New wheel choice advice
 

Hi all,

Currently I have the 18" ten spoke alloys. I like the 18" the ride is good and the tyres are not expensive to replace. However the wheels are a nightmare to clean, takes me much longer to clean them than it does to wash and dry the whole car.

So I am thinking of changing them.

The current size is 18" 8j 28mm offset.

I can't find any I like in that exact size but I have found these..

http://cdn3.wheelbasealloys.com/18de...98_998_600.jpg

They are 18" 8j so the current tyres will swap over.

The offset starts at 32 though, so does that mean I must have a spacer to get them back to match the current offset, or I can go without a spacer and they will be a couple of mill differently placed?

This is the site link to the wheels. http://www.wheelbasealloys.com/alloy...lished/18-inch

Any one know anything about Dezent, searches reveal good and bad stories. They are German ( I think) so they ought to be good.

I have also seen these which seem to have an exact size match :-)

http://www.makwheels.it/public/images/11213.jpg

http://www.makwheels.it/EMP0000000297.asp

preferences?

Funny I'll be going the other way as I think the 18's look lost in the arches on these things, albeit I can understand the argument on the ride front.

I know what you are saying is right ascetically but I've been there with 20" wheels and skinny tyres.

Every bump comes through and potholes are a killer. Plus the less rubber and bigger the hole in the middle, the more expensive the tyre :mad:

The first D4 I drove had S8 21"'s on and whilst you could feel the initial hit of anything on the road, I felt it handled the rest of the impact extremely well (Much better than my D2 S8 on 20's)

I'm hoping 20's with a sensible section tyre will be a reasonable compromise on a D4.

21" tyres are an outrageous price.

Middle ground with 19s? That 2nd set you've posted look like Audi Rotors and I'd be tempted by a set of those if you can get the right offset for the d4

For some reason I nearly always find myself drawn to factory rims over aftermarket unless the car they're going on is heavily modified

Eta:

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb37/s1ras/A3-3.jpg

Buy a set without tyres and fit ones to match the rolling radius to give more sidewall :)

A 20" set of those is my preferred choice long term.

I've ordered the Mak wheels as shown above. Will swop the tyres over and post a pic when done :-)

The ones I ordered are exactly the same size as the ones I am taking off.

MAK Stadt 8x18 5x112 ET28 66.6 (ET 28)

They are specific Audi fit.

66.6 is the hub size (central hole)

Got s cracking price from Tyreleader in Germany with free delivery!!

Cheers

I have the 20's on mine with Goodyear tyres
Previous d3 had 19's five spoke sport wheels which seemed prone to buckling and cracking in my experience don't think I had a straight wheel on the car :rolleyes:
I can honestly say the ride isn't compromised and the suspension works well IMHO with20's
What I do notice is the tyre roar though which seems worse in a very quiet motor and changes dramatically with the varying surfaces. My wife says I am too fussy and thinks the car is superb +++
I will maybe look to try another tyre when the time comes to empty my bank balance and replace the buggers :ROFL:
But they handle really well and I certainly don't notice any bumps around town and I drive with the suspension in sport/dynamic mode most of the time. A vast improvement on the previous Merc which had 18's and felt like I was driving on solid tyres most of the time :(
Personally I think the car looks better with the bigger rims they fill the arches better but to change tyres and wheels is a big outlay. I'll be interested to see what they look like when you have them on all the best
Cheers glyn