Wheels 17" to 15"

valveman said:
OK I have narrowed the 15" wheel choice down to 2 types for use with 195/55/R15 tyres (winter types most probably) and will use the original 17" wheels and 205/40/ZR17's for the summer.
First choice is a 15" x 6.5" - PCD = 5 x 100 - offset = ET38.
Second choice is a 15" x 6" - PCD = 5 x 100 - offset = ET29.

Any thoughts as to which one will be the best choice on a 90HP TDI with good rim protection. If the ride is much better then I might decide to run all year round.
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I personally would go with the first option as the 195 is absolutely perfect on a 6 1/2" wide rim and the offset of 38 is also perfect and is the standard offset for most of the wheels originally specified by Audi for the A2 when the cars were made.

I would have thought that an ET 29 wheel, especially with it being a relatively narrow width would leave a very large void on the inside that might not look quite right?

ET 29 is a very low offset that is normally only used on cars that have very large brake calipers and require that extra amount of inner clearance.

If you take a look at the standard 16" SE wheels you would be able to compare as these are 16" x 6J and wear 185 width tyres and also have an offset of 38.

Just my 2 cents worth and possibly food for thought.
 
A2Z said:
I would have thought that an ET 29 wheel, especially with it being a relatively narrow width would leave a very large void on the inside that might not look quite right?
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I'm not sure. I see what you're saying, but we're talking about a 195-tyre, meaning it's only 10mm narrower than the 205-tyres on the 17" wheels. The maths suggests that the tyre's outer wall will be in almost exactly the same position as it is with the 205-tyres, with the 10mm reduction all on the inside. I suppose you may notice this if you look closely at the car from the back.

195 is a perfect fit on a 6.5J wheel, but you won't get much rim protection as the alloy's face will sit flush with the tyre wall. This seemed to be of importance.

Ultimately, there are pros and cons to each option, but I think they're very marginal. If I was making the decision, my choice between the two would probably be governed by which design I preferred. :)

Tom
 
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timmus said:
Ultimately, there are pros and cons to each option, but I think they're very marginal. If I was making the decision, my choice between the two would probably be governed by which design I preferred. :) Tom
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I think you're probably right.

It's just that I have never known an ET29 wheel be used on an A2.

Even the TT 17 x 7.5J wheels that really stick out are ET32 from memory and I think with the wheels in question being only 6J the gap I refer to would be quite visible when you look face on at the wheels not just from the rear.

With the smaller narrower wheels I think they should sit inside the arches a bit to look right as if you're looking for a wide stance and a full arch then you should go with wider wheels and the correct offset not just using a low offset to attempt to achieve 'the look' but maybe that's just my view.
 
Agreed. :)

The frequently-used 16" 7J TT wheels are ET31. So, these 6J wheels sit only 2mm further out... except they're an inch narrower, so 12.7mm 'shaved' off both sides. I reckon that'll look ok, especially for a set of winter wheels.

I wonder what these wheels we're discussing actually look like!? :p

Tom
 
Hi Guys, newbie here so please take it easy on me.

I currently have 16" SE wheels with 185/50/16 tyres. I would like a more softer ride, and from what I have read on the forum, 15" alloys are the way to go. Could anyone recommend which alloy and which tyre combination would go well which would not cause any impact i.e. speedo/handling (apart from comfort!). I do like the A3 pepperpot wheels (6J x 15 ET38 i believe) Thanks....J
 
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If you're going to use the 15" 6J pepperpots, personally I'd choose 185/60/R15 tyres.

Cheers,

Tom
 
timmus said:
If you're going to use the 15" 6J pepperpots, personally I'd choose 185/60/R15 tyres.

Cheers,

Tom
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Thanks Tom, so to be specific are 185/60/R15 tyres the identical rolling circumference to my current 185/50/R16's? Thanks, J
 
A2 J said:
Thanks Tom, so to be specific are 185/60/R15 tyres the identical rolling circumference to my current 185/50/R16's? Thanks, J
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They're not absolutely identical, but they're very close; 185/60/R15 is 2% bigger than 185/50/R16.
At the moment, your speedo over-reads by about 3-4%, so this change of wheel/tyre size will result in no speedo issues.

Cheers,

Tom
 
timmus said:
They're not absolutely identical, but they're very close; 185/60/R15 is 2% bigger than 185/50/R16.
At the moment, your speedo over-reads by about 3-4%, so this change of wheel/tyre size will result in no speedo issues.

Cheers,

Tom
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Perfect, thanks again Tom. Time to source some pepperpots and tyres!
 
timmus said:
They're not absolutely identical, but they're very close; 185/60/R15 is 2% bigger than 185/50/R16.
At the moment, your speedo over-reads by about 3-4%, so this change of wheel/tyre size will result in no speedo issues.

Cheers,

Tom
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Hi Tom, whats your view if I went with 185/65/R15's instead of 185/60/R15's? Would the rolling circumference be off by much? Appreicate any advise and guidance. Thanks...J
 
A2 J said:
Hi Tom, whats your view if I went with 185/65/R15's instead of 185/60/R15's? Would the rolling circumference be off by much? Appreicate any advise and guidance. Thanks...J
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Hi J,

To my mind, 185/65/R15 is too big. That's an increase of 5.1% over standard, which means you'll definitely end up with a speedo that under-reads.
Also, unless you pay careful attention to the offset, you risk rubbing the tyres against the wheel arch liners when on full lock or when the car's laden.

Cheers,

Tom
 
timmus said:
Hi J,

To my mind, 185/65/R15 is too big. That's an increase of 5.1% over standard, which means you'll definitely end up with a speedo that under-reads.
Also, unless you pay careful attention to the offset, you risk rubbing the tyres against the wheel arch liners when on full lock or when the car's laden.

Cheers,

Tom
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Thanks again Tom for the technical input. Based on that i'll stick with the 185/60 profile tyre.
 
timmus said:
No problem. A good decision. :)
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Hi Tom, got myself a set of pepperpots (as discussed). So now its time to choose some tyres.

I've noticed on the openeo/camskill websites that the tyres have different ratings e.g. 84H, 84T, 88H, 88H XL. I think the H is the speed rating, but not sure what the other numbers/letters really mean. Do I need to be concerned at all when choosing the tyre for these alloys? Could you kindly recommend please. Thanks Tom.

Initially I have my eyes on these:
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m53b0s410..._XR611_Nankang_XR_611_-_185_60_R15_88H_XL_TL_


Thanks....J
 
Could somebody in the know kindly tell me what alloys I have. I realise of course that they are 15" but I'm not sure of the PCD and ET.
Reason I ask is that I'm enjoying the 195/55s that I have on the winter steels in the left picture (handling good and they just look better) and I'm hoping that I can use 195/55 summer tyres on the alloys (even though the alloys are fitted with standard 175/60s. I read the Schnelletrecker post of 2007 explaining which tyres sizes are compatible and their comfort factors but it did not help me identify the alloys I have. Photo posted below. Cheers

P.S Ignore high sit at the front, that's another story......
IMAG0510.jpg
 
The alloys you've got are the standard 15" alloys issues on base models and special edition models as standard.

Part number: 8Z0 601 025A
Width: 5.5J
Offset: ET34

195-tyres are, I reckon, a tad too wide for a 5.5J alloy. 185s would be fine though. 185/60 would fit and would give very similar results in terms of handling and comfort.

Cheers,

Tom
 
timmus said:
The alloys you've got are the standard 15" alloys issues on base models and special edition models as standard.

Part number: 8Z0 601 025A
Width: 5.5J
Offset: ET34

195-tyres are, I reckon, a tad too wide for a 5.5J alloy. 185s would be fine though. 185/60 would fit and would give very similar results in terms of handling and comfort.

Cheers,

Tom
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Many thanks for the speedy and informative reply. I had a feeling they would not accommodate those tyres comfortably. But I may consider the 185/60s. According to the tyre calculator the 185/60 are 12mm wider than the 175/60 - just on the borders of compatibility so they say. Cheers
 
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