boiler127

From research I've done on the forums, it seems the 66.56 center bore limits our options as far as winter wheels go. IMO winter wheels still have to have some aesthetic value. That said, there is no reason to spend lots of $$$ on rims when that money could instead be used down the road for a nice engine upgrade, suspension, etc. Right now I'm running the 19'' s line wheels with max performance tires. The two vendors I see that have the correct fitment for the b8 a4 are VMR and Hartmann (keeping in mind cost generally less than $1,000 for a set of wheels). The options are again limited and the only choice I see that would look nice on the b8 a4 is the RS4 rep. I know everyone has these on their cars and there isn't originality it the selection. However, I was thinking of going with gunmetal to contrast the monza silver of the car.

I am thinking of getting the gunmetal RS4 reps in 19'' and using the Dunlop M3 Sport 255/35/19 winter tires. I could probably end up throwing these tires on my existing 19'' rims, but I want to avoid having to change tires and expose the rims to being damaged during mounting 2x times a year. I also am going to stick with the 19'' and not go smaller for winter just in case I fall in love with the gunmetal look and want to use these as my summer rims. If anyone has any better ideas, I'd love to hear them.

boiler127

pic

equ

+1...

I got my car last week, with 18" sports package with summer performance tires and have been researching the winter issue for a few weeks with no satisfying solution. It is a real pain.

- Older audi wheels don't work.
- Tirerack has multitude wheels, but from what I can tell, every single one requires centering rings and different set of lugbolts, a set up I'm trying to avoid.
- I have a hook up to 18" 225/45-18 winter tires and may just put those on the stock wheels.. But then, my car has only 300 miles on it and I'm loving the smooth factory balance on my oem wheels & tires, do I really want to rip them off to mount again in the spring?
- Other aftermarket companies are selling wheels so those are an option (though not cheap)
- To top it off, there is this tpms nonsense. I've never had a car with tpms before, so what is the common forum wisdom? Cough up the extra $200-300 and buy another set? Remove and re-use same set. I'm don't even know where these sensors are.

equ

Another solution is to buy the 17" + all-season sets that people may be taking off their base or non-sports cars. Unfortunately there are not many of these yet and it still requires the extra hassle and cost of selling those tires and buying winters.

~pino~

Unfortunately, all winter wheel options are costly.
Add in the additional expense of TPMS sensors (integrated in the valve stem) and it is even more expensive.
When we went through this dilemma last year for our Avant, we ended up with RS4 reps from Hartmann. Skyler @ Hartmann makes it as painless as possible.
We went with 18" for the Avant, but in my opinion they look a little small. The hyperblack color does look very good, however. Pics are available on their website of our car.
When ordering for the S5, again I turned to Hartmann, but this time ordered RS4 reps in 19", learning my lesson from the Avant. I haven't put them on the S5 yet, but I will again send them pictures of the car with them on for reference.

Edit: Well, looks like the pics are no longer up on Achtuning's website, so I dug up the original post here: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...highlight=pino

You can now get the HRS6 rep from Hartmann that look identical to the '09 S-line wheel (as in the pic above). You maintain the same look, but prevent the wear and tear of getting winter tires mounted and dismounted twice a year on the same set of rims.

Those two wheels look best on the B8 in my humble opinion. Stick with 19" if possible. I realize, depending on one's particular winter conditions this may not be ideal or even viable.

Cheers!

equ

What's extra annoying is that the new big bore seems to be the same as for MB. So there should be tons of MB & MB aftermarket (if you can stomach the look of some of those) to fit? Where are they?

boiler127

http://www.velocitymotoring.com/links/wheels_vb3.htm

I believe VMR has MB center bore sizes.

boiler127

you guys make good points. I think 19'' is a must or else the wheels get lost in the b8 wheel wells.

equ

Well, it turns out, on my MY 2010 a4, there are no sensors. Per recent thread, I see that my rubber valve stems imply that I have indirect TPMS. So this item is checked off the list...

mart242

it depends on where you live but if you end up with lots of snow -> slush that then freezes and makes ruts everywhere, 19" will be way too stiff and you'll end up damaging a rim