Time for Tires, need advice!

[AirMax95]

Well I just bought the car, but the tires are in range of needing replacement.

I have the 02 w/ Sport Pack 17's.

Questions:

1) What are the specs on the 17's? I searched, but no info found.
2) What are the widest tires that I can put on them? What is a good size period? OEM is 235/45-17.
3) What is a good gripping tire, with low road noise?

Thanks in advance!

[Dbal72]

Your 5-Star Oem wheels are 17x7.5 5x112 bolt pattern. I am sure you could go up to a 245 wide tire, but if you want to go wider I would go to an 18" rim. Be careful going wider on the 17 as it will make your steering heavy and dull. I run OEM standard 235/45/17 sets for winter and summer. If you are looking for a dedicated summer tire I have had good luck with the Sumitomo HTR ZIII. They are $95 (Good price) from Tire Rack and they are very quiet yet stick well. Read the test results from Tire Rack too. You can also cross rotate which is very rare for tires these days. Great for the Quattros as they can eat tires up. If you need an all-season I know the Yokohama Advan S4 is rated well. I am sure others on here will give their input as well. Hopefully this helps. Good luck!

[AirMax95]

Thank you alot for your reply!!! Exactly the info that I needed. I searched over 100 post, lol.

My plan is to keep the sport wheels and throw some sticky rubber on them. Then, find a nice set of 18's or 19's for the sexy daily look. The 17" Sports will be for random mountain runs and HPDE's.

Thanks again!

[Dbal72]

Your welcome. It never fails when you need to find the info you can't.

Unfortunately my sticky tires are off and my winter Dunlops are on. Living on the lakeshore in W. Michigan is a true test of a Quattro. Where else can you drive through sun, snow, ice, sleet and freezing rain all in the same day. I do have to say I get a kick out of leaving everyone behind at every stoplight in the winter as they all spin their tires and I waive bye-bye.

[AirMax95]

Ha ha, nice! I am in Ga, sunny and cold right now. Be careful up there in the crazy weather region.

I plan to go as sticky as possible, without compromising road noise and my wallet!