Good day.

 

So my recently-acquired 2011 Superb Estate 4x4 CR TDi Elegance has whopping great 18s on it, however as they are 40 profile I don't expect they will last long on Lincolnshire roads, no matter how good they look.

 

I will sell them off once I have a replacement.

 

I need high profile and therefore to retain rolling radius a smaller alloy wheel.

 

Can anyone confirm the following for me please : 15" wheels will not fit on this car as they will snag the brakes ?

 

I'm only going by sight and would be grateful if someone could confirm so I can go 2nd hand alloy wheel shopping before buying some all terrain tyres 🙂

If, as I suspect, your front discs are 312 mm, then you're correct that you can't fit 15" wheels.  16's should fit with the risk of a possible, balance weight and brake caliper interface.  

@Mart160plus @Schtum - As a generalisation I would expect genuine VAG 16" wheels of the correct offset to fit over 312mm discs.

1 hour ago, Mart160plus said:

So my recently-acquired 2011 Superb Estate 4x4 CR TDi Elegance has whopping great 18s on it, however as they are 40 profile I don't expect they will last long on Lincolnshire roads, no matter how good they look.

 

I will sell them off once I have a replacement.

 

I need high profile and therefore to retain rolling radius a smaller alloy wheel.

 

Can anyone confirm the following for me please : 15" wheels will not fit on this car as they will snag the brakes ?

 

I'm only going by sight and would be grateful if someone could confirm so I can go 2nd hand alloy wheel shopping before buying some all terrain tyres

 

You might have difficulty finding all terrain tyres in the 205/55R16 tyre size.

 

If so, perhaps consider oversize 215/60R16. However, 215/60R16 has a 4.3% bigger outside diameter than 225/40R18...which is a lot. Another consideration is the increase in radius, 215/60R16 has a 13.6mm increase in radius compared to 225/40R18.

 

It's possible you could get rubbing with such a big change, although that might depend on what rim specification you matched the tyre to. 6Jx16 ET43 5/112 57.1 from the Karoq might be a good starting point. Steel rims in this specification weigh a surprisingly light 7.6kg. By comparison, your current 18" alloy rims probably weigh over 12kg.

 

Outside diameter of tyres

225/40R18 637.2mm

215/60R16 664.4mm (4.3% increase in outside diameter compared to 225/40R18)

 

Example of all terrain tyre in size 215/60R16

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m62b0s111p164244/Yokohama_Tyres_Car_Yokohama_Geolandar_AT_G015_215_60_R16_95H_RPB_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_E_Wet_Grip%3A_C_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_71dB

 

Alcar 6665 6Jx16 ET43 5/112 57.1 steel rim (from Karoq)

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/alcar/14750540?search=ALCAR+Rim+(6665)

 

Edited 15 February, 20242 yr by Carlston

1 hour ago, Carlston said:

 

You might have difficulty finding all terrain tyres in the 205/55R16 tyre size.

 

If so, perhaps consider oversize 215/60R16. However, 215/60R16 has a 4.3% bigger outside diameter than 225/40R18...which is a lot. Another consideration is the increase in radius, 215/60R16 has a 13.6mm increase in radius compared to 225/40R18.

 

It's possible you could get rubbing with such a big change, although that might depend on what rim specification you matched the tyre to. 6Jx16 ET43 5/112 57.1 from the Karoq might be a good starting point. Steel rims in this specification weigh a surprisingly light 7.6kg. By comparison, your current 18" alloy rims probably weigh over 12kg.

 

Outside diameter of tyres

225/40R18 637.2mm

215/60R16 664.4mm (4.3% increase in outside diameter compared to 225/40R18)

 

Example of all terrain tyre in size 215/60R16

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m62b0s111p164244/Yokohama_Tyres_Car_Yokohama_Geolandar_AT_G015_215_60_R16_95H_RPB_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_E_Wet_Grip%3A_C_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_71dB

 

Alcar 6665 6Jx16 ET43 5/112 57.1 steel rim (from Karoq)

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/alcar/14750540?search=ALCAR+Rim+(6665)

 

 

Thank you sir, I have a big table of tyre sizes and circumference and %age difference, and it wouldn't be the first time my speedo was inaccurate 🙂 

 

All good info. I think I'll find the right 16s with the correct offset (there's a good choice out there and most seem to have larger Cbs so I can utilise some spigot rings) and then I'll pick the tyres.

 

As I'm going down that offroad route I might consider 'outdoor' or similar springs and raise the car slightly too.

 

I'll let you all know how I get on. I'm sure someone will be happy to take the 18s off my hands too as they do look good.

 

2 hours ago, Paws4Thot said:

@Mart160plus @Schtum - As a generalisation I would expect genuine VAG 16" wheels of the correct offset to fit over 312mm discs.

 

Possibly.  I had 16" Audi A3 alloys with winter tyres on my Mk5 Golf GT Sport, in the season, rather than its standard fit 17's.  I encountered the occasional collision between caliper and balance weight after having wheels balanced and weights replaced. 

23 hours ago, Mart160plus said:

I have a big table of tyre sizes and circumference and percentage difference, and it wouldn't be the first time my speedo was inaccurate

 

The problem with those charts is that they assume the speedometer is 100% accurate when on standard tyre sizes.

 

Car speedometers will often over-read by up to 5% when on standard tyre sizes, so it's worth checking with GPS.

Read this: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/445067-superb-2-wheel-and-tyre-information/