# New here 2013 TT RS



## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

Just picked up my 2013 TT RS and couldn't be happier.

I've been researching track wheels for a couple weeks now and I'd like to get the TSW Nurburgrings in 18x9.5 53offset. Does anyone know if the 18" TSW barrels will clear our calipers? If not, I may go to Forgestar.

And last question, what is the widest rubber you can fit without modification? I was hoping for 285/35/18, but that seems out of the question in any offset.


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## 311-in-337 (Feb 19, 2003)

Warm welcoming party, huh? 


Congrats man! What are the details of your TTRS?


Sorry, dont have any answers to those questions. 



P.S. Pics for clicks.
P.P.S. Pics or it didnt happen.


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## [email protected] (Mar 25, 2013)

CarbonRS said:


> Just picked up my 2013 TT RS and couldn't be happier.
> 
> I've been researching track wheels for a couple weeks now and I'd like to get the TSW Nurburgrings in 18x9.5 53offset. Does anyone know if the 18" TSW barrels will clear our calipers? If not, I may go to Forgestar.
> 
> And last question, what is the widest rubber you can fit without modification? I was hoping for 285/35/18, but that seems out of the question in any offset.


Congrats & welcome! 

I was researching track wheels for quite a while. I know somebody on here is running the TSW's in the 18X8.5, but it could be a TTS. I tried for months to get a forgestar in 18X9 but they couldn't assure me they would clear the caliper, so I declined. 

I am running some one off PF01's 18X9 et 45 with 275/35/18 and I don't rub with MSS. 285's would really be pushing it I think.

Hope that helps a little & good luck on your search


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## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

Thanks for the welcome guys! I put on a coat of paint sealant last weekend, but didn't get any pics. I'll post some pics shortly.

Are those wheels still available Jeff? I would rather run Enkei, but all I'm seeing is 35 offset. Also what tire are you running? Are you closer to rubbing the fender than the strut? I'm planning on upgrading springs, but keeping it stock height.

Assuming I were to go TSW, which of these look best?

These are matte black.









or

These are gunmetal, no black option.


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## [email protected] (Mar 25, 2013)

The wheels where ordered by Istook racing to be run on their TTRS race car. They where originally Nissan fitment thus 5X114. He rebored them to 5X112 and made custom aluminum hub adapters. He ordered 5 sets and I bought the last set. He said with some interest he would do it again but would need a few sets to make it worth it.
I am running Nitto NT01's and they are closer to the fender than the strut, but barely.

If its TSW, I say Nurburgring


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## keitth24 (Dec 5, 2007)

i'm running TSW nurburgring 19x9.5 et 53 with 275/30/19....i'm not getting any rub and they feel great


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## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

Thanks guys. I believe it was one of your posts keitth24 that got me started looking at the TSW in 53 offset  Now I just need to see if the 18" barrel will clear the caliper. What tire are you running?


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## keitth24 (Dec 5, 2007)

I'm just running a falken 452. .... Your from Ontario? Whereabouts...I'm in the gta!


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## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

I'm in Mississauga, are there any Audi meets going on? I'd like to see those wheels on your car!

I had the 18" Nurburgrings test fit yesterday at Tires23. They weren't the right offset or width, but they easily clear the caliper, so I think I'll take a chance on them with 275/35/18 Michelin PSS. :thumbup:


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## JGreen76 (Aug 25, 2012)

Congrats on your car!!!

My wife has a TT that I've been planning to put the same wheels on. Looking forward to pics.

Anyone sporting the bronze finish?


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## hussdog426 (Nov 20, 2011)

congrats


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## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

Thanks guys. The bronze looks good but is a hard color to pull off. I got the black/red combo rims on mine from Audi(I didn't order the car) and I can't wait to get something a little more subtle.


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## 311-in-337 (Feb 19, 2003)

Interlagos ordered... :thumbup:


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## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

311-in-337 said:


> Interlagos ordered... :thumbup:


Oh, nice! What sizing did you go with? If you get yours first, let me know if there is any fitment issues! I'm fairly confident these will work with Keitth24 running 53 offset in 19" and what i saw with the 18" test fit. But I'm always nervous until I see them on the car.


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

Keep us all posted on fitment.


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## 311-in-337 (Feb 19, 2003)

CarbonRS said:


> Oh, nice! What sizing did you go with? If you get yours first, let me know if there is any fitment issues! I'm fairly confident these will work with Keitth24 running 53 offset in 19" and what i saw with the 18" test fit. But I'm always nervous until I see them on the car.


I went with 19"x9.5 et53 (matte black). In fact, I only ordered one wheel from a buddy at Discount Tire. We will test fit the wheel, and see how much tire I can run. So stay tuned. Wheel should be here end of week. Pics to follow.



Black BeauTTy said:


> Keep us all posted on fitment.


Will do! Hopefully some 275 30 19's fit without issues!


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## 311-in-337 (Feb 19, 2003)

Coming soon...


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## keitth24 (Dec 5, 2007)

i'm running 275/30/19 without any issues so hopefully you wont as well! I have the et53 nurburings!


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

Damn, I thought you were trying the 18's. that's what I'm interested in for the track.


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## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

Black BeauTTy said:


> Damn, I thought you were trying the 18's. that's what I'm interested in for the track.


I'm the one experimenting with 18s and have done some test fitting as said above. Using Keitth's experience using 19s with the same offset, I am fairly certain it will work but we won't know until they are ordered and tested. I may order 1 rim and see, but with only 2500km on the car I'm not exactly rushing to get it on the track yet


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## 311-in-337 (Feb 19, 2003)

keitth24 said:


> i'm running 275/30/19 without any issues so hopefully you wont as well! I have the et53 nurburings!



You said you are running Falkin 452's...which I believe run a little narrow. I'm going to try and squeeze Michelin Super Sports, or Cont DW in the same size. They run a little wider for their size.


P.S. Do you know the center bore of the TSW's? I assume you have to run adapters? Also, do you know if the stock Audi center caps will fit the TSW's?

THANKS! :thumbup:


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## keitth24 (Dec 5, 2007)

Hello, the center bore might be 66.6 iirc. Ether way hub centric rings were provided for me. And no the stock audi caps do not fit  I had tried.


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

I ordered 1 TSW Interlagos for a test fit...18x9.5 et53 with Mich PSS 275/35/18. Should be here in about a week or so. Standby...


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Late to this particular party but welcome to the site.


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## 311-in-337 (Feb 19, 2003)

Black BeauTTy said:


> I ordered 1 TSW Interlagos for a test fit...18x9.5 et53 with Mich PSS 275/35/18. Should be here in about a week or so. Standby...




Awesome!

Ha ha, we will probably end up running the same exact setup, except you the 18's.

Did you go with matte black?


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## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

Nice, thanks for taking the plunge to do a 18" test fit :thumbup: I can't wait to see the results!

Thanks George for the the welcome  I like these forums better than my previous ones already


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## [email protected] (Mar 25, 2013)

Black BeauTTy said:


> I ordered 1 TSW Interlagos for a test fit...18x9.5 et53 with Mich PSS 275/35/18. Should be here in about a week or so. Standby...


Here comes the grip at the track!


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

I will go with matte black if it fits. This will be a great track setup if it works.


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## 311-in-337 (Feb 19, 2003)

Test fit complete.

Only 2-3mm of clearance on the inside of the wheel against the strut, front and back.

Installing tires on Friday or Saturday to see if it works.  Fingers crossed


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## sandjunkie (Sep 28, 2012)

311-in-337 said:


> Test fit complete.
> 
> Only 2-3mm of clearance on the inside of the wheel against the strut, front and back.
> 
> Installing tires on Friday or Saturday to see if it works.  Fingers crossed


Won't normal component flex in spirited driving take up that slack and cause rubbing? That's a bit too close for comfort. Good luck.


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## JohnLZ7W (Nov 23, 2003)

sandjunkie said:


> Won't normal component flex in spirited driving take up that slack and cause rubbing? That's a bit too close for comfort. Good luck.


I think it'll be ok with component flex but not sure about sidewall flex.


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

My wheel and tire just arrived! I'll test fit it tonight. Sounds like et55 on 9.5 wheel might be better though. I'll report back after I test it. Mich PSS 275's btw.


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## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

Great! Can't wait to hear how the test fits go. :thumbup:


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

Test fit complete! The 18x9.5 Interlagos clear the caliper without any trouble at the barrel and the face. The 9.5 width is very tight on inner clearance at the strut. It didn't rub but the tire is so close you can barely see daylight (Mich PSS 275/35/18. At et53, it is as close as you're going to get with a 9.5 wheel. Push it farther out to clear the strut better and you risk rubbing on the fender. I'll mount it again this weekend when I have more time but right now the verdict for me is...too close for comfort. :banghead:


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

keitth24 said:


> i'm running TSW nurburgring 19x9.5 et 53 with 275/30/19....i'm not getting any rub and they feel great


You don't have any issues on the inner clearance at the strut? Your dimensions are nearly identical to mine on the 18's. Have you looked at the strut clearance?


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## MSS Automotive (Mar 20, 2013)

*This tool may be useful...*



Black BeauTTy said:


> You don't have any issues on the inner clearance at the strut? Your dimensions are nearly identical to mine on the 18's. Have you looked at the strut clearance?


MA; Gents, 
I once had 275/35/18 (_PS2 on OEM wheels_) and the fit was very tight in particular on the rears and during fitting at the tyre shop I could not see any daylight either. 

I subsequently fitted 10mm spacers each side (_to effectively make the OEM wheel an ET42 so more room for the suspension and we could now see daylight between it and the tyres_) because I was just uncomfortable with not seeing any daylight...fender rubbed on high load even after much fender roll & cutting the small piece you can feel at the fender seam. I removed the 10mm spacers and lived with the issue.

Checking the inner tyre face frequently, there was no rubbing on the tyre nor the suspension even though there was still no daylight on close inspection - freaky...!

Much later I used this *tool* (_click to view, it compares two setups_) and it indicates the 275 wide tyre was 15mm closer to suspension component and that made sense as to why we could not see daylight. 10mm spacers thus an ET42 helped move the wheel away from the suspension component and we could see clear daylight however it was then close to the fender. 

Anyway, the tool was useful for getting a general feel for things (_does not tell you about calliper clearance though_) and apologise if you know about it already.

Greater ET will move the tyre in particular closer to the suspension component...thus where the OEM ET52 is 15mm closer, ET53 will be 1mm, 16mm, even closer. 

Again, apologise if you guys know about this tool. 

William


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

Thanks William. I use a similar tool...an app on the iphone called Wheel App Plus...very handy! Interesting that the 275's were that close on 9" wheel too. It seems Keith is running them on a 9.5" wheel without issue. Seems mighty tight to me.


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## MSS Automotive (Mar 20, 2013)

Black BeauTTy said:


> Thanks William. I use a similar tool...an app on the iphone called Wheel App Plus...very handy! Interesting that the 275's were that close on 9" wheel too. It seems Keith is running them on a 9.5" wheel without issue. Seems mighty tight to me.


 Yep, and thinking about it when the car is unloaded thus high in the air or on stands you do lose negative camber and perhaps that is what was causing lack of daylight. 

On a seperate note...we had an enquiry from a customer running staggered wheels with 8.5" on fronts - no issues and all is well however 10" on rears with 285 section tyres...Ohh, 20". 

He states he has no rubbing on rears...which I found interesting as I was expecting there to be some rub at high load especially on stock suspension - car is TT-S.


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## keitth24 (Dec 5, 2007)

Hey guys! Yea I don't have any issues... So far. I drive it pretty hard through on ramps etc. I also took off my tires to see if maybe I didn't feel the rubbing but the tires showed no damage. I agree that it was super tight when I checked.


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

keitth24 said:


> Hey guys! Yea I don't have any issues... So far. I drive it pretty hard through on ramps etc. I also took off my tires to see if maybe I didn't feel the rubbing but the tires showed no damage. I agree that it was super tight when I checked.


That is great news! It seems this may be the most aggressive setup the car can handle. I'll try the test fit again and drive the car up on a ramp to visualize the strut clearance under load.


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## MSS Automotive (Mar 20, 2013)

Can only be negative camber at play here when car is on the ground...hence no rubbing...and even then *IF* you ever got all 4 wheels off the ground driving on public roads I doubt you will lose too much negative camber momentarily to cause any rubbing.

Mind you, if you do go airborne like that often then you are my hero like this other hero of mine...note he maintains negative camber upfront and is slightly into positive camber on rears...ever so slightly mind!












...way to go Matt...!


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## keitth24 (Dec 5, 2007)

I am also not sure if the different tires we are using might make a difference! Good luck and let us know how it does!


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## JohnLZ7W (Nov 23, 2003)

Wouldn't more negative camber make the situation worse as the top of the tire would be angled more towards the car? So under compression as negative camber increases there should be more chance of it rubbing.


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## CarbonRS (Jul 15, 2013)

Sounds good so far guys. The unloaded suspension being closer to the strut makes sense. The tires mostly deform near the contact patch anyway, so it probably is fine if it clears on the unloaded suspension (fingers crossed).

I was also going to try PSS first and use them for street and track. I really hope you find this fitment works!

The COOPER ZEON RS3-S are really cheap in 255 40 18. Looks like they can be had for around $160. For a street tire class autox and fun track days, they sound like a decent cheap tire that can get you out on the track without much $. I minced a set of new PSS in 1 day doing autox at an airport with bad pavement, it is just not worth being 1 sec faster on expensive tires some times.


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

I tested rear fitment and there is plenty of clearance on the strut even with 275's. Ironically, there was less clearance when it was jacked up versus loaded. This gave me high hopes for the front. I jacked it up pretty high so I could get a decent look from above and below, directly and with a mirror. The good news is that the wheel itself fits but just barely! It is tight at the strut but it clears with a small margin...maybe 2-3mm...about the width of an iPod charger cable. The 275's slight overhang takes up that margin and nearly touches the strut. I don't think it actually hits it but a thin piece of cardboard backing from a package of AAA batteries is even held in place between them. I left the paper between them and dropped the car onto the ramp. I was hoping to see the thing drop out if more clearance was achieved due to geometry changes, but it didn't. 

I put the car flat on the ground and rolled it backwards out of the garage and did not hear anything rubbing but to say it is very close is an understatement. I do believe the tire is clearing the strut but I'd say it is by less than a mm. 

Bottom line, the *TSW 18x9.5 et53 Interlagos do fit the TTRS*. The barrel clearance at the caliper is about 6mm in front and considerable in the back and the spokes clear by a large margin. The inner strut clearance is tight up front but it does clear by 2-3mm. It clears easily in the rear...about 1/2 inch. Given what I've seen up front with the Mich PSS 275's, I can't recommend going with them on this wheel without a spacer up front; it's just too tight. 265's will be as wide as I'd try and provide some margin but honestly, anything on a 9.5 wheel is going to be tight. The 53 offset on a 9.5 wheel is about as good a compromise as you'll get regarding the balance of inner clearance and outside rubbing but I think 50 is better so you get more inner clearance. You'd probably get some rubbing in the rear at this offset though. So, as much as I don't like spacers, I think 3mm spacers up front and nothing in back would do it! :thumbup: Decisions, decisions...


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## smack_ttrs (Mar 24, 2013)

JohnLZ7W said:


> Wouldn't more negative camber make the situation worse as the top of the tire would be angled more towards the car? So under compression as negative camber increases there should be more chance of it rubbing.


not sure how the rear is set up since i haven't had a chance to take a look but the fronts(struts) go more positive as you compress the lower arms through it's arc and past horizontal. that's why over lowering actually works against you and why they make extended ball joints to get some of that angle back.


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## MSS Automotive (Mar 20, 2013)

Black BeauTTy said:


> I tested rear fitment and there is plenty of clearance on the strut even with 275's. Ironically, there was less clearance when it was jacked up versus loaded. This gave me high hopes for the front. I jacked it up pretty high so I could get a decent look from above and below, directly and with a mirror. The good news is that the wheel itself fits but just barely! It is tight at the strut but it clears with a small margin...maybe 2-3mm...about the width of an iPod charger cable. The 275's slight overhang takes up that margin and nearly touches the strut. I don't think it actually hits it but a thin piece of cardboard backing from a package of AAA batteries is even held in place between them. I left the paper between them and dropped the car onto the ramp. I was hoping to see the thing drop out if more clearance was achieved due to geometry changes, but it didn't.
> 
> I put the car flat on the ground and rolled it backwards out of the garage and did not hear anything rubbing but to say it is very close is an understatement. I do believe the tire is clearing the strut but I'd say it is by less than a mm.
> 
> Bottom line, the *TSW 18x9.5 et53 do fit the TTRS*. The barrel clearance at the caliper is about 6mm in front and considerable in the back and the spokes clear by a large margin. The inner strut clearance is tight up front but it does clear by 2-3mm. It clears easily in the rear...about 1/2 inch. Given what I've seen up front with the Mich PSS 275's, I can't recommend going with them on this wheel without a spacer up front; it's just too tight. 265's will be as wide as I'd try and provide some margin but honestly, anything on a 9.5 wheel is going to be tight. The 53 offset on a 9.5 wheel is about as good a compromise as you'll get regarding the balance of inner clearance and outside rubbing but I think 50 is better so you get more inner clearance. You'd probably get some rubbing in the rear at this offset though. So, as much as I don't like spacers, I think 3mm spacers up front and nothing in back would do it! :thumbup: Decisions, decisions...


 Makes sense all round. Now I understand why ET52 on the rears works well and if anything higher is better given the clearnace noted as this will reduce rubbing against fender thus ET55+.

On the fronts it looks like lower ET to move wheels closer to fender is neccessary and explains why going 10mm wider each end makes sense.

All this makes a very strong case for 275 section tyres...275 on the car looked nice and 'mean'...and I miss that look...thx for the info, gives me ideas...:thumbup:


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## MSS Automotive (Mar 20, 2013)

JohnLZ7W said:


> Wouldn't more negative camber make the situation worse as the top of the tire would be angled more towards the car? So under compression as negative camber increases there should be more chance of it rubbing.


 Given feedback from BB...Yes on fronts and No on rears. The thing here is you do want more negative camber on front and not the back...spacers on the front and no cause for concern.

I have an Audi OEM solution on negating spacers on front axle though attaining 10mm wider track each end of a MK2 TT which I am still testing...will be part of the BBK release.

These type of threads just gives me more things to add to the test list to check & verify.


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

I should also mention that I am running -1.4 camber up front. That will lessen the inner clearance at the strut too. If I was less aggressive, the clearance might have been fine without spacers. That may be the key difference between what I'm seeing and what Keith is experiencing.


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