Ron O

I thought going to a 17" from an 18" tire would be a negative experience. The opposite was true. They seemed quieter and more comfortable.
I thought I would go back to the 18"in spring but if my anticipated expectation occurs I will leave these on all year.
They may not look quite as macho as the 18" Conti but I feel more secure.
I will modify this report when I get winter snow experience, I had previously used P210 -- good in snow but very noisy. Very Pleased with the Perilli zero nero M+S 225/45/17.. 400 wear rateing<ul><li><a href="http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&amp;tireModel=PZero+Ner o+M%26S">Specs</a></li></ul>

AlanL

I have tried 17's on my car, but that was with track rubber and I only drove it that way at the track. 18" wheels should be a little more responsive for track use given less sidewall flex, but that is also what makes the ride a little harsher too.

I will be getting some 17" winter wheels (Ronal R38's) myself in a couple of weeks.

Ron O

I dont know why 36 wouldn't be better considering the larger tire cross section.

AlanL

lower profile, but I see no reason to slavishly adhere to that with a higher profile tire.

Our old B5's called for lower pressures (35-37psi) with the 17" wheels. I always found that higher pressures resulted in a rougher ride and wear patterns that showed more wear on the center of the tread than the sidewalls - a clear indication of overinflation.

4 circles

What wheels did you choose and how do they look?

Ron O

<center><img src="http://images4.fotki.com/v42/photos/4/47296/456193/Otto04S4Framed-vi.jpg?1066917248"></center><p>

DCCD

I don't have an S4 yet but I'm most likely going to be getting one in a year or so. Anyway one thing I was thinking about was the fact that the stock wheels are very heavy. So what do you do with them? Get a set of lightweight 18" for the summer and use the stocks for winter? Maybe. Or switch to 17". A set of super lightweight 17"'s would make the S4 even faster right?

mwrose

Went to 17's for winter setup. Only have a few miles on the winter setup, but intial impressions consistent with yours. Ride is a little more muted, but can definitely feel the squishiness of the winter tires (Dunlop Wintersport M3's). Looking forward to the first good snow of the year to assess winter performance.