G'day everyone, I'm planning to upgrade my 16" OEM wheels which came with my recently purchased 2005 A4 1.8TQM to either 17" or 18" rims. I'm considering these:

AT Italia Razze 9


or these:

AT Italia S6


Anyone have opinions on the above? I like them both equally, but I haven't seen pics of them on my car yet.

I had some questions as to the practicalities of using a 18" rim in New England though:

1. Will running low profile (as in 235/40/18) summer or all season tires on 18" rims lead to a much bigger risk of wheel damage from potholes etc?? I spoke to my Audi dealer and he suggested I stick with 17"s due to the quality of the roads here around Boston and MA.

2. Can I get away with all season 17"s or 18"s in winter or should I definitely buy winter tires? If I do buy winter tires I will probably put them on the 16" OEM wheels.

3. I know that handling is improved with bigger rims and wider wheels but apparently performance suffers due to weight. Anyone know how noticeable this is?

4. What advantages other than handling and cosmetics does an 18" wheel have. I'm not too fussed on the cosmetics, but I do care about performance (seeing as my engine is stock right now) and handling.

Basically, the cost equations are as follows:

17" wheels + all seasons (Contis) = $1150
18" wheels + all seasons (Contis) = $1350-$1150

17 summer (Bridgestones)/16" winter (Dunlop) set = $1650
18" summer (Bridgestones)/16" winter (Dunlop) set = $1950-$2150

So for the cost of getting 18" summer wheels I can get an APR chip for my car, basically.

Here are a few pics of the car at the moment (it's totally stock):





Any opinions/advice would be appreciated!

 

honestly the main difference performance wise between 17's or 18's is none. the even smaller sidewall does nothing since even with the 17's its small enough. It just makes for a harsher ride. Its mainly for cosmetics.

And, wider tires are good to a point. Probably after 235 or so, the wider tires actuallymake the car harder to turn.

You should be fine either way for summer. 235's should work pretty well.

But being in NE, for winter I would definitely say go back to the 16's with a snow tire, the sizes you mentioned. The all season performance are good for Columbus ohio, where it snows maybe 3-4 times, I can get by (they slide around a little more than I would like) but up your way Id play it safe.

 

Thanks Acetrebo. What about any weight differences in terms of the larger wheel? If it's not a huge diff then I'll just go with the 17s and use the money to get myself an APR Stage 1 chip remap.

Do you have an opinion on either of those wheels? I realise wheel appeal is subjective, but I like both of them. Cost wise the 17s are the same for both models.

 

I like the first set better.

Especially with wheels, lighter is always better.Less rotational mass is always good, but a little difference wont matter very much.

The chip will make you even happier than the wheels will!

 

I like the second set, but to each his own. Eventually you'll make a choice, and it will probably be the right one. But i would definitely go with 18s; you'll be much happier and the $$ difference isn't that much. I couldn't decide for the longest time on what rims to get, then i finally bought a set of 18" BBS LM replicas and i couldn't be happierwith my choice.

My 18" rims are obviously heavier than my 16" OEM's, and I did notice a more "heavier" feel to them while driving. But after a while you get used to it. If you do go 18s, get 225/40/18 - it's the most recommended size.

 

Thanks for the feedback - I think I might go with the first set, but I'm thinking of getting OZ Michelangelos instead of the AT Italias as they weigh less. Michelangelos only come in 17s though. Is it really worth the extra $300-odd to go up to 18s if I can use that money towards an APR/GIAC chip?

 

i would recomend 17 boston roads suck ....i know i drive them everyday