A3 Tire Source

[OldSchoolAmerica]

I summarize that as drivers choice.

Removing tire size from the equation... when I bring the tires in to have them mounted, are there any other parts I need to buy. I don't want to be tire and rim in hand and missing a 10 cent piece. Will they have the O-rings or do I need to purchase? Also, any other parts?

 

[jaymcb]

Oh, the great tire debate! I love this one!

In the revered days of our forefathers, the many cried out for bigger tires. Hearing their pleas, the mighty minions of rubber created ----

Bigger tires.

And it was good. Some heathens spoke harshly of the bigger tires. You don't need them. They shall fail you in dark times. They are sacrilege of the greatest order, you must repent. Or you must bob. Or you must space them, but their derision went unheeded.

Then there were dark times. And lo, the tires held! This brought great joy to the mighty tire owners, and the nations wept for joy of their bigger tires.

Here ends the story, but I must warn you. Covet not your bigger tires less they come with the wrong rims. This may be your doom. Be of good rim my brothers, be of good rim.

And BadMastard, prophet of the bigger tires turned and drove over the sunset. And most other obstacles. Never did his tires meet the other.

I only have 1,000 miles or so on my replaced 395's, (550 of it in a single day) but I wouldn't go back for anything.

I don't think my Cat 3116 has the nads to push my 109 much faster than 55

 

[BadMastard]

Yep, you may need o rings for the valve stems and o rings for the tires. These are what I ordered last time from mcmaster carr for the big oring in the tire..

Buna-N O-Ring AS568A Dash Number 388

Haven't had to order a valve oring yet.

 

[Rustygears]

I summarize that as drivers choice.

Removing tire size from the equation... when I bring the tires in to have them mounted, are there any other parts I need to buy. I don't want to be tire and rim in hand and missing a 10 cent piece. Will they have the O-rings or do I need to purchase? Also, any other parts?

The grommets (not O rings) that seal the fill stem into the metal rim are the Achilles heel of the wheel system. Many blame the rim outer O rings, but these seldom fail outright. The vast majority of leaky tires (aside from puncture) can be remedied by replacing the rotten grommet. It is imperative to replace the grommet. I also recommend replacing the $10 o ring as well. Even if the wheel doesn't leak today, there is a good chance that the banging around that the fill stem will take during tire dismount/mount will result in an old grommet starting to leak with a newly mounted tire.

Also, be sure to torque the brass nut holding the fill stem in the rim. This is spec'd to 80 ft lbs and is a challenge to achieve because of the nut thickness and the slight recess it seats into. Make sure everything is thoroughly lubed with liberal amounts of Sil-Glyde (grease, not spray) prior to assembly (outer O-ring too).

There are other posts on how to mount the tire with printable instructions. Even if you have someone else do the work, please read the directions to make sure your shop or laborer does it right (anti-sieze, grommet, grommet torque, sil-glyde, etc.)

 

[OldSchoolAmerica]

More good info. BTW, you got a great looking A3. Time to do some more searches on the Forum for the mounting instructions. I believe I now have my complete parts list. The only thing that scares me at this point is having an unknown mechanic mount the tires. Being an engineer, I'm kind of particular. I wish I had more time to prep. I'm probably one of the few folks that hope it takes the full 60 days to have their EUC clear.

 

[BadMastard]

I stand corrected. Grommets. You may need grommets.

 

[Rustygears]

I bit the bullet and did my first two myself. I was in a post discussion about the mounting and updated the document and reposted it. It's actually not so bad if you have the magical tool: Harbor Freight Engine Hoist. The original procedure was a clever use of the engine hoist that really takes the back breaking effort of demounting and makes it a simple and lively activity. Boy it really goes pop when you finally get the inner rim half to come loose. The other thing the procedure has is a complete parts list of things you'll need.

In any case you will need a 3/4 impact wrench capable of 500+ ft lbs and a 3/4 ratchet and/or breaker bar with a sturdy 10' galvanized or black iron thick wall pipe cheater. You need it for the lug nuts. you will likely need them all for the bolts holding the rim together. You need tire mounting lube (get a gallon jug - you need to slather that poop on for dismount and mount), sil-glyde in the tube form, and aluminized anti-seize goo for both removal and installation of the rim-half bolts. Everything is at a local Napa store. They really like me and my money. MV = cash flow.

 

[Bigjer]

I know this is an old thread, but I just had my tires swapped at the local truck tire shop. They were very reasonable and suggested an upgrade for the valve stem. I removed the CTIS so I did not need to keep the stock stem. They used a road grader brass bung, large diameter. Then necked down to small diameter for the shrader valve. Sweet set up and almost bullet proof.

 

[OldSchoolAmerica]

Thanks for sharing. I'm definitely liking what they did. I can't tell from the picture angle, but if there is room for a grommet on the split rim hole that would sweet.