alantong Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 I made a big mistake yeaterday - I lent my A8 to my wife. I know it was a silly thing to do... She has managed to drive at speed into a pothole the size of Denmark and buckled the front passenger wheel. Audi in their infinite wisdom do not include a spare wheel / tyre for cars with run flat tyres so I am now off the road. My current wheels are 7 spoke with 245/690 R500 which is a european size. As I dont like run flats and only have 3 of them it seems to make sense starting again. Does anyone have any advice on this - in particular 1. What wheel size to go for (its a 2003 D3)? The R500s I have at the moment equate to 19.6 inch wheels so I am thinking of dropping down to 19 inch to hopefully get a better ride. 2. What style of wheels look good on a A8. mine is dark blue. 3. Where to get the wheels. There are plenty of "A8 style" wheels on Ebay 4. What tyres to fit Any advice would be welcome as would any offers of wheels/tyres for sales or contact details of good people to buy from. If by chance someone has a 7 spoke R500 wheel then I guess that would be another option. Thx Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantong Posted February 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Ignore most of the above. Now looking to get some A8 style aftermarket wheels. Questions now 1. Whats the "correct" size tyre for an 18 inch rim 2. ditto for 19 inch Thanks Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostKiwi Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 The correct size for an 18" for a D2 is 245/45/ZR 18 - probably the same for a D3? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickGUK Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Hi, have a look inside your fuel filler cap, in there is the label for the tyre pressures, it will probably show which size tyres are fitted from the factory to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantong Posted February 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Hi, have a look inside your fuel filler cap, in there is the label for the tyre pressures, it will probably show which size tyres are fitted from the factory to [/ QUOTE ] I feel a little sheepish. I should have thought of that 235/55 R17 235/50 R18 255/45 R18 245/40 R19 245/690 R500 It seems odd there is not an option for 245 tyres on a 18 inch rim. I am thinking of getting the following wheel in 18 inch http://www.elitedirect.com/01_alloy_whee...=Audi&pmod= But by the time you add some decent tyres (F1s, SP9000s or Bridgestone RE040) you are looking at around £800. This was based on 245/45/18s. I now need to check I can fit these or might be better off with 255/45/18. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fudge Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 My D3 A8 has the 255/45 R18 combination which I believe suits the car well. I had a 2006 loan D3 A8 with 20 inch wheels but I found that this spoilt the ride - too harsh for my taste. Mine is running on Continentals but I will probably go for Falken 452 replacement tyres when I need to change - about £115 each when I last checked. Son has just fitted Falkens to his D2 A8 and is happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffy3074 Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Top gear advice was to avoid the bigger wheels on the D3 for the same reason, spoiled the ride, albeit I like the better turn in........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantong Posted February 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 OK - think I have it sussed now. Option 1 - buy one new wheel from Audi at £1356 Option 2 - buy 4 new wheels and tyres for about £850 as follows New wheels are copies of A8 design - http://www.elitedirect.com/01_alloy_whee...=Audi&pmod= Priced about £300 Tyre sizes are 255/45 R18 Tyre type, probably Goodyear Eagle F1 after watching this test http://www.autocar.co.uk/VideosWallpapers/Videos.aspx?AR=228551&CT=V Cost of tyres - about £135 each. So wheels plus tyres will be about £840. Buy together as a deal hope to get then balanced / fitted etc for under £850. To sum up - 4 new tyres plus 4 new wheels for £850 or one new wheel for £135 A bit of a no brainer... Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickGUK Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Just be aware that a "lot" of cheap copies of standard rims dont stand up to potholes etc and ive heard they are easily bent / buckled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlillywh Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Good advice - I was going to say - keep us informed as to how you get on - interested in going for some 18 or 19's on my 54 D3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDiAvant Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Just be aware that a "lot" of cheap copies of standard rims dont stand up to potholes etc and ive heard they are easily bent / buckled. [/ QUOTE ] I would agree with that 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantong Posted February 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Thanks for advice on the cheap copies. Because of this I have decided to buy from Elite as they have been recommended by a few people and have a shop etc. They are less likely to sell dodgy stuff than ebay only traders and at least I know where to find them if there is a problem. The sales guy I have been dealing with (Lee) seems to really know his stuff and has been making sure the tyre I choose has the right rolling radius and load factors etc. This gives me a lot of confidence. Will order today by mail order - hopefully be able to report back next weekend when I have had a chance to fit them and put a few miles on them. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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