For those of you with 20s... Ouch!

[SLU_S5]

What are your wheel and tire specs???

Just ran a set of 20x9 ET40s (tire size 255-30-20) with a 20mm spacer and discovered some horrendous rubbing where the tire was making contact with my control arm... After about 500 miles... Wow I feel dumb. Thank god I caught it before a blowout.

[Sweep]

Wow, ET40 with 20mm spacers is pretty aggressive. I've got 20x10.5 ET30 with 275/30/20 no spacers. Dropped on Bilstein B16s I have no rubbing.

[jamin_00]

Wow, lucky you spotted this mate!!

Are you sure it was rubbing? According to here http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php...et2=28#content "Compared to your existing wheel, this new wheel will have an inner rim which is 27.1mm closer to the suspension strut. The outer rim will poke out 11.1mm more than before." So my set up is closer to the strut as I put your info in including the spacer first.

And I'm lowered on coilovers too and not got no rubbing issues?

[SLU_S5]

It definitely seems like it was rubbing somewhere. It looks like it was hitting the control arm by the looks of it. The whole inner part of the tread looks as if it was turned on a lathe. I'm lowered only about an inch on KW HAS and had a fresh alignment only a month ago. The opposite side has just very very slight evidence of rubbing which is confusing me.

[Mops@Nemesis]

I ran 20x9 ET40 with 20/25 on 255/35/20 dropped 25mm and never an issue. It's not an aggressive setup either. Something is up. That tire pictured only has 500 miles on it?

IMG_0419 by Audiyos, on Flickr

[SLU_S5]

It probably has a total of 2000 miles on it. I bought the setup used. I just took another look and there is plenty of clearance all around. No chance of rubbing anywhere.

See? Several inches of clearance.


Possible that I have a shifted belt???

[SLU_S5]

Nice wheels btw.

[SLU_S5]

What could be causing this strange tire wear???

[Gonzoe11]

Bad alignment. Too much negative camber. Or like you said, bad tire.

[Mops@Nemesis]

What could be causing this strange tire wear???

Holy shit. I've never seen anything that bad. I knew it was not the arm. Thought bad tire, bent wheel or a reallyyyyy bad alignment. This is beyond me.

[SLU_S5]

Yeah I'm so confused. I really don't think it's rubbing anywhere but it really looks like it is. Bad or loose ball joint? Just had the alignment done... Would a couple of REALLY big pothole impacts cause the tire to crash into the control arm? I mean I did hit a pretty decent sized pothole.

What's crazy is that I can't seem to find any evidence of rubbing anywhere

[Zonsolo]

My guess is ran flat for a number of miles. What does the outside tread edge look like? What does the tire off other side of the car look like?

[Mean Machine]

Looks like Neg Camber

[SLU_S5]

So... Turns out that my wheel is bent. Like really really ridiculously bent.

I absolutely jacked a nasty pothole doing about 70 the other day and my guess is that this is the result. Bent wheel and potentially mid-aligned suspension as a result now.


Would it make any sense to have it repaired? Does anyone have experience with straightening a bent wheel?

I'll also definitely need a new tire. Would it mess with the AWD if I get only one fresh tire? Should I have both front tires replaced?

[tpotts85]

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[tpotts85]

I had the same problem with my last set of tires as well, I thought I'd wait until the end of the summer to change them (which I know I stretched pretty far) the inside of the passenger front wheel was the worst. It had that wear but also chunking, which I asked about at the dealership and they chalked it up to bad set of tires. I also had 20mm spacers up front and 25mm rear. I've done 5k on the new tires with the spacers off and don't have any uneven wear. Now my problem is I want the spacers back on but don't know what caused this 😕

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[Mops@Nemesis]

Bent and not cracked? Achtuning would sell you a new one for about $300. Repair, about $100. John can direct you to a good spot for repair. You're fine to only replace that one tire.

[SLU_S5]

Bent and not cracked? Achtuning would sell you a new one for about $300. Repair, about $100. John can direct you to a good spot for repair. You're fine to only replace that one tire.

Thanks Mops.

I'll have to get that tire off to know the full extent of the damage I suppose. It is badly bent at the very least.

$300 for a new wheel doesn't seem like a bad option. I did buy them used but I'm about 95% sure that the set I have are Hartmann RS4 reps. Are there any downsides to having the wheel repaired? Would the repaired wheel be weakened because the metal had been bent previously?

I do have these S7 Black optics wheels laying around (bought them for my dads A7 and he didn't want them)... Might be time for these. Plus they're OEM and I'd assume that they're a bit stronger/more pothole damage resistant.



255/35/20s a good tire choice vs the 255/30's?

Oh decisions decisions.

[SLU_S5]

I had the same problem with my last set of tires as well, I thought I'd wait until the end of the summer to change them (which I know I stretched pretty far) the inside of the passenger front wheel was the worst. It had that wear but also chunking, which I asked about at the dealership and they chalked it up to bad set of tires. I also had 20mm spacers up front and 25mm rear. I've done 5k on the new tires with the spacers off and don't have any uneven wear. Now my problem is I want the spacers back on but don't know what caused this 😕

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The wear is only happening with spacers??? Crazy! The wear looks the same as mine. What are your wheel specs? Is this happening to just one wheel or a couple of wheels? I'm positive that I have a bent wheel that's contributing to this but I'm still going to have my alignment checked anyway.

[Mops@Nemesis]

Not an expert on bent repairs, but it's super common.

Achtuning is awesome about giving a discount for these situations. They usually run $345 IIRC.

Love that S7 wheel!! I like the 255/35 for a 9". A bit larger than the OE TD, but NBD. The pic I posted is with 255/35/20. It's a good look, and moar cushion :)

[tpotts85]

The wear is only happening with spacers??? Crazy! The wear looks the same as mine. What are your wheel specs? Is this happening to just one wheel or a couple of wheels? I'm positive that I have a bent wheel that's contributing to this but I'm still going to have my alignment checked anyway.

They were potenza s-04's 255/35/19. The dealership service manager said they were not proper spec for the car and I should only use the brand of tire that came on the car from factory. The wear was with both fronts (passenger side was worse), noticed it mid summer and put the fronts on the back and vice versa. I spoke with a few mechanics about this too, they said with that suspension the wheel spacers should be fine.

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[JamesRS5]

A bent rim cannot cause this type of tire wear, if the rim was bent it would be irregular damage, not a symmetrical lip around the edge of the tire.
This looks like either something got trapped between the strut and your tire or your alignment is a mile off!

Wheel repair depends on the quality of the wheel material and the extent of the damage. A forged alloy once bent too far out of shape will have lost its elasticity so bending it back will cause fatigue and cracking.
A cheap cast alloy wheel....throw it away!

Slight warping and out of round can be rolled out but where is the safe limit? I wouldn't like to guess.

[SLU_S5]

Good points, James.

I think my best bet is to take my car in for an appointment with my Audi mechanic. This one is really baffling me since there is a ton of clearance everywhere. My guess is that I slammed a pothole, bent the wheel and threw the alignment way off. Who knows, maybe I bent another suspension component in the process...

Meanwhile, I'll have to decide if I want to buy a replacement wheel and tire, or just move to a different setup all together.

[ParadigmTony]

This looks a lot more like a Toe problem than a bent rim. Although both could compound each other. Id presume a bad tire and a bad alignment. For what its worth a repaired wheel is largely the same as a new wheel. Depending of course on severity of damage, but most wheel repair places are required to uphold industry standards. Who did your alignment? Ide or Holtz?

[SLU_S5]

Monro did the alignment so... yeah... Could be part of the issue. Never had a problem with them before though and I know the guy who did it. He does good work for me. The alignment was done before the new wheels went on and the old tires did not wear like this at all.

I crushed a pothole last week so my guess is that it bent the wheel and threw off the alignment In one massive blow. I may have a bent control arm or tie rod but who knows really. Dropping my car off at CDI (my go-to Audi indie) on Thursday so we'll see what they say.

Probably an overall combo of things. Bent wheels, alignment out of wack, and tires. The tires had some camber wear when I bought them (they came on the wheels) and from what I heard, the Hankook Ventus V12s are ok but they aren't the best tire to begin with anyway.

[ParadigmTony]

Monro did the alignment so... yeah... Could be part of the issue. Never had a problem with them before though and I know the guy who did it. He does good work for me. The alignment was done before the new wheels went on and the old tires did not wear like this at all.

I crushed a pothole last week so my guess is that it bent the wheel and threw off the alignment In one massive blow. I may have a bent control arm or tie rod but who knows really. Dropping my car off at CDI (my go-to Audi indie) on Thursday so we'll see what they say.

Probably an overall combo of things. Bent wheels, alignment out of wack, and tires. The tires had some camber wear when I bought them (they came on the wheels) and from what I heard, the Hankook Ventus V12s are ok but they aren't the best tire to begin with anyway.

Ide will do your alignment of 80$ and Matt is great. CDI does good work though not going to discredit them. Changing your wheels will change your alignment slightly depending on diameters and offset etc but not to the degree that you have issues. I personally like the V12 for the money they aren't the best but at their price point they are pretty solid and usually very resilient.

[JamesRS5]

Check the subframe alignment too, if you hit the pothole so hard to knock your alignment out, either something is damaged/bent or your subframe has moved throwing your geometry out.

Is it both inside edges?

[SLU_S5]

It's just one inside edge on the left side. All other tires look totally normal.

[V8Star]

I see KW HAS in your signature but not adjustable control arms.

You need adjustable control arms to correct that negative camber issue that you have going on. Chances are your toe is out of spec too, but the excessive inside wear / cording is due to excessive negative camber.

[SLU_S5]

We'll find out more after my indie takes a look on Thursday. I have a feeling that a bent wheel is the biggest culprit and then possible mis-alignment as a result of hitting the pothole. Lowered maybe an inch (if that) Alignment was to spec last month.

[Drew0u812]

That wear is from excessive Toe out. All you need is a little bit of negative camber combined with excessive Toe out to get wear like that.
A bent wheel will cause scalloped or cupped wear.

[SLU_S5]

It's not totally even all the way around though.
Do you guys typically set the toe to 0°?

[Skyler@Achtuning]

That wear is from excessive Toe out. All you need is a little bit of negative camber combined with excessive Toe out to get wear like that.

This is my guess as well, we see it pretty frequently.

[Canadianwraith]

I believe th op had this happen within 500 miles. he would have had to have a hell of a time steering for the tire to get that worn in that short of distance would he not?

[Drew0u812]

I believe th op had this happen within 500 miles. he would have had to have a hell of a time steering for the tire to get that worn in that short of distance would he not?

I would think the car would have been flighty, especially on uneven surface and the steering wheel most likely would have been off center.

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[ParadigmTony]

I believe th op had this happen within 500 miles. he would have had to have a hell of a time steering for the tire to get that worn in that short of distance would he not?

He also purchased the tires used. Not likely he didn't notice a bit of premature wear, but a few mil head start is a pretty substantial wear, and otherwise indiscernible to most.