17" or 18" wheels/tires on my new 2011 A4?
#1
02-12-2011, 03:28 PM
17" or 18" wheels/tires on my new 2011 A4?
First timer here.
I'm about to order a new 2011 A4 with the Premium Plus Package. I can get it with the stock 17" wheels with 245/45 all-season tires OR with the 18" 245/40 all-season tires. In my area (North Jersey, just outside of NYC) the tires that come on the cars seem to be the same Pirelli P6 Four Seasons. I absolutely like the look of the 18's and want to put them on the new car because of their appearance, however, I want to know how much different the ride will feel with them and how much more likely I will be to blow out tires and destroy the rims in my area. I've had 17" 225/45 tires on my VW GLI for three years without a single blow out or destroyed rim. Is there a major difference between the 17" 245/45's and the 18" 245/40's in terms of ride quality and likeliness of blowouts or are they similar? A little firm would be nice as I like a sporty feel, but if my brains are going to constantly be rattling, that's not so good. I will be getting wheel and tire insurance for either ones as I've been told by several folks that it's foolish not to. I want the 18's but I don't want to be stupid.
I'm about to order a new 2011 A4 with the Premium Plus Package. I can get it with the stock 17" wheels with 245/45 all-season tires OR with the 18" 245/40 all-season tires. In my area (North Jersey, just outside of NYC) the tires that come on the cars seem to be the same Pirelli P6 Four Seasons. I absolutely like the look of the 18's and want to put them on the new car because of their appearance, however, I want to know how much different the ride will feel with them and how much more likely I will be to blow out tires and destroy the rims in my area. I've had 17" 225/45 tires on my VW GLI for three years without a single blow out or destroyed rim. Is there a major difference between the 17" 245/45's and the 18" 245/40's in terms of ride quality and likeliness of blowouts or are they similar? A little firm would be nice as I like a sporty feel, but if my brains are going to constantly be rattling, that's not so good. I will be getting wheel and tire insurance for either ones as I've been told by several folks that it's foolish not to. I want the 18's but I don't want to be stupid.
#2
02-17-2011, 02:07 PM
Senior Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Lotsa places, currently Metro D.C., USA
Posts: 13,574
Simple answer is:
Bigger wheel size means less rubber to absorb road shock. less rubber means more stress on teh wheel, itself. stress it enough and eventually you WILL end up repairing or replacing those pretty 18" wheels you like so much. Unless you push HARD, all the time, I doubt you'd much notice the difference. There IS a diference, and yes, you CAN notice it, if you butt-dyno your car as often as *I* do mine.
of course
17" wheels get bent, too.
something else to consider:
18" wheels, while becomming more and more common, aren't common, YET. What this means is, TIRES for those 18" wheels will be more expensive to replace, when the time comes. Sure, sure, you're made of money, NOW, but, next year, or the year after, mayby not. Something to consider.
Bigger wheel size means less rubber to absorb road shock. less rubber means more stress on teh wheel, itself. stress it enough and eventually you WILL end up repairing or replacing those pretty 18" wheels you like so much. Unless you push HARD, all the time, I doubt you'd much notice the difference. There IS a diference, and yes, you CAN notice it, if you butt-dyno your car as often as *I* do mine.
of course
17" wheels get bent, too.
something else to consider:
18" wheels, while becomming more and more common, aren't common, YET. What this means is, TIRES for those 18" wheels will be more expensive to replace, when the time comes. Sure, sure, you're made of money, NOW, but, next year, or the year after, mayby not. Something to consider.
#3
02-17-2011, 02:41 PM
I can't argue the sidewall height afforded by the 17" rim (and therefore some increased shock absorption) so that's certainly a consideration and those tires are less expensive, however the 18" rims just look like they belong in the A4's wheel wells. One must evaluate the roads in their typical driving area vis a vis appearance.
#4
02-17-2011, 03:47 PM
Interestingly, I did the math. I am currently driving a 2008 VW GLI with 17" 225/45 tires. If you do "tire math" the sidewalls of my current tires are 225 x .45 which means the sidewall is 101.25 millimeters high. I've never had a bubble, blowout or any issues with these tires. The new Audi has 245/40 18" tires which means the sidewall is 245 x .40 or 98 millimeters high. 98 and 101.25 are almost identical.
I asked FOUR local tire shops if I can expect the firmness of the ride and the likelihood of a blowout to be about the same on my new Audi as it has been on my VW. They said yes. They also said that the 245/45 17's and 245/40 18's that come on the Audi are probably equally succeptible to blowouts and that the 1" rim size isn't that important. They also said that they would be shocked if I could tell the difference in ride quality between in the 10 millimeter difference between the 17's and the 18's. Given all of this information, I decided to order the car with the 18's...and the road hazard wheel and tire insurance. Wish me luck
I asked FOUR local tire shops if I can expect the firmness of the ride and the likelihood of a blowout to be about the same on my new Audi as it has been on my VW. They said yes. They also said that the 245/45 17's and 245/40 18's that come on the Audi are probably equally succeptible to blowouts and that the 1" rim size isn't that important. They also said that they would be shocked if I could tell the difference in ride quality between in the 10 millimeter difference between the 17's and the 18's. Given all of this information, I decided to order the car with the 18's...and the road hazard wheel and tire insurance. Wish me luck
#5
02-17-2011, 03:56 PM
One last point. A local tire guy priced out the Pirelli P6 Four Season tires that come on the Audi. Incredibly, the 17's were more expensive. On tirerack, the difference between them was $144 or $153...not a significant difference.
#6
02-17-2011, 05:44 PM
warrenh,
You bring some interesting points to attention and I'm glad you broke down the math to show us what you are thinking. You are right on about the minimal difference between the two aspect ratios and I agree that in your case the difference will be negligible. However, I think there is one other factor to consider so that we get the whole picture. If you take the overall diameter of each tire into consideration you'll see that the height difference between the two is .9 inches or about 25mm.
225/45-17 sidewall 101mm x 2 for each side of the wheel = 202mm
add the wheel height which is 17'' or 432mm to get 634mm
245/40-18 sidewall 98mm x 2 = 196mm
wheel height 18'' or 457mm + 202mm to get 659mm.
The reason I mention this is because if you were comparing apples to apples then the closest size on the 18'' would be 245/[B]35[B]-18 which measures 24.8'' or 627mm. If you keep everything equal than there is definitely a notable difference in the two wheels. In this case you are not really sacrificing any sidewall though, just adding an inch (approximately) to both the tire and the wheel. So the guys who spoke up are right on if everything stayed equal but for your purposes their shouldn't be much difference at all
. Everybody wins!
You bring some interesting points to attention and I'm glad you broke down the math to show us what you are thinking. You are right on about the minimal difference between the two aspect ratios and I agree that in your case the difference will be negligible. However, I think there is one other factor to consider so that we get the whole picture. If you take the overall diameter of each tire into consideration you'll see that the height difference between the two is .9 inches or about 25mm.
225/45-17 sidewall 101mm x 2 for each side of the wheel = 202mm
add the wheel height which is 17'' or 432mm to get 634mm
245/40-18 sidewall 98mm x 2 = 196mm
wheel height 18'' or 457mm + 202mm to get 659mm.
The reason I mention this is because if you were comparing apples to apples then the closest size on the 18'' would be 245/[B]35[B]-18 which measures 24.8'' or 627mm. If you keep everything equal than there is definitely a notable difference in the two wheels. In this case you are not really sacrificing any sidewall though, just adding an inch (approximately) to both the tire and the wheel. So the guys who spoke up are right on if everything stayed equal but for your purposes their shouldn't be much difference at all
. Everybody wins!
#7
02-17-2011, 10:32 PM
Miles...thanks so much for chiming in. I'm grateful for your expert opinion. This wheel/tire issue is very confusing and everyone seems to have an opinion. Without question, I would have gone with the 245/45 17" tires and wheels on the new Audi but I really HATE those wheels. I live in the NYC area but don't go into the city all that often and I'm not a crazy fast driver, so I'm not that concerned with blowouts, cupping, bubbling, etc. even though I recognize the risk of such things is probably a bit higher on the 18's.
If I understood you correctly, you're saying that the ride on my current VW (225/45 17") should be very comparable to the ride on the new Audi (245/40 18") and that the difference between them is minimal. Is that what you meant? By the way, the VW has Continental Contitracs, while the Audi will have Pirelli P6 Four Seasons (which are unfortunately pretty poorly rated by you guys at Tire Rack). Also, at least two gentlemen in my area suggested that the ride between an Audi running on 245/40 17's versus on a 245/45 18's would be very hard to distinguish...and both said if I hit a really good NYC pothole at 30 miles per hour or more with either the 17" or an 18" wheel/tire...I'm likely equally screwed! Would you agree with all this? Again, much appreciation for your response.
If I understood you correctly, you're saying that the ride on my current VW (225/45 17") should be very comparable to the ride on the new Audi (245/40 18") and that the difference between them is minimal. Is that what you meant? By the way, the VW has Continental Contitracs, while the Audi will have Pirelli P6 Four Seasons (which are unfortunately pretty poorly rated by you guys at Tire Rack). Also, at least two gentlemen in my area suggested that the ride between an Audi running on 245/40 17's versus on a 245/45 18's would be very hard to distinguish...and both said if I hit a really good NYC pothole at 30 miles per hour or more with either the 17" or an 18" wheel/tire...I'm likely equally screwed! Would you agree with all this? Again, much appreciation for your response.
#8
02-18-2011, 12:41 AM
Senior Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Lotsa places, currently Metro D.C., USA
Posts: 13,574
Whichever way you go/went, don't be a stranger... stop by and keep us updated... and, join us in the off-topic section, for some random fun, too!
oh, and, dont stop with the tires... mod da **** outta dat thing!
oh, and, dont stop with the tires... mod da **** outta dat thing!
#9
03-06-2011, 05:34 PM
Do I need a new set of wheels also!!!
I decided to go with the 18" Sports Package on my 2011 A4. The car comes with high performance summer tires so I know I'll need to buy all-seasons or winter tires for the fall/winter. My intention was to just buy a set of tires and swap them on every October and off again every April, however, some people are suggesting that I get another set of wheels for those tires as well. Why? Is there any problem swapping just the TIRES every season or is there some reason I need to spring an extra $1000 or so on another set of wheels too? I love the 18" wheels on the sports package and there are plenty of all-season/winter tires in that size. So why would I need a whole other set of wheels?! Help!!
#10
03-07-2011, 08:04 AM
The main reason to get a wheel and tire set for winter is that it is easier. Having the package enables you to put on the set in your driveway instead of needing to take it elsewhere to get them mounted and balance.
Other big benefits:
1. Each time a tire is mounted or demounted on a wheel you run the risk of damaging the bead or sidewall. This shouldn't be a huge issue since most shops can do this safely but as they say, accidents happen.
2. Cost can be big in the long run. Consider paying for a mount and balance (usually $25 per tire on a 35 or 40 series) twice a year for 3-4 years (the average life of a winter tire). You almost get your $1000 right there so you might as well get the wheels!
3. Downsizing for winter is very important to give you the best snow/ice performance. Anytime you can consolidate the weight of the vehicle on to a smaller contact patch it will benefit for snow traction but it helps you to cut through snow instead of trying to roll a wider tire over it. Additionally, the higher sidewall gives the tire a touch more flexibility to work through and find the road.
You can certainly do an all season tire as most people due but no all season comes close to winter tires for cold weather performance.
Other big benefits:
1. Each time a tire is mounted or demounted on a wheel you run the risk of damaging the bead or sidewall. This shouldn't be a huge issue since most shops can do this safely but as they say, accidents happen.
2. Cost can be big in the long run. Consider paying for a mount and balance (usually $25 per tire on a 35 or 40 series) twice a year for 3-4 years (the average life of a winter tire). You almost get your $1000 right there so you might as well get the wheels!
3. Downsizing for winter is very important to give you the best snow/ice performance. Anytime you can consolidate the weight of the vehicle on to a smaller contact patch it will benefit for snow traction but it helps you to cut through snow instead of trying to roll a wider tire over it. Additionally, the higher sidewall gives the tire a touch more flexibility to work through and find the road.
You can certainly do an all season tire as most people due but no all season comes close to winter tires for cold weather performance.