Lighter wheels?

A2Steve

A2Steve

A2OC Donor
Wales
I'm currently gathering the parts together to do my suspension overhaul. I'm also thinking of getting a rear ant-roll bar at point and this has all got me thinking....why go to all that effort to improve the handling and then spoil it with heavy wheels.

I'm currently running Audi A3 Avus alloys as per my sig which look fantastic but are very heavy.

Does anyone know which 17 inch wheels in the Audi range are lightest/lighter than my current set-up?

I am doing my own research as well but thought I'd ask to see if anyone already knew the answer.

Thanks

Steve
 
spike said:
There are a couple of previous threads on wheel weights -

http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthrea...of-weights-I-measured&highlight=wheel+weights
http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthrea...ompetition-17s-Weight&highlight=wheel+weights
http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?9504-lightest-wheel-and-tyre-options&p=72908#post72908

As a general guide, forged alloys are lighter than cast and Audi forged alloys usually have a polished / lacquered finish rather than paint

Cheers Spike
Click to expand...

Well it's official, Spike is better than Google because Google couldn't find those when I looked.
 
quite a few weights in here:https://a2-freun.de/forum/showthread.php?t=19403

not sure if the thread is linked elsewhere. If not, here you go. Please note that list isn't "exhaustive" as the wheels MUST have the correct paperwork in Germany, so many which are available in the UK are not listed. Wolfrace, for one, because it's another sales brand in the UK only; the Wizzard wheels are surprisingly light for what they are.

- Bret
 
Thanks Bret

For a petrol 1.4 AUA with pepperpots which tyres do you recommend 155/65/15 or wider?
 
Why? The limit, even with 195/50 15s, is not the tyre until you have b8+eibach. Even then, it is mighty hard to hit their adhesion limits legally. Tried it, in the wet it slides at silly speeds, don't want to know how high the grey area starts in the dry. 30mph traffic lights is a good start.

All a1 wheels will be heavy with the exception of the rotors. The standard 16s are 7.5kg each, IIRC, but 16 is really hard to find good, light rims. 15 is shared with miatas, so lots of options. Vrs fabias could look good, as would mark iv jubi bbs rims.

For optics, fine, do 16". For everything else, 15.

- Bret
 
Those pepperpots are amazingly light... if you pick up one even with the rubber on they're so much lighter than the usual.
 
I think if you ask Gary ,"Jigsaw", he may tell you that he achieved an extra quarter of a tank of fuel on his journey home from Sheffield after swapping his original SE wheels over to pepperpots. Not only light but fuel efficient too !. :)
 
old information, unfortunately; doesn't have for example the Autec Wizards which are available in teh correct fitment and are reasonably light. Correct fitment: 5x100, ET as appropriate (30-35 or so, depending on the width), centre bore is 57.1mm.

- Bret
 
bretti_kivi said:
Why? The limit, even with 195/50 15s, is not the tyre until you have b8+eibach. Even then, it is mighty hard to hit their adhesion limits legally. Tried it, in the wet it slides at silly speeds, don't want to know how high the grey area starts in the dry. 30mph traffic lights is a good start.

All a1 wheels will be heavy with the exception of the rotors. The standard 16s are 7.5kg each, IIRC, but 16 is really hard to find good, light rims. 15 is shared with miatas, so lots of options. Vrs fabias could look good, as would mark iv jubi bbs rims.

For optics, fine, do 16". For everything else, 15.

- Bret
Click to expand...

With 15" tyres, I think the handling isn't sharp enough (my winter tyres are also 195's). The adhesion limit is not the matter, it's the deformation of sidewalls.
17's are heavy, indeed. I have 17" Rotor replica's. They feel lighter than the 17" TT 6-spokes that I had previously (I regret I didn't weight them alone).
My car had 16"s (6-spokes) when I bought it. To me, it's the perfect compromise handling/comfort/look.
 
Yes the 15 inch sidewall certainly flexes too much when cornering. Have found a set of Momo corse 17 wheels for a decent price that are only 8.4kg each.
 
I can see the benefit of light wheels, unsprung weight marginal MPG improvement (but hardly noticieable) but I would worry that the lighter the wheel you use you increase the potential for damge caused by the many potholes we have.

I realse that weight is not the only consideration for this because one of the heaviest alloys for the A2 seem to be the 17" 9 spoke sport wheels and yet they seem to be the easiest wheels of all to buckle!!

So unless these are forged alloys I wouldn't go too light.

Steve B
 
I like the 15" wheels purely for the fact that the spare fits snuggly underneath the false boot floor. Dont like gunk !. :)
 
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