Too big?

[mag1cstick]

I currently have the standard alloys (175/60/15) and saw these on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/16-RS4-Audi-VW-Style-Alloy-Wheels-with-205-55-16_W0QQitemZ230232085753QQihZ013QQcategoryZ9888QQs sPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem would these fit ok or are they too big?

[tdiman]

If they are for an A4 then the PCD would be 112mm, an A2 requires 100mm PCD that's the diameter of the wheel stud centres, you will also need a different ET that is the offset to ensure the rim doesn't clash with your brake callipers and the suspension strut, not sure what it would be with the tyres you are looking at but I speak from experience when I say that your speedo will read too low to be legal, I had 16" rims on my sport but had a 50% aspect tyre which made the speedo quite accurtate as opposed to over reading by about 5%, skipton01 will probably be able to tell you shortly whay ET you will require.
If you buy rims only and need 205/50/16 tyres I have a set of 4 Vredestein sportrac 2's (autoexpress winner in 2005) available with 6mm tread left if you'd care to make an offer they'd be yours, currently taking up space in the mither in laws garage,

Mike

[mag1cstick]

Thanks for the info mike.

[dilbert]

I think these are the wheels that will fit though note that the offset of some TT wheels look as if they will cause problems.

Model Yr PCD ET Bore
A2 00> 5x100 38 to 45 57.1
A3 96-03 5x100 38 to 42 57.1
S3 98> 5x100 35 to 42 57.1
TT 99> 5x100 25 to 42 57.1

Some VW wheels will also fit (5-stud Golf III, all Golf IV, New Beetle)

Many tyre websites have a built-in calculator to get the diameter right so speedo reads OK.

You can do your own tyre calculations

Rim dia in inches x 25.4 plus (2 x tyre width x aspect ratio/100) = dia in mm

So a 205/50 VR 16 would be 611.4
And a 205/55 VR 16 would be 631.9

So the latter would be over 3% (20.5mm) greater. This would cause the speedometer to underread by about 2.3mph at a true 70mph.

Of course most speedometers over-read in any case. You can check this if you have a SatNav as its speed readout will be absolute. Haven't checked my A2 yet but my Passat says 74 when true speed is 70mph. So a 205/55 on a 16" rim may end up making your speedo more accurate!

The only thing to watch is that they won't interfere with anything on the car.

[Skipton01]

Standard SE wheel/tyre combinations are 591mm diameter and Sports work out at 595mm. My 215/40s work out at 604mm, which is pretty much the absolute biggest you can use, without rubbing, especially if you have mudflaps.

18" and 19" rims can be fitted, but you'll have to drop sidewalls down to 30 or 35% and the ride will suffer badly.

Cheers,

Mike

[Poor_John]

Many tyre websites have a built-in calculator to get the diameter right so speedo reads OK.

Here is my current favourite:

http://www.kouki.co.uk/Utilities/tyresizer.asp

Nice graphics.:cool:

John.

[mag1cstick]

Thanks for the replies, ive bought the rims on their own and am going to put 205/45/16 tyres on them which should work out to be the same speedo reading.

[James23]

i have rs8 replicas on a 7.5J et 35 with 205 tyres.
not noticed any rubbing yet touch wood.
mike - do you think id get away with 215's? as i dont like the idea of 205's on the 7.5" rim again... i now park woman distance away from the kerb :o:p

[Skipton01]

When you say RS8 reps, do you mean RS4?

If so, then as long as you stick to 215/40 R 17 and you don't have mudguards, then you should be fine.

Depending on your tracking, you may get a tiny bit of rubbing on the drivers side on full lock.

Cheers,

Mike

PS I am running TT alloys, 7.5J x 17 with 215/40 tyres, ET 38

[James23]

no i mean the 11 spoke rs8 ones, like the ones vidum (i think) has but his are 18" i believe.

sounds like i should be ok then, though our offsets differ, does this mean that mine stick out more being 35mm rather than 38? or the other way round?
cheers

[Skipton01]

Ah, S8 wheels (there's no such thing as an RS8, but it'd be an awesome car I bet!).

A 35mm offset means that your wheels are set further in by 3mm compared to my ET38's (higher offsets mean more protrusion).


Cheers,

Mike

[James23]

oh my bad, should have known that! They were advertised as rs8 wheels so i never questioned it.
I see now, thanks for clearing that up, its an education talking to you :)