Re: Ur-Q wheels/Tyres

[audidudi@delphi.com (Jeffrey J. Goggin)]

>Seems to indicate that on a 85 car or a car with the fenders rolled
>properly we might even squeeze a 9 inch rim and appropriate tyre in
>there by keeping things close on both sides.

Possibly in the rear but you'll need a lot of offset ... up front, I don't
think so.  My 215/45-17s on a 8x17 rim with 33mm offset *just* clear the
fender lips (they're NOT rolled on the front fenders) and is very close to
the steering arm.  Also, the 215/55-15s that came with the car will rub
against the rear of the fenderwell at full lock so there are definitely
limits to how wide/tall a wheel/tire combo that will fit.  Of course, if you
don't mind flaring the fenders another 2", you CAN fit 10x15 wheels with
285/40-15s under the fenders ... right, Mike?

>Also a question for Jeffrey..I see you are running those 215/45/17's at
>the moment ...any clearance probs with the larger diameter?.

I don't have these on the car at the moment -- I only test-fit the ones from
my 200q to make sure they fit as I've had to order an extra wheel with the
correct offset (my spare set has 33mm offset fronts and 45mm offset rears;
the Ur-Q looks better with 33mm all around) and it's not here yet -- but
they didn't have any problems when I did a 30-mile test drive.

>I think you said your car had chopped springs?...

Nope ... they're absolutely stock, like everything else about the car (so
far ... I'm still checking!).  But this shouldn't make any difference since
the static ride height is simply one point on the camber curve.  If you
lower the car and do nothing else, you've simply reset the static ride
height; i.e., if it didn't rub at all before, then it shouldn't rub afterwards.

>The standard diameter is small by modern sports car standards and Im
thinking a slighly bigger combination
>might look a litttle better and the gearing change would be compensated for
by engine mods for more torque.

It's not gearing so much as suspension geometry ... a taller tire raises CG
and relocates the front and rear roll centers.  Different offset rims also
change suspension geometry ... if you know what you're doing, this can be a
good thing -- as has been debated before, the standard Ur-Q suspension setup
certainly isn't one of the best around -- but if you don't, you can mess
things up quite a bit.  I haven't modeled it on a computer yet (no need to
since I'll be keeping it stock for at least the next few months) but I did
do this for my 4k several years ago and felt that lowering the car more than
.5" would be a mistake as would increasing offset more than 15mm ... since
Audi increased it by 21mm for the 8x15 wheels, I can only assume that 1) the
Ur-Q's suspension is setup slightly different than the 4k (definitely a
possibliity) or 2) they know more than I do (no comment!) or 3) their list
of priorities is ordered differently than mine (probably the real answer).

Personally, I'm sure I'll be happy enough with 8x17s ... of course, if I
didn't already have a set on hand, there's no telling what I would have tried!  

   



>
>Thanks 
>Steve Adams
>adamsfam@batelco.com.bh
>
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