Wheel spacers or wider wheels?

M

MoveIT

Tuner
Points
67
Location
Chester
Car
Chevy Lacetti CDX
I have an Audi a2, which after 4 years, I have decided to keep for the long term, however I don't like the narrow look of the car, and want to widen its look by having the wheels fill the width of arches to give more of a fat look.

I have thought about wheel spacers before, but I'm unsure if this is the right thing to do, and whether wider wheels would be better.

I currently have 17" wheels with 205 wide tyres on.
 
Whichever route you go, just be careful that you leave enough threaded portion on the wheel stud/nut to ensure that it can be torqued up properly. In most cases longer studs are available for this purpose.
 
I agree about going for wheels instaed of spacers, and I was wondering about how wide I can go, but I didn't think I'd have that sort of problem, anything else I should know?
plus I don't want to go to excessive, just enough to get the right look, shame you can't try before you buy.
 
hello , you can try wheel addaptors , they will allow you to change the pitch center diameter of your wheels . They bolt onto your existing wheel hub using your existing wheel nuts , are about 30mm wide and have a new set of studs for your new wheels .
this is a easy way of increasing the track on your car and going to a larger rim size of something common and readly available ( even a set on your mates car ) i dont know if its legal in uk so you will need to check
hope this is at least an option regards
 
agree with c/b you will need longer bolts to make sure you get the right torque

i would have a look around the net ie audi clubs see what some of them are running on someof them will be running silly sizes but some will be running what you want just a bit wider
 
Certainly look on the net and see what other owners are using but you can't beat a visual on your own car. Most major wheel stockists will offer up a rim to make sure it clears everything etc, all you need to do is make an appointment with them and they will be delighted to help you out. Maybe even more so now that there is apparently a recession going on. Phone around and ask, you have nothing to lose.
 
You do need to keep the outer edge of the tyre within the wheel arch when the steering is aligned straight ahead.

You also, need to avoid the inner tyre shoulder fouling the wheel arch liners.

Beyond this, you'd be better off using larger diameter rims (possibly wider as well) and fitting a lower profile and wider section width tyre so that you maintain the same rolling radius as the factory rim/tyre combination.

Be wary though, lots of insurers don't take kindly to non-standard wheels are tyres. You MUST disclose any change from standard sizes.

If the wheel/tyre combination you wish to use is listed as an authorised fitment for your car you should be OK. But, - I'd still advise that you disclose ANY change whatsoever.
 
thanks peeps, I'll have a look at the audi oc forum as suggested, and I might pay a visit to Demon Tweeks for more advice and suggestions.

I do remember when I ordered my last set of wheels, the place I ordered them from were telling me I shouldn't go over 205 wide tyres for my car, as if it was a crime to do so, and it would make my car seriously unstable! :blink:
 
thought of you today as i did a front tyre on a a6 he had uprated his wheels and tyres and put on 245's dont go for them he had about 2 mm clearance front the tyre and the top ball joints ok the wheels looked good on there think they was audi ones off a bigger motor or can go 245's just not 17's or 18's what ever they were
 
I was thinking 235 at the most, so 235/35/17 I think anything bigger than that will be silly.
I've not lowered the car so I don't think they'l rub on the arches, but then I'm not a wheel fitter, so I'll need to go see one for advice like demon tweeks I mentioned, they'l probably better estimate what the car can take.
 
luton remember theres a hell of a difference between the a6 and the a2.

im pretty close to my arches on the inside with the 225/40/17s thats on the bora which is more or less the a4
 
oh ya i know they are alot diff but its more the size to the top ball joints i was saying more then the wheel arch but like i said in a post best ave a look on a audi oc or demon tweeks were they have the stuff on the shef


have 245's on the 87 trans am but thats a heavy old car but have 315's on the new one but needs them to put the power down
 
pgarner said:
im pretty close to my arches on the inside with the 225/40/17s thats on the bora which is more or less the a4
Click to expand...

225/40/17 did cross my mind initially, but I suppose I'm just beeing greedy and considering 235 first. what size wheels are are running those on? I had seen some people running 235/35/17 tyres on an 8.5/17 wheel giving it that stretched on to the wheel look, where the tyre wall is at kind of cambered.
 
7" i think will double check the morn if i remember and get the ET as well.

dont think i would get away with 235 on the front, easy on the back can run 10" wheels without too many problems
 
Thanks, I just don't think 225 will be enough, my brother in law has 225's on his mondeo, and thats as standard, though I haven't seen our cars parked together to compare tyre widths.
 
I don't think this has been mentioned - Double check the PCD of any wheels you plan to buy. Ny son bought a set of 19" Audi wheels for his S3 only to find they had a different PCD! Apparently, Audi use 2 PCDs on their cars. There are adapters available, but they are around £180 a pair.

Anybody interested in a set (4) of 19" black Audi wheels with good tyres? :)
 
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