Alloys decision,help,tyres?

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Ryanc

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Right ,i've decided on either a 7x18" fairly ligtweight alloys (10kg) with yokohama prada spec 2 215/40/18 tyres as the only other option are p-zeros.
OR
7.5x18" lightweight (7.5kg) alloys with 225/40/18 tyres.I can't decide quite which tyres to go for,options are;
toyo t1-s (cheap and good)
toyo t1-r
bridgestone s02/re040
yokohama parada
goodyear eagle f1
help people??
 
I am sure Glen will have his input on this, but I would go for the Goodyear Eagle F1's on a 225/40/18 tyre. Reasons:

Toyo's and Yokohama's I found to be, too soft a compound. Yes they gripped well, but I was wearing them out after 7-8K

Running Bridestones on my winter wheels at the moment (17") only because they came with the wheels. The grip is alright, but not brilliant. Although due to them being a harder compound they are lasting well.

Tried others such as Avon and Kuhmo. Although I am not a fan as they were noisy and didn't grip as I would like.

Although if I were to purchase a set of tyres it would have to be the Goodyear's! I find the grip awesome both in the dry and the wet and they seem to last a lot longer then the competitors. I had 20K out of my last set (Including hard driving!)

Love the Goodyear's to bits and this is a view shared by the Scooby and Evo boys.

P.S if you go for the Goodyear's make sure you get the GSD3's
 
If you look around on the net abit you will see that a dutch company Vredestien seem to be winning all the awards for a few years now.

They have sucessfully scored well above all the major brands in every area.

Check them out.... oh and they aint cheap either.
 
I'd rate the goodyear F1 GSD3 on top of the Vredestien Ultracs and some other older Vredesteins that I had on the car when I got it. Better in the Wet, better in the dry more progressive on the limit - just better IMO on my car.

Ryan I'd go for the wider lighter wheels with the more common tyre size (with F1s or T1-Rs) if I were you, unless your planning on having more than one set of wheels and tyres.
 
Not sure about the wheels but I've not come across a tyre I like more than the F1's, I have them on mine right now and the grip and wear rate I get compared to other tyres I've had (Bridgestone, Toyo, Avon and a few others I can't remember!) is superb, in the dry they are brilliant and in the wet they are awesome, I highly recommend them!

Steve
 
Lots of votes for the f1's.Anyone tried the paradas?
 
A friend has the Paradas and loves them. They're 225 x 40 x 18" on an A4 1.8T Avant.

He also has them on a (rather!) modded Clio 182 which has seen trackdays and is also used daily...

Cheers

Tim
 
[ QUOTE ]
Right ,i've decided on either a 7x18" fairly ligtweight alloys (10kg) with yokohama prada spec 2 215/40/18 tyres as the only other option are p-zeros.
OR
7.5x18" lightweight (7.5kg) alloys with 225/40/18 tyres.I can't decide quite which tyres to go for,options are;
toyo t1-s (cheap and good)
toyo t1-r
bridgestone s02/re040
yokohama parada
goodyear eagle f1
help people??

[/ QUOTE ]
Ryan

I'd go with the 7.5 x 18 wheel with 225/40/18 tyres for 2 reasons:

1) The wheel is lighter than your other choice
2) Insurance may not pay out if you are using a thinner tyre than OEM.

As for tyres, I'm running Toyo T1-S as they came with the wheels I bought. Good tyres in wet and dry, but as someone said they are quite soft. Goodyear F1s seem the popular choice.
 
[ QUOTE ]

I'd go with the 7.5 x 18 wheel with 225/40/18 tyres for 2 reasons:

1) The wheel is lighter than your other choice
2) Insurance may not pay out if you are using a thinner tyre than OEM.

As for tyres, I'm running Toyo T1-S as they came with the wheels I bought. Good tyres in wet and dry, but as someone said they are quite soft. Goodyear F1s seem the popular choice.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm with Grant on this one...
It makes sense to stick to insurance approved standard sized tyres if you intend to use it on the road.

I'd probably opt for the lighter wheels and go with the T1-Ss...

I've had T1-Ss and T1-Rs...i'm still not convinced about the Rs...the Ss were much more accessible and easy to get on with...easier to drive to their limits.

I have never driven on such good tyres as the Toyos...in saying that, I've never tried the Goodyears!

As for wear...I did 18000 on my last set of T1-Ss...on a 190+ BHP Mk3 Golf, running extreme suspension geometry, c/r gearbox and an LSD...and if that can't wear tyres, nothing will!
On a properly sorted chassis, I just can't see why some people wear the Toyos out so quick...I'm not particularly smooth as a driver...but I still get 18000 out of a set.
Go figure...
 
Again great advice.
Been tempted by some nice looking 8.5"x18 but i think i'll stick with the 7.5" rim.
 
Do you think a simple 5 spoke motorsport wheel would suit the s3 or should i go for some cross spokes like the bbs?
 
Oh man, my all time fave wheels that I really want on my s3 (apart from MTM biomoto's) have to be BBS LM's. They have a tasty dish, and awesome detail. However, RX II's would be acceptable at a push /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
was just about to post a picture of the rx 2's. LM's would be my first choice but there too pricey.Have had a look at sportec monos but there similar price to bbs.
 
RX II's

drool:

10220091-1afc-02000180-.jpg


LM's

drooooooooooooooooooool

BBS20LM-1.jpg
 
Right then my choices:


MTM Bimoto

mtmbimoto01.jpg


mtmbimoto02.jpg



Sportec Mono

sportecmono01.jpg


sportecmono02.jpg



Or

BBS RC

bbsrc01.jpg


bbsrc02.jpg




All very nice wheels /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
audi upgrades
[ QUOTE ]
Damn you Mark, you've just made me want those MTM or sportec wheels even more. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh_roll.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Serves you right for looking at this thread /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
mtm`s and sportec`s /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif just y are they so expensive /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
sportec's only come in 8.5" x 18 so too wide
LM's are lovely but like jojo said i think the offset is a problem.(and £'s)

Having been told 19's handle like i've got banana skins probably not a good combination with 360bhp as i can spin all 4 wheels in slightly damp condition in a straight line with standard rims.thoughts?

mtm's too pricey for what they are,was thinking bbs rc's or some sort of good quality replica lm/rx 2.
 
[ QUOTE ]
RX II's

drool:

10220091-1afc-02000180-.jpg



[/ QUOTE ]

That looks familiar!

I still prefer them with the dark centres though:

33526090-80a4-02000180-.jpg


Oh...and they are not RXIIs...they are RSIIs...
These are RXIIs:

51713353-7055-02000180-.jpg



The RXIIs have the bolt holes showing:
19826534-6f31-02000180-.jpg


Whereas RSIIs have a centre cap covering the bolt holes:
32732576-0166-02000180-.jpg



Basically, an RXII is just a 2pc version of an RX...whereas an RSII is similar to a RC (but 2 pc), but not identical.
 
Those are very "bling" wheels Glen! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Ryan,

If it were me looking for wheels again, i'd be looking at the widths and weights.

Get a width you want...then look at the weights.

If you are giving it some track work...i'd be looking at the best (strongest, best designed, best engineered, lightest alloys used) wheels you can get...to make sure the things are both lighter than stock, and stronger.

This leads you straight to BBS for one...
I'd look at the weight of the others - Sportec, MTM etc...and the design.

Cross spokes are accepted as the strongest design of wheel possible for a given amount of metal used in the manufacture...that's just the way it is...so, you either fit decent cross spokes, or you sacrafice either weight or strength. That's my interpretation of what I've found, anyway...

Fat spokes tend to weigh heavy...I'd be keen to hear how much the Sportecs and MTMs weight...although I believe Sportec use some fairly exotic alloys to keep the weight down.

There are other options...OZ Superlagerra (sp?) are light...but that thin spoke design has it's strength limitations....the S3 is a heavy car...and it's dealing with high torque loadings...so i'd be wary of those designs for heavy track use (bearing in mind that you aren't a race team who can afford to 'life' their wheels and bin them after a few races)

This is a Japanese Spec Integra type R wheel:
Made my Enkai, very light (approx 14 lbs per 7" x 16" wheel).
The ITR is fairly light (1100 Kgs) and doesn't have high torque...

8370204-1754-0200016A-.jpg


This is the same wheel after a bit of abuse:

24087790-635b-02000180-.jpg


I'd be wary of uber lightweight 'racing' wheels for road use...or aggressive (read 'kerb bouncing') track use.



Strength vs weight...that's the bit to look at.


And for that reason, I'd not run cheap replicas...as they are heavier and weaker than the originals...

Also, if you are serious about saving weight...single piece wheels are almost always lighter than 2 or 3 piece wheels...of a similar design.

So, a BBR RC will be lighter than an RSII...and an RX will be lighter than a RXII...

Although, with BBS using titanium bolts to join the two halves, the difference isn't always that much..


8.9" x 18" BBS RSIIs are lighter than the standard 7.5" x 17" Ronal made S3 wheels...not by much (approx 1lb or less) but they are lighter, as well as wider and 1" larger diameter.

I imagine 18" RCs would be a fair bit lighter...
 
[ QUOTE ]
Those are very "bling" wheels Glen! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
no so...
Bling would be silly polished rims that won't stay clean...or even worse, silly polished centres...

These were de-blinged to good old, easy to clean with Wonder Wheels, powder coat.

There's no bling here... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Damn...I have this info at home...both with and without tyre...

But i'm offshore, and won't be home for 13 more days...

[/ QUOTE ]

That's okay, just get someone to leave your cars under the mat and we'll check for you.

We won't take the porsche out for a drive.....honest!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]

That's okay, just get someone to leave your cars under the mat and we'll check for you.

We won't take the porsche out for a drive.....honest!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

That's a kind offer... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

If you can get past the fort Knox like security on my Garage (with en-suite house) I'd be surprised!!
 
audi upgrades
[ QUOTE ]
Great thread! I'm wondering what wheels to get for mine at the mo.

The info about design/strength/weight has helped alot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which ones are you thinking of at the moment?
 
[ QUOTE ]
mtm's too pricey for what they are,was thinking bbs rc's or some sort of good quality replica lm/rx 2.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes I was going to get some MTM's as my heart was set on them, but when I found out the price.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

I did look at these MTM reps from Rochford though:

242.jpg


http://www.rochfordtyres.co.uk/product.a...ll&Make=&Model=


I would go for the RC's if I was you though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Quality light wheel.
 
[ QUOTE ]

If you are giving it some track work...i'd be looking at the best (strongest, best designed, best engineered, lightest alloys used) wheels you can get...to make sure the things are both lighter than stock, and stronger.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is one of the reasons that I went for the BBS's as they are light weight and strong, but the looks as helped with the decision.

Although I've also got a set of S3 wheels that I plan to put on for track days....
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hee-hee. Good man, garage more important than the house then?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well lets see...

It has a more comprehensive alarm system than the house...
A beer fridge...
A TV (with Sky...and the ability to change the channels from the garage)...
A stereo with CD player...
A loft full of 'projects' in various states of completion...
All my tools...
A laptop with wireless broadband access & VAG com...

I'm having my wheel rack made...to house my many sets of spare wheels (yes, I'm a wheel whore!)

So, I guess...yes...it's more important than the house!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hee-hee. Good man, garage more important than the house then?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well lets see...

It has a more comprehensive alarm system than the house...
A beer fridge...
A TV (with Sky...and the ability to change the channels from the garage)...
A stereo with CD player...
A loft full of 'projects' in various states of completion...
All my tools...
A laptop with wireless broadband access & VAG com...

I'm having my wheel rack made...to house my many sets of spare wheels (yes, I'm a wheel whore!)

So, I guess...yes...it's more important than the house!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Good man that's what we like to hear /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Wow, You'll have to post some pics!

I'm imagining a garage like that advert on the tele a while back where the guy shows his mates through the house double quick so he can show them his spotless garage.

The next place I buy will have to have a bigger garage than the one I've got at the mo!

So do you have your own trye changing equipment? Thats one think I intend to buy myself when I get the space. Seen some bargains on ebay in the past.
 
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