hisport

Other than the stock (225/55 R17) tire size, what other (larger?) tire sizes will fit on the OEM polished 17 x 8 wheels without clearance problems?

Yes, I've checked the AudiWorld archives, but found nothing conclusive. The following sizes were mentioned, but in the context of A6 4.2 and other various aftermarket wheels, assumedly all with different offsets:

- 245/50 17
- 245/45 17
- 255/40 17

I was going to try and wear out the OEM Goodyear LS tires before replacing, but I just can't stand 'em any longer. Anybody out there with a Crown Victoria that needs some free tires?

My plan is to go with Michelin Pilots in the size y'all recommend.

Tks,

John

PaulW

I just did all the reseach for two months. If you put on the 245/45/17, the OD of the tires will be smaller than the stock tire right now. About 96% to be exact.

You don't want to put on a 255, that's too wide for an 8" rim, it needs an 8.5" rim.

That leaves the 245/50/17. The only problem is that there are very few tires available in this size. Look at tirerack.com. There is a medium performance tire for about $120 each or there is the Pirelli Pzero Asymetrical for $220 each (ouch!).

The A6 and the A8 defintely have different size OD of the tires. They vary by something like 8%.

pw

hisport

Your previous posts were amoung the best I found in the archives.
My concern was (is?) that the 17" A6 4.2 wheels I believe you are using omn your A8 have more positive offset (to the outside) than the OEM 17" A8 wheel. Apparently, the clearance issue is between the inside tire sidewall and the A8 spindle carrier.
Apologies if you've taken all this into consideration, but please advise.
BTW, which tires did you go with?

Tks,

John

PaulW

....the offset on your wheels is 48 mm I believe. Mine is 35 mm and the only thing I don't like about my wheel package is that they sit out just a little bit further than I would like.

My friend has stock S8 wheels on his 98 A8. They are 245/45/18 with an offset of 48 mm. He has no problems with any tire rub. The tires will be 245's versus your stock 225's. with the same offset, that means the inside and outside of tire will be 10 mm further in towards the trunk and out towards the fender. That's roughly 0.4" in each direction. No big deal. You'll love how they fill up the wheel wells. But you won't have any rubbing problems, mostly because the OD of the tires stays exactly the same.

I went with the Pirelli Pzero Asymetrical and it's awesome! The car feels like it has a new suspension on it. I'm going to check it out on in WI at the post just below this one in a couple of weeks. Don't really want to bring my car to one of the two tracks Randy was talking about because I need my car for my job and I feel a full day of racing could take something out of it or might have a chance to break, and I can't afford that.

Remember, your car will have 245's on it, so in the winter you won't have very good traction on the snow versus your 225's. But you could always pick up a set of the stock 16" wheels and put some winter tires on them for cheap. The wheels are always for sale on this site or on ebay.

pw

hisport

I'll go with the 245/50 17 Pirellis, then. Thanks.

WI event: Elkhart? Go for as much on track time as you can get. The car can take it with aplomb. See below.

If its a DE event, my experience is that heavy, powerful German cars (eg, my previous 540i, 928, etc) use up tires, rotors, and pads something fierce, but have little or no mechanical issues.

I just put soft Pagid pads in my A8, and would probably buy and swap in a set of Cool Carbons to save the rotors and street pads.

Kumho Victoracer DOT slicks are a cheap (and sticky) alternative to your Pirelli street tires, and will work fine in 16" size if you have some spare wheels.

I track a 72 911S, after discovering the hard way that a good track car is a rough and miserable street car, and vice versa.

John

PaulW

If you went with a 235/55/17 that would give you a tire OD of 693 mm, a 245/50/17 gives you an OD of 690 mm and the S8 stock combo of 245/45/18 is something like 682 mm. So you could try the 235/55/17 and see what you can find. That would fit great on a 8" wide wheel.

pw

NakedA8

Well despite the fact that they are almost 4% different in circumference, they work just fine as the small amount of speedo error doesn't really bother me. When I replaced the tires, I didn't really have time to wait for tires to be shipped and the best local fit was a 245/45 17 Toyo Proxes. These tires stick like glue both in the dry and the wet, they aren't any noiser than the Conti's that were on it when I purchased the car and I would recommend them. Treadwear is the only downside.

ryoung

.
Paul, don't underestimate these well engineered cars!

In any case, a Quattro Club track event is not a race or even a racing school. It is a high performance driving school where you can safely push your car as far as you're comfortable.

Just in case you're wondering, it's still probably not too late to sign up for either Grattan or Mid-Ohio :.)