Vegas-roadster

rather than pay $325 for the Bridgestone. I can't find anyone who sells just the new tire.

I've recently asked Audi USA if they could provide a blow-up compact spare that would fit in the existing well space since they already gave us a pump. No answer yet. The more who complain, the more likely we will be heard.

Vegas-roadster

.

rabican

I contacted tire rack and discount tires, neither have the tire or are willing to order it.

Does anyone know if this is a rim or tire?
Ford? - T115/85 R18
http://www.varsityfordparts.com/OEMP...O50361600.html

Vegas-roadster

However I do not think that is true. It's just that it is not sold to the public, only manufacturers. Regarding the Ford part, easiest solution is to call your local Ford dealer with the part number and ask for the description. Even if it is only the tire, it's a good price compared to the Bridgestone. It is also more narrow than the Bridgestone so it takes less space. The trade off is that the wider the compact spare tire, the longer it will last. Irrespective of which one you choose, it wil take you much further than a punctured runflat but are only rated at 50 mph, OK for around town but slow for freeway speeds. I once went 100 miles at 55mph on my Mk I compact spare but I had my flashers on the whole time. Still better than waiting for a tow.

rabican

Yeah, I was about 80 miles out and got a flat, I didn't want to get towed to the nearest audi dealer because of the hasstle that would cause, i drove for the 80 miles just refilling the tire every couple of miles at gas stops, it added about 2 hours to my trip, so annoying. I hate run flats so much!

...what size is the bridgestone that you bought?

Vegas-roadster

but at that size and hefty price, I went with the "almost" full size 205/60/R16. Less than half the price of the T145 compact, runs forever, but is about 2.3" wider and a little heavier than the T145. I have a roadsTTer so trunk space is scarce. Now that you have found several inexpensive sources of the T115 in the US, I'm going to consider going the VW rim/T115 route again. My Mk 1 compact spare which worked well for me on that car was T125/70/R18. (Note that even though it was an 18" rim, the diameter of the tire/rim combination is too small for the Mk 2 and is the wrong bolt pattern. The Mk 1 was 5-120.) The Mk 2 weighs slightly less than the Mk 1 so another T125 would be ideal since the Audi enginer decided that the T125 would be best but I could not find a source of a 125 that had the right diameter.

21212

For what it's worth, for my TT RS I found an existing Audi OEM compact wheel/tire that came out of a 4 series Audi (I think it was B8) that is a very close fit to the stock size TT RS wheel/tire. TTRS uses 235/55 19. Circumference is 81.77 inches. This spare is 81.34. That is about 1/2 of 1%. Probably not significant. I was able to find an unused one in a junkyard for $100.

This only fits the REAR of the TT RS. Front brakes are too big for any compact spares I researched. But, it is better than nothing. If flat on front, have to rotate rear wheel to front and put spare on rear.

It's pretty skinny and if I get ambitious I will try to fit it into well by cutting away some of the foam form in the spare tire well. Similar to what the guy in the UK did.

See pictures below

Vegas-roadster

The error was that you have 35 profile tires, not 55 as stated in your post, but the calcualtions you provided were for the 35 profile so everything is OK. Based on Tire Rack info, I am asuming your spare was provided on 2010+ A4 and S4 models. I'll call my local dealer to confirm. IMO the 125 width is ideal. What is the measurement of the width of the tire rubber itself at its widest point and what is the width of the entire rim/tire assembly? That is, when laying flat, how high is the highest point of the assembly? A side profile pic would be nice too. Thanks.

silkyms3

I've also spent months looking at spare tire options. The right tire is hard to find and ridiculously expensive for what it is.

In the end, just bought an extra OEM wheel and tire as spare at about the same cost as a real spare. Sure the larger size makes it impractical to keep in the car at all times, but it's there.

Advantages of this setup is that I can take my time to repair a flat, and 'rotate' out a curb-rashed or damaged wheel as spare.

Vegas-roadster

Went to the local dealer and looked at it. The rim bulges slightly on the outside, so you would put it in the trunk with the inside down (also is the method of storage if you mod your well). Otherwise it will slide a lot on the metal of the outside rim. The rim/tire combo is about 5.5" wide compared to the 8.5" of my almost full size spare. My dealer would sell me the rim/tire combo for about $425 after a slight discount for being a ACNA member. Tire Rack does not carry this tire either. As mentioned previously, it is cheaper used. I'm going to stay woith my $200 almost full size spare. The width is not that much greater, I can run it forever at freeway speeds, and I can use the inside of the rim for storage too where you can't with the compact because the inside of the rim is face down.