howdeeaudi98

Here's the lowdown: Bought the 17 borbetts which are now straight, fairly decent with new tires. They are the winter set. I need to get a good new set for 3 season use. Was considering more than a few brands but one thing sticks in my mind. During normal use my wineglasses got bent to all hell (highway driving, no accidents, no curb rash)and I am leery of the alloy bending issues. What has been your experience with brands and the abuse your wheels can take and still stay true'd?
I am considering function 1st. I want 17's and would like to use 50-55 series sidewalls to help soften the new suspension w/ HR/ Bilstiens I've installed. Is that a good idea, the 50-55 profiles? ADDED LATER: Clarification: My new, younger, and definitely stiffer (I chose Race, and not "sport" H&R's) suspension is producing excessive cowl shake and the higher profile tires should add more touring feel than "tracking" which is good since I drive mucho miles in my cruiser, and don't track her yet. I am hoping that the 50+ series will compensate a little, having lower air pressure requirements and a higher rubber-to-reinforcing-metals content in the contact patch, which should balance the ride with the transmitted vibration. The current tire sidewall dimension from a 235/45 aspect is too stiff and requires too much pressure by adding to the transmission of suspension-recieved shock from road conditions. BTW..I NEVER HIT POTHOLES, OR WOOD BEAMS OR DOGS.. I didn't bend the wheels in an incident, just the hopping the moguls on the interstate 5, between Derrick Avenue and the Valencia offramp after the Grapevine. I do appreciate your responses, as maybe some people find my comments useful in reply to their questions. TYIA !!

im_cecil

I'm confused as to what you're trying to accomplish.

First off, you'll likely not find any aftermarket wheels that will be stronger than the OEMs, at least not for a decent price. The cheapies are, well, cheap and tend to be flimsy. You might find aftermarkets or replicas that equal OEMs in the mid-range. The ultra high dollar wheels are designed for lightness first, and strength second, although they can be impressively strong.

So, you've bent OEM 16" wheels, but want to go to 17"? You've installed a performance suspension, but you want to soften the ride and put on squishy high(er) profile tires? You've bought Borbets that have already been bent and aren't known to be particularly strong and want to use them in the harshest season?

OK... going to a 215/50/17 tire (the appropriate rolling diameter) will yield fewer choices out there. And it will definitely carry a lower load rating. The A6 is a heavy car, and Audi's attempt at spec'ing a 225/45/17 tire ended up in a recall because of inadequate load rating. Caveat emptor. I won't say that a 215 is too narrow because that's the stock size, but most people want a wider contact patch. And most aftermarket 17" wheels will be 7.5" or 8" wide, which may be sub-optimal for a 215 tire anyway.

Plus it seems to be counter to the parts you've put in.

April

the hassles with finding or fixing wheels on a regular basis.

Volk makes some good wheels, as do semi-forged SSR. There are other high end forged wheel makers you should track down. Avoid gravity cast wheels like the plague.

Also avoid small time boutique brands that come and go - you may need another wheel in a year or two, and be sol, without even a large resale market in used wheels to tap into.

im_cecil

16" or 17", quality aftermarket or OEM. Stay with the recommended tire size -- workarounds or tricks usually don't come out right, unless you have a specific need or reason to do so (especially since you're proposing to go in the "wrong" direction). And quit hitting potholes. ;-)

6sidua

on the tire side toyos...the ts-1 comes in:
215/225/235/245x45 and 255x40 or 215x50 these are all correct adequate load rating or exceed the audi specs. good three season tires with plenty of grip but a softer side wall the the s03 or michelin.

i think the best would be from the 45 series...235 or 245. i am using 235 on a s6avant..no complaints.

as an all season with max performance the proxy 4s are very nice to, and come in 215/225/235/245x45 sizes too with correct load rating.

you will need to use a tire calculator to determine which ones are the same rolling diameter as stock. up to 2% larger is fine..1% small is ok too.

for wheels
the low price, light weight, high strength rule....says
pick two from the list or compromise on the least important of the three.

bbs and oz (like the new superturismo) make strong wheels with moderate prices and weights.
these are good choices. and not too pricey in 17s

a near new/used set of avus/s4 or s6 can be had for 200 per wheel give or take 50. i think someone here was considering selling a set recently. moderate weight, moderate strength...good looks too.

i also suggest the german make, rondell from the wheelexchange. i am very happy with my set...strong, lighter than stock, great finish and price. these are a well know brand in europe/uk and t.u.v. approved is the highest rating given in germany.

so with a tire from above and used avus....$1600 or so and with new rondells 1800$ and with new ozs/bbs 23-2500$

how's that for a plan??
cheers

howdeeaudi98

Thank you for responding to my query. The info you gave is def something I am going to have to consider. Here is a clarification: The Borbetts are probably used 4-15 days a year. They are 7.5 width, and have 235/45's mounted now. That width appears to work within the space, plus quite a bit for rare extended suspension travel. I live in SoCal now, so my "winter" set can look like vw steel rims for all I care, and they will get bent, etc. Better to do that than buy a new 3 OEMs at 450 a pop, plus new skins,at another 400 or >, and then replace them with 18's while I experiment with dialing in the suspension. They are expendable, period. I bought them for the quick solution to my problem, namely they aren't pounding the schnick out of my new bushings and shocks while I look for the final everyday set. The suspension is tight which delivers on the control and handling aspects of my project, for the physics of a lower center of gravity, plus the wheel well gap works well with the upsized rim. Real driving attributes, such as lower center of gravity, bump steer corrections,and reduced understeer, were actual issues which were solved well by the suspension renewal/upgrade I finished doing myself, last week. This combined new Ca's and bushing rear, New CA's upfront, and new bilstiens w/HR Race's all-around. The car I bought came with Sport Springs and Sways, but were matched up, not with sport struts, but with OEM B0ge's. A not so good mix. So I picked up performance, but added some pronounced cowl shake to some degree, which might not bother a driver who puts 1K miles a month on his car, but I put 3K+ on mine every month and such conditions can be really annoying, especially since formerly quiet little rattles turn into full time, stereo-competing nagmeisters under the new suspension setup. So I fixed the rattles and am looking to achieve a lesser degree of cowl shake by isolating the shockwaves the new suspension translates through the body to avoid creating more rattles in interior parts of the car especially on concrete stretchs and the Grapevine which has those sliding concrete road surfaces which get angled in freeze/thaw cycles. That, in a longish nutshell is what I'm trying to achieve. Audi may be forward-thinking car builders, but they don't build wheels, so the term "OEM" doesn't hold as much credibility unless I am looking for a deep pocket to sue when the wheel fails and I end up typing with a stick clenched between my jaws. Again thank you for responding. I appreciate the time you took.

howdeeaudi98

Thank you. That was the input I was looking for. The buckage issue isn't a problem, just a matter of temporary priorities. So that was Rondell, not Ronal? I'll be looking into those. I won't go used again for anything unless I can have them checked out properly before I buy. Honestly I could've tossed the Borbetts, and been even on the tire price alone for the $550 I spent. I do like the Avus Design, but not many of the look-a-likes. I'll be saving this page on pdf for near future reference. Thank you again for spending the time giving me your experience and references. Much Appreciated.

6sidua

since audi doesn't build wheels...well technically they do now....i think they purchased bbs recently. but for the most part they are looking for a maker how can meet the specs AND produce the volume needed. many small makers exceed specs but don't have the capacity to feed the volume a vw/audi need.

point is oem isn't better and oem venders change during the production of a single model/year.

one thing the dealer can do is sell you a wheel warranty. these cost about the same a one replacement and provide good coverage.

some wheel makers/merchants offer a rim warranty too.
cheers

howdeeaudi98

Hmm it never occured to me that a separate warranty would be available for the dealer wheel purchase. Thanks for the tip. That makes the OEM set more appealing for long term use.
Thanks again for the add-on. Appreciated.

howdeeaudi98

Thank you for the manufacturing method comments. Precisely the type of information I was looking for, aside from brands. I am not well read on the types of wheels other than styles, in fact the last time I checked out wheels for a car, gravity cast was being touted as the newest and greatest thing. Uh oh..I just dated myself.
TY again for the response to my question. Much appreciated.