wizard1880

I'm not sure if it's the wheel/tire combo, or if this is expected. All I need to do is barely brush any kind of curb, and the wheel gouges. And I mean, I can't even hear or feel the wheel hit the curb. Just a brief brush and whammo. How am I expected to parallel park? And those tight drive thru's where you have no choice?

I've driven dozens of other vehicles and never had this problem. The wheels seem to stick out further than the rubber. I still have the original Pirelli Scorpion Asimetrico (sp?).

Will I have better luck with any other type of tire that (hopefully) provides wheel protection, or is this just the name of the game with the OEM 20" wheels? Any tire recommendations?

flynavy

Yep..I switched to a 9.5 in width wheel,I think the 10'' is just to wide for the tires and leaves little sidewall, not that you want to rely on the sidewall for protection but it really helps, I have not had any curb rash on my new wheels in over a year. You might try the rim blade option which gives you some plastic to sacrifice before you hit the actual wheel.
https://www.rimbladesusa.com/buy-rimblades-now/
I use these on my 2006 JCW mini factory works car as my wife is a little careless! They actually work if installed correctly on a clean de-greased de-waxed wheel.

arU4ic

On the 20" wheels, the curb actually reaches out and smacks the rim on the first day you get the car - heads up.

AMGM5S8

I solved that problem with buying 295/45/20

They fit great and have sidewall protection

J. Patterson

I have replaced two wheels on ours because they got curbed. Within a month those got curbed too. It is frustrating but then so are the grandkids bicycle handlebar scratches. :-/

BuckarooBanzai

Hahaha! My wife curbed 2 wheels in the first week we had it. I've done it only once, but it was a doozy. I don't think anything new has happened since putting on the Conti DWS's... but yeah... every single Q7 I see with the 20's has gouges.

wizard1880

Wow, thanks for the replies!

I can confirm the curbs' intention to scratch those wheels on the day you bring it home--all 4 of mine are rashed, some worse than others...Sigh.

I'd rather no go the rim guard route; I'm not fond of the looks. I had no idea those type of contraptions even existed until now!

Anyway, the 275 45r20 tire is 29.7" high, and 699 revs/mile. If I switch to 295s, the height increases to 30.5 (almost an inch) and 682 revs/mile. That throws the speedometer / odometer off 2.7%, I'd rather no go that route.

Are there any known tire brands that offer better rim protection?

DUTCH VanAtlanta

I put 71k miles on my 2010 Q7 and 39k so far on my 2015 Q7, and not the first scratch on any of the wheels; although I've probably just jinxed myself now.

blrx7r1

My s-line prestige has the 21" peelers and I've curbed all of them. I agree that in most cases you can't even feel or hear it happening. I was wanting to go up to a 22 but I'd really be sick if I curbed one of those.

wizard1880

Thought I'd post a final update.

We plan to repair the wheels, now that the curbing issue is "curbed" (sorry..)--

The OEM Pirelli's were finally bald by 23K, and we replaced with a set of Cooper Discoverer H/T Plus. These tires have a built-in rim protector. I inadvertently tested them by scrubbing a curb during a tight u-turn. The scrub marks were nowhere near the wheels and the tires took the entire brunt.

So it seems the tire choice makes a big difference (with the 20" size anyway) after all. Needless to say, no more Pirelli's for me!