18" vs 17" wheels

Andyb5tdi

Andyb5tdi

B5 1.9TDi AFN
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The car in question is my 1.8t Quattro

If anyone could fill in some of the blanks it would be much appreciated :)

I bought these wheels a few weeks ago with the intention of fitting them to my B5, but I'm now thinking of fitting them to the B6

Photo


They are 7.5j and currently wearing 235/45/17"


These are the wheels currently on the B6:

Audiosf


They are 225/40/18" iirc.

My questions are:

1)Do Quattro's run the same or different offset wheels?

2) What size brakes does the 1.8t run, and will they fit under the 17" wheels? (Guessing that they will)

3) My eventual plan is to be running 300-350bhp (although this may not be for a while) What size brakes would be sensible in this case and would they fit under the 17" wheels?

4) Brakes aside, are there any negative issues in swapping to the 17" wheels?

Many thanks

Andy
 
Andyb5tdi said:
1)Do Quattro's run the same or different offset wheels?
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it's same offset.

Andyb5tdi said:
2) What size brakes does the 1.8t run, and will they fit under the 17" wheels? (Guessing that they will)
Click to expand...

Yeah they'll definately fit under 17's, think yours will be 312 front maybe? I've got 320's under 17's.

Andyb5tdi said:
3) My eventual plan is to be running 300-350bhp (although this may not be for a while) What size brakes would be sensible in this case and would they fit under the 17" wheels?
Click to expand...

Depends how big you want to go with brakes I guess I think B6 S4 brakes may be the biggest that will fit, if your taking the car on a track you might want bigger than that but for every day use I'd say the next size up are generally more than adequate and I think people often go overkill as the weight of the car will not overly change so it'll still be the same momentum that's being stopped if that makes sense? I've had the privilege of doubling a few cars horsepower and have only gone about a size up on each car max with a good set of lines, discs and pads which has been more than adequate but for track times bigger is better.

Andyb5tdi said:
4) Brakes aside, are there any negative issues in swapping to the 17" wheels?
Click to expand...

18's generally look better but 17's are usually better on weight, comfort, economy and acceleration/braking (although that's also all tyre size/choice dependent of course) so it's really a toss up to be honest. Bigger wheels generally tend to handle slightly better (or reduce body roll anyway) as theirs less tyre to flex in corners. I've recently bought a set of lightweight 17's to replace 19's just because I'm at a stage where performance and economy matter more to me than aesthetics.

Edit: Oh also you might want to double check the offset, etc of the 17's as I think some b5 wheels won't fit and vice versa but I could be wrong, worth a test fit if you decide it's the way to go, I might have a couple sets of spacers and longer bolts up for grabs soon if this helps.
 
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If you look in the spare wheel well you'll see the build sticker, if you see the letters/numbers 1LT that's for 312mm front brakes. It may be worth your while taking a photo of the build sticker to find everything it had as stock. There's a website that you can put all the codes in and it lets you know what they all are. 4B0 615 301A is the part number for the 312mm discs

http://prsearch.planetvag.com/
 
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Thanks for the in depth replies guys, it's much appreciated :sunglasses:

Have you got a build thread Jake?

Thank you Calum, you've answered my next question lol. I've had a quick look and it has got 312mm fronts

When I get 5 mins/ it stops raining I'll pull a wheel off and check the specs

I'm liking the idea of running the 17"s but will obviously check the weight of each first. TBH I'm definitely one to choose performance over looks and I'm thinking I'll do the RS4 Rarb mod so that should reduce roll a little too :grinning:
 
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Bigger wheels smaller sidewall reduces roll too


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Andyb5tdi said:
Agreed, but I'm getting old and like a little comfort too hehe

It wasn't until I got my first E30 I had the pleasure of low profile tyres at all
Click to expand...

Pfft I'm 48, something's up if it's not comfortable on 18's.


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Hehe, I'm very nearly in the same decade as you lol

That extra few mm of sidewall may make all the difference :racer:
 
Try both sets of wheels and see what you prefer comfortwise, then try a corner at 90, that'll convince you


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My 65 bhp berlingo has 175/65/14" and the B5 has 205/**/15", I'm not convinced I'll find the benefit of a few mm less of sidewall compared to the daily drivers :tearsofjoy:
 
205/**/15, dontcha know or embarrassed?


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Andyb5tdi said:
Have you got a build thread Jake?
Click to expand...

Not at the mo' mate but I might make some form of "built" thread soon as I think I'm pretty much done haha, just to let you know the RS4 rear anti roll bar didn't do much for me but I already had stiffer springs, dampers and mounts so it probably makes more of a difference if it's fitted without those.
 
DieselJake said:
Not at the mo' mate but I might make some form of "built" thread soon as I think I'm pretty much done haha, just to let you know the RS4 rear anti roll bar didn't do much for me but I already had stiffer springs, dampers and mounts so it probably makes more of a difference if it's fitted without those.
Click to expand...

Ah cool, what base did you start with?
 
Andyb5tdi said:
Ah cool, what base did you start with?
Click to expand...
It's only a 1.9tdi but with a BV43 turbo running around 180ish bhp at the mo' should be 200 soon, probably one of the most modified here as it has a b7 front end and all sorts but I've had the car over 7 years though so it's just been a progressive habbit haha :happy:.
 
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Andyb5tdi said:
Nice one! B6? I have thought about tracking my B5 tdi a few times :smiley:
Click to expand...
Yeah mate mines a B6, fair enough guess if you get this B6 good to go you could take the one on a track and know you've got a back up car just encase.
 
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