A4 From 17's to 18's
#1
08-05-2013, 03:36 PM
A4 From 17's to 18's
Guys,
I ordered up some new wheels for my 2005.5 A4 which are a size larger (from 17 to 18). Realize they will fit but have a few questions.
1. On this pas set of tires (Conti's DSW Extreme), I only got around 15k miles on them and the very, very outside edge of the front driver's side tire is very worn, and the same is true on the passenger's side (although not nearly as bad). Set before were Bridgestones and they also had outside wear, but I got well over 40k on them. Have rotated tires around every 5k miles. Tire noise thru cabin is horrendous. Alignment is ok and the car has never pulled since I've had it. 100k miles on the car. Do I need new struts or tie rods or control arms or anything? Dealer says no, and I hear all the time that German cars just go thru tires, but it never had this problem until around 70k miles. Also, let it be known that I baby the ever loving crap outta this car, and there are no squeaks, rattles, clunking noises - everything "appears' fine suspension-wise.
Thanks - cause I just want to make sure I get this addressed as soon as possible. I am hoping that maybe my current wheels are slightly bent causing the uneven wear and that new wheels would help, but I'm not sure. Any insight would be appreciated because I'm not into dumping $800 a year on tires.
I ordered up some new wheels for my 2005.5 A4 which are a size larger (from 17 to 18). Realize they will fit but have a few questions.
1. On this pas set of tires (Conti's DSW Extreme), I only got around 15k miles on them and the very, very outside edge of the front driver's side tire is very worn, and the same is true on the passenger's side (although not nearly as bad). Set before were Bridgestones and they also had outside wear, but I got well over 40k on them. Have rotated tires around every 5k miles. Tire noise thru cabin is horrendous. Alignment is ok and the car has never pulled since I've had it. 100k miles on the car. Do I need new struts or tie rods or control arms or anything? Dealer says no, and I hear all the time that German cars just go thru tires, but it never had this problem until around 70k miles. Also, let it be known that I baby the ever loving crap outta this car, and there are no squeaks, rattles, clunking noises - everything "appears' fine suspension-wise.
Thanks - cause I just want to make sure I get this addressed as soon as possible. I am hoping that maybe my current wheels are slightly bent causing the uneven wear and that new wheels would help, but I'm not sure. Any insight would be appreciated because I'm not into dumping $800 a year on tires.
#3
08-20-2013, 09:11 AM
Happy happy happy
Well, a local shop diagnosed as a bad front passenger's side wheel bearing. Replaced and holy freaking moly what a difference!!! Quiet and smooth as silk now, and oddly enough it appears to ride a lot better with the 18's - then again, I had been running probably over a year on the 17's with a bad bearing.
This thing is still tight as hell at 102k miles. You simply cannot beat a German sedan. If you think you can, you're deluding yourself.
Hope this helps somebody. I paid $393 for the job, BTW. I just wish I would have diagnosed this before I blew $800 on tires that lasted a year, because of the bearing issue.
Also, the Nexen 5000's I went with appear pretty quiet and decent for the price ($500), but again, keeping in proper context, the inside of my vehicle sounded like a tank prior to the bearing replacement.
This thing is still tight as hell at 102k miles. You simply cannot beat a German sedan. If you think you can, you're deluding yourself.
Hope this helps somebody. I paid $393 for the job, BTW. I just wish I would have diagnosed this before I blew $800 on tires that lasted a year, because of the bearing issue.
Also, the Nexen 5000's I went with appear pretty quiet and decent for the price ($500), but again, keeping in proper context, the inside of my vehicle sounded like a tank prior to the bearing replacement.