My Winter Wheels
 

Just got my spare set of FE wheels back from the refurbishers (AWR in Bury).

I thought I'd try something a little different this time. Since these are going to be my winter wheels, I decided to go a little darker -- nothing too dark, just something that would show the road salt and dirt less.

I asked for something like a light pewter/anthracite and, preferably, black on the inside, if possible. They weren't too sure if they could do it, so I think this was somewhat experimental, but I'm really pleased with the result.

The photos don't really do them justice -- in the right light they have a black/silver lead-like appearance that I think works well ...


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What y'all think?


And, what would be a good winter tyre to put on these (standard 255/35 R20 FE) wheels? :)

I think they look excellent! +++

Always liked a darker wheel :D

Really like them a lot!

My winter Fat 5s are similar in appearance in being gunmetal grey/anthracite - call it what you will - and are just great for the winter. I have just spent the last few days giving them a few coats of wax and then they will be going on. Well, whenever the warmest November for 70yrs shows a consistent drop in temperature!!
:ROFL:

I stick with 18's for winter and just let them develop a "natural patina". :o

They'll go on later this month, but not until I've done wedding car duties for #2 son. :cool:

Nice shade of grey ;). I'm also an 18" Winters man, as 20" winter tyres are too pricey for me for 4 months use. Are you looking at new or part-worn? If the latter, it's worth giving DM Tyres a call, though it's unlikely they'd have a matching set at this stage.

Nice wheels! Like the colour combination.

think they look stunning, I did think about doing mine similar to that a while back and used the car my plate came from as an example, however I dont think my all black set up would have looked as good:D

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthrea...ghlight=wheels

Thanks guys :)

Those do look nice! I was considering something similar myself originally but the only way to achieve such a sharp black/silver contrast, it seems, is to have them diamond cut, which of course isn't a very durable finish and probably not the best choice for winter use.

These were instead done by powder coating the entire wheel in black first, then applying a layer of silver powder coat to the front only, without masking off the rest of the wheel. I was worried it would look dreadful, but I'm surprised how well it worked. It's not easy to see in the photos (I'll see if I can take some better ones later) but the result is softer blend of black and silver that gives a slight pewter effect.

I think 18s are certainly the wise choice for winter use. The main reason I chose to go with 20s is because I already had a spare set of FE wheels. I bought the spare set a while ago in my endeavours/obsession to accumulate spare parts now that supplies for these cars are beginning to dwindle. Having a spare set of the rarer FE wheels seemed like a good idea at the time, but I don't really have the space to keep a third set of wheels, so I figured I'd put the spare FEs to work as my winter set.

I think I'll probably buy a new set of tyres (probably from Oponeo). They seem to be around the same price I paid for my Pilot Super Sports (around £160-ish each) and I reckon, stored properly, I should get at least 2 winters out of them.

very nice look - i've been thinking of doing similar with my wheels, but alas NOT YET.

try TyreLeader

Very similar to mine :)
Wish mine were 20's

It's very hard to capture the silver till the sun shines on it then they are realy bright silver

http://s23.postimg.org/xouwwnl4b/image.png

http://s2.postimg.org/b033tuaqx/image.jpg

I put mine on today, gives me a few months to get the standard wheels looking good

What size are those then Jimbo, 19s?

They do look quite similar. How were that black and silver combo done on yours? Were they powder coated in black then masked off for the silver?


I'm always surprised how good the FE style wheels look on D3s, despite the car's much more modern styling. In fact, between those and your other wheels, I'd find it difficult to pick a favourite.

If think ts powder coated

They are 19 inch and it's on the a8 sports suspension but they still look a tad small.

A better pic of the wheel finish

http://s22.postimg.org/6qgdar47l/image.jpg

Looking Good Ron, I think if it were me I would have them on for the summer wheels, just look better IMO

Cheers Del, I do like them now I've got them on but I've debated over what to do for a good while now. The standard wheels need a refurb but I've put it off for a year as they're not really too shabby and look fine unless closely inspected. The FE wheels have been stored for two years since I took them off my D2 but I've never really pushed selling them. The decider was an advisory two weeks ago on the two rears (the fronts haven't got much more meat on tbh) and I thought it wise to change them soon in case poor weather set in. My options were, buy new tyres and refurb the wheels, not ideal approaching winter. Buy new tyres but have the wheels done and TPMS monitors and centres caps next spring, too much hassle. Finally, fit what I already have and get the originals sorted for spring and the annual meet, best option by far in my mind.

These are 8.5J so presumably D2 wheels but I do like the look of them and they're easier to clean, and also make the brakes more visible, which I like as they're nearly new. The difference when driving it tonight with 7-8mm of tread all round compared to near the lower limit was also noticed and appreciated ;)

What size are the tyres?

Indeed they do look small. :Confused: The standard is 245/45/18 (see both cars in my sig pic) which translates to 245/40/19 or 255/35/20.
Or is the suspension rather high?

PS Love the colour, is that Agate Grey?

On your previous photos they looked two-colour (silvery front, black inside), like mine. On that photo they appear to be all one colour, a kind of gun-metal silver/grey, yeah?. I'm not sure if how that finish would look on my car, but they look stunning on yours! They really suit the colour of the car.

I'll take some better photos of my wheels once I get them on the car, if not before. You can't see it in the photos I posted, but they're a sort of blackish/silver on the front (like a light lead or pewter colour) with black inside, but they intentionally didn't mask off between colours, which has given it a blended effect on the edges where the silver becomes blacker and more pewter-like.

Had mine done a few months ago in a similar colour, anthracite outside, black on the inner rim and gloss lacquered all over. Really like them but I didn't think the chrome surrounds suited the darker wheels. I got some satin black 3M vinyl to de-chrome the surrounds.

I have some 18" 5 spoke A6 alloys with winter tyres on which I'm going to get refurbished before I put them in a week or so.

Very nice! They really suit that colour. I think the face of those are a bit darker/greyer than mine. I considered something similar but, having a black car, I didn't think they'd look right. Black is a surprisingly difficult colour in that respect I find.

With the falling temperatures I thought it was about time to put the winter wheels/tyres on. Last year I didnt bother with 20mm spacers but thought that this time I would leave them on. It certainly fills out the arches but to the extent that I might just be peppering the sides with grit etc.

Looking very smart! :)

What tyres have you got on those?

I've not got my winters on yet. Got a set of Michelin Alpin PA4s winging their way to me from Poland as I type. Might get them fitted next week if the temperatures drop a bit more.

They are Nokian WRA-3 245/50/18 104XL V bought from Dan off this forum along with the wheels before last winter. They had nearly the full 8mm of tread when I bought them and when out and about today in very heavy rain and temperatures around 4.5DegC the car felt really sure footed. +++

It's not dipped anything like that low here. Had the rain but still unseasonably mild temperatures. If the forecast proves right though, looks like the temperatures (in red, below) are heading that way next week ...

http://i.imgur.com/0j7Z6wq.png