which tyre on 17's?

A

andyboy

Member
i'm looking at fitting some 17 by 7.5 (35et offset) alloys onto my se, but can't decide wether to go 205 or 215 40's.
i fancy the look of the 215's but realise the recommended size is 205, i see the online size calculater points to the smaller tyre to keep diameter std but i'm not too fussed about 1 or 2%.
any advice welcomed.
 
As the new wheels are half an inch wider than standard 17" wheels, you should fit 215/40 R17's - I ahve them on my car with no trouble.

Makes the speedo more accurate too!

Cheers,

Mike
 
Not so long ago I switched from an A2 with 16" SE wheels to one with 17" sports wheels. Fortunately the previous owner of the latter had just paid for new 205/40 Pirelli P Zeros on the 17" wheels. I like the tyre which is both quiet and grippy. However on my previous SE I had the luxury of Dunlops with an overhang and as a result my alloys were near flawless. On the new A2 I find the 205 width not sufficient to prevent the occasional scrape against the kerb and if it wasn't for the new Pirelli's I would switch to 215's before I scrape the 17" wheels to b****ry.

If I could find someone with very good condition 16" wheels I would consider a straight swop, as going back to 185's/195's (?) would also help improve my MPG.
 
ah ha, i have a good set of 16's with nearly new dunlop tyres!

or if i buy the 7.5 rims i'll definately go for 215 tyres, thanks.
 
Would also like some help here, I have a nice set of 17" alloys (audi) on my A2 but as I drive every day along poor country roads would really prefer a smaller set of alloys to improve ride quality, do I assume correctly that smaller alloys would help?
Would any other user know how to go about this , with other members or perhaps another site?
I hope someone can help and confirm my idea to improve ride quality

Also, as I need new pads and discs, how can i tell if I have discs or drums at the rear? Its an '03 1.4Tdi

thanks

Dave
 
You have drums on the back, unless you can see a shiney bit if metal between the spokes!

As for ride quality, yes, smaller alloys will help and the best compromise on the A2 between ride and handling, is deemed to be the 16" SE wheel with 195/50 tyres (185/50 is standard but expensive and hard to come by).

Cheers,

Mike
 
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