Americo

Hey skip, did you order the 125/70 R18 spare wheel/tire? and did it come with athe pirelli already mounted? one more question what size r u running normally 18's or 19's ....can u pm me the price you paid if it's not asking too much.
Thanks

tteoj

I did same here is part number 1K0601027B03C and wheel from http://genuinevwaudiparts.com was aprox $97. incl shipping.Picked up tire thru salvage yard. Experienced blow out and that was all it took to move me from gooh and compressor to a compact spare.

Skipbreather

My summer tires are the OEM 255/35 R19s (winter tires are 245/45 R17).

I used the exact tire specified in the article in the link, a 'T115/85R18 96 M Pirelli Spare Tyre'. I chose that one because w/ Quatro keeping all the rolling diameters the same is important. I've been told- and believe- that an odd sized diameter spare is really tough on the Haldex unit. The 125/70 R18 is NOT the same rolling diameter- it is smaller. IIRC it's over 4% smaller. It also is a bit wider, and would make the trunk floor sit maybe an additional 1/2 inch higher at the rear than the 1/2 inch or so the narrower spare already raises it.

I ordered ONLY THE RIM from the online source I cited. The dealer list was $122. They discounted it to $93 + shipping.

The tire is a REALLY rare item in the US. Pirelli USA insists the tire does not exist; tire dealers were useless. While there may well be other cars that use it, the only brand I could find was Jaguar. A local dealer would gladly order one for me for $325- tire only!- yea, right. I watched ebay for a week or so & found one from a 2009 Jag for $85, had never been on the road.

One difference between what I did & the article was, as I said earlier, the "hump" in my trunk that required me to store the tire w/ outside facing up. The good part is, if you've got the "hump", that it's got a T-bolt slot on the top that will allow you to safely bolt down your spare so it really stays put in a wreck. The article has folks strapping down their 'tyre'. I probably could have bought a suitable T-bolt if I'd wanted to look for one long enough, but I made my own from a forged eye bolt. I just cut off half the ring, heated up what was left w/ a torch, and flattened it into a T w/ a sledge. The bolt goes thru one of the lugbolt holes. Found the low profile **** to fit the bolt at a local junk shop, but an ordinary nut & a wide area washer would suffice.

Americo

Thanks Guys, very helpful...Skip we're going to have to call you MacGyver from now on...very impressive use of the old noggin. I have to say I love people like you...u just get it done!

Nico37

Hi guys. Just got My '08 3.2 Coupe and want to go the spare donut route. I'm sporting 245/45/R17 (not Run Flats) and wonder if the 18" donut being discussed above would be an OK solution for my 17" wheels. Skipbreather, I noticed you use 19" and 17" wheels and used the 18" donut. I'd guess that the 125/70/R18 size tyre would be more appropriate for my set up.

Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Skipbreather

Here's a link to a decent tire size calculator that lets you compare any two tire sizes. My summer 255/35 R19s come *very* close to my winter 245/45 R17s in revs per mile, as does the T115/85 R18 spare. Note that the 125/70 R18 is a lot further off- too far for my liking. That's why I went to the trouble of finding the narrower but larger diameter spare. Both fit the 18" rim.

Skipbreather

Link didn't take. Let's try again:

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...foTireMath.jsp

Nico37

Wow, very surpeised at how identical the 115/80/18's numbers are compared to the 245/45/17's. Revs per mile difference is less than 1! Thanks for the link. Now comes the tyre search.

Thanks!

ekk_a4

thanks for the info on the spare!

my certified 2.0 came with 18" Run-Flats (turbines) and will be needing new tires very soon. saw the prices of run-flats and was like yikes! over $300 each ...

anyhow, id like to get regular tires .. what tires would you guys recommend? i dont track the car and live in FL so obviously no need for winter tires. im also thinking of maybe getting the RS6 18" or 19" Replicas and getting it as a tire package and then using one of the turbines as a spare. (or maybe the TTRS Reps) But it depends on how much the package would cost. What do you guys think? anyone with 19s on their TT without a drop?

Not sure why those vw parts site isnt loading for me right now but when i checked it prior, there were multiple listings for 18" donut for htat specific part #, which one is the correct one?

Thanks!

Skipbreather

I ordered the one that says '18" 2006-2009'. I also called them to actually place the order, just to be sure.

Ken