pepperpots and tyre sizes

guys, im getting a set of pepper pots in 15", i want to put some 165/60/15s on, is this a done thing on a2s, im going for economy hence the size.
 
guys, im getting a set of pepper pots in 15", i want to put some 165/60/15s on, is this a done thing on a2s, im going for economy hence the size.
If you want a 165 width tyre (which is a bit narrow on a 6j Pepperpot rim) you would need a 65 profile otherwise your Speedo will over-read more than it does as standard (normally 3-4mph with standard size 175/60/15 tyres) so will probably be more like 5 mph, ie you will be travelling at 65mph when your Speedo reads 70mph.

185/60/15 or 175/65/15 are good sizes on Pepperpots.

Hope this helps 👍
 
If they are pepperpots from the early A3 they are 6j width and a 165 tyre is too narrow. You can fit a 175/60 which is a standard size for the A2. Buy a low rolling resistance tyre and you will get about the best economy that is possible without compromising the safety of the car.
 
185/65R15 fits the 6Jx15 ET38 5/100 57.1 Pepperpot rims. The speedo reading should be spot on, but it's worth using GPS to check the actual speed against the speedo reading.

The following tyre is original equipment on an an Audi A1 2018-2023.

Bridgestone EP001S Ecopia 185/65R15 92V XL (Euro label A A 69dB) (Audi Original Equipment)

As you can see in the chart below, the 185/65R15 tyre size has about the same outside diameter as two other popular oversize tyre sizes. However, all three of these oversize tyre sizes have outside diameters that are a lot bigger than the standard 175/60R15 tyre size. All three of these oversize tyre sizes are about as big as you would want to go.

Outside diameter of tyres
185/65R15 621.5mm (+5.2% compared to 175/60R15)
195/55R16 620.9mm (+5.1% compared to 175/60R15)
205/45R17 616.3mm (+4.3% compared to 175/60R15)
 
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185/65R15 fits the 6Jx15 ET38 5/100 57.1 Pepperpot rims. The speedo reading should be spot on, but it's worth using GPS to check the actual speed against the speedo reading.

The following tyre is original equipment on an Audi, probably an Audi A1 2018-2023.

Bridgestone EP001S Ecopia 185/65R15 92V XL (Euro label A A 69dB) (Audi Original Equipment)

As you can see in the chart below, the 185/65R15 tyre size has about the same outside diameter as two other popular oversize tyre sizes. However, all three of these oversize tyre sizes have outside diameters that are a lot bigger than the standard 175/60R15 tyre size. All three of these oversize tyre sizes are about as big as you would want to go.

Outside diameter of tyres
185/65R15 621.5mm (+5.2% compared to 175/60R15)
195/55R16 620.9mm (+5.1% compared to 175/60R15)
205/45R17 616.3mm (+4.3% compared to 175/60R15)
185/65/15 is right on the limit, both rubbing and Speedo wise and I would never recommend this size to someone.

All cars have slight variance and if someone spent a lot of money on a set of tyres and they rubbed I would never forgive myself but worse than that if the speedometer under-read, even slightly, it would make the car illegal to even be on the road!

It has been known for 205/45/17's to rub on certain cars, mainly sport models with the factory 10mm lowered suspension (although I have used them without problem myself) and the 185/65/15 you recommend are much larger indeed so be very, very careful.

I personally would only recommend what I have experience of, not what I've read third hand and having used 175/65/15 myself would recommend that size but not anything larger rolling circumference wise as they might be ok but might not and don't forget every make and model of tyre fits slightly differently, some having larger rim protectors and different shaped shoulders, some being more rounded for more wheel arch/suspension clearance (which is the way they get away with fitting 21" wheels/tyres on certain modern high performance saloons), others are more square and more likely to rub so a certain amount of tolerance needs to be factored in to be safe not sorry.

My own rule of thumb is that you can normally always get away with going up one width size which also slightly increased the aspect ratio meaning potentially a tiny bit more comfort and bump absorption, OR stick to factory width and go up one size in profile which is more risky but usually ok but NEVER go up both width and profile as this can lead to problems, so I wouldn't be recommending 195/55/16 to anyone either (or a 92 load rated tyre for a lightweight A2). 👍
 
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guys, im getting a set of pepper pots in 15", i want to put some 165/60/15s on, is this a done thing on a2s, im going for economy hence the size.

As you can see in the first two links below, 195/60R15 is a cheap tyre size. With plenty of sidewall height, it's also a comfortable tyre size.

Vredestein Quatrac 6 195/60R15 88H (Euro label C B 70dB)

Uniroyal RainExpert 5 195/60R15 88H (Euro label C A 71dB)

Outside diameter of tyres
165/60R15 579mm (-2.0%)
175/60R15 591mm
185/60R15 603mm (+2.0%)
195/60R15 615mm (+4.1%)

As you can see in the chart below, 195/60R15 is an ideal tyre size for the 6J Pepperpot rim, hence 6.0 is highlighted in bold.

ETRTO approved rim widths
165/60R15 4.5-5.0-6.0
175/60R15 5.0-5.0-6.0
185/60R15 5.0-5.5-6.5
195/60R15 5.5-6.0-7.0

195/60R15 on 1.4 Sport (owner very happy with tyre choice)​

 
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185/65/15 is right on the limit, both rubbing and Speedo wise and I would never recommend this size to someone.

All cars have slight variance and if someone spent a lot of money on a set of tyres and they rubbed I would never forgive myself but worse than that if the speedometer under-read, even slightly, it would make the car illegal to even be on the road!

It has been known for 205/45/17's to rub on certain cars, mainly sport models with the factory 10mm lowered suspension (although I have used them without problem myself) and the 185/65/15 you recommend are much larger indeed so be very, very careful.

I personally would only recommend what I have experience of, not what I've read third hand and having used 175/65/15 myself would recommend that size but not anything larger rolling circumference wise as they might be ok but might not and don't forget every make and model of tyre fits slightly differently, some having larger rim protectors and different shaped shoulders, some being more rounded for more wheel arch/suspension clearance (which is the way they get away with fitting 21" wheels/tyres on certain modern high performance saloons), others are more square and more likely to rub so a certain amount of tolerance needs to be factored in to be safe not sorry.

My own rule of thumb is that you can normally always get away with going up one width size which also slightly increased the aspect ratio meaning potentially a tiny bit more comfort and bump absorption, OR stick to factory width and go up one size in profile which is more risky but usually ok but NEVER go up both width and profile as this can lead to problems, so I wouldn't be recommending 195/55/16 to anyone either (or a 92 load rated tyre for a lightweight A2). 👍
I fully agree with this. I currently use these one step up sizes175/65-15 and 185/60-15 (all on 6" Audi rims) and they look good and work well. But would never risk one step further in dimension.
 
Good choice if you have a particular tyre in mind. I would be interested in some pictures and your report on the ride etc.
 
im leaning towards the 175/65/15 guys, im trying to cut the tyre size down a bit to loose weight and gain economy.
That size is generally only available in 84 and 88 load ratings rather than the factory 81 generally used on the lightweight A2, so go for the 84 rating if you can as putting XL load rated tyres on an A2 is obviously counter productive and lessens the gains from increasing the sidewall depth 👍
 
Just to say, if you wanted to go the 165 route for less rolling resistance and maximum economy, consider the factory standard lightweight forged A2 alloys that are narrower than the Pepperpots at 5.5j and are great wheels that would suit 165/65/15 tyres really well. They would give you what I think you are seeking and imho give the best ride of any wheels I've tried on an A2 (although I haven't used 165 tyres on them myself only 175) but they should fit perfectly.

175/65/15 tyres would also be perfect on those wheels too btw 👍
 
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This is what I'm running, can't really comment on comfort as I run them at an elevated pressure (33F 30R) so they are a bit harder than they might otherwise be
 

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If they are pepperpots from the early A3 they are 6j width and a 165 tyre is too narrow. You can fit a 175/60 which is a standard size for the A2. Buy a low rolling resistance tyre and you will get about the best economy that is possible without compromising the safety of the car.

With all the talk of oversize outside diameter tyres, I agree that standard outside diameter tyres can also work well.

As you can see in the chart below, 165/70R14 has about the same outside diameter as the standard 175/60R15 tyre size.

Outside diameter of tyres
165/70R14 586.6mm (-0.7%)
175/65R14 583.1mm (-1.3%)
175/70R14 600.6mm (+1.6%)
185/65R14 596.1mm (+0.9%)
185/70R14 614.6mm (+4.0%)
175/60R15 591mm
155/65R15 582.5mm (-1.4%)
195/45R16 581.9mm (-1.5%)

One problem with 14" tyres on the A2, is the lack of suitable 14" alloy rims. However, the later models of the Polo MK4 had a 5Jx14 ET35 5/100 57.1 alloy rim with OEM part number 6Q0601025AC called JEREZ.

I've used both 165/70R14 and 185/65R14 tyre sizes on this specification of rim, and preferred the wider 185/65R14 tyre size which had a very smooth ride and noticeably more grip than the narrower tyre. The only downside for some (not me) in fitting a 185/65R14 to a rather narrow 5J rim is that it makes the car drive like a Rolls Royce rather than a Ferrari. For sharper steering/handling with the 185/65R14 tyre size a wider 5.5J or 6J rim would be beneficial.

For slightly sharper steering/handling on the rather narrow 5J rim, 175/65R14 could be used. The Polo MK4 uses about the same outside diameter tyres as the A2, and I've seen a Polo MK4 with slightly undersize 175/65R14 tyres instead of the standard 165/70R14 tyres which were probably fitted for slightly more grip and a slightly wider tyre appearance. Another benefit of the very common 175/65R14 tyre size is that they are one of the cheapest car tyre sizes on the market.

One disadvantage of 165/70R14 compared to slightly wider tyres such as 175/65R14 and 185/65R14 is that they wear a little quicker, although the Continental EcoContact 5 165/70R14 85T XL, did quite well for tyre wear when it was tested by "Which" magazine many years ago.

Another benefit of fitting 185/65R14 to a relatively narrow 5J rim, is that the sidewalls bulge out quite a bit and therefore gives the alloy rim some protection from kerbing damage.

175/70R14 is another option on the 5J rim. It has about the same outside diameter as the popular 185/60R15 tyre size, so is slightly oversize. 175/70R14 is also a slightly more expensive tyre size than some of the other 14" options such as 165/70R14, 175/65R14, 185/65R14, etc.

As you can see in the above "Outside diameter of tyres" chart, the "undersize" 175/65R14 actually has a slightly bigger outside diameter than the standard 155/65R15 winter tyre size (for use with snow chains) and the standard 195/45R16 (sometimes used instead of 185/50R16 on the standard 6Jx16 ET35 rims).

5Jx14 ET35 5/100 57.1 alloy rim JEREZ (from later models of the Polo MK4)
1689342704957.png

6Q0601025ACAluminium rim
JEREZ
5Jx14 ET35 5/100 57.1
6Q0601025AC 8Z8Diamond silver
 
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ive seen some 84h rated pirellis, so might get these, there is another reason for the pepperpots and its not just super light weight, im going to do something else to them as well, when i get them
 
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