Its a Wash

"Dave the car guy , still here" (a3dave)
11/11/2016 at 09:49 • Filed to: None

Yesterday about an hour before work was over I received an offer for 4 Audi replica wheels with minor rashs for $40. Friend of a friend had them because his sister used them for snow tire wheels. That car that wore them was gone but the wheels were taking up space. About 90 minutes later they were in my car and I gave them a $50 with a don’t worry about the change. Then I start to clean them at home just to discover they are 18x7.5 with et20 offset. So nice , made in Italy but not the right offset. Damn! My car can use about an et33-et52 range without flaring and rolling the fender. So here I am with a decent set of wheels that would only fit our B8 A4 that my daughter has 150 miles away where she lives now but I wanted them for my car. On mine I would definitely have rubbing issues with an increased track width of 46mm.

I got up early and finished washing them. Toted them back to work and asked the one other Audi guy who works in a Chevy operation if he wanted them. No immediate reply so I figured I was going to Craigslist them and make a few bucks. Within 30 minutes my coworker is hot on my heels with the money so I figure they will end up on his A4. Money back in my pocket. Nothing lost, nothing gained.

A3 picture for your time

DISCUSSION (15)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Dave the car guy , still here
11/11/2016 at 09:56

Would like an A3, though I can’t afford a decent one. I found a 6 speed nearby with cloth seats, no power seats, and some other options missing, which really defeats the purpose of getting a luxurious Audi.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/11/2016 at 10:04

No need for nice but useless features. I’ve been in three Audis with cloth seats and the interior didn’t feel cheap at all. No power seats means one less thing to break, always good on an Audi.

Dave the car guy , still here > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/11/2016 at 10:27

I was lucky to find my one owner 2008 3.2 example just 2 yrs ago with only 24k miles. Had it and my B5 A4 both for about 5 months while I repaired most of the bad stuff on the B5 before selling it. The 1998 car had more suspension mods, cornered like hell but the ride was way worse. Having more horses in the A3 makes up for not pulling as many g’s. I love the A3 and will be hanging onto it for many years. It shares enough Golf Mk5 amd Mk6 parts that I’ll have fun tweaking it for a long time. People can say what they want about the differences between Torsen and Haldex awd systems, each has different advantages. My old car was a beast in winter but the A3 with decent snows isn’t bad by any means. Talk to any R32 Golf owner and you’ll likely hear the same praise.

Dave the car guy , still here > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2016 at 10:34

Good point. In some years the leather or leatherette isn’t durable at all. Ask anyone that’s owned a B5 model.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Dave the car guy , still here
11/11/2016 at 10:41

Audi isn’t even the worst offender. *cough cough* BMW E36 *cough*. Over a decade old Audi interiors still surprise me with their good quality.

Jack Does Cars > Dave the car guy , still here
11/11/2016 at 12:12

We just got Continental ProContact all season high performance tires on our 06 A3 3.2 and they’re absolutely fantastic.

Dave the car guy , still here > Jack Does Cars
11/11/2016 at 12:46

I had those and switched to the Pirelli P7 Cinturato a/s plus just for the winter/wet capabilities. Last year with a mild winter I never installed my snow tires because the Pirelli have incredible snow traction for an all season. My snow tires are Continentals discontinued Extreme Winter Contact. I still have 3 ProContacts in storage and I think under many conditions they seemed nicer in corners but the Pirellis break free less. If you see old bad reviews of the P7 Cinturato its a completely different animal than the P7 Cinturato plus version.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
12/20/2016 at 12:59

Dave, here’s a challenge question for you: my ‘71 Vandura very base shorty came stock with 14-inch rims. Do you think you could ascertain what the stock tire size likely was? The sticker on the driver door is obliterated.

Dave the car guy , still here > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
12/20/2016 at 13:44

The only way to possibly be able to calculate the tire it used was from old speedo gear charts. You would need rear ratio and tooth counts on both speedo gears. The three 14" tires used back then were C78 x 14 , 7.00 x 14 and F78 x 14. You can convert those on a chart from Tire Rack. I think you’d be safe with something like a 205/70R14 or 215/70R14. Doubtful with the window option and seating that it had the smallest size tire , which would likely have only been on base model panel vans. . Those two sizes I stated are the middle and largest they ran on a 14". You may need to run narrower depending on the rim width witch could be 5" or 6" back then. Just check out the chart and you’ll see the old number to new conversions. If it has a 5" rim you would need to run a 195/75r14 or 205/75r14.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/45_conversionchart.jsp

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
12/20/2016 at 14:01

This is good information. At the end of the day, I am going to manually select a tire size for that van. I keep staring at it in the driveway trying to decide if I want a 15-inch rim and I am leaning that way. A blogger friend, an older guy in Tennessee who has tons of experience, is suggesting a 205/70-15. As I formulate the picture of things in my mind, I’m thinking that’s probably a solid suggestion.

My van was a special order with the windows. I don’t know if the disc brakes were optional, but I believe the old guy who sold it to me may have said something about “towing gears,” and a relatively slow cruising speed. I think the van was base, base, base, except for their options. I anticipate installing a rear axle in the future with a gear ratio that I select, based upon whatever transmission I finally wind up with and, hopefully, aftermarket rear disk brakes.

What are your thoughts on 15 versus 14?

Dave the car guy , still here > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
12/20/2016 at 14:11

Run the larger 14" size and you should be fine. I think my old 70's Regal had 205/70r14 and it was plenty of tire. It originally had 195/75r14 but I went wider when I replaced tires. Only go 15" if you find a nice set of wheels at the time when you are doing the rear end swap.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
12/20/2016 at 14:25

My thoughts on all of this have little to do with width. In fact, I want to be very carefull NOT to have wide tires. It’s all about overall diameter and whitewall height.

Wouldn’t you select your rear end ratio based upon the tire size that you select?

Dave the car guy , still here > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
12/20/2016 at 14:56

Sorta, they pretty much used many tire sizes with each ratio and adjusted the speedo by different gear, The issue you may have is getting different speedo gears as most have been discontinued and the few places that have them know that.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
12/20/2016 at 15:58

Meaning they charge a trillion dollars for one?

Dave the car guy , still here > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
12/20/2016 at 16:03

PRETTY MUCH! What used to be $5 almost all the time went to $8-10 for ones that GM still makes, others have seen up to $40.