20" HRE FF01 Tire Fitment Issue

[djmika]

Hey folks. I recently traded my 08 S5 in on a 13 CPO S5. The S5 was pretty impractical for my 2 year old. I thought I'd be making a compromise but I love the new car and am pleasantly surprised with the supercharged 6.

Last week I purchased a set of 20" HRE FF01 20 x 9" Wheels for the car. I also ordered a set of Pirelli P Zero Nero GT 255/30 R20 tires for them. It was very clear that this fitment, although widely recommended didn't seem right, at least to me. The tire was too narrow and looked stretched. The wheel protrudes further than the tire. So, I called the place where I bought the wheels and asked them what to do. They recommended the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. So, at great cost, I ordered them and had them put on today. While they are a bit better, I'm still not 100% satisfied. At least now the rim protection "rib" on the outside of the tire protrudes just slightly outside the edge of the wheel but the side wall is still angled out and the wheel is ultimately wider than the tread of the tire.

Maybe I'm over reacting here. The Nero GT was not going to make me happy. Within a couple hundred miles I already had a "pock mark" on one of the wheels where a rock must have chipped a spot that should have been protected by the tire. I think the Michelin solves that problem but I still have reservations as to whether a wheel should be wider than the tire.

I think there may be people who like this look. I'm not a huge fan. That said, I've been told that going to a 265/30 R20 would not work on our cars. As you may imagine, I'm a bit frustrated that I can't get this where I want after spending a fair amount of cash. I'm more willing to live with the car the way it is now but thought I'd get opinions on this. I think this wheel should be available as a 20 x 8.5 for our cars.

By the way, all of the pictures I see of these wheels seem to look like mine, for whatever that's worth.

Also, if anyone wants a set of Nero GTs with 200 miles on them, they're for sale!

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

[eurotic]

The look of a tire is so subjective. What one person calls a mild stretch will be different than someone else. I thought the 255/35r19 PSS's on the stock 19x8.5" rim had a mild stretch but some said it was pretty square. I put RE-11's on in the same size and to me they are square. On a 9" rim the stretch would obviously be worse. I know you have 20's but the principal is the same.

Unfortunately the measurements for tread width only tell part of the story. Sidewall profiles are different. Looking at the tires I mentioned above, the tread width isn't that different but to my eye they look vastly different.

[eurotic]

Going to a 265 should help but you'd have to double check the tread width measurement on Tire Rack to make sure it is in fact wider, because it isn't always the case.

[RWD2quattro]

Any pictures to see tire/wheel combo fitment?

[Jimminez@Nemesis]

Pics would definitely help, but here are is what my 20x9" ET40 with 255/30R20 looked like. I found them to be a perfect fit.

[ed@mtl]

Is that Bryan's Avant in the background?

[Jimminez@Nemesis]

Is that Bryan's Avant in the background?

Yup.

[djmika]

Okay Guys. Sorry it took a bit for the pics.

So I still have a really big problem with the fitment of the FF01s and the 255s that are recommended. Last week I was driving to a job site for work and hit a relatively small imperfection on the freeway and banged up a wheel pretty good. You should be able to see it in this image:



Since the damage is at the downward facing edge of the wheel where, in my opinion, the tire should protect the wheel, I called HRE, and TAG (who I bought the wheels from) and expressed my displeasure with the situation. I've now owned the wheels for 2 months and damaged two of them under very limited, normal driving conditions. I reminded them I asked for a setup with no tire stretch and that I willingly spent a lot of money on a second set of tires after the first didn't work. HRE wanted no part of helping me and told me that " they hope I could see how ridiculous this all sounds." TAG was better, at least listening to the problem but ultimately the message from both was that they'd done hundreds of cars with this setup so how could it be wrong.

Here's another pic:



So here's the dilemma; I really like the wheels but want tires that fit them with a more square sidewall. Also, I put Bilstein B16s on the car last week and the back end already rubs a bit. I was thinking I would take the wheels to a machine shop and have them machined from the ET35 (which is what they are now) to a ET40-42 if I can without weakening the wheels and then put 265 30/20s on them. Tire Rack shows the same Michelin tire in that size to have a tread width as two inches wider and a section width as 1/2" wider. This seems like it would solve the problem.

I know I've seen a few cars in the sticky thread about fitment that suggests 265s will fit but I wanted your guys suggestions on the machining, fitment and potential for rubbing.

By the way, the FF01s finish quality is very disappointing from the factory. If it's powder coat it's very thin and they didn't do a good job with uniformity so as part of the machining I would probably have them powder coated.

Happy to provide any more information.

Thanks!

[BlownOne]

Shit dude that sucks you damaged the rims so early after buying them! My hre's are 20x9.5 with hankook evo2 255/30/20 and there's not very much sidewall or lip protection at all. I accidentally knocked over the rim/tire face down while working on my brakes and it hit rim not tire when it fell. I got two little chips but none be less I was still mad (at myself lol) and you are 100% right, the rims aren't protected by the rubber at all with these sizes/setups.

Will

[djmika]

Will - Thanks for the response man. I know that wheel and tire fitment is a personal taste thing but man, things have changed since the last time I bought wheels and tires for an Audi. There was a time where no one had any sort of stretch on a legitimate setup it seems like. And now, it looks like its fairly common. If nothing else I would have liked someone to give me the option before I spent the kind of money I did especially since I clearly said I didn't want any stretch. It's nice to hear I'm not the only one who sees the issue.

I'm hoping someone can shed some light as to whether I can machine these and throw 265s on them. While it looks like tread width is two inches wider, the height difference is only 1/5" different. Now, with the ET35 offset the outer edge of the wheels is pretty much flush which I don't think would work with a wider tire without some serious rubbing.

[jran76]

Will - Thanks for the response man. I know that wheel and tire fitment is a personal taste thing but man, things have changed since the last time I bought wheels and tires for an Audi. There was a time where no one had any sort of stretch on a legitimate setup it seems like. And now, it looks like its fairly common. If nothing else I would have liked someone to give me the option before I spent the kind of money I did especially since I clearly said I didn't want any stretch. It's nice to hear I'm not the only one who sees the issue.

I'm hoping someone can shed some light as to whether I can machine these and throw 265s on them. While it looks like tread width is two inches wider, the height difference is only 1/5" different. Now, with the ET35 offset the outer edge of the wheels is pretty much flush which I don't think would work with a wider tire without some serious rubbing.

I can't help on the machining of the wheel. It's not something I would recommend without getting confirmation from the manufacturer. 6-7mm is a lot, so I think HRE would be your best resource (I think I know what they'll say).

The 20x9" ET35 with a decent sized 255/30/20 tire (like the PSS) has a chance for some rubbing. Any wider tire (like a 265) would just increase that. I'm not sure what to tell you as it sounds like you're not going to be happy with the current setup. Just based on your obvious dissatisfaction, I'd probably say sell the wheels and start over if machining the wheel is not an option. You would want something in that ET42 range to be pretty safe with a 265.

As mentioned, what constitutes "stretch" is hugely personal and subjective. If it is something you are concerned with, I would highly recommend finding real world examples the tire you are considering on the same size wheel as opposed to asking someone else for their opinion. If you would have asked me, I would have said the stretch on that setup was minimal, and obviously you think it's a lot.

Another thing to consider is that the 20" wheel is going to exacerbate the stretched look and lack of wheel protection. If those are things you are looking for, a 19" wheel may be a better option too....

[onlyaudis]

can't have it both ways. if you want the huge wheel look and 30 series tires, no sense in even talking about the tire "protecting the rim". even a minor pothole at 30 MPH will damage those rims. there is a wheel repair center I know of that constantly has stacks of these 19 and 20 inch rims lined up for repairs.