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Markmoto

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Hi Guys
Owned a 2004 A2 tdi with 186k for about 2 years now which had been a trusty run around, I’m coming up for needing some tyres soon and am thinking of swoping the wheels for something smaller for improved comfort as the rides rather firm, it’s currently sitting on 195/45/16.

Can anyone recommend a better wheel and tyre combo for improved confirm please maybe from a different car such as golf, polo etc.

Thanks in advance
Mark
 
Hi Mark, there is a definitive tyre thread but I’d say that should be 195/50R16. The other thing is of course the stiffness of the tyres. 84 rating is fine for our aluminium friends.
I’ve also found that the shocks have a huge effect on ride quality. Bilstein B6 are very good all round imo and AUTODOC have them at reasonable prices when the discount is right

G
 
Thanks for the reply, yes I suspected that they should 50s and not 45s based on the tyre pressure placard, it’s just what it had on it when I got it. They are also 84 so that’s ok, just wondering how much difference 50 profile over the 45s, I think the suspension is ultimately the problem I was just thinking smaller wheels would be a cheap way to softer suspension.
 
Markmoto said:
Thanks for the reply, yes I suspected that they should 50s and not 45s based on the tyre pressure placard, it’s just what it had on it when I got it. They are also 84 so that’s ok, just wondering how much difference 50 profile over the 45s, I think the suspension is ultimately the problem I was just thinking smaller wheels would be a cheap way to softer suspension.
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Ride noise-vibration-harshness can be improved considerably by replacing the various rubber bushes (ie Anti-roll bar, drop links, spring seats etc.), and as @George Hogg suggested some new shocks usually help considerably. I have both Bilstein B6 and B4 front shocks. The former are a bit leaner and more refined in their control of vibration but the cost is over double the B4s, which I have purchased on 3 occasions and am also very satisfied with for the price. Moving from 45 to 50 profile tyres on your 16" will give a substantially more supple ride - I used to have a set of budget (Aoyama) 195/50/16 on the spare set of 16" I had and they were good for local use. I've currently got 45 (84 weight) and 55 profile (88 weight) Uniroyal 195s on my 16" cars. The 55s are excellent for long distance motorway use (I do reasonably regular 550 mile each-way drives Scotland to Plymouth return yearly), but the 45 profile are lighter and sweeter to steer on local roads (and with the suspension refurbs they are not harsh).

My only concern would be your last sentence about needing the solution to be cheap : smaller wheels with higher profile tyres will still cost the thick end of £200-£250 for a set of reasonable quality tyres and a set of 15" wheels is not going to cost nothing - and would still leave worn shocks and bushes in place. Whether they would achieve everything you are looking for or simply make you frustrated with rattles and knocks and harsh worn shocks still being present is a moot point. I would tend towards the suspension component replacements first all done in one job if you are looking for cost-effective solutions.
 
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Markmoto said:
Thanks for the reply, yes I suspected that they should 50s and not 45s based on the tyre pressure placard, it’s just what it had on it when I got it. They are also 84 so that’s ok, just wondering how much difference 50 profile over the 45s, I think the suspension is ultimately the problem I was just thinking smaller wheels would be a cheap way to softer suspension.
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Hi, standard size tyres on factory 16's would be 185/50/16 81V but they are a very expensive tyre size to buy as they are only made in very small quantities due to being used on just a few vehicles which pushes the manufacture price up and obviously end cost to the consumer.

You should never downsize tyre sizes on an A2 in my opinion as the ride becomes even more harsh, as you're experiencing and it also makes your Speedo under-read more than it does as standard (normally 3-4mph) so your thinking is correct that the smaller the rim you go, the bigger or deeper/taller the sidewall will be to achieve the same rolling circumference, meaning more comfort.

You can fit most A1 or mk1 TT wheels to an A2 but especially in the case of the TT you will have to change the tyres as the standard TT size tyres are too big for the A2 and can cause fouling, the A1's you can normally get away with and although slightly oversized, just bolt straight on.

If you want to keep original, there are a couple of factory A2 design 15" wheels that take a 175/60/15 tyre size as standard but you can also upsize this to 175/65/15 or use 185/60/15 but personally only on a 6j width which only the optional 15" 6 spoke design SE wheel was, the standard wheels are 5.5j and very lightweight and ride superbly.

A lot of people also use the Pepperpot design from the mk1 A3 8L which is also very lightweight and a 6j 15" et38 wheel that wears the 185/60/15 perfectly but can also use the 175's too.

Just to mention if you went the mk1 TT 16" route they are a 7j width with a lower offset of ET31 which enable you to use a 205/50/16 oversized tyre for excellent traction and comfort without fouling.

Hope this helps a little and please check anything before buying to avoid a potentially expensive mistake.

Wheels must be a 5x100 fitment btw 👍
 
The other thing is to pay attention to the weight of the wheel, unsprung weight makes a difference too.
Your cheapest solution is to change the tyres only
 
Also make sure the tyres are balanced correctly (perfectly, zero - zero dynamically balanced) and the tyre pressures are correct which can make a huge difference too 👍
 
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