New Tyre Recommendations

Gary74

Gary74

A2OC Donor
Hi Guys!

Once again, as a complete novice, I’m seeking your valuable knowledge and recommendations for some new tyres.
I currently have some cheap 205/40/17 (non recognisable) named tyres on my 1.4TDI SE and I need to buy some new ones. I’ve been reading up on the past forum discussions regarding suitable tyres but what would you guys suggest?
I don't have a huge budget but have been looking at the Rotalla RUO1, Uniroyal Rainsport 5, Tomket Sport and Falken Ziex Ecorun. CC2 also seem popular….even if pricey but what would you all suggest please.
As ever, thanks for your input and advice it’s always valued and great appreciated.
 
Both the Uniroyals and Falkens you mention are very good tyres, the other two possibly not so good.

I take it you are running the 17" Sport wheels on your SE that would have had 16's as standard?
 
Gary74 said:
Hi Guys!

Once again, as a complete novice, I’m seeking your valuable knowledge and recommendations for some new tyres.
I currently have some cheap 205/40/17 (non recognisable) named tyres on my 1.4TDI SE and I need to buy some new ones. I’ve been reading up on the past forum discussions regarding suitable tyres but what would you guys suggest?
I don't have a huge budget but have been looking at the Rotalla RUO1, Uniroyal Rainsport 5, Tomket Sport and Falken Ziex Ecorun. CC2 also seem popular….even if pricey but what would you all suggest please.
As ever, thanks for your input and advice it’s always valued and great appreciated.
Click to expand...
I had the uni royals on my 1st A2 and was basically impressed.

Having said that, I’d always favour a 15’ inch pepperpot with the appropriate tyre over the 17’ sports wheels buts that an answer to a question you didn’t ask….. 😉
 
Erlingtheyounger said:
I had the uni royals on my 1st A2 and was basically impressed.

Having said that, I’d always favour a 15’ inch pepperpot with the appropriate tyre over the 17’ sports wheels buts that an answer to a question you didn’t ask….. 😉
Click to expand...
hi.
I keep hearing and reading ‘Pepperpot’ but what exactly does this mean or refer to? As I say I’m a complete novice but the tyres I currently have are pretty hard so any advance from this would be a plus.

sorry just realised this means the alloy/wheel is that right? I’m obviously sticking with the 17’ alloys for the time being but it’s definitely worth remembering.
 
Last edited:
I find the SE 16" original alloys with 185 50 16 are a very good comfortable ride, handling is good & they look very good.
s-l500.jpg
 
Morning Gary,

Yes the talk of Pepperpots is indeed referring to the light weight forged 15” wheels.

As you have Market Access then it’s worth viewing this thread if you ever decide there is a need for a more comfortable ride.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Gary74 said:
hi.
I keep hearing and reading ‘Pepperpot’ but what exactly does this mean or refer to? As I say I’m a complete novice but the tyres I currently have are pretty hard so any advance from this would be a plus.

sorry just realised this means the alloy/wheel is that right? I’m obviously sticking with the 17’ alloys for the time being but it’s definitely worth remembering.
Click to expand...
Absolutely correct. Pepperpots are a 15’ lightweight wheel originally fitted to Audi A3’s.
9A4690FA-CC69-4F20-9BF2-497C4AA4AA46.jpeg

The 17’ sport wheels imo are amongst the best looking wheels on an A2, however they’re very heavy and widely considered to be fragile/ prone to buckling. Having run the same car on both, I’d be a pepperpot man all day long from a comfort, economy and handling POV.

Below is the same car on both
FFA35FAA-0CE7-4322-91C8-C3F30A0DA824.jpeg

1668242312582.png
 
Gary74 said:
I’m obviously sticking with the 17’ alloys for the time being but it’s definitely worth remembering.
Click to expand...

If you stick with 17" wheels you're doomed to disappointment and throwing good money after bad, unless you keep your suspension (and particularly your shocks) in tip-top condition. The ride on 17" wheels will always be somewhat harsh.

16" wheels are better, but 15" is the preferred choice for maximum comfort. The A3 pepperpots, and the standard A2 15" wheels, are both forged, so lightweight and strong.
 
Gary74 said:
hi.
I keep hearing and reading ‘Pepperpot’ but what exactly does this mean or refer to? As I say I’m a complete novice but the tyres I currently have are pretty hard so any advance from this would be a plus.

sorry just realised this means the alloy/wheel is that right? I’m obviously sticking with the 17’ alloys for the time being but it’s definitely worth remembering.
Click to expand...
As you have an SE with the slightly higher suspension than the Sport model (10mm difference) you can confidently fit a slightly oversized tyre to the 17" Sport wheels, if that is what you have, (post a photo of your wheels to confirm if you're not sure) without any fear of any problems or rubbing.

The size you would need are 205/45 17 but try to keep the load index as low as possible so go for 84 rather than 88 as the sidewalls will then be not quite as stiff.

The increased sidewall depth of the 45 profile tyre will increase the comfort slightly and also slightly raise the gearing of the car making your speedometer read more accurately too instead of the usual 3-4mph over-read.

The other size you could go for are 215/40 17 which are slightly wider (10mm) for more rim protection and although the sidewall profile is the same at 40, this is a percentage of the tyre width so you gain a very small amount over the standard 205/40 17 size in sidewall depth too as a result.

Main problem with the majority of Sport wheels though is they are out of round on the insides due to being so soft and hitting potholes and most people don't realise that this is a big part of the blame for the poor ride quality they complain of.

16's or 15's would definitely improve the ride quality and comfort significantly though as they then allow much deeper tyre sidewalls.

Hope this helps 👍
 
Just to add you cannot step up the sidewall and the width (so not 215/45 17) as they would more than likely cause rubbing problems and your speedometer could under-read which is illegal
 
Also I would keep away from the appealing idea of 'run flat' tyres for emergencies. To have this ability I understand the sidewall is made stiffer = harsher ride and poorer handling. In addition if 'run flat' has run flat manufacturer's advice is not to repair and bin it.

Andy
 
Last edited:
Indeed. Runflats use kevlar in the sidewalls and are not only horribly stiff but can cause damage to the shoulder of the tyres resulting in tyre failure which actually happened to me on a motorway not too long ago when the tyre split with tread that was almost full around 7mm.

They are also the reason that so many bmw wheels crack as the tyre sidewalls offer no give when hitting a pothole for example, which causes a shock thst either cracks and flat spots the inner rim of the wheel or brakes suspension components.

It is also a con and nonsense that the manufacturers say they can't be repaired as the tread area where a repair is only legally allowed to be made is no different to any other tyre.
 
A2Z said:
Indeed. Runflats use kevlar in the sidewalls and are not only horribly stiff but can cause damage to the shoulder of the tyres resulting in tyre failure which actually happened to me on a motorway not too long ago when the tyre split with tread that was almost full around 7mm.

They are also the reason that so many bmw wheels crack as the tyre sidewalls offer no give when hitting a pothole for example, which causes a shock thst either cracks and flat spots the inner rim of the wheel or brakes suspension components.

It is also a con and nonsense that the manufacturers say they can't be repaired as the tread area where a repair is only legally allowed to be made is no different to any other tyre.
Click to expand...
I had two cracked wheels on a 6 month old 4 series. Got rid of the run flats pdq and no
Issues after. Horrible things imo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top