Hey guys, just looking for a little feedback / thoughts on this much debated subject...
My Audi A6 currently runs on 225 x 50 x 17" alloys usually wrapped in either Continental Sport Contact 11, Bridgestone or Pirelli. I will need two new front tyres shortly and these usually retail at around£160 - £185 depending on where you go / brand etc, but I have sources that can get me them for £130 each, which is a good price.
At present I have the Audi TT Trapezoid wheels as pictured on the car below....






Usually when I need either 2, or maybe a set of tyres I look for a complete new set to alter the appearance a little, but I've had this set as new twice now and really like the look.


However, I have the chance of the following wheels as fitted to the Audi RS4 and wrapped in Khumos 255 x 35 x 19
Please see pics below.....



Now the alloys I personally absolutely love and think they're the mutts nutts....It'd deffo be time to repaint the calipers n hubs again though as there'd be even more on display.
The tyres as stated are Khumos 255 x 35 x 19....an upper mid range tyre compared to the premium brands I'm used to but they seem to get great reviews?
I'm also wondering how much harsher the ride will be with less rubber going from 50's to 35's?
Anyhow the real kicker is that the Khumo tyres retail around the £130 and the alloys from the dealer are £580 each.....a total of £2920 for the upgrade.
I can have them as new as new can be, albeit with a little dust on them that will need gently wiped away for £432 for the set ALL IN

I'm almost totally 100% convinced but looking for opinions. If I go for it I'm almost sure I'd need to lower the ride height to complete the look by around 30mm approx.

Either way I've bought the wheels, its just whether I fit them or sell them on for profit.....

Comments / ideas from those in the know?

 

Jim as you may have guessed, I am not a tire guy and can't really help you on the performance end, but those new rims would look very spiffy on your Audi!!!

 

Thanks for the positive comments Rick....I agree and think they'd look great on my car, although as I said I do think I'd need to lower it!
Although, I've changed my wheels before I've always played it safe and went for the same dia and a close offset etc.
But going from 225 x 50 x 17 ET47 to 255 x 35 x 19 ET43 is a big change. As far as I can tell the rolling radius is more or less identical to within 0.66% so that should be ok ( I think...lol )
They may stick out a little further than mine at present which hopefully I can get away with!
All things being equal and as above its more or less the ride height and possible lowering that I'm looking for advice on.

 

Those wheels are extremely nice - did you mount those wheels on your A6? Before I bought my A6 the dealer brought in one that had similar 19" 7-spokes but the car had AAS (Adaptive Air Suspension) and the ride could be adjusted in the MMI. It didn't look bad at standard height. Did the wheels have TPMS?

 

Hey breakeven,
still not got the wheels from the dealer as yet...( they're in the process of wrapping them in rubber for me ) one at a time here n there as a favour - ssshhhhh.
Lovin the wheels and lookin forward to getting them mounted.
My model year doesn't have TPMS ( Tyre Pressure Monitoring System ) unfortunately.

It didn't have " horn chirp on lock " either but I managed to get this activated by the dealer

 

Jim,

Those wheels look slick. The only thing I would look at is the offset, but since they appear to be Audi wheels they should be OK, but it never hurts to check. My guess is that the ride will be somewhat harsher but also crisper. The trade off is that the breakaway point will be somewhat narrower than the stock setup.

Send us pics when you are done.

Mike

 

Thanks for the positive feedback Mike
I'm likin them but am a little concerned on the offset ( they may stick out a little further than I'd like or is legal )
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the ride will be somewhat harsher on 35's as opposed to 50's, even more so if I have to do the sprngs!
Will they rub, won't they, will it need lowered, won't it? ( probably )

If they'd just blo*dy hurry up with the wheels I'd soon find out......may make a phone call tomorrow, we'll see

 

I think the RS4 rims are the best looking Audi rims available. Nice choice indeed!

I dont think offset will be an issue. Since the rims arent "deep dish" (not a pizza reference) rims you should be fine, and shouldnt stick out. As far as rubbing goes, I doubt it. If those suckers can turn inside an A4 wheel well I would imagine they'd be fine in the A6's.

Depending on how much gap is left between the fender and they top of the wheel, you may want to lower it. If you did coilovers you can adjust the ride height and set it up to where you want it. However you wont have the same ride quality. So if it is a daily, it might not be advised. Ive got coilovers on my daily and it can get annoying when I just want to get home. However when it comes to spirited driving, its the only way to go!

 

Nice input Alex
Thanks for the comments and I'm pretty sure you're right on what you say, but, there's nothing like actually having them on the car to see them in the flesh, so to speak

 

Thats true!

Cant wait to see pictures when its done!!

 

Ok, so I know a wheels a wheel and all that, but, I eventually got mine today from the dealer
They were all grubby from the tyrefitters doing their thing as they wrapped them in rubber for me and needed a good clean
Anyway, as it was torrential rain outside, I decided to bring them inside and cleaned them up good as new and applied a little tyre black, and voila

Click this bar to view the small image.
Click this bar to view the small image.
Click this bar to view the small image.
Click this bar to view the small image.

Obviously, I'm dying to get the time to fit them onto the car and see what they look like, but, then I'm wondering, do I wanna keep my existing wheels on just now to see out the winter and put these on in the spring next year?
I'm thinkin maybe, but gotta see what they look like.......got em for £508 for the set in the end....brand new set c/w Khumo Ectsa 255x35x19's can't be bad

 

Those wheels are outstandingly beautiful and they will look dandy on your Audi for sure

 

Those look outstanding Jim!!

Im curious to see what they look like on the car and see what the spacing is like!!

I saw a set just like that, but they were finished in a charcoal color. That really made them pop! Of course you can achieve the same effect without washing them for a month or so

 

Thanks Alex, I think so too.
Can't wait to get them on the car to see what they look like and how they fit etc etc. The wife will be glad to get them outta the dining room as well I guess
Gotta wash them every other day Alex for that "bling" new look.....I kinda suffer a little from OCD

 

Well Jim I fear I suffer from that same OCD. But there is nothing better than having a clean car and clean wheels with some tire shine.

 

Put the wheels into the back of the car ( carefully n covered - no mess ) then seats put back to hold them in position for the 3 mile journey to KF.....I have some buddies there who do quite a bit for me for just a few beer vouchers here n there
Anyhow took the wheels out and the fitter was like WOW.....They are stunning. I stood one against the rear existing wheel for a look again and began to get excited.

Got the locking wheel nut out and off came the first wheel, offered up the new wheels to get th..................shieeeeeeaaaaaaaatttttttt!!!!
The bore size is too big.....the bore size is around 66.4 ad mine is as you'd probably expect 56.4 (57.1) and I can't understand it....stand scratching my head for a few mins???
They are stamped up Genuine Audi wheels showing made in Italy, part number, pcd / offset etc etc........can only think that maybe the new Q7 / A5 / S5 or simlar has a new bore size for their wheels??

Basically, the upshot is, pile all the wheels back into the back of the car and order some spigot rings from Ebay, hope they arrive soon and fit them then

I'm begining to wonder if there's some sort of conspiracy here???

 

dang, that's got to be frustrating! Will the new adapters force you to increase the offset at all?

 

Hey Matt, frustrating doesn't cover it....lol

As for the offset? I don't think so, as the spigot rings should'nt really make that kinda of a difference, just take up the slack in the bore diameter as I understand it.

My existing 225 x 50 x 17 wheel / tyre combo has a 47 offset
The replacement set are 255 x 35 x 19 with a 43 offset, so any difference should be nominal.
Please rest assured Matt, that as soon as they get fitted there'll be pics up and I'll be happy to answer any questions then......I am / was fairly confident about having no probs.....dunno now as it stands with the way things have gone

 

Jim, did you consider having someone machine you a set of hub rings? You saved a bunch on the wheels and this little extra cost can do wonders as they can machine the rings precisely and press them into the wheels so they will be as hub centric as your old wheels.

 

Hi Mohrd, I don't know if I made myself clear?
Thats exactly the reasoning behind the spigot rings....please let me try to explain perhaps a little better....
These are not spacers, and certainly not plain spacers....I'mm fully aware of hubcentric spacers that locate onto the spigot and centre the wheel.

These spigot rings are kind of similar. The problem is Not with the width of the wheels, or trying to space them out any further, but that the bore dia of the existing setup is approx 57.1mm and std. The wheels I have waiting to go on....the bore size is approx 67mm ....so the wheel will not fit hubcentrically and would only be located by the bolts, never a good idea!
The spigots are only small rings obviously around 10mm thick to make up this slack so that the wheels fit, as you say in a hubcentric manner.

Does that explain it better or make more sense?
Thanks for the input though Mohrd, really appreciated