grey67

(Being both a TT noob and a complete dunce when it comes to wheel size and tires, please forgive the potential stupidity of the following question.)

So the roads around me are totally crap. PA spends zero money on road maintenance and there are potholes all over the place that never get taken care of, not to mention that they are literally building three separate apartment/condo complexes in my area, with all the attendant road rip-ups and tire hazards. Because of this, I defaulted to the 18" standard wheels when I ordered my TT (roadster, not coupe). However, as I see the pictures of you folks in the TTS's with the fancy wheels, I admit to a bit o'hankering for possibly updating my wheels to the 19" variety. Is this a straightforward thing? Do I just buy a set of 19" wheels and put the right size tires on them and everything is good? Or are there settings/mechanisms that need to be adjusted to reflect the new size? If I were to do this, what tires should I be looking for for this particular upgrade?

Please, I beg you - use small words - I literally fall into a daze when people start talking tires on these forums. Thanks in advance!

Dhynes

When I bought my used 2009 TT 3.2 coupe, I couldn't wait to put on the 19" Audi wheels I had saved from a previous TTS. The tires were nice sticky Goodyear F1's at 8.5" width. I'll admit the cornering, launch and braking were fantastic. That being said, I did have a lot more road noise from the big tires and the weight of the wheels were felt on road heaves and pot holes with a nasty bang occasionally. These things disappeared once I put the original Audi 18" back on with my all season Nokian's. The 19"s looked great, but were too heavy for my suspension. If you do go bigger, try to get the lightest wheel you can afford and choose a tire that has a low noise level. With that top down, you'll hear everything.

My signature picture has the 19" wheels.

farmerjones

Short answer....yes, if you upgrade to the same size tire as from the factory and mount it on a 19" wheel this is nothing that needs changed on the car (for example, no change needs to be made to speedometer calibration). The overall diameter of the wheel is the same on a 18" and 19", just the rim gets bigger, and the tire side gets smaller...overall diameter stays the same.

I have the 19" summers, but switched to 18" on snow tires, and the ride transformation is amazing....the 18" is so much better. Of course a snow tire offers a much more cushioned ride because of it's softer rubber composition, but wow....there is a difference between the two. Be prepared for a harsher ride on 19" rims, but how harsh probably depends if you get summer-only tires (which tend to be very stiff and offer more road noise) or all season tires (quieter and more compliant ride).

That' said, the exact tire choice also has a very important roll in ride. I must say I have the 19" Bridgestone summer Potenza tires and I feel they are surprisingly quiet with amazing grip. I take my car to weekend track days regularly and wow...good performers. If you still want the look of the 19" but really prioritize ride over exceptional handling all seasons may be the better choice for you. My last car had 18" wheels, and they seemed so big! Now having my 18" snow tires on they just don't look right....the 19" just complete the look of the car. Personally the 20" wheel design from the factory seems like overkill, and the ride becomes unbearably harsh on all but the smoothes roads but.......the 20's LOOK amazing!! It's crazy how rim size never seems to be big enough......

Huey52

One consideration not yet mentioned is wheel offset and the two related factors which are clearing the brake calipers and the wheel centerline wrt the fenders.

The TT's front brake calipers are not as large as the TTS so not as much of an issue, but still ensure the spokes clear same. Fun101 in particular learned that not all wheels are created equal and wisely did an in-shop fit test even when moving from 19" to winter 18".

Audi engineers designed a particular suspension geometry and it's best to keep the related offset as close to OEM as possible. Having said that my A5 hand-me-down 18" winter rims have a smaller positive offset than stock (more flush with the roadside of the fenders). As you're moving to a larger wheel fender rubbing is more of a consideration, but again stay at or close to stock positive offset.

Offset is a bit of an involved discussion and as you wanted to avoid same just make sure you go with a wheel vendor who tests the wheels, e.g. TireRack or similar, and you should be fine.

I enjoy the looks and performance of my OEM 19" rims but there's no question that the ride is kinder on tough roads with my 18" rims and Michelin Alpin snow tires; taller sidewall height and relatively softer composition.

btw: I'm one of those who feels that 20" are aesthetically too large for the TT, so 19" is the sweet spot for me. I also like 5-spoke type. Certainly an eye of the beholder item.

Cogthelog

I live just outside of NYC and the roads here are terrible. I also have a TT but opted for the 19" rims for the look. Yes they ride rougher than my 18" rims with snow tires, but they looks much better. Every time I drive my car in NYC with the 19" rims I cringe when I hit a pot hole, but I take it slow and so far no bent rims. I highly recommend the Tire rack for finding the right rims and tires, great web site and the sales people are very knowledgeable. Also you might be able to find some stock TT rims for sale on eBay. Good luck, enjoy the TT.

Cliffheath

Hi Huey,
Why wouldn't you get 19" Michelin alpin snow tires for your OEM 19" wheel rims?

Huey52

An 18" tire provides more pothole-resistant sidewall height vs. 19". Also 18" rims are less expensive. And it's easier to seasonally self-swap rims on/off the car than it is to get tires mounted/unmounted. Repitious mounting imparts a bit of wear as well.

Most folks who go with dedicated winter wheels do so in a 'sacrificial' mindset vis a vis their nice OEM rims. Although my 18" Rial DH rims are still pretty nice. 😉

Bknewtype

I think 19's look perfect on the TTs. mine came with 20's. I hate the look.


I live in NYC with a whole bunch of **** roads, but guess what? I had the most issues with 18 wheels ( on my infiniti g35 coupe ). my old cars were all 19's and 20's, never had a single issue. my 18" infinitis had to change tires 4 times, and cracked the wheels mayb 4 times in the past 8 years I had it.


at the end of the day though, I don't think it matters what size wheels u have, it matters how careful you drive

Tailwagger

I went with 19s for the reasons you mention. To my eye the 20" BBS rims seem out of proportion to the point where they make the TTS look like a full scale model of a hot wheels car. And of course the practical reality, at least in New England, is that margin for error regarding pot holes and curbs drops below 0.

One thing about going with the 19s does trouble me a little. I had precious little time with my car on the summer rubber and what few miles were accumulated were done in accordance with the break-in policy. But I was struck in those few miles by a sense of appreciably less front end steering feel then I recalled from my extended test drive. That was done on the 20s, admittedly in warmer weather and couple of months earlier. That impression though, when coupled with the complete lack of front end feel communicated by my current set of snows at 225/45 18, has me imagining, not certain, but at least wondering, if the lower profile, stiffer sidewalls of the 20s might be minimize more of the legendary Audi numbness. Too late now, but it might, once the S001s are history, have me looking for replacement tires with the stiffest sidewalls available.

grey67

Tailwagger, I really hope that's not true. I don't think my extended test drive was on 20" wheels and I don't recall the numbness you mention but if I end up having to upgrade to 20" wheels to get the same feel as a standard BMW, I'm going to be pretty annoyed.