Wheels 17" to 15"

L

livermanx

A2OC Donor
I want to put 15" wheels on my A2 TDI SE with Factory Sports package. ( it has rear brake drums).
Current wheels are the 9 spoke 17" with 205/40 /R17 tyres
Reason is due to having some of the worse traffic calming humps in Liverpool which as already snapped the anti roll-bar on the car - also need a smoother ride for the wife as she’s pregnant and its her car.

1. Anyone got a set of 15" Audi wheels out there for sale?

2. Whats the best tyre size I could fit on 15" ?, noting I have the Factory SE Sports version which I guess has a lower ride then the std factory fitted 15" A2 model. I'm not intrested in high performance as the wife drives 'Sensibly' just what comfort & standard handling.


Current wheel info for my cars 9 SPOKE 17" Alloys:
Audi state the off set is E938.
The wheel part number: 8LO 601 025 AC
7/J x 17 H2

Cheers Livermanx
 
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You could be in luck. Next week I'm picking up a 2005 Special Edition petrol 1.4 with 13,500 miles that has the polished 15" wheels with 175/60 tyres. Wife wanted a set of 16" SE wheels so we'll have a spare set of 15's which I was planning to Ebay.
Once we have the car I can tell you the make and tyre tread depth and confirm the condition of the rims. I live near Heathrow. If you're interested PM me.

Regards
Rob.
 
Rob said:
You could be in luck. Next week I'm picking up a 2005 Special Edition petrol 1.4 with 13,500 miles that has the polished 15" wheels with 175/60 tyres. Wife wanted a set of 16" SE wheels so we'll have a spare set of 15's which I was planning to Ebay.
Once we have the car I can tell you the make and tyre tread depth and confirm the condition of the rims. I live near Heathrow. If you're interested PM me.

Regards
Rob.
Click to expand...
Cheers for the steer, could do with some more local, I'm in liverpool, but may have the ride out if the condtion and price is right, email me when your in a position to do so...
Regards
Rob
[email protected]
 
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steve hughes said:
Hi check out these on ebay , might be worth a punt then you can sell your 17" at leisure

Steve

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=110149657799&rd=1&rd=1
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link, I've seen these on ebay a few weeks ago, there looking a bit tired.... but any more please let me know.
Also for those out there I've found the Wheel sizes:
Model:- A2, 00>Year, Stds & size:-5x100mm, Offset:-38 to 45, Bore:-57.1,
A3 96 to 03 5x100mm 38 to 42 57.1
New A3 03> 5x112mm 42 to 50 57.1
TT 99> 5x100mm 25 to 42 57.1
 
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wheel swap

hi mate , do you fancy a swap. i have a nice set of 15" s on mine, polished type. been looking for a set of 17"s for awhile:)
 
15" wheels

Just got a set of old A3 wheels of ebay (£50) with 195/65/R15 tyres on I fitted them on my A2 (correction wife’s A2), - there not much space left but there is no rubbing issues etc. It looks a bit strange having had RS 17" 205/40 on but it looks kind of more beefy. The ride is a whole lot better of our speed humps and pot holed roads in Liverpool - a Whole lot better. Gave it some welly as a test and there isn’t much in it granted it rolls more but another plus is the steering doesn’t pull to the left now and its straight, a common fault pulling to the left on 205/40 tyres also the tram lines in the road that grab the steering doesn’t happen. In all its a better setup for the wife to drive, however I want TT 7 spoke wheels being 16" if any one out there has them on their A2 let us know:-
The max side wall you have managed to cram in and any issues with the off set as I believe there 31 off set.
Also has anyone tried to put 205/45 or 205/50 on the Sports 17” RS wheels?
Cheers
Rob
Photos of the 15" A3 wheels i fittied with 195/65 tyres
http://www.marchington.org/car/imgp2229.jpg
http://www.marchington.org/car/imgp2230.jpg
 
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Change of plan now have gone for 16"

I’ve fitted 7 spoke TT 16" wheels with 205/55 tyres, Offset 31mm. No rubbing issues unless you take the speed bumps on the roads where I live at 30mph, you get some rubbing as the car bounces on the back wheels, taking the bumps at this speed was impossible with my old RS 17" 205/40. et off set 38. the car wheels would be squared and you would have a serious back injury.
The added benefits which I’ve noticed is the wheel offset pushing the wheels a further 7mm outwards which helps clear the raised edges of the speed bumps which was the reason for me to change wheels, this outward 7mm I guess gives a squarer stance on the road which I assume off sets the raise in the overall height of the car, which as increased by 20mm. The sticking out of the wheels is no more noticeable then my old RS 17".
It’s the wife car and she’s carrying the kid in the back hence why I don’t want my Kid brain damaged by the speed humps but also concerns over the handling of the car having made the wheels size change. There a slight increase in car height which caused me concern (looks like a mini Q7 !!) as such I took it to work with me for the past week that’s 100 miles a day across some of the toughest roads in England: M67, M60 M62 A57 snake pass, A628 Woodhead pass. I’ve throw the car around in all circumstances knowing these roads like the back of my hand.
Cornering is no different there is no under steer or over steer or deviation from my old RS17” 205/40 wheels granted the car tilts ever so slightly more in the corner but to nothing detrimental and the grip on the road is ever bit as good as the 17” RS.
Rubbing of tyres did occur if the car was seriously jolted going over a extremely bad pot hole or excessively fast over speed humps. Using a lower side wall tyre would remove this say 205/50 or 205/45 but I’m happy with the 205/55 for now. horses for courses.
Emergency stop; I’ve slammed the breaks on a few times and the car response is spot on no indifference the traction control works the same.
The Ride quality is far far far-better its takes pot holes and the dreaded speed humps with ease in comparison to the 17” 205/40 also far better then a set of 15” 195/65- I first tried on the car.
Also checked the Speedo against my sat nav and it spot on no difference in the speed although the wheel diameter is more.
Some members have pointed out that using over size wheels in Germany is illegal, the only aspect to doing this in the UK is probably an insurance issue in changing the car from its standard format which could void your insurance if you fail to disclose such.
I’m leaving the wheels on. I feel overall the cars performance in my opinion is far improved and the style is also improved too.
Its horses for courses, the wife has to endure 2 miles of speed humps. I set out to make the ride more tolerable which I’ve achieved with these wheels and hopefully the wife will not get sneered at, road raged, cause tail backs, put under pressure to go over speed humps faster then the car can cope with.
Livermanx
Pictures of the new wheels

http://www.marchington.org/car/imgp2235.jpg
http://www.marchington.org/car/imgp2238.jpg
http://www.marchington.org/car/imgp2242.jpg
http://www.marchington.org/car/imgp2243.jpg
http://www.marchington.org/car/imgp2245.jpg
http://www.marchington.org/car/imgp2248.jpg
 
17" to 15" to 16" wheels

I have run my A2 with the 16" TT wheels with 205/55 tyres for 2 weeks and the issue of rubbing has been an issue on the back and when the front is on full lock. My model is a SE with sports package. Whilst the ride was certainly improved due to the height of the tyre wall and the TT off set difference of 7mm which throws the wheels out slightly creating a wider rider the rubbing issue couldn't be ignored. So I have put 195/45 tyres on which are one of the recommended tyres specs. The other option for 16" is 185/50 but these are far more expensive due to the fact that this size rare on 16" wheels.
The ride is now standard but its an improvement on my RS 17" wheels using 205/40. But as mentioned previously I used 15" wheels with 195/65 and had no issues with them except for the fact that my wife didn't like them and as such there wasn't much on offer in the 15" range that would possibly fit these 15" wheels are now in the ownership of a member who's read this thread.
To adjust the suspension as some have pointed out to improve ride quality is a costly choice and could also invalidate your insurance just as much as changing you tyre recommended spec if you fail to tell them.
My conclusion is the TT wheels are a better option then the std SE wheels as the 7mm per wheel (14mm) off set gives a bit more wider ride, they look better with the extra spoke and as such are a stronger wheel over the SE and RS std wheels. Also they seem to come up on ebay as their the std wheels on the TT to which the owners get ride of as they up grade and no TT owner wants them as such gives the A2 owner a cheaper alternative up grade at a cheap price. I paid £150 for my set which had 4 New 205/55 tyres on them I have sold the tyres for £90 as such a new set of wheels cost me £60! With 4 New Avon 195/45 tyres from www.Tyre-shopper.co.uk fitted at National tyres cost me £240 as such £300 total and a lot more knowledge on the technical aspect of A2 Wheel .
 
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livermanx said:
To adjust the suspension as some have pointed out to improve ride quality is a costly choice and could also invalidate your insurance just as much as changing you tyre recommended spec if you fail to tell them.
Click to expand...

Hi livermanx,

you (and others of course) may check out the following thread for instance:

http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6004

Especially on light cars a well adjusted spring/shock unit does have more positive effects (overall) than just switching to “ballony“ type tyres.

Again, the maximum ride comfort (without any negative side-effects like too much unsprung mass, tyre rubbing or bottom out tendencies) will be achieved with

- Koni FSD and
- standard springs and
- 195/55R15 tyres

Here in Germany generally a change of dampers to a non-stock type does have no influence on insurance stipulations. Aftermarket springs on the other hand must be technically TUEV approved for safety reasons as they are directly associated with axle load.

The 195/55R15 tyre size perfectly matches the allowed/recommended dimensions for A2s, meaning the perimeter is identical to the Audi standard 205/40R17 wheel size.


It is generally highly recommendable buying the set of FSD in all suspension comfort related issues - you won’t regret it especially on bad roads “paved“ with potholes and speed bumps!

http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4807

Cheers
 
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I may look into the Koni shocks as so many have mentioned the benefits and a bit of googling also backs it up and with the std springs, your not altering the manufactures setup and as such any insurance issues.
 
Hi, I purchased the 15" wheels with 195/65 15 tyres fitted from LIvermanx and have spent today trying them out. Conclusions are as follows:
yes the ride is improved especially over traffic calming raised paint lines:
handling not so good as on previous 16" 185/50 16 setup:
wheel/tyre combination does fill the wheelarches and could be considered balloony!
Overrall a welcome improvement but not a complete solution. Think I will try
the 195/55 15 tyre and Koni FSD combination as advised.
 
Just had new 16" six spoke alloys fitted with new pirelli p6000 185/50/16 (with help from skipton I argued and won my buckled 17" alloys) and the ride is better when addressing speed bumps or the odd hole in the road, handling doesn't appear to have altered.

doctor
 
Hello,

I was asked about different useable (perimeter!) 15“ wheel sizes while considering comfort, unsprung mass and rim protection.

The following tyre sizes will fit 15“ rims (5 to 6.5“ wide and ET ranging from 35 to 25) on A2s:



155-65R15 (standard winter tyre size; intermediate comfort factor of 4.59; comparable small unsprung mass; marginal rim protection)

155-70R15 (“ballony“; very comfortable with 5.82; still marginal rim protection; possible indirekt steering and handling feedback)

165-60R15 (moderate comfort factor of 4.32; little rim protection)

165-65R15 (standard Audi tyre size for A2, comfort factor 5.62; little rim protection)

175-60R15 (standard Audi tyre size for A2; comfort factor 5.26; moderate rim protection on 6x15)

175-65R15 (“ballony“; very large but still acceptable perimeter; very high comfort factor of 6.64; comparable high unsprung mass; moderate rim protection on 6x15; possible indirekt steering and handling feedback)

185-55R15 (moderate comfort factor 4.75; fair rim protection)

185-60R15 (“ballony“; very high comfort factor 6.21; fair rim protection)

195-50R15 (pretty small perimeter; comfort factor of 4.08; good rim protection)

195-55R15 (comfort factor 5.62; good rim protection)

205-50R15 (“ballony“; moderate comfort factor 4.87, very effective rim protection)

205-55R15 (“ballony“; very large but still acceptable perimeter; very high comfort factor 6.49; very effective rim protection; high unsprung mass; possible indirekt steering and handling feedback)




Regarding comfort my personal favourite still is 195-55R15 with let’s say 6x15, because that tyre size is a nice compromise between comfort, rim protection, unsprung mass and handling capabilities. Anyway, the FSD damper upgrade is the #1 to do.









And last not least a rather special 15“ wheel size recommendation (will look like pic below if using coilovers):

front: 7.5x15ET 28 plus 205-50R15 (comfort factor 4.87; no rim protection; direkt steering and handling feedback)

rear: 8.5x15ET 20 plus 225-45R15 (comfort factor 4.67; no rim protection; direkt steering and handling feedback)

In this case the inner wheel arches have to be modded or even removed to provide sufficient clearance, especially if properly lowered. Despite of their width these wheels deliver very acceptable comfort. The standard Audi sport wheel size of 205/40R17 only mobilises a factor of 1.63 for comparison.

Cheers
 
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