Smallest wheels possible

[kanecullen89]

Hi all,

Does anyone know the smallest wheels available that will fit on my A4 3.0 tdi?
I know caliper clearance will be an issue.

I'm not sure if the 3.0 tdi shares it's brakes with any other B8 models but I'm sure I've seen people with 16" steels on.

The reason for this is because I'm looking at getting some steel wheels to mount winter tyres on and I want the smallest wheels possible so that they take up the smallest amount of room when storing during the non snow seasons

 

[Daggerit]

I think that you would be close with 16" wheels as the discs are 320mm diameter and if the caliper sticks out another 1.5" or so then that's 16.5" diameter. The caliper may not stick out this far beyond the edge of the disc but I don't have mine nearby to look at just now. I think that if you get the winter wheel pack that Audi offer they give you 17" alloys but I could be wrong.

 

[adamss24]

17" is the minimum you can fit over the 320mm brakes, they need to have a low offset and flat spokes as much as possible,try them before paying !

 

[kanecullen89]

Ah thanks very much. I know it sounds strange but there are a lot of transporter T5 wheels for sale on ebay: http://bit.ly/16qIUBM

I think they look quite cool. Would they fit as a winter wheel with winter lower profile (lower than van) tyres?

 

[adamss24]

Ah thanks very much. I know it sounds strange but there are a lot of transporter T5 wheels for sale on ebay: http://bit.ly/16qIUBM

I think they look quite cool. Would they fit as a winter wheel with winter lower profile (lower than van) tyres?

T5 has a different PCD 5x130 so they won't fit audi's unless q7/touareg or porsche cayenne... You might want to try some mercedes van wheels but they will need drilling and the hub is larger so a spigot ring is required. You could find a set of 17 or 18" space savers but they will need banding and will not fit over the ATE caliper... Buy some cheap 17" a4/a6 wheels with loads of clearance and spray them black if you want them as winters !

 

[Daggerit]

T5 has a different PCD 5x130 so they won't fit audi's unless q7/touareg or porsche cayenne... You might want to try some mercedes van wheels but they will need drilling and the hub is larger so a spigot ring is required. You could find a set of 17 or 18" space savers but they will need banding and will not fit over the ATE caliper... Buy some cheap 17" a4/a6 wheels with loads of clearance and spray them black if you want them as winters !

That would definitely be my advice. They don't have to be 100%, as long as the hold air and balance up alright.

 

[Tolak]

Bear in mind, although you want smaller rims to reduce the storage, you need to have tyres that give (approximately) the same rolling diameter, so no space will be saved.
You will benefit from smaller rims because the tyres are (much) cheaper for the smaller rim sizes, and the larger sidewall will ease the ride over lumps of snow, etc fallen off other vehicles. Not to mention the inadvertent kerb incursion.

But don't forget you can also buy narrower rims. Again, this benefits the price, but also the narrower tyres give a smaller contact patch, so higher contact force, which helps cut through water, snow, etc. And this will reduce your storage space requirements.

But remember; if the rims that come off don't fit in the same storage hole, you will need a different storage location in the winter to that in the summer. Pick the storage to support the largest wheels, and use the difference for other seasonally adjusted storage (eg de-ice spray, scrapers, windscreen covers, etc)

But, yes, I have recently got a set of smaller rims (both diameter and width) for winter tyres. Went OEM so all fittings standard, but lower down the range for the same car.

 

[desertstorm]

17" is the minimum you can fit over the 320mm brakes, they need to have a low offset and flat spokes as much as possible,try them before paying !

Hello Chris, I have sold the Passat and bought a B8 3.0 TDI Quattro with 320 mm brakes and I was very suprised to find that you can get 16 inch wheels over the front calipers. They have to be the correct offset but they do fit.
I tried one of the 16 inch wheels off the Passat, I know it has a 57.1mm CB but the wheel fitted over the caliper and brake dust shields. It is a snug fit.
I have seen pictures of 3.0 TDI's with 16 inch rims.
The S4 345MM brakes will fit under 17 inch wheels. Calipers are different on the B8 to the B7.
Audi A4 2008 - Wheel & Tire Sizes, PCD, Offset and Rims specs - Wheel-size.com

I bought some 7 spoke standard wheels A4 wheels and fitted part worn 225/50/17 winters. Should be a lot better than the 245/40/18 S line wheels and tyres it came with.

Karl.

 

[DeadRock]

I have just put a set of 16 inch steel wheels fitted with 225/55 R16 99V XL winter tyres on my 3.0 TDI Quattro BE. They may not look that good compared to the 19's but they do fit. Wheel size is 16 inch 7½Jx16H2 ET45.

 

[desertstorm]

I was going to buy a set of 16 inch alloys off Fleabay but in the end bought some second hand 7 spoke items as in the future I may upgrade the front brakes to 345mm and then I would be looking for another set of winter wheels.
Out of interest does the car feel any different with the 16's compared to 19's . Any difference in mpg or performance ?.
Karl.

 

[desertstorm]

Hi all,

Does anyone know the smallest wheels available that will fit on my A4 3.0 tdi?
I know caliper clearance will be an issue.

I'm not sure if the 3.0 tdi shares it's brakes with any other B8 models but I'm sure I've seen people with 16" steels on.

The reason for this is because I'm looking at getting some steel wheels to mount winter tyres on and I want the smallest wheels possible so that they take up the smallest amount of room when storing during the non snow seasons

The circumference of the tyres on a 16 inch wheel will be the same as a 19 so they will take up pretty much the same amount of space. Assuming you fitted 225/55/16 tyres to the winter wheels and had 245/40/18 tyres on the car at the moment if you stacked the wheels up the 16 inch wheel stack would be 80mm shorter than the 18 inch wheel stack, not much of a difference really.

 

[DeadRock]

I was going to buy a set of 16 inch alloys off Fleabay but in the end bought some second hand 7 spoke items as in the future I may upgrade the front brakes to 345mm and then I would be looking for another set of winter wheels.
Out of interest does the car feel any different with the 16's compared to 19's . Any difference in mpg or performance ?.
Karl.

The car feels fine on the 16's but there is definitely a noticeable difference compared to the 19's. I was running Michelin Pilot Sport 255/35 tyres on the 19's and now have a set of Goodyear Ultragrip 225/55 winter tyres on the 16's. More side wall together with a softer compound and a M+S tread pattern all makes for quite a change in feel but I still have complete confidence in the car when pushing on in good conditions and even more now in the wet and snow. Within reason of course. Doesn't matter how much grip or traction you have as the thing will still get stuck when the snow gets too deep. Luckily I have a Land Rover Defender for when it gets really bad…and a snow plough.

As far as performance and economy go I would have thought any losses or gains would be negligible. The percentage difference in rolling circumference between the 16's and 19's is in the order of 1% so hardly anything at all. The car obviously handles a hell of a lot better in the snow with the winter tyres on though!

 

[Tolak]

Bear in mind, although you want smaller rims to reduce the storage, you need to have tyres that give (approximately) the same rolling diameter, so no space will be saved.
...
But don't forget you can also buy narrower rims. Again, this benefits the price, but also the narrower tyres give a smaller contact patch, so higher contact force, which helps cut through water, snow, etc. And this will reduce your storage space requirements.

But remember; if the rims that come off don't fit in the same storage hole, you will need a different storage location in the winter to that in the summer. Pick the storage to support the largest wheels, and use the difference for other seasonally adjusted storage (eg de-ice spray, scrapers, windscreen covers, etc)

The circumference of the tyres on a 16 inch wheel will be the same as a 19 so they will take up pretty much the same amount of space. Assuming you fitted 225/55/16 tyres to the winter wheels and had 245/40/18 tyres on the car at the moment if you stacked the wheels up the 16 inch wheel stack would be 80mm shorter than the 18 inch wheel stack, not much of a difference really.

I'm aware I've been quoting the maths for tyre sizes, etc, and that there are variations between the different brands for the same nominal profile. So rolling diameters are nominal, and may also vary by up to 2*8mm for relative wear.
The same applies for widths; although any tyre should have its widest point defined by the tyre definition for width, the 4*(245-225) calculation cannot be guaranteed. Just be happy these winter wheels are *about* 3" narrower in the stack than the summer wheels, and think what you can use all that wonderful space for (like storing the winter toolkit, like windscren de-icer, scrapers, etc, etc) even if you don't use the space inside the rims.

And, of course, we are assuming you don't have too much "poke".