Has anyone done this yet? Looking for steel wheels probably but don't know if they will clear the brakes and no idea of offset etc. Is the wheel size different from the previous model - anyone know pls?! The car will be in the Alps fro six months of the year (over winter obv!) hence the question
Winter wheels and tyres
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I'm also interested in this. I'm not going to the Alps, but do live at the top of a hill and the council around here are not very good at clearing the roads.
I bought a second set of S Line alloys to put winter tyres on - probably Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D which I think are Audi OE. I had Continental WinterContacts on my Golf V6 4motion and even with the 4 wheel drive they made a big difference...
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According to the configurator, the A3 SE comes with 16" wheels and 205/55/16 tyres as standard. Maybe worth enquiring at Audi how much a set of OEM 16" alloys would be?
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Plenty to be had on eBay, I suppose it's just ensuring that you get the right et. Is there a commonality of offset/PCD across most current and recent Audis, I wonder? For instance, would a set of 16" wheels originally from an A4 or an 8P A3 fit?
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Not sure. Need to find someone with an SE on 16" wheels and try them.
Might have a look around the local scrap car sites.
Might have a look around the local scrap car sites.
I picked up a set of OEM 8v 10 spoke 16" wheels from eBay for around £300 a few months back.
They came with Dunlops with a fair amount of tread left, but they will be replaced with winter tyres, maybe Nokians in a couple of months time.
They came with Dunlops with a fair amount of tread left, but they will be replaced with winter tyres, maybe Nokians in a couple of months time.
My Mk6 Golf GTD comes with 17 inch alloys as standard. The workshop manual actually recommends 16 inch tyres for winter driving. I have a second-hand set of 16 inch alloys for cold weather tyres. (I don't think I will be getting winter alloys for my next car.)
Advantages: Smaller tyres are cheaper. Narrower tyres have better PSI road contact. Therefore, they perform better on snow and ice, and are less likely to aquaplane. I can change the tyres anytime I want. 16 inch tyres are slightly more comfortable and quieter than 17's. Don't care (much) if I hit a pothole or kerb.
Disadvantages: My winter alloys look like poo on the car. Good alloys can be expensive. I have to fit them myself.
My wife does not have a second set of alloys. She gets her winter tyres remounted every year. If you want to do some research on this method, google search 'remounting winter tires.'
Advantages: Do not have to buy another set of alloys. I do not have to change the alloys. The car keeps the same appearance as the same alloys are used for summer and winter tyres. The tyres get balance regularly.
Disadvantages: Cost of VW tyre storage bags £25. Cost of getting tyres remounted (£25 each time.) Some tyre fitters will agree a price for remounting. Especially if you buy the tyres from them. Have to find time to take the tyres to be fitted. As tyres are change on the alloys twice a year - there is a greater chance that the alloys/tyres could be damaged by the fitter.
I much prefer my wife's method of fitting winter tyres. The tyre storage bags have handles and they keep me and her car clean.
Advantages: Smaller tyres are cheaper. Narrower tyres have better PSI road contact. Therefore, they perform better on snow and ice, and are less likely to aquaplane. I can change the tyres anytime I want. 16 inch tyres are slightly more comfortable and quieter than 17's. Don't care (much) if I hit a pothole or kerb.
Disadvantages: My winter alloys look like poo on the car. Good alloys can be expensive. I have to fit them myself.
My wife does not have a second set of alloys. She gets her winter tyres remounted every year. If you want to do some research on this method, google search 'remounting winter tires.'
Advantages: Do not have to buy another set of alloys. I do not have to change the alloys. The car keeps the same appearance as the same alloys are used for summer and winter tyres. The tyres get balance regularly.
Disadvantages: Cost of VW tyre storage bags £25. Cost of getting tyres remounted (£25 each time.) Some tyre fitters will agree a price for remounting. Especially if you buy the tyres from them. Have to find time to take the tyres to be fitted. As tyres are change on the alloys twice a year - there is a greater chance that the alloys/tyres could be damaged by the fitter.
I much prefer my wife's method of fitting winter tyres. The tyre storage bags have handles and they keep me and her car clean.
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I went to a breakers. The set of alloys were only £120. It was winter when I picked them up. I didn't notice the kink on the inside of one of the alloys. The tyre fitted to that alloy started to lose pressure. The tyre had to be refitted with sealant. The next year there was a vibration when I fitted the winter alloys/tyres. Had to take them and get them balanced. The guy commented on how out of shape that alloy was. The tyres are also not wearing evenly.
The problem is that scrap yard alloys may have been on a vehicle that has been crashed. Just check the alloys very carefully.
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snakehips
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Looks like Audi also sell wheel storage bags 1x set of 4 £25.
http://www.stokeaudi-parts.co.uk/products/Audi-Wheel-storage-bag-for-complete-wheels-%2d-Universal.html
I ordered a set each for our 2 cars. The guy in the VW parts department had never ordered these before. He wanted to order me 2 more for my other 2 tyres. I told him just to order me 2. He insisted that I would need 2 more. I told him that I only wanted him to order me 2 and if I needed 2 more I would order 2 more. I definitely did not need 4 sets = 16 tyre storage bags!
Too many people believe they need a second set of alloys.
Another advantage with the remounting method - I have run a couple of planks across the rafters in the garage roof and can easily put my wife's tyres up there out of the way. My alloys + tyres are too heavy to do this so they sit on the floor of the garage taking up space. Though they do make a nice crash barrier between me and the wall, if I was to accidentally put the car in D some morning.
What?
Correct!
My wife had 195/65/R15 winter tyres on her last car's OEM alloys. She will be getting 205/55/R16 winter tyres on her A3 OEM alloys soon.
I fit 225/45/R17 summer tyres and 205/55/R16 winter tyres. The smaller alloys have tyres with a larger sidewall. AFAIK the diameter of the tyres are the same. I'll measure it tomorrow.
Have a look at this link - http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Tests/#winter. Lots of tests in lots of different size winter tyres there.
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Well you are half right. If you fit different size alloys it is important to choose the tyres carefully to ensure they have the same diameter. Here is a comparison of the dimension of the 2 tyre sizes I use... the diameter is 2.4mm or 0.4% different.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tirecalc.php?tires=205-55r16-225-45r17
Speedometer difference - 60 mph vs 60.23 mph
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snakehips
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I live in France and after a lot of dithering simply bought my S3 a spare set of the Audi alloys, they are already shod with Dunlop winters and in the barn waiting for the winter to arrive. My summer wheels are the multi spoke silver alloys whereas the winters are on the multi spoke titanium alloys.
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Can someone confirm this. As I will need to re think what I'm going to do this winter.
Do the brake calipers differ amongst models then? I know the S3 has a bigger set up, but I thought the front and rear discs and calipers were universal amongst all other 8V A3s.
I managed similar in my old A6 2.7T Quattro on normal tyres.
Accelerating and engine braking were fine, but the foot brakes were almost non-existent.
Accelerating and engine braking were fine, but the foot brakes were almost non-existent.
The door sticker should list all the compatible wheel/tyre configurations. I know mine does and it includes Mud and Snow tyres (M&S).
I'm sure there will be OEM Steel wheels available for the 8V. Whereas all UK A3 models have alloys as standard, in some markets the base model A3s feature hub caps (on 16 inch steel wheels). Although I doubt these would fit the S3.
I would ring around a few Audi parts departments, the good thing about going OEM is you're keeping you vehicle to manufacturer specification, and not 'modifying', should help to keep the insurance company happy.
I'm sure there will be OEM Steel wheels available for the 8V. Whereas all UK A3 models have alloys as standard, in some markets the base model A3s feature hub caps (on 16 inch steel wheels). Although I doubt these would fit the S3.
I would ring around a few Audi parts departments, the good thing about going OEM is you're keeping you vehicle to manufacturer specification, and not 'modifying', should help to keep the insurance company happy.
Only just about enough space to get a cleaning cloth around to clean the inner wheel rim... Oh,.. That makes me sad doesn't it?.. I'll get my coat...
The Sline would have come with 18 inch alloys. The 184ps is available in sport trim with 17 inch alloys. But not available in SE trim with 16 inch tyres as standard. May be the brake callipers are too big for 16 inch SE alloys?
That is a good idea about checking the sticker on the drivers door. Was looking at it recently and also noticed the M+S tyres.
Do you fit the alloys yourself?
I remember the first time I had to put on my winter tyres. It was only after I put them all on that I realised they were directional. And all the directional arrows were rotating the wrong way!
So I had to start taking them all off gain. And move them to the other side of the car so they would be rotating in the right direction. That was a great evenings exercise. No wonder the guys at the tyre depot look so fit.
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Yeah I'm always removing wheels and refitting (we do it when we are detailing, and we have customers that want us to change wheels for them, so when it comes to messing with my own car, yeah it's not a problem
A few years ago I decided to go over the foothills too work. Have a look at the photo below (not great quality). I went down into the valley without the ABS going off. I circled the steepest hill in the photo. The car went up that hill without the traction control light going off. Not bad for a front wheel drive, automatic, 170ps car.
I have been watching this thread and I am a great believer in winter tyres but non of you say what tyres you use. When I look for the size I require the ratings indicate that they're not so good in the wet whereas some summer tyres get a far better rating.
So - which brand is recomended?
Mark.
So - which brand is recomended?
Mark.
snakehips
Registered User
snakehips
Registered User
How are summer and winter tyres compared? Would a summer tyre really have better wet performance at, say, 2 degrees?
Does anyone have any experience or opinions on Borbet CC wheels as a winter wheel. I have seen good deals on eBay on 16" and 17" with the acclaimed Continental TS850 tyres:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16-Audi-A...ts=Car+Make:Audi|Model:A3&hash=item54109c3948
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16-Audi-A...ts=Car+Make:Audi|Model:A3&hash=item54109c3948
You know what I had Pirelli pzero summer tyres that were literally slick a couple of year ago and I could get anywhere in the snow, no problems. I got brand new tyres and got stuck everywhere lol
I had Conti TS580s on my Golf V6 4motion and they were brilliant. Quieter than the ContiSport Contact 2 I used in the summer and totally reassuring in bad weather, especially standing water
