i just bought a set of used wheels that had 225/40-18 mounted on. that seems to be the most popular tire size and i like how its low profile but i have a 97 a4 quattro 2.8 w/ non-sport suspension and the gap is ridiculous. i lowered it with the intrax springs (1.75 front, 1.5 rear) and i'm still getting a 3 finger gap in the front, and 2 in the back. i'm still wondernig why my front is so much higher than my back, even though the springs drop the fronts more. do other a4s come like this, or is there something wrong with my suspension? well, that't not my main question but it could be answered.

my question is, to fill out the gap a bit more i would like to go with a bigger tire (in diameter, not width). i'm getting sort of a wishy washy noise when i make turns and the guy that installed the wheels said it was probably my offset on the wheels, but it shouldn't be a problem. i dont want to get wider tires because it might contribute to that problem, so i was wondering if i could get a taller, yet not wider tire. it seems like the only other option recommended by tirerack would be 235/40-18 which would just make it wider and a tiny bit taller. i dont think i would rub like others because i still have a huge gap. could i do something like 215/45-18?

 

use this calculator and put in your original size and your new size to see the difference
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...TireMathNS.jsp

 

thanks for the reply. i've already used the calculator but what i want to know is how much diameter i can go without rubbing. also there were only 2 tire options for my specific vehicle when i put the car in. 225/40-18 and 235/40-18. i want to know if its possible to do something like 225/45

 

if ur trying to fill the gap the best is to go with a 45 or even 50profile changing the tire width will not do anything to the gap u will just have a wider tire

 

go with 225/40/18, you won't rub and if there's too much wheel gap then lower it. get the right tire size.

 

215 is less

id go 235 40 18

 

+1... get the right tire size and lower it,
with my 235/40/18 i cant go any lover w/o modifying my fenders

 

can you guys please READ my post before replying with useless advice. first of all, i ALREADY have lowering springs on, and ALREADY have 225/40-18 as stated in the post. also, i know how tires work, and the whole point of my question was to see if i could go with a thicker tire yet not as wide because it feels like i'm already rubbing against my suspension of something. and yes going with a wider tire would also make the profile bigger because the 2nd number 225/40-18 is a certain proportion to the width. i'm just going to ask someone at the tire store.

 

Changing the tire the way that you want to will screw up your speedometer and odometer(this cannot be fixed with vag-com). And most likely will be bad for the quattro system. If you use the calculator that I posted, you can find the size you are looking for just by playing around with it. Everyone else on here is using the correct sizeof tire and having no problems at all. Maybe, just maybe, you should look at your suspension and make sure everything is correct.