16" alloys to replace 18"

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WAFTER

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New owner and new to Audi having just purchased an '09 A3 Cab. S-Line.
Ride on 18" with sports suspension too hard and am advised that 16" alloys with higher profile tyres will give me a softer ride. Can live with the looks of the smaller wheels as comfort more than image is a priority ( self and partner have back problems ).
Browsing Ebay etc shows plenty buyers 'claiming'' their early A3/A4 even A5 16" wheels will fit ALL cars as do the numerous websites selling new wheels & wheel/tyre packages. The cynic in me tells me they are only interested in making a sale. Audi want silly money for new set. I want to avoid the aftermarket suburban Halfords look. Will want to retain existing 18" when it comes to sell time.
Have tried checking out specification offset etc & assurances that wheels WILL fit but seem to have come to a dead end.
Your collective advice much appreciated.
 
Any genuine set of 16 inch wheels from A3 8P should fit. The bolt pattern needs to be 5x112
 
Have you considered going for genuine 17s with a thicker profile tyre? Just had a quick browse for 16s on ebay but hardly any genuine wheels came up.

There was alot more variety for 17s, Also be wary of what you pay i have just seen people wanting absurd money for 16-17 wheels.
 
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And 16s don't cut it in the looks department either.
 
I was about to offer you a swap for my 16s until you said you wanted to retain your 18s..

There are quite a few Mercedes wheels in 16s if you wanted something similar. They should also be a straight fit
 
17s with a 45 or larger profile tyre would be a better job

As sailo said 16s wont look like much!
 
Another thing worth mentioning is the fact, that s-line suspension is quite a bit harder than standard.
 
I picked up 17" wheels, great condition with tyres for £250, can't really go wrong. I wouldn't drop to 16", these tend to be older and more expensive.

Don't forget that ride is effected by the tyres too, have a look a reviews and see how the tyres you have compare to others, you may not need to change wheels but just change to softer tyres.
 
If the ride is too hard on 18"s with balloon tyres then you don't want 20"s with 225/30/20s :laugh:

DSC09652.jpg
 
Ta for that bit of techy info - most useful
 
Oh God my sciatica and slipped disc hurt just looking at that
 
Ah but would not a thicker profile ie less deep tyre mean a small diameter, or am I being thick? Don't answer that last bit!!!!!
 
Yeah I know but am trying very hard not to be too bothered about that - until a fellow poster suggested 17" with deeper tyres. Maybe a paired-spoke 16" version of the existing 18" ????????
 
Agree with £250 as going rate having just sold a spare set alloys & tyres for a Honda S2000 - they were 16" on odd ball tyres which I used in winter to preserve beautiful shiny polished OE 17". Honda S2000, now that was a hard ride!!
 
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if you want a soft ride why did you go for the s-line as its the sport model of the line up lol , get some 17's and you'll be fine have browse on ebay prob loads on there
 
I sold my 17" Sport wheels in good nick with tyres for £200, I'd be checking ebay for starters, NOT THE STEALER!
 
TBH if ride quality was a priority should of disregarded an Audi all together! However 45 profile on a 17" with 235 width should be pretty comfy, these will have nice chunky sidewalls. Also research into different tyres and models as sidewall stiffness makes a big difference also- run flats are a prime example.
 
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I find my Audi ride quality to be fine on 17s, although admittedly a sport rather than s-line. My last car, a Honda Civic Type S GT had the same size of tyres, but was rock hard in comparison. Depends what you're used to I guess.
 
I wanted a compact cabriolet, a sort of 2 + 2 & thus the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 were for me the only contenders. Test drove 3 diffferent models & thought the BMW's were poor quality and ride so so. Salesmen where forever going on and on about the wonders of rear wheel drive, the hood took ages to operate and the interiors bleak and bland beyond description. The service from the sales staff at 4 different dealers was rubbish & in one case downright rude. All staff encountered were pushy and arrogant like the cars image which has dimishing status & in my opinion all BMW's and convertibles in particular have a whiff of 'council' about them.
Audi was a no brainer & ALL dealer staff encountered were professional and courteous yet with a quite confidence that said we have a superior product, we don't need to push it and there MIGHT be a deal on price but not much.
The S-line purchased had all the toys and in the only colour sought, was a cracker which couldn't be turned down, although I knew I might have ride issues ( I test drove 3, a Sport and 2 S-Lines ) The ride issues are not serious and I suspect a slight change of wheels/tyres will make enough difference. The collective wisdom here seems 17" with the right tyres IS the route to go.
 
Ta for this. Not impressed with the design or condition, & would prefer to see before buying. Also like the idea of buying wheels only which could be re-furbished if needed, as have brilliant local tyre dealer who for more than 30 years has beaten everybody on price.
Me also notes advice on this ever helpful forum that 17" might be as good a route to go.
 
yeah you would be much better on 17's mate , 16's would just look daft on a s-line to be fair , 225/45/17 tyres i think are standard on oem 17's on a3's from what i can remember ive had 18's on my car since i had it for 4 days so never had to buy a 17" tyre lol
 
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