A4 B6 Avant Tyre Load Rating

[Audity]

Hi,

Right.....whos gonna be first with this one ?

Have done a bit of searching but still cannot find an answer.

Is there a definitive answer:- What is the recommended load rating for tyres on a A4 B6 Avant ?

I know all about speed ratings, sizes etc but even the wee sticker on the car only gives recommended tyre sizes and pressures.

Ditto the handbook.

As I haven`t had the car from new I dont know what rating the original tyres were and what audi recommend.

I have 235/45/17s at the moment with a mixture of 94 and 97 load rating.

Are these higher than recommended or what.

Is 87 too low, is 91 too low.....or what!!!

I realise the higher the load rating the better but what is acceptable and safe ?

Look forward to any thoughts.

[danclyon]

Hi,

Right.....whos gonna be first with this one ?

Have done a bit of searching but still cannot find an answer.

Is there a definitive answer:- What is the recommended load rating for tyres on a A4 B6 Avant ?

I know all about speed ratings, sizes etc but even the wee sticker on the car only gives recommended tyre sizes and pressures.

Ditto the handbook.

As I haven`t had the car from new I dont know what rating the original tyres were and what audi recommend.

I have 235/45/17s at the moment with a mixture of 94 and 97 load rating.

Are these higher than recommended or what.

Is 87 too low, is 91 too low.....or what!!!

I realise the higher the load rating the better but what is acceptable and safe ?

Look forward to any thoughts.

I've only just changed the tyres on mine from the original factory ones. It has SP Sport 9090 Dunnys on it which were 97. I've put Falken ZE912's on it which are 94's. I can't see any difference but reckon it gives me something like 50kg less load carrying capacity overall.....

The tyre place I use said it basically makes bog all difference 94/97 - but much more than that and then you started to need to pay attention to load etc as with low profile tyres they would tend to hold their line less well when steering at speed.

I must admit I sort of lost interest when they said "bog all difference to the average motorist" :-)

Cheers,
Dan.

[kite]

Until your insurance Co. finds the load rating on the tyres are wrong....

[Turbokiisseli]

The typical front axll weight of a B6 (FWD or Quattro) is around 1250kg. Thus you need a load rating that's at least as high, though keep in mind that you need divide the axel weight by 2 to get the required tyre load rating.

So in short:
1.) Check you front axle weight, it can be found on the metal plaque in the engine bay, on top of the right side wheel well
2.) Divide your front axle weight by 2 (ie. 1250kg / 2 = 625kg)
3.) Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code for the ratings and choose the next highest, in this case 92 = 630kg

Usually 92 is the lowest you should use in a B6, but some of the V6s and the S4 require higher.

[Audity]

Until your insurance Co. finds the load rating on the tyres are wrong....

Hi,

Therefore there must be a recommended rating - something for the insurers to check against ?

Or is it if they find that the load rating of the tyres your running around on doesnt reach the requirements for the weight of the car then you`re on your own ?

It would be interesting to find out how much thought is given by other B6 owners to this when purchasing tyres, and what they are actually running on at the moment.

Make, size, profile, and speed rating are the more common concerns when buying tyres but how many out there consider the load rating.

I personally in the past have never given it a thought. Only now since I have been looking around, I have realised that this is yet another consideration that must be taken into account.

Unfortunately it doesnt seem to be a topic that has much coverage.

[Audity]

The typical front axll weight of a B6 (FWD or Quattro) is around 1250kg. Thus you need a load rating that's at least as high, though keep in mind that you need divide the axel weight by 2 to get the required tyre load rating.

So in short:
1.) Check you front axle weight, it can be found on the metal plaque in the engine bay, on top of the right side wheel well
2.) Divide your front axle weight by 2 (ie. 1250kg / 2 = 625kg)
3.) Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code for the ratings and choose the next highest, in this case 92 = 630kg

Usually 92 is the lowest you should use in a B6, but some of the V6s and the S4 require higher.

Hi,
Many thanks for the info.
Its what I kind of assumed but just wanted to get some sort of confirmation.
Unfortunately then if you weigh more than 10kg - which Im sure most of us do - once you sit in it is 92 going to be enough ?, never mind a car carrying 4 fully grown adults - and luggage.
Then again if you had to change your tyres for a higher load rating everytime you went to pick up - say, a fridge freezer from Comet (or the like) then its going to prove costly and time consuming.

If you had tyres with the recommended rating for your car and the one time you have a bump, or similar, was the one time you had a boot full of,say, sand and cement, would the insurers come down on you for not having the correct load rating for the load you were carrying at the time.

Where do you draw the line.

[Turbokiisseli]

The axle weights are given based on your car being fully loaded. Thus the manufacturer gives the car 2 weights: 1.) the car's own weight, which in some cases includes a full tank of gas and the driver and 2.) The car's full weight, which should not be exceeded even if the car is fully lodaded

So 92 = 630kg is enough for an axle weight of 1250kg unless you overload your car, which is illegal anyway.

[Audity]

The axle weights are given based on your car being fully loaded. Thus the manufacturer gives the car 2 weights: 1.) the car's own weight, which in some cases includes a full tank of gas and the driver and 2.) The car's full weight, which should not be exceeded even if the car is fully lodaded

So 92 = 630kg is enough for an axle weight of 1250kg unless you overload your car, which is illegal anyway.

Hi,

So I assume the 1250kg is "weight 2" - the max weight in total for passengers, luggage, etc etc.

What are the 2 actual weights Audi give then.

As its basically me alone in the car 99% of the time I would be safe, presumably, with a lower load rating - but how low.

[Turbokiisseli]

Just checked my 1.9tdi FWD Avant and the axle weights are: FRONT 1065kg, REAR 1075kg.

So I would theoretically be good to go with 88 rated tyres. I think my current winter tyres are 91T and my old summer tyres 94W.

[Audity]

Just checked my 1.9tdi FWD Avant and the axle weights are: FRONT 1065kg, REAR 1075kg.

So I would theoretically be good to go with 88 rated tyres. I think my current winter tyres are 91T and my old summer tyres 94W.

Hi,

Just checked the handbook and my 1.9tdi Quattro Avant axle weights are stated as :FRONT 1095kg, REAR 1135kg.

By that thinking I would be needing at least 547.5kg front (88) and 567.5 rear (89).

Just to make things interesting, does the profile of a tyre affect the load rating ie going from a 235/45/17 to a 235/35/19.
Would the load rating have to be as high or higher on a lower profile tyre or just the same.

[kite]

I think the Quattro has to have a higher loading, think mine are 97...

[Turbokiisseli]

Tire size doesn't affect the load rating. However, according to the norm the rating is give with the tyre inflated to 2,4bar. Normally everyone runs low profile tyres with a higher pressure though.

I recommend you don't go below 91 for the A4, even though it theoretically is feasible. Not that many tyres even come with a load rating below 91 these days :D

[danclyon]

I think the Quattro has to have a higher loading, think mine are 97...

I think they all come out of the factory with 97's whether they are Quattro or fwd.

[Audity]

Tire size doesn't affect the load rating. However, according to the norm the rating is give with the tyre inflated to 2,4bar. Normally everyone runs low profile tyres with a higher pressure though.

I recommend you don't go below 91 for the A4, even though it theoretically is feasible. Not that many tyres even come with a load rating below 91 these days :D

Hi,

Many thanks for all your input.

91 does appear to be a popular and much more available tyre - not to mention more affordable.

I was quite taken aback when I started looking for 94 and 97 tyres.

The prices went through the roof.

Thanks again

[Audity]

I think they all come out of the factory with 97's whether they are Quattro or fwd.

Hi,

Interesting to know that.

Its 97 I have on the back and 94 on the front.

Didn`t know if that was recommended or not - seems it may be.