Hi all,

I managed to purchase a set of brand new 18" Zeniths with Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres for £760.....a good price? hopefully sell on my 17"s so the cost is not too bad.

Anyway I've noticed a few differences to the ride that i thought i would share.

The ride is firmer on the 18"s but only a bit. You can feel very small tarmac seams etc that you couldnt before.

As a reult of the above you can also feel the road surface better through the steering wheel as a plus.

Car seems to be a little slower at the lower revs (slow to pick up) but when in the torque band it actually feels quicker?

Cornering is better but that could be the tyres being better than the orginal Conti's.

Anyone else found the above?

I really don't rate those Dunlop tyres, I had them on my last Octy.

Cornering is better but that could be the tyres being better than the orginal Conti's.

Anyone else found the above?

Just changed my front tyres but I found my previous Sport Contact 2 quite good!

Well each to their own. I find them to be nice and progressive. They give out plenty of grip but when they do start to go, its a nice linea curve.

I like em

Front tyres were replaced with Pirelli P-zero rosso. First impressions were not so good, I found them really too noisy and the steering wheel seemed strange, then I discovered an unbalance. Yesterday in the late afternoon the issue was fixed.

Rear tyres are still Sport Contact 2 and never had a problem with them, even when cornering at unconventional speeds

Any one know what th tyre pressure should be for the 18"s?

Any one know what th tyre pressure should be for the 18"s?

I can't remember, but the guide on the inside of the fuel filler flap covers both 17 and 18 inch wheels.

Any one know what th tyre pressure should be for the 18"s?

it tells you in the petrol cap flap - although I think the pressures it states are daft - I think it suggests 34 rear and 31 front - never known a front engined, front wheel drive car to have higher rear pressures before and I have to say I did not like the ride or handling on the 18s with those pressures.

I have found the best for long distance motorway cruising (comfort and economy) Ft 35 - Rr 33 and for country lane 'spirited' driving (road holding and handling) Ft 33 - Rr 32 to be a good set up.

Hope that helps - but tyre pressures are a very subjective and often emotive issue.

JD

it tells you in the petrol cap flap - although I think the pressures it states are daft - I think it suggests 34 rear and 31 front - never known a front engined, front wheel drive car to have higher rear pressures before and I have to say I did not like the ride or handling on the 18s with those pressures.

I thought it was 32 all round for 18"?

I thought it was 32 all round for 18"?

Nope. Just looked in fuel flap.

Partial load (2 front passengers and an aldi carrier bag of value crisps in the boot)

2.0 bar - ft (29PSI!)

2.1 bar - rr (30.5PSI!)

Full load (2 front pax, 3 ankle biters in the back and umpteen suitcases, beachballs, tents and cricket sets in the boot - can you tell whose loading the car for their holiday this weekend?!)

2.3 bar - ft (33.4PSI)

3.0 bar - rr (43.5PSI!!!)

They all seem ridiculous to me.

JD

I found the 18s handled better, with no noticeable loss in ried quality

A couple of thoughts for you made with the benefit of having run both 17s and 18s on my vRS; I have a set of both with the 18s currently fitted for 'summer' use and I will be switching to my 17s come 1st October;

1. There are a couple of quite recent threads about tyre pressurse which succinctly conclude that around 2.3 - 2.4 bar front and rear (34 - 36psi IIRC) works best on the vRS. They are higher than OE pressures which gives sharper handling but not at the expense of ride quality.

2. IMHO there IS a notceable different in ride quality with the 18s but I'm willing to trade this off for the sharper turn in (brought about by shorter/stiffer sidewall of the tyres) for dry weather fun.

3. You mention a blunting of response (at low revs). This is most likely due to the 18s being around 2.5kg per wheel/tyre heavier than the 17s (I have weighed mine) and the resulting increase weight increasing the 'rotational mass'. Try spinning a bicycle wheel with a slim racing tyre on and then spin a wheel with a large chunky off-road tyre and you will know what I mean.

4. The 17s IMHO whilst being less sharp on turn in (as mentioned above) give an overall better and more forgiving handling response; particularly in the wet and cold. That's why I keep my 17s for 'winter' use, October to May. Evo magazine in their 2007 tyre test used a Golf GTi as the test acr and found that using 18s with 225/40 tyres it was around 2.5 seconds per lap (on a 60 - 65 sec lap) SLOWER around there test track in the wet than with 225/45 17s.

Finally, as a handling tweek for the 'winter' I have just sold my 17 x 7J Pegasus rims and bought a set of Audi S Line 17 x 7.5J rims to spaly the sidewalls of the tyres a fraction and tighten their response, without loosing the flexibility and forgiving nature of the 225/45 17s.

"I found the 18s handled better, with no noticeable loss in ried quality"

Yes i think thats pretty much my view too, the more I dive it the more i think it handles better.

We're forgetting that 18s also look better

I had my 18's on the high side of the pressures IIRC 35-37 psi and there worn a lot more in the centre, way to high IMHO, 32-33 would be perfect for an even wear

The tyres on my 18" are inflated at about 2.5 (both front and rear) and got neither problems or irregular wear, bynow.

A couple of thoughts for you made with the benefit of having run both 17s and 18s on my vRS; I have a set of both with the 18s currently fitted for 'summer' use and I will be switching to my 17s come 1st October;

1. There are a couple of quite recent threads about tyre pressurse which succinctly conclude that around 2.3 - 2.4 bar front and rear (34 - 36psi IIRC) works best on the vRS. They are higher than OE pressures which gives sharper handling but not at the expense of ride quality.

2. IMHO there IS a notceable different in ride quality with the 18s but I'm willing to trade this off for the sharper turn in (brought about by shorter/stiffer sidewall of the tyres) for dry weather fun.

3. You mention a blunting of response (at low revs). This is most likely due to the 18s being around 2.5kg per wheel/tyre heavier than the 17s (I have weighed mine) and the resulting increase weight increasing the 'rotational mass'. Try spinning a bicycle wheel with a slim racing tyre on and then spin a wheel with a large chunky off-road tyre and you will know what I mean.

4. The 17s IMHO whilst being less sharp on turn in (as mentioned above) give an overall better and more forgiving handling response; particularly in the wet and cold. That's why I keep my 17s for 'winter' use, October to May. Evo magazine in their 2007 tyre test used a Golf GTi as the test acr and found that using 18s with 225/40 tyres it was around 2.5 seconds per lap (on a 60 - 65 sec lap) SLOWER around there test track in the wet than with 225/45 17s.

Finally, as a handling tweek for the 'winter' I have just sold my 17 x 7J Pegasus rims and bought a set of Audi S Line 17 x 7.5J rims to spaly the sidewalls of the tyres a fraction and tighten their response, without loosing the flexibility and forgiving nature of the 225/45 17s.

If your "trying on" your new Audi wheels before your winter change, could you please post some pics ?!?

My 17"s now for sale

Set of 17" Skoda Octavia MK2 VRS Alloy Wheels Inc Tyres on eBay, also, Wheels with Tyres, Car Wheels, Tyres Trims, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 24-Aug-08 20:00:00 BST)

If your "trying on" your new Audi wheels before your winter change, could you please post some pics ?!?

Unlikely I'm afraid, sorry; but I'll certainly post some pics once fitted (around end September, but might be sooner if this wet weather continues!).

VRS TDI PD Estate: I run mine with 34psi all round - the tyres seem to be wearing evenly. I add more to the rears when carrying lots of stuff. Mine came with Michelin Exaltos which I think are rather good and I may well have these tyres again.

I have had 18" since new and have had two sets of typres fitted. My dealer always seems to set them to 36psi this gives a nice ride and a reasonable tyre wear pattern.

If your "trying on" your new Audi wheels before your winter change, could you please post some pics ?!?

Here we go, my 'winter wheels' fitted yesterday. They are Audi 'S' Line 7.5J x 17" with ET45 offset, fitted with 225/45 17 tyres.