Just get the wheel refurbished it will save you money plus u will have all oem wheels on your carand you wont have the weight issues.... besides im sure you dont want a replica ona newer car kinda cheezy IMO

 

If Tire Rack says that a wheel fits (with stock tire size), then I have full confidence that it will. And I note that most of the wheels they sell for the A3 (all but one) have offsets between 45 and 50mm. BTW, at least one other member of this forum is using MT1's (with 225/45-17's) with no complaints, and there are plenty more using aftermarket wheels with similar dimensions.

We had two bent rims on our other car, and could only find one replacement. Then we found an excellent local source for wheel repair (Foster Wheel Service here in Seattle). They repairedthe secondrim so well that I can't find where the bend was, the price was much less then a new wheel, and they did the job in about 4 hours. They had some "Before and After" photos of bent and repairedrims that were amazing.

 

I also have no doubt that the TR-1's will fit, without rubbing. It's more a concern about: (1) looks, and (2) additional stress on wheel mounts and bearings.

 

How bad is the wheel anyways? I have seen some pretty bad curb rash/warped wheels fixed to brand new like condition from some wheel repair shops.

 

its bent. i don't think its worth fixin'

 

I agree completely. Sadly, Foster's Wheel Service is no more. They shut the doors, and some poser bought the building and opened another wheel shop to capture the foot traffic. Anyone in the Seattle, WA, area now that's looking for rim work should check out thiswheel shop in Renton that does wheel straightenings, cosmetics, & weldings:

Dependable Wheel Repair
415 S. 7th St.
Renton, WA 98056
(425) 226-8711
http://www.DependableWheel.com

Great group of good people. Tim is awesome at his work and he knows how to treat his customers.

Maybe. Maybe not, but its definately worth asking a professional's opinion at their shop, no? Take a pic and e-mail it to them. Even if you're not in their neighborhood, they can probably tell you whether or not its repairable or worth trying.

Goodluck!

 

Is it common to find shops that will refurbish rims? I live in West Lafayette, IN (home of Purdue University), and I'm pretty sure I bent one of my S4 replica rims by hitting a curb. I bought the car used (1999 A4 1.8T Quattro) and it already had the S4 wheels on it. I know they're 17", but I don't have the slightest idea what the offset is. I don't feel very confident buying another replica online, cause I'm unsure of whether it will match the other 3 or not.

Tire Rack seems to list wheels with ~35mm offset. The replica site above had 42mm and 45mm. So lost...

 

Yea, depending on your area, refurb shops can be pretty common. "Good" shops are a little less so, so be sure to do your research. Google will handle that for you most of the time(both finding and researching). Words like "Wheel, Rim, Repair, Service, Fix, Scratch, Bend, Bent" and the like.

As for offset, you can take your wheels to a reputable tire & wheel shop: Les Schwab, Discount Tires, Big-O, Goodyear, etc... Tell them your problem and that you'd like to know if they have your wheel or a potential replacement available and ask them what the offset is. Obviously, we don't expect they'll have a replacement, but they do know how to check for the offset.

Replacement "replica" is probably going to be quite the task. If you go this route, be sure you buy the same model from the same manufacturer (and same year if possible). You'd be surprised at theminor "tweaks" they do to wheels each year to be able to call it "new." If you're not a detail person and this is not a show car, you probably won't care. However, you will find differences (not to mention the performance/weight issues already discussed) if you replace one wheel with an off-make/model.

Seriously, repair the one, replace the one with anIDENTICAL, orreplace the SET... Those are really your only (at least best) options.

 

Mixing replicas with original rims is not a good idea. Use the same wheel on all four corners, whatever you use.