Hey All! Just wanted to say hi...Im a new member here. Wheel/Tire questions

[ubeR.toasteD]

I have been on AudiWorld for about 5 years...ive had the pleasure of owning an Audi A6 2.7t...did some turbo replacement and other modifications bringing it to about 420 horsepower :)

Anyway, I should be picking up my new G-Wagen sometime in the next month or so. I found a used 2002 for a really nice price (~40k) and I am VERY excited to be a G-Wagen owner!



all that CHROME *needs* to go...as well as those wimpy lil tires ;p

Cant wait to get that thing dirty with mud :)

I am wondering what sites you folks use to look for modifications for the G-Wagen. brushguards, winches, suspension upgrades, interior upgrades etc etc.

I want to find a similar wheel/tire setup as shown here.


I probably wont be doing *THAT* much offroading, as I live in los angeles, but ill be going up to pismo and hitting the sand every so often..Ill be going up to Oregon & Washington and such for some nice forest runs :) Id like a nice beefy tire to fill up that gap the stock wheels show, be able to do some nice offroading, as well as be semi-nimble on the streets.

Any ideas guys?

Hope you all have a safe weekend and look foward to frequenting here often :)

Cheers!

-Brandon

[Jamison]

Welcome to Benzworld! Good luck with your new G! You could try a smaller version of the wheel you have on your truck now (16") and put larger tires on it however they may be somewhat hard to find and expensive as is my understanding.

[silversurfer1]

I'm Vorsicht on AW. You'll find that these guys are very similiar to how AW used to be about 3-4 years ago. Helpful, extremely informative, a wealth of knowledge relating to all things G.

In regards to sites for modifications, the best that I found (non-performance related) are orc.de and www.art-tuning.de. Orc has a huge selection of wheels. Both are German companies and are not always responsive or have items in stock, but they're a good start.

[MarcO]

Best tire wheel combo for moderate off road with mostly city is the 16 inch wheel from the European G (available from Sean at Euro) with a tire in the range of 265 70 16. Be aware that some (not all) 02's have issues. ESP and tire size is one of those issues. You may set off some computer issues (limp home mode) by using tires of different circumference. The BFG AT KO 265 70 16 is identical to the stock wheel circumference and you will neverget stuck. As my brother is on AW and I sometimes read posts there with him, I might add that this board is a friendly and helpful place that is always aimed at bringing people and information together. Welcome. A friendly suggestion about your prospective 02 - make sure you have ALL service records. Some 02's have electronic problems that will literally kill the vehicle. One of my '02's died a sudden and terminal death at around 35 mph and I almost got sideswiped by a truck. Having said this I take most of the blame as I did not trade the 02 in when the dealer wanted to as I was being pigheaded. I have since accepted the dealer and MBUSA's offer for replacement. I have been without my daily driver for 3 weeks as they located a replacement. I have taken the opportunity to drive:

Toyota LC
Range Rover
LR3
Range Rover Sport
New Tahoe
Turbo Cayenne
Toureg

Range Rover Sport SC was the best driver and interior in my opinon and not one of them made me as happy as my G's. The G driving position and the overall heft in addition to the solidity of the chassis was not touched by any of these vehicles. Every one had more body flex than I was used to.

I will be getting my new G tomorrow.

Good luck.

[Kerr]

welcom. frist off you need to get the history and service records of a 02 model. make sure it does not have any electrical problem in the past. If i where you i owuld look for a 2003.

Those black wheel are made from a gay in colorado, They sale for $115.00 a wheel. 16X8 5on130mm bolt patern.

I have removed all the chrome on mine and it does change the look a lot.

If you decide to sale those chrome wheels cheap i might be interested [:D]

[Brent]

Just keep in mind that un;less you intend to seriously off-road the truck, the smallish sounding tires mentioned by MarcO are the best solution. Going ot the 16" MB wheels and the 31" tall 265/70-16 tires will buy you a ton of capability. I would run the BFG AT KO. They will give great durability, decent wear, good traction and a better look even though they are not big mudders. I second the notion that most anything larger "might" cause problems.

You could go with the ORC blue springs for a couple inches of lift and easily run a 285/75-16 tire, they will fit, they look great, and it has been done on a couple 2002-3 G500's sucessfully. If you go that route though, be aware that it might cause a problem with the stability control system.

You will also find that the aftermarket is very limited compared to most vehicles. Partially because the G doesn't need any help to be off-road capable, and mostly because I don't think the market is large enough for someone to step up as a source for parts like that.

[ewalberg]

Agreed on the fact that the 265/70r16's are the safest bet overall. Do you already activate ESP system in your truck? By that i mean you drive aggressively enough that it's triggering going into or out of corners... though it could be either by your driving fast (my case) or you have a sensitive truck. If it's the truck, then i'd say stick with the 31" radius... maybe give the 285/60r18 (for your stock rims) toyo open country at's a try becuase they aren't much bigger. Also if you like driving a little fast i'm gonna recommend looking at 285 series tires becasue a little extra tread width help balance the taller more flaxible tread on A/T tires compared to the Stock Yoko's... which are good on the road, but are mediocre at best when brand new in the winter and snow. Decent again in the dirt becuase they actually have a reasonably thick sidewall compared to other HT tires, but... I've got the 285 series 33" tires and i like them alot for my level of offroading (mostly dirt roads) and most importantly snow.

I'll keep it all stock for a while, and if i think i need a tiny bit more clearance in my fender liners i'm gonna add a 0.75" lift via little spacers that are available, but for now i like the ride. I can get a little rubbing if i get on the gas at full lock or articulate with full lock, but neithere situation are too smart anyway. The point was made that when you're at full steering lock your bottoming out some metal stops in the suspension which don't give, and thus it's best not to be doing thing that could jar or jerk the truck and jam on those stops if you can avoid it. I actually like high speed highway cruising better now with 2" overall taller tire.

To that point, i think the 255/85r16 tire size, which is taller and narrower would also make a good highway cruising tire and has good offraod tire choices... might get better mileage on the highway because it gets the engine rpm's down but a little worse in the city. But to that point it's a tall tire with a lot of sidewall so not for the aggressive turner. If i had 16x8.5 rims i'd be tempted to get the 305/70r16 bfg at's and then throw in those spacers so i can hit the turns even harder. I can't afford a ferrari so the g-wagen has to make due.

Just re-read your post... if your gonna hit the sand dunes you may wanna just take your chance on the toyo's because (people will correct me if i'm wrong) the wider tires are more necessary in the sand.

[DUTCH]

ewalberg - 2/20/2006 3:29 PM

Just re-read your post... if your gonna hit the sand dunes you may wanna just take your chance on the toyo's because (people will correct me if i'm wrong) the wider tires are more necessary in the sand.

Wider and aired down as much as is safe.

[Mbkid06]

WHY IT'LL LOOK BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!! if oyu want to offroad why ruin the exterior just buy a crappy old exploror or landrover.

[John_e_Rotten]

How much for the chrome wheels and tires?