18" or 19" Premium+ or S-LINE?

[Liberty603]

Hey guys

Im at a point were im trying to decide to either go with a 2010 Premium+ or S-LINE, one of the differences being that the premium package comes with 18's while the S-LINE has the 19's

obviously the ride in the 19's is going to be stiffer but I wanted to know how extreme will this be? is it so bad that i cant take a road trip with granma in the backseat?

also in terms of tire lifespan, canadiantire has 255/35 R19 in the $500 - $700 range, how much of a headache is it to maintain a set of 19's, i don't expect to do more than 20K a year in mileage.

any additional info on 18's vs 19's on the B8 A4 from your past experiences would be useful

thnx

 

[Big Bird]

I have no issues whatsoever with the 19's on my car. The ride is not stiff, road noise is not excessive and the car looks great on them! I came from an STi Impreza on 17's to my quattro on 19's and the audi is by far the better ride.

Mine has done 21k miles on it's original tyres and i have around 4mm of tread left (and i dont hang around either- quattro gets tested daily....!).

Best advise is to try a car on 19's- you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Scotty]

Liberty - I guess you're in the US based on your name and you mentioning Premium +

In the UK we don't Premium + (we basically pick and choose our options) so I'm not sure what it comes with.

I had an S-line (20mm drop - "Sports Suspension") with 19's and although it didn't feel too hard it sometimes felt a bit crashy. Since we had a baby, when I changed my car I opted for 19's but I went with the Dynamic Suspension which is great for all occasions.

If you're pondering the S-line with "S-line suspension" (30mm drop) then with 19's it's definately on the firm side and I wouldn't be happy living with it .... but I know some people are. This option was actually deleted from the configuration possibilities but it appears to be back again....at least in the UK anyway.

 

[Liberty603]

thnx for the feedback guys. @ scoTTy you were close, I am in Toronto, Canada

well the S-LINE that I am looking to purchase does have Audi Drive Select, so would this help alot?

 

[johnnythepie]

As I understand, your config if bought stock with sline and 19" wheels, the drop would be 20mm.This is how my car was configured cos i couldnt order the 19's with the proper 30mm drop.That 10mm really does make a differance.Ive had to put front and rear eibach sways on to help but not cure the roll.Major influence is the tyres your using.Bridgestones will give a stiffer ride, goodyears a sloppy one, and contis an average to soft.I didnt know how ****** technical it would get.But it will be soft enough for granny.But watch the tramlining.

 

[Scotty]

thnx for the feedback guys. @ scoTTy you were close, I am in Toronto, Canada

well the S-LINE that I am looking to purchase does have Audi Drive Select, so would this help alot?

Oopps that's like calling a Kiwi an Ozzie!! Sorry. I worked with a Canadian and he was never able to hide his displeasure at being tagged a yank ! hehehehe

So is it the full drive select ? You can get drive select which doesn't include the Active Dampers.

I have S-line with active dampers and that is also a 20mm drop over non-sline. You can run it harder than Sports Suspension and softer than the lower spec models depending on your mood. It's a perfect setup with 19's.... well it was for me hence I went with it. After 6 months with the non-dynamic suspension, as soon as I tried an S-line with it, I knew it was worth the extra.

But you do need to be sure if it's just Drive Select or if this includes the dampers.