A4 Avant (Spacers and towing!)

[barkclark]

After reading many threads I'm still stumped, mainly cause I'm new to Audi's!

My alloys are standard 17" 7.5j ET45, 235x45 tyres (I may change these as they look a bit 'bulgy') running the sport suspension. I was wanting to improve the look by spacing out the wheels a little!

I do tow regularly, a small trailer tent that weights about 450kg, so that will at a guess pull the back down anything from about 15-30mm. I'll be doing the B5 perches mod at the front.

Does anyone know if I use spacers I'll have rubbing issues? Also what should I go for? 10mm all round?

Sorry for all the questions haha.

 

[barkclark]

 

[swarcup]

i tow a caravan with mine about 1200kg, and although dont have spacers my wheels are et35 i believe as they stick out further than the originals did by 10mm. i dont get any scraping even with 5 people in the car aswell so 10mm spacers should be ok. Mine is the standard sport suspension set up aswell. Hope this helps

 

[barkclark]

i tow a caravan with mine about 1200kg, and although dont have spacers my wheels are et35 i believe as they stick out further than the originals did by 10mm. i dont get any scraping even with 5 people in the car aswell so 10mm spacers should be ok. Mine is the standard sport suspension set up aswell. Hope this helps

Cheers man that helps me out greatly!!

Now to my next question to anyone who can answer, do I need to space the same all round or can I go a little wider at the back? I've heard it can cause some imbalance of the car?

 

[quattrojames]

I've never heard that, I don't see why you can't go a bit wider at the back.

 

[barkclark]

I've never heard that, I don't see why you can't go a bit wider at the back.

I read it on another thread earlier, can't remember which. I don't know any better myself though.

 

[barkclark]

What tyres look good on 17" 7.5j? As I said mine are 235/45 and look like they bulge out a bit.

 

[krisavant]

I have et28 wheels with no spacers and the front wheels do poke out a fraction and the back sits in a couple of mm, so the these cars do seem to be a little wider at the front.

 

[barkclark]

I have et28 wheels with no spacers and the front wheels do poke out a fraction and the back sits in a couple of mm, so the these cars do seem to be a little wider at the front.

Gives me more reason to go a little wider at the back then!

 

[desertstorm]

The tyres look fine. The only way to look less bulgy is to go for a narrower width and you would end up with less grip and probably find the tyres cost more as the 235 / 45 /17 are one of the cheapest 17 inch sizes you can get as they are so common.

Tyre Size Calculator - Legal Requirements - Etyres

215 /50 /17 is about the closest size to what you have now that will have a flatter tyre wall. But being 20mm narrower won't have as much lateral grip.

Karl.

 

[barkclark]

The tyres look fine. The only way to look less bulgy is to go for a narrower width and you would end up with less grip and probably find the tyres cost more as the 235 / 45 /17 are one of the cheapest 17 inch sizes you can get as they are so common.

Tyre Size Calculator - Legal Requirements - Etyres

215 /50 /17 is about the closest size to what you have now that will have a flatter tyre wall. But being 20mm narrower won't have as much lateral grip.

Karl.

I've seen people running 225/45's and they look a bit better!

Although I've read your thread on uk passats and your a fountain of knowledge, so I'll definitely trust your judgement! Cheers man!

Also I bought my A4 with four brand new tyres so there's no point in changing them!

What would you recommend spacers wise?

 

[desertstorm]

225/45/17'S are about 10mm smaller in diameter so will look a little smaller in the arch if you know what I mean. I did find with mine fitting spacers to bring the wheels out to the arch a bit closes the gap up between the wheel arch and the tyre which visually makes the car look a little lower.
I think you are looking at 10-15mm .
I found with my car when towing with a fully loaded car, 2 adults, 2 big kids, 2 dogs a boot full of stuff and 1200Kg of van on the back the back end was a little low so I used to fit spring assistors .
You can fit these without removing the wheel, just jack the car up and secure with stands etc, Then feed these in between the spring coils.

18-25mm Gap Car Suspension Coil Spring Assisters Spacers Towing Adapters Rubber | eBay

They come in various thicknesses and did help a lot.

 

[barkclark]

Do you recon 12mm at the rear and 10mm at the front?

I have heard of spring assisters before but never spoke to anyone with first hand experience of them! My trailer tent is only 450kg, and with 4 adults I don't imagine I'll need them unless I was lowered?

Cheers!

 

[moggs]

I know what you mean about tyres. I have the same wheels as you and have four Goodyear asymmetric 2's in 235 and they look spot on. But the spare is a conti and it looks a lot wider so I think it differs from manufacturer. I would stick with 235 if I was you.

 

[barkclark]

I'll need to double check but I'm pretty sure I have one or two conti's, that's probably where I've got the 'bulgy' idea from. I've also heard tyres can vary 5mm or so from the stated size? Yeah I'm gonna stick with the 235's!

Cheers

 

[666markyboy]

Spacer wise just for your info ... with my wheels ( i forget what offset they are ) but to get exactly flush front and rear where i can rest a straight edgeon the top and bottom of the tyre and it also lies flush with the edge of the wheel arch i run 20mm spacers on the rear and 14mm on the front I had to have the 14's turned down from a set of 20,s just to get it exactly right and they never rub even fully loaded

My tyre size is 18" x 235 x 40 I went with 235's because it means the 40 profile becomes a little higher so adds to comfort as i didn't want to harshen the ride when I went up to 18's

 

[barkclark]

Cheers for the info! I think I'll go for 15mm on the back, then 10 or 12mm on the front. I'm not looking for perfect flush-ness, just looking to widen the look

I'll also upgrade to 18's at some point, but will be looking to keep the comfort too!