New wheels and tyres

John H

John H

Member
I have just fitted the A3 Pepperpot wheels which I bought on here with a new set of 195/55 x 15 Continental tyres, and fitted them to the A2. I rather like the look, but judge for yourself below. Note newly applied A2OC badges too!

You might have read in my other thread about odd tyre wear, and I certainly did not feel too confident with the 175 Dunlops that were on it before. The front of the car felt a mite under-tyred to me, no doubt not helped by the wear on them. In vigourous cornering they felt as if they were almost "tucking under" if you know what I mean. The slightly wider Contis make the car feel altogether much better, and the ride is still good too.

The car feels more like it's mine now that I have changed a few details.

:D
 
Very nice mate, i like it.

I haven't seen that style very often so its good to see.
 
Emm said:
Very nice mate, i like it.

I haven't seen that style very often so its good to see.
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Thanks, I confess I have grown weary of the fashion to fit the biggest possible wheels, with the lowest profile tyres. Some cars look like caricatures these days ... four enormous wheels with a car draped over them.

I reckon that 15" wheels look perfectly OK on the A2, not to mention that you get some compliance in the sidewall. The 195/55 x 15 size seems a good compromise, so long as it doesn't harm my MPG figures too much.
 
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ULP said:
I like to look and, like you John, don't share the current fashion for drug-dealer wheels that do nothing for grip, ride or handling.
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Each to their own I say.

I am very open minded and really like the look of your A2 on those 15" pepper pot rims John. They really do look 'understated' in a very positive and 'standard fitment' sort of way and add to the 'uniqueness appearance' of the A2.

Equally though, I like the appearance of the 17" rims on the A2; specifically those fitted to 'Tank'. Interesting to hear your thoughts on the 175 profile too John; my A2 came with 15" 175 profile tyres and I totally echo your comments. It was this lack of front end grip that forced me into opting for the 17" wheel; though I fully accept that I too could have gone with the 195's.

Your wheel selection is in a word 'nice'.

Cheers,

Darren

P.S. I also understand how personalisation makes the car somehow feel more at one with you. :)
 
I suppose I'm coming at this from a different angle. I actively want my A2 to look discreet, and I want it comfortable. These were the qualities (along with its economy) that I bought it for.

I don't want it lowered, with big wheels and more power, cos I'm not looking for it to be a sports car. If I want that, I just lift a different set of keys off the key rack. The Porsche ones!

;)
 
Sorry for the thread revival/hi-jack. ;):p

John how are those Pepperpot alloys getting on? And how are the 195's performing? I've just recently bought some 15" A3 P'Pots with 195/65 tyres, so I'm looking to replace them with either 175/60's, 185/55's or 195/55's. :)
 
Keithb said:
Sorry for the thread revival/hi-jack. ;):p

John how are those Pepperpot alloys getting on? And how are the 195's performing? I've just recently bought some 15" A3 P'Pots with 195/65 tyres, so I'm looking to replace them with either 175/60's, 185/55's or 195/55's. :)
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Happy to see the thread revived. :)

I think the pepperpot wheels are great, and they are very easy to clean. My only concern is that they get wrecked through the winter, I could put the old wheels back on, but I never liked the feel of the car on those skinny 175 tyres. I was thinking about buying some pukka winter tyres for them, but they are very expensive.

The 195/55's Conti's seem the perfect choice, exactly the right circumference, and the car feels great on them. Mind you the A2 has a healthy appetite for front tyres, and I'll need to renew the fronts soon, although I have done a lot of miles in the car since I fitted them, about 10k I think.


:cool:
 
around £70 per corner for real winter tyres via mytyres.co.uk... that sounds reasonable to me. that's in 195/55R15. 195/50R15 - pirelli wintersport down to £50 / corner.

Bret
 
bretti_kivi said:
around £70 per corner for real winter tyres via mytyres.co.uk... that sounds reasonable to me. that's in 195/55R15. 195/50R15 - pirelli wintersport down to £50 / corner.

Bret
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Hmm, thanks for that. I'll check it out.

I enquired about winter tyres last year for a different car, and they were well over £100 each, whereas the summer ones were half that. The garage explained that it's because winter tyres are hardly used in the UK, so there is no incentive to sell them cheap.

:mad:
 
there was an argument ongoing elsewhere that "winter tyres are overkill for the UK" - and yes, you could say that, but they're not just set up for snow - especially the central european stylee are for "varied" and mainly cold conditions. Below 7 degrees c your summer tyres are supposed to lose grip (though this is, as usual, a generalisation that doesn't always hold true) and if you're up in Scotland I'd wager the £200 is well-invested, especially if you're the last to be gritted.

Bret
 
One of the reason I have not bothered with winter tyres is the UK's obsession for salting the roads. If anything, this is even more prevalent in Scotland. At the first sign of frost our local authorites lash thousands of tons of the stuff on every road and pathway known to mankind. We never see a snowy or icy road, and if we do there is uproar in the media that we are all doomed. It's pathetic.

While this does keep the ice at bay, it means that from about November to March our roads are a sea of brine. What this does to your car you can imagine, but it also makes our roads a filthy slippery mess as well. Salt is of course hygroscopic, so it attracts moisture even on dry days.

I hate winter!
 
winter rubber is softer to deal with the cold. TBH, I'd want winters in the UK (but then I've got a lot more safety conscious in the last few years) simply for the concept of grip on ice and also in cold, wet conditions.

If they're also only £50 a corner for real ones (those Pirelli Sottozeros I wrote about earlier), the only real extra costs are somewhere to store and the hassle of changing twice a year. I can't imagine life without them. OK, I was also talking to my brother on the phone earlier - he might be coming over in March and we'll have to do car control on the lake, as he has no idea just how much grip is available on ice or what snapping the throttle shut mid-way through a corner will do when you're on the limit of adhesion ... this is going to be fun :D

Bret
 
bretti_kivi said:
winter rubber is softer to deal with the cold. TBH, I'd want winters in the UK (but then I've got a lot more safety conscious in the last few years) simply for the concept of grip on ice and also in cold, wet conditions.

If they're also only £50 a corner for real ones (those Pirelli Sottozeros I wrote about earlier), the only real extra costs are somewhere to store and the hassle of changing twice a year. I can't imagine life without them. OK, I was also talking to my brother on the phone earlier - he might be coming over in March and we'll have to do car control on the lake, as he has no idea just how much grip is available on ice or what snapping the throttle shut mid-way through a corner will do when you're on the limit of adhesion ... this is going to be fun :D

Bret
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May be all we need is proper car control training like a Finnish driving test! Bret, tell me it is all true in Topgear, you learn driving with handbrake turns and flicks!
 
I'm already finding my new 17" Nangkangs rather slippery in the peri-zero, but not gritted back roads round my way already. Need to tread lightly on the throttle - 7 years of driving heavy quattros has made me a bit complacent in poor road conditions. I think winter tyres should be compulsory in, eer, winter.
 
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