Looking for OEM but are hard to come by. Found a ton of replicas on none other than eBay. I have never purchased replica OEM rims before and was wondering what the pros and cons were?

I do know some cheap replicas do not balance very easily if at all.

 

There's usually a few deals going on the audiforums classifieds, audizine classifieds, and the vortex classifieds

 

The pros would obviously be the price and availability of the replica styles.

The cons though, would be be quality of build and material - easy buckling/denting of wheels over curbs, generally heavier in weight, warranty.

Thats all i can come up with for now, but there are quite a few makers of replicas for Audi rims and each very with quality and price.

 

ohh.. and my friend did purchase 17 inch replicas of the fat 7-spoke wheel from the new A6 (though its 18 inch real audi). They look exactly what theyre meant to be.. replicas. The weight though was similar to an aftermarket 17 inch wheel and so far he hasn't had any probs with it. It was by SSR wheels - but i think this company is only based in Australia where i am?

 

I bought some rs4 reps off ebay for my b5. Had 'em for a year with no problems. They were a great deal. The only con I could see is that they were kind of heavy.

 

Tire Rack sells them and maybe Discount Tire also sells replicas. Lakeshore Tire and Wheel does sell Audi wheels, don't know if they are OEM or replicas though.
Pros: affordability
Cons: not the real thing/weight issues(if you really cared about rotating mass)

 

SSR is out or going out of business. if you bend a wheel gl finiding another one

 

I have S4 replicas and they are awesome! They are absolutely amazing. ive had them for a year now, and ive never had any problems!!!

the only gay thing is that i cant fit OEM centercaps on the ones i ordered because the wheels dont have the damn clips that the centercaps attach to.

btw im lookin to sell them soon.

 

Thanks for all the info. I guess it all depends on how patient I can be to find OEM B7's or 6's. Im not racing this car so weight isnt much of a biggie. Even if I did decide to take it to the track, I can lace the stock 17's with some slicks or dot approved ultra soft compound that are actually street legal.