Tyre size, are they too big?

Pie-eyedpiper

Pie-eyedpiper

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United-Kingdom
I realise this subject has been done to death, but being a member of the Audi Sport forum (I have an A4 also), I thought I'd stick my nose into the A2 section.
Now, owing to the success of the A2OC forum and you fine people it's not very well attended these days.

But one of the first threads that caught my eye was an advert for the sale of an A2, by a possible member here. The car was stated to be running on 205/50/16 tyres. Will these cause rubbing issues? I've read conflicting reports about it.

Thread 'Selling Suzy: 54-plate 90bhp A2 1.4 TDi Sport in light metallic silver: 84520 miles' https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...-in-light-metallic-silver-84520-miles.276892/
 
Pie-eyedpiper said:
The car was stated to be running on 205/50/16 tyres. Will these cause rubbing issues? I've read conflicting reports about it.
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As long as the car isn’t drastically lowered, and the steering rack is centred, 205/50/16 is absolutely fine. I’ve been running this size for many years.

This thread is fairly comprehensive, if not always concise…

The definitive tyre / wheel size thread

Wheels: Sizes of wheels that will fit an A2 (non 3l! - the 3L was not sold in the UK and therefore not covered here) Widths and diameters 5.5 - 7J, 15, 16, 17, 18". 7.5J works for some, not for others. Check for signs of argument on the wheelarch liners. 8J is really pushing it and frequently...
www.a2oc.net

Cheers,

Tom
 
timmus said:
As long as the car isn’t drastically lowered, and the steering rack is centred, 205/50/16 is absolutely fine. I’ve been running this size for many years.

This thread is fairly comprehensive, if not always concise…

The definitive tyre / wheel size thread

Wheels: Sizes of wheels that will fit an A2 (non 3l! - the 3L was not sold in the UK and therefore not covered here) Widths and diameters 5.5 - 7J, 15, 16, 17, 18". 7.5J works for some, not for others. Check for signs of argument on the wheelarch liners. 8J is really pushing it and frequently...
www.a2oc.net

Cheers,

Tom
Click to expand...
Thanks Tom.

Al.
 
Pie-eyedpiper said:
I realise this subject has been done to death, but being a member of the Audi Sport forum (I have an A4 also), I thought I'd stick my nose into the A2 section.
Now, owing to the success of the A2OC forum and you fine people it's not very well attended these days.

But one of the first threads that caught my eye was an advert for the sale of an A2, by a possible member here. The car was stated to be running on 205/50/16 tyres. Will these cause rubbing issues? I've read conflicting reports about it.

Thread 'Selling Suzy: 54-plate 90bhp A2 1.4 TDi Sport in light metallic silver: 84520 miles' https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...-in-light-metallic-silver-84520-miles.276892/
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Morning, as stated by Timmus above the oversized 205/50 16 can be the perfect sized tyres on an A2 providing an excellent combination of comfort and handling whilst also helping to correct most of the 3 to 4mph speedometer over-read that an A2 wearing factory sized tyres normally suffers from.

I also have a set in this size and they are particularly well suited for wider 7J wheels where as the standard A2 wheels are 6J and wear 185/50 tyres so the extra 20mm tyre width really benefits the extra 1" or 25mm wheel width.

They are perfect for the mk1 TT wheels that have a lower offset of 31 and some of the wider A1 wheels too with an ET of 34 but the biggest factor is the offset or ET of the wheels rather than anything else, which does need to be in the 30's rather than 40's to avoid any problems which a lot of people unfortunately don't realise.

It is in fact impossible to say if any size tyre will fit without knowing the exact details of the wheels they are going on.

Just to give you an example, this is a photo I've posted on here before and is of the same sized tyres on a factory sport A2 on 7J Audi A3 wheels with an ET of 44. With 5-10mm spacers they would have been fine but this is what can happen if you don't understand and fit wheels with the wrong offset and obviously over-sized tyres will only make things worse, so people do need to be a little careful when fitting non-factory sized wheels and tyres to avoid a potentially expensive mistake.

Hope that helps a little 👍
 

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A2Z said:
Morning, as stated by Timmus above the oversized 205/50 16 can be the perfect sized tyres on an A2 providing an excellent combination of comfort and handling whilst also helping to correct most of the 3 to 4mph speedometer over-read that an A2 wearing factory sized tyres normally suffers from.

I also have a set in this size and they are particularly well suited for wider 7J wheels where as the standard A2 wheels are 6J and wear 185/50 tyres so the extra 20mm tyre width really benefits the extra 1" or 25mm wheel width.

They are perfect for the mk1 TT wheels that have a lower offset of 31 and some of the wider A1 wheels too with an ET of 34 but the biggest factor is the offset or ET of the wheels rather than anything else, which does need to be in the 30's rather than 40's to avoid any problems which a lot of people unfortunately don't realise.

It is in fact impossible to say if any size tyre will fit without knowing the exact details of the wheels they are going on.

Just to give you an example, this is a photo I've posted on here before and is of the same sized tyres on a factory sport A2 on 7J Audi A3 wheels with an ET of 44. With 5-10mm spacers they would have been fine but this is what can happen if you don't understand and fit wheels with the wrong offset and obviously over-sized tyres will only make things worse, so people do need to be a little careful when fitting non-factory sized wheels and tyres to avoid a potentially expensive mistake.

Hope that helps a little 👍
Click to expand...
Thanks is for the info.

My error was not doing enough research on the A2 before buying some A2 6 spoke wheels. They came fitted with new 205/55/16 tyres, I thought they would go straight on, not reading the DEFINITIVE guide beforehand. Now they are too big, I believe.
The A2 is a steep learning curve, just the swapping rear seats, I haven't bought those yet though.
 
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Pie-eyedpiper said:
Thanks is for the info.

My error was not doing enough research on the A2 before buying some A2 6 spoke wheels. They came fitted with new 205/55/16 tyres, I thought they would go straight on, not reading the DEFINITIVE guide beforehand. Now they are too big, I believe.
The A2 is a steep learning curve, just the swapping rear seats, I haven't bought those yet though.
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Are you sure they are A2 6 spoke wheels?

If they are wearing 205/55 16 tyres my money would be on them being A3 wheels which look exactly the same but are the 7J ones I referred to above not 6J.

Check the part numbers underneath the centre caps and see if they are 8Z (A2) or 8L (A3)👍
 
Although 205/50R16 is less extreme than tyre sizes such as 205/40R17 and 205/45R16, I wouldn't call it a midrange tyre. Unless the car had 150HP to 200HP it's not something I would consider unless I needed them for fast cornering such as track days, etc.

Narrower and higher sidewalled tyres would ride noticeably better.

There are many 15" tyre sizes to choose from including 175/60R15, 175/65R15, 185/55R15, 185/60R15, 185/65R15, 195/50R15, 195/55R15, 195/60R15, 205/50R15, 205/55R15.

Bearing in mind that wider tyres increase the drag and therefore increase the fuel consumption and can increase road noise, the ultimate A2 tyre size and rim specification might be 175/65R15 fitted to a 5.5Jx15 ET34 rim...at least where fuel economy, light and nimble handling, tyre noise, cost of replacement tyres, and ride comfort are concerned. Plus it fits a standard rim size.

Another benefit of 15" rims over 16" rims is the reduced unsprung weight. For example, 6Jx15 ET38 Pepperpots weigh about 5.7kg each, whereas 16" alloy rims will often weigh about 9kg or 10kg each. 16" steel rims will sometimes weigh less than 7.5kg, so usually weigh less than their alloy equivalents.

Many 16" steel rims are available from VAG with a PCD of 5/100, including 6Jx16 ET31 (from Audi TT), 6Jx16 ET35 (from VW T-Cross), 6Jx16 ET40 (from Skoda Scala), 6.5Jx16 ET34 (from Audi A1), and 6.5Jx16 ET42 5/100 (from Golf MK4).
 
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carlston said:
Although 205/50R16 is less extreme than tyre sizes such as 205/40R17 and 205/45R16, I wouldn't call it a midrange tyre as you can see from the below group of three. Unless the car had 150HP to 200HP it's not something I would consider unless I needed them for fast cornering such as track days, etc.

The narrower and higher sidewalled tyres such as 185/70R14 and 195/60R15 would ride noticeably better.

There are many 15" options to choose from such as 165/65R15, 175/60R15, 175/65R15, 185/55R15, 185/60R15, 185/65R15, 195/50R15, 195/55R15, 195/60R15, 205/50R15, 205/55R15.

Bearing in mind that wider tyres increase the drag and therefore reduce the mpg and can increase road noise, the ultimate A2 tyre size and rim specification might be 175/65R15 fitted to a 5.5Jx15 ET34 rim.

Another benefit of 15" rims over 16" rims is the reduced unsprung weight. For example, about 5.7kg each rim for 6Jx15 ET35 5/100 57.1 Pepperpots. Even steel rims in this size only weigh about 8kg, which is still less than the perhaps 9kg to 10kg or more of 16" alloy rims.

Group 1
185/70R13 Outside diameter 589.2mm Standard Load index 86 (530kg)
195/60R14 Outside diameter 589.6mm Standard Load index 86 (530kg)
205/50R15 Outside diameter 586.0mm Standard Load index 86 (530kg)

Group 2
175/70R13 Outside diameter 575.2mm Standard Load index 82 (475kg)
185/60R14 Outside diameter 577.6mm Standard Load index 82 (475kg)
195/50R15 Outside diameter 576.0mm Standard Load index 82 (475kg)

Group 3
175/65R14 Outside diameter 583.1mm Standard Load index 82 (475kg)
185/55R15 Outside diameter 584.5mm Standard Load index 82 (475kg)
195/45R16 Outside diameter 581.9mm Standard Load index 80 (450kg)

Group 4
175/70R14 Outside diameter 600.6mm Standard Load index 84 (500kg)
185/60R15 Outside diameter 603.0mm Standard Load index 84 (500kg)
195/50R16 Outside diameter 601.4mm Standard Load index 84 (500kg)

Group 5
185/65R14 Outside diameter 596.1mm Standard Load index 86 (530kg)
195/55R15 Outside diameter 595.5mm Standard Load index 85 (515kg)
205/45R16 Outside diameter 590.9mm Standard Load index 83 (487kg)

Group 6
185/70R14 Outside diameter 614.6mm Standard Load index 88 (560kg)
195/60R15 Outside diameter 615.0mm Standard Load index 88 (560kg)
205/50R16 Outside diameter 611.4mm Standard Load index 87 (545kg)

Group 7
175/65R15 Outside diameter 608.5mm Standard Load index 84 (500kg)
185/55R16 Outside diameter 609.9mm Standard Load index 83 (487kg)
195/45R17 Outside diameter 607.3mm Standard Load index 81 (462kg)

Group 8
185/65R15 Outside diameter 621.5mm Standard Load index 88 (560kg)
195/55R16 Outside diameter 620.9mm Standard Load index 87 (545kg)
205/45R17 Outside diameter 616.3mm Standard Load index 84 (500kg)
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A 'midrange' tyre relates to it's quality or brand, not it's size.

Let's try to stick to answering the question the OP asked 👍
 
carlston said:
the ultimate A2 tyre size and rim specification might be 175/65R15 fitted to a 5.5Jx15 ET34 rim
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Although a bit of a thread swerve, i do actually agree with this and it could be known as 'the magic carpet ride' combination 😁

I have actually used this combination myself and can confirm the ride is sublime 👌

You obviously enjoy referencing various details regarding the effects of wheels and tyres (not always on the A2 though might i add 😂) but it might be a good idea to create your own information thread for others to reference rather than adding it to existing threads where it isn't quite so relevant or accessible if someone wanted to access the information 👍
 
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A2Z said:
Are you sure they are A2 6 spoke wheels?

If they are wearing 205/55 16 tyres my money would be on them being A3 wheels which look exactly the same but are the 7J ones I referred to above not 6J.

Check the part numbers underneath the centre caps and see if they are 8Z (A2) or 8L (A3)👍
Click to expand...
They're 35 ET, will check the part number tomorrow.
 
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Pie-eyedpiper said:
They're 35 ET, will check the part number tomorrow.
Click to expand...

From the photo of the A2 for sale on audi-sport.net they look like the 7Jx16 ET31 5/100 rims from the Audi TT.

From the first photo below, you can see that the specification is cast into the front of the alloy rim, rather than the back.

Audi TT 7Jx16 ET31 5/100 alloy rims
8N0601025MAluminium rim7Jx16 ET31
5/100
8N0601025M Z17Avus silver

s-l1600.jpg


index.php
 
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carlston said:
This thread is titled, "Tyre size, are they too big?".

A short answer wouldn't help anyone understand the bigger picture.
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@carlston - over the past couple of years or so we've interacted on a handful of threads, usually about part numbers or specifications of springs and so on. Your contribution is much appreciated, but sometimes it would be useful to filter it a bit as your posts tend to supply vast lists of options or part numbers without context that can cause confusion.

Sometimes it might be more helpful if you could limit your responses to information for which you have actual experience with your own vehicle - can you maybe clarify when you are contributing from a position of experience and explain the exact part that you have used and your experience of it? Forgive me for talking out of turn here, but it is something that I've noticed for a while.
 
@Robin_Cox You are not alone with those thoughts as others have already mentioned this. I agree @carlston has valid information but usually only appears in response to someone else's question.

What would be far more beneficial to all rather than ultimately ending up in a thread swerve is for @carlston to produce his own thread that had all the details in rather than swerve and bloat out other equally good threads such as the definitive wheel and tyre thread or simple answers to questions such as this thread.
 
Robin_Cox said:
@carlston - over the past couple of years or so we've interacted on a handful of threads, usually about part numbers or specifications of springs and so on. Your contribution is much appreciated, but sometimes it would be useful to filter it a bit as your posts tend to supply vast lists of options or part numbers without context that can cause confusion.

Sometimes it might be more helpful if you could limit your responses to information for which you have actual experience with your own vehicle - can you maybe clarify when you are contributing from a position of experience and explain the exact part that you have used and your experience of it? Forgive me for talking out of turn here, but it is something that I've noticed for a while.
Click to expand...
Post reduced in size and information transferred to the ultimate tyre thread.
 
A2Z said:
Are you sure they are A2 6 spoke wheels?

If they are wearing 205/55 16 tyres my money would be on them being A3 wheels which look exactly the same but are the 7J ones I referred to above not 6J.

Check the part numbers underneath the centre caps and see if they are 8Z (A2) or 8L (A3)👍
Click to expand...
Definitely 8Z, ET 35
IMG_20230310_141354864.jpg
 
Could be as simple as A2 wheels with incorrect size tyres.

The wheels look like the SE alloys in 16"
 
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