what difference will there be 3sdm 0.01

[NOZ]

hi

looking in to getting some new rims and have decided on the 3sdm 0.01 alloys but as yet cant decide on 18" or 19" and im looking to you guys for some help. 2.0 tdi sline avant

here is what I want to achieve I want the wheels to be flush or just slightly protrude the wheel arches. and want to fill the arches more if you have any photos of your car to help me out that would be great

questions . what looks best staggered or 9.5 all round
what are the FORS & AGAINST'S to running 19"

will I have to get all 4 wheels aligned / camber checked if I go with 19"

here is the kinda look I want

Photos courtesy of Whopper (great looking car m8)

thanks in advance Noz

 

[ajax1976]

Is your car lowered?

 

[NOZ]

no its not

 

[ajax1976]

Personally I'd be looking into lowering it, you'll never fill the arches no matter if 18's or 19's and in general aftermarket wheels just look odd on cars with standard ride heights. 3sdms especially do not look good on stock height cars and 19's because of the reduced tyre will look silly.
Chuck on a set of H&Rs, Eibachs or even coilovers add some 19" 0.01 3sdm with offsets of around 35ish and boom, different outcome, a great looking car!!!

 

[eddscott]

This is my 170Avant with 3SDM 19s, staggered.

I have since put a Capra splitter on the front which makes the car look much lower and sets it off very nicely. Easy to fit too.

I had the wheels done at the same time as having Eibach 50/40 springs fitted. Can't remember the tyre sizes but theres a thread on here where I ask another member for the sizes for his.

Mine dont stick out as much as the car in your pic. My car doubles as a taxi service for my 12 yo daughter and her friends and with 3 of them in the tyre/wheel will rub the arch - but only gently. Its not a problem.

Ride-wise the SLine suspension is hard to start with and I honestly don't think it is any harder with the Eibachs. Going slowly over bad roads it bumbles about but again really nothing to worry about IMO.

I'm very happy with the changes.

 

[NOZ]

thanks eddscott

nice car!! what about shockers are they standard ? i've heard that standard shocks will give up after a few months with springs fitted I don't know if there's any truth in that ?? to be real honest I know very little about this subject but hey that's what these forums are for
I have also thought the best option for me would be coilovers but would it just be the case of fitting them finding the height i'm looking for and bosh that's it. Or is there more to it ? ie do the suspension arms need adjusting ,the camber and tracking ( with the 19" 3sdm's fitted ) steep learning curve lol

 

[ajax1976]

thanks eddscott

nice car!! what about shockers are they standard ? i've heard that standard shocks will give up after a few months with springs fitted I don't know if there's any truth in that ?? to be real honest I know very little about this subject but hey that's what these forums are for
I have also thought the best option for me would be coilovers but would it just be the case of fitting them finding the height i'm looking for and bosh that's it. Or is there more to it ? ie do the suspension arms need adjusting ,the camber and tracking ( with the 19" 3sdm's fitted ) steep learning curve lol

Pretty much all down to your budget Noz, Coilovers are great as you can literally tune the height to your needs and it's relatively simple. Trouble is the ride, different people have very different levels of what is acceptable when it comes to ride comfort so the internet is full of conflicting advice. Depending how low you'll be running it can also affect the ride quality. I've had Weitecs on a few previous cars and the ride was great but if I set it too low the ride quality dropped off quickly. As a general rule of thumb you get what you pay for, coils £500 upwards will last longer and have better comfort levels. Best advice is to try and find others guys with different set ups and see if you can get a wee spin in their car, I think its the only way to satisfy yourself that you'll be happy with what you buy. With regards to tracking, I'd choose to wait until everything is fitted and you find the height you like, give it a month or so to settle, then get the geometry checked. The chances are once you're at the height that suits you and happy with you'll never adjust the height again.

Springs on standard shocks are ok if they're in good condition, if not then sure they'll wear out slightly quicker but nothing to worry about. There's a lot of scaremongering about, but you have to bear in mind the age of our cars and mileages, the shocks will be getting towards the end of their lives anyway. I put H&Rs springs last year on my standard shocks, cars done 85k and still drives great in fact better than it did with S Line springs. Shocks can and will go for any reason, lowering springs might contribute to it or might not. Eibach and H&R are the two big players, both drive similar(better than S Line) and lower similar although H&R quote different drop heights to Eibach but in reality I think the both lower about the same , nothing really between the two tbh.

When my shocks go I'm not sure if I'll go coilovers or just replace the shocks. I like the height I'm at but would like a tad lower, unfortunately my drive and speed humps limit how low I can go, that's why I thinking coilovers next so I can adjust to exactly what I need.

 

[seandom]

If you look at my profile I've got some shots of my car with staggered 3sdm 0.01 18s on. They do look very odd without being lowered. It's all down to the concavity of the wheels. They are really aggressive and will only look at there best when the car is slammed. That's why mine is going in on the 21st of this month to be fitted with a full air lift v2 kit, and I can't wait. It's gonna look awesome. Oh and the reason I went with the 18s is because a lot of people complain of the rough ride due to the very small profile of the tyres.

 

[DieselJake]

Difference in price between 18 and 19 inch tyres is another thing to consider, really fancy a decent set of 19 inch tyres mine are useless in general UK weather conditions

 

[seandom]

Yes too true DieselJake. And apparently 19s wear a lot faster, so I've been led to believe by others who've fitted them on the forum.

 

[ajax1976]

The difference between 18's and 19's in ride comfort I find is negligible on good suspension, certainly nothing to worry about. I've gone back to 18's for winter and honestly notice no difference, can't wait to get my 19's back on as prefer the look of the larger wheel.
As for 19's wearing faster, new one on me and can't say my experiences lend to that. What logical explanation would lead you to believe that? Other than different brands or poor geometry it beats me.

 

[seandom]

Sorry ajax1976 it was something I'd read on a forum. People were just talking about ride quality on what they called rubber band tyres, but I can't remember where it was that I read about it now. They were also talking about rubbing issues with 19s and 20s on the inner arches, and how they had to either buy stretched tyres or spacers to solve the problem. But honestly it was just something I'd read about and not experienced myself.

 

[ukphillad]

If you're looking for 3SDM 0.01 they must be on a car that's lowered. One of the users (T3nnant) on AS has them on his B7, without any lowering and this is what it looks like..

http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr181/Tennant101/october onwards/DSC_0185_zpsfd98a06d.jpg

There are many options for lowering the car, such as Coilover suspension (best in my opinion if your car is a daily), air suspension (great but very dear) and lowering springs.

All depends on your budget what you're looking for, if you're planning on displaying the car in shows and have about 2k laying around, definitely get Air. Another pro of it is the fact that you can adjust it at any time with a press of a button.
If you're interested in that setup or wanna find out more info, i know air lift performance do them but think their UK equivalent is called Drive Rite.

Coilovers are great as you can adjust them to whatever height you want (so eg. for shows drop it properly and for daily driving you can bring the height up) There are many cheap sets out there, but beware of the cheaper ones as you will have issues such as knocking and other problems. KW and CKS are the best ones around in my opinion.

Lowering springs are as the title, springs that will drop your car without any possibility of modification.

It's up to yourself but I think, like the lads said before, you should consider choosing some form of slamming the car whether you go for 18's or 19's. Personally on a car like that, I would go for 19's which will fill up the space nicely and with a drop it will just look excellent. The pictures that you wanna go for are from Whopper's car and it's one of the nicest A4's I have seen on the forum, but am fairly certain he fitted coilovers on his. Hope this helps a tiny bit

 

[NOZ]

Thanks fellas. For all the comments I think I'm gonna go with the 19" 3sdm's and then some coilovers. For sure so I can adjust them but now Im undecided. As to go for 19 staggered or 9.5 all round. Hmm :|

 

[seandom]

Yes I helped in T3nnant's choice of wheels. I ordered my air lift v2 kit from air lift uk and has just cost me £2830, and studio incar are fitting it for £500. A lot of money but I think it's well worth it as when it's on I'll be able to show my car and get down a lot of the lanes when I go fishing.

 

[ukphillad]

Thanks fellas. For all the comments I think I'm gonna go with the 19" 3sdm's and then some coilovers. For sure so I can adjust them but now Im undecided. As to go for 19 staggered or 9.5 all round. Hmm :|

Good choice man Once you have it all fitted and set up, pics would be appreciated

Seandom, the wheel choice is quality, 3SDM's on A4 look the business, wanna get a set myself soon (whenever I have cash lying around) and if you have Air set up on it, must look ridiculous. Is the set that you ordered from Air Lift uk inclusive of all parts and cabling or did you have to get any parts separately?

£500 for fitting sounds expensive, but then again, if you wanna have it done properly, I wouldn't attempt to fit it myself..

 

[seandom]

Yes ukphillad the kit has everything required for fitting. It's a pretty big job. I was expecting a lot more money for fitting to be honest. It's gonna take 2 men between 2 to 4 days to fit and setup. I was going to perform the job myself, but it meant I would of had to purchase all the tools as I sold all mine a few years ago when I stopped being a mech. Plus you've got the four dreaded top track control arms to deal with. Split any of them and it's more money. It's all booked in to be fitted on the 27th so after it's fitted I'll post some pics up of the car

 

[ukphillad]

Ah yeah, it's a big job alright. Sounds like a plan, once she's running on air, definitely put some pictures up

 

[ajax1976]

Sorry ajax1976 it was something I'd read on a forum. People were just talking about ride quality on what they called rubber band tyres, but I can't remember where it was that I read about it now. They were also talking about rubbing issues with 19s and 20s on the inner arches, and how they had to either buy stretched tyres or spacers to solve the problem. But honestly it was just something I'd read about and not experienced myself.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet

Rubbing generally comes with the wheels width and or combination of lowering and offsets etc not the Diameter of the wheel. If it rubs on a 19" wheel it will rub on a 18", 17" wheel of similar width as the rolling radius should always be roughly about the same. Wheel gets bigger, tyre gets thinner to compensate but overall diameter stays roughly the same.

 

[ajax1976]

Thanks fellas. For all the comments I think I'm gonna go with the 19" 3sdm's and then some coilovers. For sure so I can adjust them but now Im undecided. As to go for 19 staggered or 9.5 all round. Hmm :|

Great choice, car will look great lowered on 19" 3SDMS.

Fairly popular wheel so time to scour the internet and see if you prefer staggered or the 9.5" wheel, loads of pictures around.

 

[seandom]

ajax1976 I've found the site where I'd read about lower profile tires having a shorter life. Have a read and tell me what you think. The Cons of Low-Profile Tires | eHow

 

[ajax1976]

ajax1976 I've found the site where I'd read about lower profile tires having a shorter life. Have a read and tell me what you think. The Cons of Low-Profile Tires | eHow

Technically what they are saying isn't wrong but I personally feel it's a load of generalised nonsense.

They are using the fact that high performance cars have lower profile tyres therefore have a higher speed rating attached to them so will wear faster. To me the tyre wears quicker because of the speed rating ie the softer rubber not because of it's profile. You can buy a 60 profile 17" tyre from Pirelli that isn't a low profile but carries the Y speed rating, will it last longer than a Y rated low profile Pirelli tyre??? I don't think so.
And on the other hand I bet the majority of these low profile tyres from the Far East, Nangkangs etc will have a fairly low speed rating as compared to Pirelli, Michelin etc low profile tyres. I would put money on a low profile Nangkang lasting more miles than a Y rated normal profile tyre Pirelli.

Apologies to the OP for Spamming your thread!!!

 

[seandom]

Yeah I feel exactly the same as you about it all. I think as long as your happy with the way it handles and the way it looks then it doesn't matter. I was gonna choose 19s though but I think it was mainly the difference in the cost of the tires.

 

[seandom]

Anyway NOZ you definitely won't be disappointed No matter what size they are as they are beautiful wheels. Make sure you get yourself a set of wheel woolies though from the clean your car website as they are a bit of a ****** to clean ;-)

 

[steve wallace]

my old b6 on 3sdm 8.5x19 fronts and 9.5x19 rears on standard sport suspension

 

[NOZ]

Thanks. For all the input Steve your B6. Looks bang tidy with the wheels.

 

[steve wallace]

Thanks. For all the input Steve your B6. Looks bang tidy with the wheels.

cheers, it did till some drunk did this

that happened 2 days before new year
so ive just bought a 55 plate s line in grey and the wheels are off on that

 

[NOZ]

cheers, it did till some drunk did this

that happened 2 days before new year
so ive just bought a 55 plate s line in grey and the wheels are off on that

whack up some photos Steve would like to see

 

[steve wallace]

the wheels wont be fitted to the new one till spring
don't want to damage them when the snow comes

 

[unitzero]

Yes ukphillad the kit has everything required for fitting. It's a pretty big job. I was expecting a lot more money for fitting to be honest. It's gonna take 2 men between 2 to 4 days to fit and setup. I was going to perform the job myself, but it meant I would of had to purchase all the tools as I sold all mine a few years ago when I stopped being a mech. Plus you've got the four dreaded top track control arms to deal with. Split any of them and it's more money. It's all booked in to be fitted on the 27th so after it's fitted I'll post some pics up of the car

I would say it's slightly exaggerated that it will take 2 guys up to 4 days to fit. Me and a mate did mine over 2 days which would have been all done in one day if we'd had a ramp.

To the OP, I would consider going for suspension before buying wheels as a lowered car on standard wheels looks loads better than a standard height car on aftermarket wheels IMO

 

[seandom]

I would say it's slightly exaggerated that it will take 2 guys up to 4 days to fit. Me and a mate did mine over 2 days which would have been all done in one day if we'd had a ramp.

To the OP, I would consider going for suspension before buying wheels as a lowered car on standard wheels looks loads better than a standard height car on aftermarket wheels IMO

Yes m8 your correct it should only take 2 days, but they have booked a bit of extra time because he said sometimes they can run into some unforeseen problems. It's still £500 for a standard install though No matter how much time is allotted. They said that if you require a custom install then only your budget is the factor lol

 

[unitzero]

Ah right, I see. We ran in to a few problems, mainly removing the rear springs required is to drop the bottom arm and remove the brakes etc !!

I take it yours is in for fitting now ? Bet you're wishing the days away until you can get it back and play with the switches ! Air is really the way to go, I'm on my 3rd bagged car now - it's so convenient if you like lots of lows but need your car to be practical too.

 

[seandom]

Ah right, I see. We ran in to a few problems, mainly removing the rear springs required is to drop the bottom arm and remove the brakes etc !!

I take it yours is in for fitting now ? Bet you're wishing the days away until you can get it back and play with the switches ! Air is really the way to go, I'm on my 3rd bagged car now - it's so convenient if you like lots of lows but need your car to be practical too.

Yes buddy I'm chewing my arm off waiting for a phone call lol. It doesn't help that I had to wait for 2 weeks before it was due in. It needs to be practical for me too as I do a lot of carp fishing. That's why I chose an avant too lol. And if That's your car in your signature then it looks stunning matey. I don't think I could of got away with getting lows any other way. I've heard good things about bags though and it seems like you've had good experiences with them. So I might have done the right thing for once pmsl

 

[unitzero]

Yeah that's my avant in my sig. Only finished fitting the air at the weekend. I was running in coils for a few months but with a family to cart around and speedbumps everywhere it's the best choice.

 

[seandom]

Well buddy the Avant is a credit to you. Mine has just had limo tints and heko wind deflectors and is starting to look the business now. Only trouble is I've still got a lot planned and I have to chat the missus up and be nice every time an upgrade is on my mind. And what with all my detailing gear it's getting expensive lol. Still it was nice talking to you m8 and No doubt we'll cross paths again on here ;-)

 

[unitzero]

cheers mate
make sure you post some pics when you get yours back.

best stop thread jacking this poor guys thread now

 

[NOZ]

so i've sourced some wheels from a couple of places but have now been given these 2 issues to ponder over

option 1.
Front 19 x 8.5" 5 x 112 ET42
Rear 19 x 9.5" 5 x 112 ET35

option 2.
Front 19 x 8.5" 5x112 ET 32
Rear 19 x 9.5" 5x112 ET 35

What in your opinion is going to look better ????

 

[seandom]

Hi Noz I believe the bigger offset from option 1 pushes the hub of the wheel back making the rim of the wheel further forward towards the arch. This in turn makes the wheel look more concave. Option 2 with the smaller offset makes the wheel flatter in appearance. So it's up to you m8 on how you would like the wheel to appear

 

[ajax1976]

Hi Noz I believe the bigger offset from option 1 pushes the hub of the wheel back making the rim of the wheel further forward towards the arch. This in turn makes the wheel look more concave. Option 2 with the smaller offset makes the wheel flatter in appearance. So it's up to you m8 on how you would like the wheel to appear

In theory yes but the other way around, the lower offset should give a more concave wheel so option two would be move concave.

But in reality it's down to how the wheel is manufactured. Some cheaper wheels the offset is altered by the thickness of the hub whilst using the same face. With these wheels the concaveness is changed by the width of the wheel instead of the offset, I have a feeling 3sdms will be made like this.

 

[seandom]

Ah right. See I was led to believe that the offset measurement was from outside rim to wheel hub centre. Or is it from inside rim to wheel hub centre??