lol. Completely agree. A 14 year old car needs all the help it can get nowadays. Thanks.

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I know it's been said already, but just doesn't look OEM enough for me. In your place I would have saved up to buy those BBS wheels or gotten some OEM+ wheels, but that's just me. Either way, as long as you're happy with your car and how it looks, and as long as it isn't rolling on 20+ inch chrome wheels, I say why not.

 

I have no need to save up for a different set. I can afford any set of wheels I want right now.

The struggle for me, was that I didn't want to put anything aftermarket on this car at all. It was supposed to be my first "Grown Up" car (I.E. Not "hooked up" one bit - 100% completely stock).

I only put these 20"'s on because I got them so cheep, the specs were just right, they're lightweight and the color matches perfectly....plus an extra 4 inches of grip (total) never hurts either.

I could really give a **** whether or not they look OEM now. Once you change anything IMHO, you're not OEM anymore (even if you're still using Audi parts). I broke my promise to myself, so **** it: I went big (unintentionally - at first ) and I think they came out great. Perhaps I may have enjoyed the challenge most. Who knows?

What I'm trying to figure out in this thread, is how/why is it that (so far) everyone who sees my car in real life, thinks it looks great, but on the internet (almost) everyone seems to think that 20"s on a B5 look so ghetto/ugly/nasty/stupid/etc; then a lot of these same guys take a car that came from the factory with un-adjustable camber and make it worse by slamming their cars to the ground on smaller wheels (stock or not ).

For me: Riding around town on the inner 1" of your tires, bouncing around like a '64 Impala on hydros is way stupid/uglier IMO than 20"s on a B5. My camber is actually better because of the extra 3mm.

But again: We all have our personal preferences and none of them can be wrong, since they are all opinions.

I'm just trying to reconcile the stark difference between real life and the thoughts on the forums.

After all: we all drive B5s (or A-somethings at least).

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This is a nice Audi, your's?

 

Honestly big flashy rims is just what they do in the south. I have family that moved to SC and you can't dive a mile without seeing some old beat up car with 20+ inch chrome rims worth twice as much as the car, its just what they do why I couldn't tell you.

I'm not saying these are in the flashy category that I'm speaking of and the car is definitely not a junk box but Im sure those rims fit right in, in Florida.

If you like them that's all that matters. I think 18's are perfect. I have 17's which worked perfect with the suspension that I got.

 

Hahaha I wish! That's a euro-spec B5 RS4 avant. Factory wide body and all the goodies. They weren't available in the US and there are only a handful of grey market imports that I'm aware of. My avant wasn't nearly that nice:

 

We've beat this horse to death. This wagon is universally sexy, anywhere in the world.

+1 You hit the nail on the head there. I've been here my whole life and that's always been the case. The rims and/or the stereo (each by themselves) are worth 2-3 times the value of the car.

You would think I'd be used to it by now, but it still baffles me when I see something - every day - that drives by and makes me stop, stare and say "What the ****?!?!" lol

This is not only the "Sunshine" state, but it's also as deep south as you can possibly get in the 48.

This is why my B5 on 20's is "ultra-classy" - comparatively speaking - I suppose.

Just to reiterate though: They aren't chrome and they're not painted. They're pure aluminum (although partially anodized Black).


Thanks for the opinions guys!

Interesting convo.

 

Sorry, didn't mean to thread jack.

 

It doesn't quite work that way. Increasing with width of the tire does not necessarily increase its grip assuming identical vehicle weight and tread material. As you increase the contact patch of the tire the weight of the vehicle is spread out over a larger area, a narrower tire will have that weight spread over a smaller surface area, albeit with increased pressure. You can test this for yourself by taking a large book (a physics textbook works great!) and try sliding it across the desk face down, and then on its edge. It will take the exact same amount of force to push the book against the desk regardless of the size of the contact patch on the table.

A larger contact patch CAN hurt in that it increases rolling resistance, this is why you see those ultra high mpg vehicles with the ridiculously skinny tires. The increased rolling resistance of larger tires makes them respond less quickly to inputs and will decrease your turn in speed when entering corners. Larger wheels and tires will also weigh more than smaller ones, rubber is exceptionally heavy. Unsprung weight is the worst kind of weight to increase. It will make you accelerate slower, decelerate slower, and reduce turning response. It is more difficult to change the position of an object with larger mass.

I doubt your contact patch increased by 4", but you can calculate it here.

If that is all you're looking to figure out then the answer may be quite simple. People on the internet don't care about saving face and will tell you their true opinion. It's usually unwise to talk **** about someone's car to their face, it's generally just a bad idea. Lord knows I've been to plenty of car meets and had someone show me their car with their intercooler zip tied on, missing the front bumper, and janky LED lights hot melt glued to the interior of their engine bay. Did I tell them their car looked like dog **** in person? No, I smiled and nodded.

People are much less likely to tell you their true opinion of your car to your face, it's just human nature to save face in person. I don't have to worry about you getting offended and kicking my *** online.

Yup. Though you seem pretty dead set on trying to convince us otherwise.

Being a dick on the internet is a lot safer than being a dick in person.

It's definitely not just a "south" thing. Come to bay area, relish in the "scrapers" here. They are a dime a dozen. Take a drive around Oakland and that's all you'll see.

 

damn that looks good!