oh no! Just realised 18s might not suit the car!

sat1983

sat1983

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I got some genuine 18" RS6 wheels the other week, ET43.
Just realised that with my car not being a sport or S line version (it's an SE) the suspension is higher than the sport an sline by 15mm.
Does it visually make that much difference looks wise fitting 18s on an SE spec? Which tyres should I go for? Brand? Size?
Help muchos appreciated! thanks!
 
lower the car - job done and it will handle a lot better.

tyre brand - depends on your budget and driving style.

personally I go for a tyre just above budget prices - I dont drive everywhere 100mph or takes corners flat out. I have Federal tyres 235/35/19, had massive tread and they have been on the car for months and I do 500 odd miles a week and still have loads of tread left! great tyre and i will get them again!

however, quite slidey in the wet but the car is remapped!
 
Isn't the ET supposed to be between 45-50?
 
yeah 43 may fowl if lowered as for tyres go for a good allround tyre no need to buy expensive ones if you dont drive the car fast all the time
 
I have ET44 lowered 50mm and 19" and no rubbing... so ET43 will be fine on a S(uv)E
 
How much does does the S line suspension cost from Audi? Or would £75 springs from Koni do the job?
Thanks!
 
get the springs i have to admit the s line suspension is pretty crap to be honest and will cost you a fortune
 
sat1983 said:
How much can I lower it by safely though?
Click to expand...

I have a special edition so as standard it came with standard springs like yours. I have out 18" RS6 ET43 (could be 42 even??) wheels on and lowered by 50mm (eibach sportlines), I have no rubbing issues whatsoever. It also looks the dogs danglies.

Stop being such a girl and go spend some money, heres a pic of what it could look like:rockwoot:

1531476505_65da350299.jpg


1472595874_3a144e9e11.jpg
 
Sat I wouldn't worry too much, put the wheels on and make a decision from there, yes the car will look better if lowered but the difference won't be massive and many people, probably the majority of Joe Public, will upgrade to larger alloys without lowering. If you think the car looks a bit too 4x4ish you can always use some lowering springs when funds allow - I personally would use Eibach if going down this route.

Ref Tyres I would never buy the cheapest regardless of how you drive, remember they are are the only point of contact between you and the road - never worth taking a chance for the sake of £20/£30 per tyre IMO.

Good luck and stop worrying it will look miles better on 18" than on the standard SE wheels even minus the lowering springs.
 
How would the standard dampers cope with better/lowered springs ?
IMO, it's the damping that's off with the S-line suspension.
It rebounds like a ****, actually making you 'ping' out of your seat on a bumpy/undulating road.
 
bowfer said:
How would the standard dampers cope with better/lowered springs ?
IMO, it's the damping that's off with the S-line suspension.
It rebounds like a ****, actually making you 'ping' out of your seat on a bumpy/undulating road.
Click to expand...

It's not too bad, I have been in worse. You are correct though, it's not like it's mega stiff, it just runs out of idea's over big bumps!:think:
 
Deanphoto said:
I have a special edition so as standard it came with standard springs like yours. I have out 18" RS6 ET43 (could be 42 even??) wheels on and lowered by 50mm (eibach sportlines), I have no rubbing issues whatsoever. It also looks the dogs danglies.

Stop being such a girl and go spend some money, heres a pic of what it could look like:rockwoot:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2397/1531476505_65da350299.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1021/1472595874_3a144e9e11.jpg
Click to expand...

Have you got more pics deanphoto?! Looks great altho 50 mil might be a bit too much for me! How does the car ride etc...?
 
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sat1983 said:
Have you got more pics deanphoto?! Looks great altho 50 mil might be a bit too much for me! How does the car ride etc...?
Click to expand...

I can take some more tonight when I finish work, as for the ride, its fine on normal roads but if you encounter big bumps it kind of runs out of ideas on the damping and bobs up and down a tad.
 
Anyone know how much S line springs cost from the dealer? It seems 100% likely that if these are not fitted, the guarantee will be void.
 
Phoned 2 different Audi dealers. One said you can't fit s Line spring to an Se..
2nd one said, he couldn't guarantee it could be done and gave me an approximate price of £50/spring.
Please people help me as no one seems to know what they are on about!!!
 
sat1983 said:
Phoned 2 different Audi dealers. One said you can't fit s Line spring to an Se..
2nd one said, he couldn't guarantee it could be done and gave me an approximate price of £50/spring.
Please people help me as no one seems to know what they are on about!!!
Click to expand...

Sat you're not taking notice of the replies.

Fit some Eibach which are designed to work alongside your current dampers and will cost around £120 plus fitting - the whole job should be no more than an hours labour for a competent garage.

Audi warranty wise the only thing they could exclude would be the actual parts you are replacing and I would be very surprised if they even noticed and having said that most german car marques use Eibach for their standard springs - go for OEM like black in colour. Try calling some of the specialist co.s in your area.
 
I was taking notice! But nobody had commented on the warranty!!! Thanks for your reply anyway!:icon_thumright:
 
Bought Continental sport contact 3's yesterday and getting the wheels fitted on Friday. See how it'll look then! If it is too high, we'll get the springs sorted, I'll post some pics later on in the week.
 
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrics where judged evo's best tyre. I've always used the Ealge F1 GSD3s but will swap over t the Asymmetrics when i next need to change tyres.

As said above if there are two things you don't skip on when maintaining a car is tyres and brakes.
 
LDoR said:
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrics where judged evo's best tyre. I've always used the Ealge F1 GSD3s but will swap over t the Asymmetrics when i next need to change tyres.

As said above if there are two things you don't skip on when maintaining a car is tyres and brakes.
Click to expand...

I too rate GSD F1 very highly and always opt for these but Sat has bought his tyres now and Conti are still pretty good if not quite up there with the new Goodyears.

My S3 has just covered 4K on its factory supplied Conti Sports, they are fine with no grip issues but this may be attributed to the quattro but I'm still going to do a back to front swap so that I can replace all 4 with the new Goodyears as the fronts still wear at a higher rate as the quattro is front wheel biased.

Post your pics Sat and we will all give our usual honest opinions.
 
Yep. Too high. Sorry.

It'll look sweet when it's sorted though so don't despair.

:)
 
I can't believe I started this thread by saying that 18s didn't suit the car. It has now been lowered on the Eibach pro-kit springs and looks so ****** sweet!! Just right, that bit lower than an Sline but still looks OEM.
The ride is what i'm amazed by, it honestly feels as confortable as the SE springs. I couldn't believe it, well pleased.
Pics later on today!
 
cant wait to see the new pics sat......how much did the wheels cost, and ET43 what model are they off
 
Have you had the car from new? Reason I ask is that it's a 56 plate so quite a new car. If so, why on earth did you order an SE in the first place, rather than a Sport? Wouldn't that have been easier?
 
Wheels were £320 off a guy on edition38. Off an A4.
It was an ex demo and was in the best nick from all the A3's I'd seen.
Right guys here are the pics, they just dont do the car justice, it does look much lower than it did a few days back!!
Could have done with 10mm more ideally! Happy it looks like an S-line now and not an all road anymore! Next- S3 bumpers.

DSC01911.jpg

DSC01908.jpg

DSC01907.jpg

DSC01904.jpg

DSC01903.jpg
 
Looks very nice indeed

Not sure if you got the emails I sent SAT but is it possible to meet up somewhere and try my lower spoiler up to your bumper as it does not seem the right fit on mine - pre facelift. (its matt you came to look at my wheels I had for sale.)
 
bowfer said:
How would the standard dampers cope with better/lowered springs ?
IMO, it's the damping that's off with the S-line suspension.
It rebounds like a ****, actually making you 'ping' out of your seat on a bumpy/undulating road.
Click to expand...

Thats bump not rebound..
 
Boydie said:
low enough?? lol :p
Click to expand...

****** hell that is low!! Bit too low for me though!

Regarding mine, can't help but think it would have looked that bit better with 10mm less, especially at the rear. But happy never the less.:)
 
Spin140 said:
My S3 has just covered 4K on its factory supplied Conti Sports, they are fine with no grip issues but this may be attributed to the quattro but I'm still going to do a back to front swap so that I can replace all 4 with the new Goodyears as the fronts still wear at a higher rate as the quattro is front wheel biased.
Click to expand...

I think you will be suprised Ive just removed my Eagle F1s after 7.5k and the tyre wear is virtually the same between front and back. The backs are bang on 6mm and the fronts are just a tad under 6mm. Just proves how much power is sent to the back of the car during normal driving when they are the same as the fronts and don't take any of the turning load.
 
Don't worry, my car isn't that low! that was just after fitting them, its now settled just over the tyres
 
Hey neighbour :)

Glad you got it sorted. Who did you use in the end?
 
JBS matey!! Was just easier to get to than awesome! And they did a spot on job!
 
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