Misunderstanding offset - allroad 16" snow wheel suggested by Tire Rack is
10-22-2005, 07:44 PM
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Misunderstanding offset - allroad 16" snow wheel suggested by Tire Rack is
16 x 6.5 x 16 ET, keeps face same relation to hub and fender, but the wheel is 1/2" narrower and hence 1/2" further away from the strut tower/suspension members than our stock OEM 17 x 7 x 22 (?) ET. (I'm equating 1/2 inch with 12 mm.) I think I have this right based on an offset calculator I ran it through.
Will this maintain proper suspension geometry? I thought the idea is to keep the wheel centered to the hub in the same basic position or relationship as the original so that the 6.5" wide wheel would be 1/4 inch in from the outer face and in from the strut as compared to the 7" OEM width. This is to maintain suspension loading at the same points, to say it without grace or proper language.
I think I have something wrong here. Can someone tell me what I don't understand? Thanks.
Will this maintain proper suspension geometry? I thought the idea is to keep the wheel centered to the hub in the same basic position or relationship as the original so that the 6.5" wide wheel would be 1/4 inch in from the outer face and in from the strut as compared to the 7" OEM width. This is to maintain suspension loading at the same points, to say it without grace or proper language.
I think I have something wrong here. Can someone tell me what I don't understand? Thanks.
10-22-2005, 08:59 PM
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OEM wheels are 7.5 wide with 25mm offset. So if you reduce
the wheel by 1" or 25.4mm you take 12-13mm off each side. ET16 is 9mm less than our 25s so the mid line of the wheel would be 9 mm further out. I don't think there will be a problem as the outside face of the wheel would be about 3-4 mm further in than stock while the inside would be about 21-22 mm further out.
It seeems that the wheel size is trying to keep the outside of the wheel approximately the same as stock for aesthetic reasons, otherwise the wheels would look too reset in the wheel wells. I don't think this would cause any real problems in geometry. Your observations seem very good and ideally a 25 mm offset would keep the center of the tire exactly the same as stock, but moving it out a half inch shouldn't be a big deal and it should look a lot nicer.
I bought a take off set of 17s from an audiworld member who was going to 18s and that could be another way to go. That AT S4 is a nice looking wheel and you can't beat the 16" tire prices for M3s or PA2s. Those tires in 17" would be about $40 more per tire.
Good luck, Bob (hoping all my numbers are right!)
It seeems that the wheel size is trying to keep the outside of the wheel approximately the same as stock for aesthetic reasons, otherwise the wheels would look too reset in the wheel wells. I don't think this would cause any real problems in geometry. Your observations seem very good and ideally a 25 mm offset would keep the center of the tire exactly the same as stock, but moving it out a half inch shouldn't be a big deal and it should look a lot nicer.
I bought a take off set of 17s from an audiworld member who was going to 18s and that could be another way to go. That AT S4 is a nice looking wheel and you can't beat the 16" tire prices for M3s or PA2s. Those tires in 17" would be about $40 more per tire.
Good luck, Bob (hoping all my numbers are right!)
10-24-2005, 10:05 AM
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I run 16x6.5 5-112 AT Italia in the winter. No offsets, look great, perform well..
That's the original allroad winter size. I really appreciate the extra sidewall when the snow gets deep. Handling is a bit worse than 17s, but that's probably due to the tire more than the width. Overall tire diameter is the same at the stock 17s. Narrower tires really do perform better in winter, tests show.
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