys on until I have got sufficient funds to sort the rear suspension, I am going to do the springs, spring seats and shocks all at the same time as the rear suspension looks fairly neglected upon close inspection, that will probably all be done on next pay day as the Cam Belt is this months budget gone haha.
Dave M
Admin Team
I would buy the bottom rear spring seats from a dealer. I seem to remember that mine were not expensive and they did last 120,000 miles. The centre caps for your wheels have a brushed aluminium finish and are again available from your local dealer. Sadly they are around £33 each so quite expensive for what they are. You could consider buying used and refurbing them... may work out cheaper.