Wow, you boys take your wheels to heart thanks for your replys.
Anyway the 18s do look the part but would it be fair to say whichever size rims I choose the ride height would be have tobe dropped by 40mm?,
other wise the car would look naff. If so how much work needs tobe done. Is it a case of just chopping down the springs?. I dont know to much about the quality of repos, only they are alot cheaper than originals There is a site called wheelbase and I like the look of the gun metal finish 18 rs4 which would hopefully would suit my black A3. If I do the upgrade how would I get out of trouble if I got a flat?.
Thanks again fellas.
Seems you're in the same boat as me chap, this is what I'm currently doing to my car...
18" x 8" RS4 reps with ET35 offset - these are fitted to a standard car at the moment so in the pics is what yours will look like if you went for 18"s. As for the quality of mine, they're fine. I had a good look over them before parting with any cash but Im happy with waht I got. They're a good finish and look great, I went for the bright silver for mine although they are a gunmetal finish on the inside of the wheel which looks cool. As for if I get a flat I've kept my standard spare in the boot, I'll just stick that on if I get a puncture.
I've done loads of reading up on what spring kits to go for and I've found that a nice balance between cost and quality is the Wietec kit. I'm going for a 40mm drop and its a complete kit with shocks and springs. I'm also having thicker anti roll bars fitted at the same time so its all getting done at once. Should be a bit of a go-kart once all thats fitted. The standard cars never handled all that well, it rolls too much and its a bit soft when you're pressing on etc. I'm hoping the new bits will sort that out for me.
The Wietec kits costing me £460 fitted with a full on 4 wheel alignment afterwards and thats at Midland VW in Cannock (really helpfull so far over the phone and email). Sure, I could leave the stick suspension on it but its more for the handling than looks that I'm going for. 17's on stock shocks look alright but if you buy them you'll wish you went for 18's. A3's look the mutts nuts on big rims and dropped down a bit, far FAR better than the Golf and Leon etc.
Finally....
DO NOT CHOP SPRINGS, IT IS VERY BAD AND A SHOCKING AWFUL BODGE THAT SHOULD NEVER EVER BE DONE!!!!. IF YOU DO IT YOUR EYES WILL FALL OUT!!.
Have a look at some of the Koni kits, they're a bit cheaper than the Wietec ones. You could spend a fortune or you could spend very little on springs and shocks. All I'll say is that you get what you pay for, I've tried to go for middle of the road stuff as I dont have a bucket full of cash to splash on it. I'll try to get quality stuff though, after all its your car and I dont think you should be tight with money when it comes to big components such as springs and shocks etc.
T