RE: 17" wheels on an Ur-Q...

[JustaxPHX@aol.com]

>As for 17" rims, I would expect them to fit similar to the 16" rims.

Not really ... because a 17" rim has more open area in the center, it can be
tucked in more closely to the strut assembly than a 16" or 15" wheel.  An
offset that works for a 16" rim should also work for a 17" rim but not
necessarily vice-versa.

>Hence, an ET35 for 17x7" and 17x7.5" should work fine.  Now, 17x8 may be a
bit trickier.  Jeff Goggin and Ben Howell >both seem to be OK with 17x8
ET35/33, but they are only running 215/45-17 tires rather than 225/45-17.

After I put a piece of rebar through the sidewall of one 215/45-17s, I moved
the best of remaining three to the rear wheels and bought a pair of 235/40-17s
for the front wheels.  This combo worked great (even with the center diff
locked!) but was sort of funny looking ... when the 215/45-17s on the rear
wore out, I replaced them with a pair of 235/40-17s to match the front pair
and make it easier to rotate them for maximum life.  I'm using SP-8000s at the
moment and these are perhaps a little narrower than the same size tire of
another brand so you'll need to double-check clearances if you use any other
brand or model of tire... 

>The 215 tire seems rather narrow for an 8" width rim, and I would be more
inclined to use a 7.5" rim.

Actually, a 215 on an 8" rim is about right ... I'm still amazed that Audi put
a 245/40-17 on a 7" rim with the RS2, since this strikes me as being
potentially unsafe.  If you check tire manufacturer's charts, you'll find this
is the minimum size that most recommend for a 245/40 and some even suggest 8"
as the minimum ... interesting, eh? 

>I would probably go with a greater offset (i.e. 38-40mm) if I planned on
using a 225/45-17 tire on a 17x8 rim, if there was >enough clearance on the
inner suspension components.

Like I said, a 235/40-17 on a 17x8 rim with 33mm offset fits perfectly ...
Yes, it narrows the track a bit, which effectively increases the spring rates
all around and somewhat screws up the steering geometry slightly (but then,
Audi did this as well when they switched to the 215/50-15 on an 8x15 rim) but,
Hey, I had them sitting around as spares for my 200q so the price was right
and they *do* look pretty sharp on the car, especially with the wider tires.

If I were doing it from scratch, though, I'd probably do some more homework
before deciding what offset to use ... with a bit of work, it looks like I can
stuff a 9x17 wheel under the fenders and this is a much better size for a
235/40 than 8x17.  We'll see by this summer whether it can be done or not...
:^)