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D3 - Wheels and Tyres Refurbing, center caps, tyre brands, tyrefitters - discuss it here

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  #1  
Old 27th November 2017, 12:38 PM
audifin audifin is offline
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Default D4 wheels on D3

Well I finally found a very nice set of 19" D4 wheels for my D3. Obviously I knew the offset is different, but I didn't expect to notice much difference in how the car feels. However, the steering feels very different now, if there is any unevenness on the road I can feel it through the steering wheel. Have others noticed similar and is there anything I can do to mitigate it? 4 wheel alignment has been done. I think some linkage on the front suspension will need to be replaced in the next service, but the car felt fine with the old wheels. I am even tempted to put the old wheels back...
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Old 27th November 2017, 04:03 PM
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I have D4 wheels on my D3. Went from 17s to 19s, slightly different offset, wider tyres, smaller profile. I did notice slightly more tyre noise and a slight deterioration in comfort. Nothing major.

The car cornered like it had a balloon in each corner previously, now is much more direct and positive. But, for ultimate comfort and lower tyre roar 17s are king!
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Old 27th November 2017, 04:06 PM
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Double post fail.
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Old 27th November 2017, 07:39 PM
audifin audifin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnmed View Post
I have D4 wheels on my D3. Went from 17s to 19s, slightly different offset, wider tyres, smaller profile. I did notice slightly more tyre noise and a slight deterioration in comfort. Nothing major.

The car cornered like it had a balloon in each corner previously, now is much more direct and positive. But, for ultimate comfort and lower tyre roar 17s are king!
Hi Johnmed. My wheels are same as yours The tyre profile is actually the same as my old, which where 255/45/18, these being 255/45/19. So there is no change in comfort or noise, just the way the steering feels on uneven road surfaces etc.
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Old 27th November 2017, 07:42 PM
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Hi Johnmed. My wheels are same as yours The tyre profile is actually the same as my old, which where 255/45/18, these being 255/45/19. So there is no change in comfort or noise, just the way the steering feels on uneven road surfaces etc.
Even more curiouser!!!!!????
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Old 27th November 2017, 09:36 PM
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Worth checking the tyre pressures. If mine differ, even a little, it becomes fidgety and prone to tramlining
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Old 28th November 2017, 05:48 AM
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The centre bore of the wheel is larger on D4 wheels so you need to use spigot rings to reduce the bore (I used aluminium ones) to go from 66mm to 57.1 (from memory) and that helps to centre the wheel and hold it in position. I've done this with the D4 spoked wheels I bought from another forum member and it works fine
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Old 28th November 2017, 10:27 AM
audifin audifin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Architex_mA8tey View Post
The centre bore of the wheel is larger on D4 wheels so you need to use spigot rings to reduce the bore (I used aluminium ones) to go from 66mm to 57.1 (from memory) and that helps to centre the wheel and hold it in position. I've done this with the D4 spoked wheels I bought from another forum member and it works fine
Hi Neil, yes I did use spigot rings
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Old 28th November 2017, 10:34 AM
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Worth checking the tyre pressures. If mine differ, even a little, it becomes fidgety and prone to tramlining
I did check tyre pressure when I fitted the wheels, but worth checking again for sure.
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Old 10th December 2017, 07:54 PM
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Just a thought, have you had a look at how true the wheels are? I had to replace my rear nearside as it had a ~4mm flat spot. Made the drive pretty awful. Purely a stab in the dark, as your symptoms aren’t the same.
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