Introducing My Car...

[DarrenM]

No way, looks sweet..i was thinking about some Bourbons or Keskins for my 2.8, did they go straight on OK?

[marshall]

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the feedback. I knew there would be some like minded folks out there

The borbets are 4x108 and are super rare in 17" and even rarer in 17x8.5". I actually bought them from a forum member who used to run a super low metallic blue cab. He sold it earlier this year with a different set of wheels on and so the A's were up for sale.

The tyres are 215/45s on an 8.5J wheel so there is more stretch then perhaps the photos suggest. That said, the Proxes I've recently fitted on the front don't have anywhere near the stretch of the Falken 512s I have on the rear (I'll be buying two more Proxes when funds allow)

Next step is to have the front arches rolled (not pulled just rolled) to get the inner lip folded out the way as rubber has been know to contact bodywork under hard cornering

Cheers again

John

[Error404]

Car looks awesome - love everything about it.

Never seen one in that colour either

[DarrenM]

do the 8.5 width sit pretty flush,i cant tell to well from the pics?

im looking at some Keskin KT5's that are avalible in 17x7.5 or 18x 8.5..not sure what to do, cars lowered on H&R's, i want the 17's really but also want the width!!

[geryS2]

cool look !

wheels makes me thing of " back to the future" !!

[marshall]

Wheel fit

In terms of the wheels, the fit is fine (can't find a pic from above I'm afraid). The offset is low enough to ensure that the extra width doesn't go too far inboard to foul anything. Whilst it is not so low that the wheels sit illegally outboard of the arches (it's almost flush, perhaps slightly outboard of the arches). The only thing I will say is that it is necessary to run a narrower width tyre than an 8.5J wheel would usually take. This is so the side wall angles in to keep the tread within the arch. I've always liked the stretched look but certainly nothing so silly as to be unsafe or ruin performance.

So, in summary with an 8.5Jx17" wheel with ET15 I have no fouling issues at all even on full lock. The only time I get a brief second of arch contact is when I hit a bump or lump in the road. Because the wheels are wide and sit outboard from standard to get the fat look, coupled with the fact the coliovers are set pretty low this is unforunately inevitable with standard arches. However, once I've had the arches roled I'm sure it won't be an issue.

I imagine that clearance of an 8.5J wheel will be fine on a 17 as long as the ET isn't any lower than 15ish. The only thing I would say about 18s is that since there is less depth to the tyre wall there will be less distance to taper the stretch over. Also, I would imagine 215/40 18s (for example) are pretty expensive as they probably aren't a standard size??? I'd definitely look in to tyre options for 18s before commiting.

Hope the above makes sense.

By the way Keskin KT1s come in 17x8.5 and they look awesome (2 piece splits), if they take your fancy.

Thanks again

John

[Gompa]

is this the same car that came for a run out in the welsh valleys last year?! nearly got took out by 2 a4's?? my bad if its not it just rings a bell!

[marshall]

Indeed it is!

As you can see a few things have changed since then. Judging by the carlisle tag on your post I'm assuming you were the guy in the awesome early model 90Q? Really sorry but can't remember your name.

I remember you saying at the time that you fancied an S2 Avant. I'm sure I saw a post from you the other week with the car running some A8 monoblocks?? Do you still have these on the car. I was a big fan of the look when I saw it. I'd definitely be keen to see pics of how the car's progressing. Send me a link if you have a project thread.

Cheers,

John

[marshall]

Picture Updates...

These were taken a while ago on the way to/from All Types in May. Dan (dpicariello) finally got round to sending them to me. Dan's is the black coupe with A8 sports for those who don't know.

[marshall]

Just realised the picture resolution is crap. Shame, the full resolution versions are pretty good. The first one is my favourite ever picture of my car

[Lovinit]

Looks good!!

[20vQC]

lovely v6 mate!!! looks mint!!! congrats!

[bazburn]

Good to see you got it all sorted John, looks the dog's....

[skid]

You can go upto et 10 if you stay with 17s! Tried it on mine with some aez parons!
I now have et 17.

[marshall]

Thanks guys!

The et17 BBS RX II's look great on your coupe skid - That is a timeless wheel.

Bazburn - Good to hear from you, how are the spaces going?