Plasticar

Like your ride. IF you are ALL black, how about doing rims in gunmetal / anthracite rather than black? Would probably make them stand out better. Just a thought.

syncopationelation

good point I think even frost has gun metal on his audi and I love the way that looks(could be wrong though).

Im sick today so spent all morning look at rims online cant wait to actually get my audi .

I have a very noob question though...How do you figure out the sizing of the rims you should get? It seems there are 3 measurements you need. Im a completely ignorant when it comes to cars and the like , but IM learning. Never had a car that inspired me to wanna mod it or anything like that.

HotRodW

There are a variety of factors that need to be taken into consideration when purchasing aftermarket wheels. I'm guessing the three key parameters you were referring to are diameter, width and ET or offset, but there are other factors. The diameter and width are pretty self-explanatory. Offset is the measurement from the wheel's centerline to the hub. The lower the offset dimension, the farther the wheels are pushed outward. Overly aggressive offsets can result in wheels rubbing fenders or sticking out too far beyond the fender. Overly conservative offsets can result in wheels that rub suspension components or the inner fender liner. It also looks really bad. Note that wheel width and offset work in tandem to determine fitment. An 8" wide wheel with a +30mm offset will be tucked 1/2" more than a 9" wide wheel with the same offset. It will also maintain a 1/2" larger gap to the suspension. Overly wide wheels may fit fine when stationary, but the front wheels could still rub when turning. If you find a wheel that you like with an offset that's too low, wheel spacers can be added to push them out.



Going up in wheel diameter, known as "plus sizing", requires an adjustment to the tire's aspect ratio (sidewall height) to maintain the same or nearly the same overall wheel diameter. You also need to make sure you purchase the correct center bore and lug pattern. Hub centric wheels are bored the specific diameter of your vehicle's hub. If the wheel's center bore is too small, you have a problem, although the wheel can be professionally machined in many cases. If the wheel's center bore is too large, hub centric rings can be purchased to make the wheel fit the vehicle's hub properly.

So yes, there is a lot involved in purchasing wheels. But if you find the right vendor, they will make the process easy. Tire Rack has a fantastic reputation in this regard, although their wheel selection leaves a little to be desired. Achtuning sells Hartmann wheels, which are very popular among members here. I personally just ordered a set of VMR's from Velocity Motoring http://www.velocitymotoring.com/ for my wife's Q5. There are a number of vendors on ebay that also sell VMR wheels at a discount, but I suggest you proceed with caution.

You will find more details and a lot of additional information at Tire Rack's website. And there are of course some very helpful members here. Good luck!

D_Frost

Birdman pretty much summed it up

And yes, mine are gunmetal...

A good thing to play around with to understand how the numbers work together would be this;

http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp

Good luck!

Daisame

I love my rims. I purchased 20" Falken rims. Gunmetal with some Yokohama tires. Got them all from DiscountTireDirect.com and got the whole set (including the tires) for about $1200. Freaking steal compared to a lot of rims and I think they look awesome.

I looked at a metric ****-ton of rims before deciding on these. I would have liked some BBS rims, but could not justify the $700 per wheel price tag.

Ohh.. and for sizing.. what everyone said about plus sizing and aspect ratio is right on target.

Noob solution is go to a decent tire site and select your vehicle and plus size and it will show you the correct aspect ratio you need(glorified calculator). Many sites have pretty good support too. I was VERY happy with DiscountTireDirect.com. Hooked me up with everything I needed, shipped it to my dealer, and made sure I got the best package price. Side note - I negotiated with my dealer at purchase to mount tires, balance and install everything.

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