audi rim question

[ryanjames]

hello chaps.

I have the opportunity to put these onto my 1982 vanagon...

can someone please advise if they will work, with little aggrevation, and if the price is fair.

thank you.

I have a set of 4 17" x 7.5" Factory OEM Audi A4 Wheels & Tires from 2005. The wheels have a 5 x 112 wheel bolt pattern. They are painted black and have 255/45/17 94W M&S Falken Ziex ZE912 All Season tires with approx 50% to 60% tread remaining on them. They will fit VW, Audi, mercedes. Asking $449, please email for more info.

[metropoj]

You will need to know the offset ( ET ## ) of the wheels to make a better decision.

Those tires will be dangerous for your Vanagon as they are only 94 sidewall strength . 99 and up values are suggested.

You also need to know the center bore of the wheel to see if it will clear the hub ... or would need to be machined ...


I think there are a couple of threads with talks on fitting a 17 inch 7.5 width rim ....
_________________
John.
86 TiiCo powered Westy.

[ryanjames]

thank you for the insight. I know there is a lot of talk on this topic, but as they were close to home, I was hoping they would be plug and play. I ll give these one s a miss for now then. thank you.

[Bub]

They will not fit. Audi wheels are 57.1mm hub until about 2009, then they went to something like 71mm. The offset on those is around ET44-52 (depending on if they were from a AWD car or FWD) and would likely clear if you took care of the hub.
And I know the sidewall rating can be important, but any average modern car weighs WAY more than a Vanagon; and Audi's are known for being pretty heavy pigs. I own 4 Audis and the Vanagon- and they all outweigh the Van.
I run 17x7.5" wheels on my 2wd Carat, I got them off ebay pretty cheap. And I run nearly those exact same tires- but 255 on a 7.5" rim is a bit wide. Those tires would NOT fit well- even with no spacers the slider would probably hit the tire. 225/45/17 does fit if you get a rim that fits.
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[ryanjames]

Thank you Sir. I am not caring about looks, I am just wanting more stability.
I am just looking for the cheapest and easiest model of alloy rim to put on the ol gal.

PLUG AND PLAY. no modding.

either a 15 or 16 to replace the 14 steelies...

[campism]

[ryanjames]

Thank you again Sir, for your input and help.

[ryanjames]

campism... any particular year that one should be on the hunt for ?

[campism]

I think those are '98-'02. Later cars of that model had different wheels but I do not know about the ease of fitment on those or what is required.

Check with a vendor like GoWesty or VanCafe/Rocky Mountain Westy. I think both offer 16" alloys that bolt right on. Steelies, too.

http://www.gowesty.com/search-results.php?search_phrase=wheel
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[ThankYouJerry]

You’ll get just as much, if not more, stability (even with 14” rims and tires) by switching to PowerFlex poly bushings... especially the steering rack bushing. Also, make sure your tires (regardless of wheel height) are properly rated 99+ and ideally C or D.
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1990 Multivan - "Ohana"
1.8T, Auto w/3.27 R&P + Peloquin TBD

[IdahoDoug]

Ryan,

You won't get more stability from installing wider tires. You'll actually get less. The farther you have rubber from the center of the contact patch (or steering axis), the more easily the tire can be knocked from its path. That's directional stability such as tracking straight down a road, or tracking smoothly through a highway curve. Put 35 series 265 race rubber on it, and the tires will be darting all over the place.

Vehicle stability (its resistance to lean from turns or wind) is added to or taken away by the springs and shocks. Walk up to the side of your van on factory tires and push with 300lbs at the roof level. Record the angle. Now put 35 series 265 race rubber on it and do the same. You'll record the same angle.

Obviously I used those exaggerated tires sizes to make my point, but you get the idea. If you are looking for an improvement to the Vanagon's handling dynamics, you might ask the question here as a lot of folks have gone down that road.
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[jimf909]

[Bub]

[PDXWesty]

Probably the least expensive set of wheels will be sold by the vendors that don't need any special hardware or adapters. I found a set of Mercedes wheels for $200 but then spent another $250 on hardware and spacers to make them work. $400 on rims plus $200 on hardware puts you at the same price as GW sells their rims. You may not save money in the long run.
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto

[levi]

As long as the van is sitting in the driveway, the analogy to a passenger car applies,but when you pull away other things need to be considered.

With the sedan the center of gravity is much lower and the height is much lower.
Both put less force on the sidewalls when driving.

Even when there's no curves involved, a simple lane change at 60 mph puts lateral forces on the tires sidewalls from 8 foot above the ground that are passenger car doesn't see.

Driving our vans on a mountain road with 94p tires is scary and not friendly at all if the van is loaded close to the upper limit.

No vanagon left the factory with less than a 97, and most folks will seriously appreciate the stability of at least 99xl when on the road.
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[ryanjames]

thank you again to all for the replies.

actually, I think at this time, I will run the 14 inch steel original rims.

I ll just buy new rubber for now.

I m hearing load rating of 99 plus and C or D...

that is all I need to know when I buy the new tires ? `

thank you again

ryan

[levi]

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=584507

This is a thread that Kam set up to try to help with finding suitable tires.

On page one is a list, I don't know how up to date it is, but it should help.
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[ryanjames]

thank you sir. I will indeed check this page out.

regards.

ryan.

[Bub]