I have a 2001 A6 2.7T Quattro and am looking to upgrade my wheels for summer...I am looking at 18" RS6 OEM wheels. My question is, will I have any problems going from my 16" OEM to the 18" being that my 2.7T has the factory big brake kit in the front? Will I require spacers to clear the calipers and if so, what size would you recommend? 5mm, 10mm..? I want them to clear but I don't want them to stick out past the fenders. Also, the wheels I'm looking at come with 225/35/18 Falken tires with 90% tread life left - should these clear with no rubbing and be able to withstand Pittsburgh pot holes? lol I try to constantly clear pot holes, but some roads in Pittsburgh you just CAN'T! I hate it. Any information would be appreciated! Thanks

- Ben -

 

You have 16s now? You will have no problem with the 18s. As for the ride, it will be rough with 18s but many do it.

 

If i were you I would choose 225/40/18

 

18" rims are a lot more susceptible to pothole damage. I've even ruined a tire hitting a hole with my 17" OEM wheels. And, over just rough payment, the ride will be uncomfortable. On the other hand, 18" rims look way cool and I do run RS4 replica rims for the summer.

 

Well, these will only be summer wheels/tires - now that I just moved 45 mins south of Pittsburgh (but still work downtown Pgh), I am mainly driving highway so I am not seeing as many potholes as I did living in Greentree which were FULL of them and deep ones at that! lol

Xewax: I understand basic wheel terminology/etc. but can I ask why you would rather see 225/40? I'm only asking because the tires are already coming with the wheels, and are mounted & balanced already. I have unlimited alignments at Pepboys for the next 3 years so after I put the wheels on, I'll just go for ***** & giggles to have it realigned just to ensure she's good to go. But yea, the wheels that are coming with them are 225/35/18 Falken ZE-512 All season performance, < 1k miles, 90-95% tread remaining.

As far as ride, I upgraded my old '02 Grand AM GT1 from 16s to 17s and did notice a little bit of a difference...now according to rims-n-tires.com wheel / tire comparer, my speedometer will actually be 4% SLOWER with the 18s, saying if my speedo says 60mph I'll really be doing 57.5mph...does that sound right?

Just to clarify before I drive the 4 1/2 hrs out to Philly on Friday, I shouldn't need spacers with these RS6 wheels? Also according to the comparer:

Suspension: Package is 5mm (0.2") closer to suspension/brake components. Acceptable for most vehicles.
Fenders: Package will stick out 5mm (0.2") farther. Acceptable for most vehicles.
Wheel Wells: 100% clear (leaves even more room than OEM)

215/55/R16x8 ET 43 compared to 225/35/R18x8 ET 43
These ARE OEM RS6 wheels - NOT reps

 

where's this comparer? I show nothing...?

 

http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp?showAd=-1

Someone else on the forums posted its link - not sure how accurate it truly is

 

Thanks..

 

Another comparer said when speedo is 60mph I'm actually 4.38% FASTER than speedo and real speed will be 62.5mph with same specs typed into it.... *shrugs* guess I'll just drive past a few cops and see if they get me...THEY'LL always tell ya how fast you were going! LOL

 

Well, I picked up the wheels today - 8 hrs of driving and 560 miles later! lol They are OEM, 18x8 et43 made by Ronal with official audi stamp. The wheels are actually in really good condition. So I'm happy with them and think they will look great on the 6...one problem though; I will need spacers. Went to install them while I was there and they do not clear my 2.7's BBK What do you think I need, be safe and go with 10mm? That should be the amount to flush them with my fenders...and I imagine buy 4 spacers so all 4 wheels stick out the same?