A3 Alloys on an A4 Avant

[Jenno]

Hi all im new to the forum as ive just purchased a 2002 A4 Avant Tdi.

As i was rather underwelmed by the standard 15" wheels with balloon tyres, ive spotted the following wheels for sale and wondered if anyone could tell me if they will fit straight onto my car ?

"5 spoke 2005 A3 Sport Alloys fitted with 225/45 ZR17 Tyres"

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Karl.

 

[quattrojames]

That age of A3 is the 8P model and the wheel sizes are 5 x 112 PCD but I don't know the offset.

Your car will have 5 x 112 PCD wheels with an offset of 42/43 I expect so they should fit, BUT I would find out the offset of them before you commit yourself.

You want 18's really anyway or you will forever regret it .....

 

[Jenno]

Many thanks for the swift response.

The offset of the new/a3 wheels is 45, is this ok ?
Unfortunately 18's are a bit over budget for me at the moment, however im sure these 17's will transform it from the 15" poverty spec ones i have at the moment. (as long as they fit)

Cheers

Karl.

 

[quattrojames]

Yes those wheels should be ok, what style are they and how much you paying?

They will transform it over the existing wheels, I didn't know any B6's even came with 15" wheels

 

[Jenno]

They are the 5 spoke RS6 Style Original Audi wheels @ £200.00 inc nearly new tyres.
I must admit i havent seen 15's on a car for quite some time myself.

Thanks very much indeed for your help. I notice the tyres are 225 whereas some A4's wear 235's but i can live with that.

Cheers
Karl.

 

[quattrojames]

Thanks very much indeed for your help. I notice the tyres are 225 whereas some A4's wear 235's but i can live with that.

Use a tyre calculator like:

http://www.tyresave.co.uk/tyresize.html

Just to make sure the rolling radius of the new tyres is within 2.5% of your originals to make sure the speedo etc is still accurate.

£200 seems fine if the tyres are nearly new and the wheels in good condition, especially for OEM wheels

 

[Jenno]

Since upgrading the wheels on my A4 Avant they seem to appear slighty recessed within the wheel arch. Having observed other similar cars their wheels seem to be more flush with the outer wheel arch giving a better, more aggressive appearance.

My Wheels are 17" 5 Spoke RS6 Style, Offset et45, 225/45 ZR17.
Am i right in thinking i should have got some wheels with a different offset to achieve this look or should i have gone for similar wheels but with 235/45 17 Tyres fitted. ???

Cheers
Jenno

 

[aragorn]

The reason most cars are fitted with bigger wheels these days is down the the clearance for the brakes.

I think however the 288mm disks that are fitted to the lower spec B6 A4's will fit under certain 15" rims, as the 312mm disks that the higher spec models have will fit under 16" wheels just fine.

Anyway your query. The amount of "sticking-out-ness" is governed by the wheels width and the offset. Its not related to the tyre size. The Standard B6 A4 5-spoke 17" rims are ET45 and 7.5" wide. You claim your A3 rims are ET45, can you confirm this by the stampings on the wheel?

According to vagcat, the 17" rims fitted to 8P A3's were 7.5" wide and ET56, and that 11mm difference in the offset would make the wheel sit 11mm further in, giving the odd look you mention. If they are defo ET45, then check the width. If they're only 7" (which i doubt given the tyre size) then again they will sit approx 6mm further in than the normal B6 wheels. If they are 7.5" and ET45 though, they are in exactly the same place as factory B6 wheels would be.

If they are ET56 you can always buy a set of 10mm hubcentric spacers to pull the wheel out to the right place.

 

[Jenno]

Thanks Aragorn for that very informative piece of information.
The wheels were sold to me as et45 but i have to admit i didnt actually check before fitting them. Ive spotted several generic wheel spacers on ebay such as these
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=270327337763&_fvi=1

But im unsure what size my hubs are. Any idea if these would do the job & would i get away with my existing bolts ? (if possible i'd like to avoid paying loads for Audi specific spacers)

Cheers

 

[Jenno]

UPDATE
Ive just had a wheel off and you are indeed correct. The wheels (although sold to me as et45) are actually et56. On closer inspection they are rather close to the suspension & shocker due to their pushed in location. Unsure whether to sell on and get the right ones or get some spacers and longer wheel bolts. (the current ones will defintely be too short) all this just from simply wanting a wheel upgrade.

 

[EssVier]

Get some pics up mate!

 

[quattrojames]

Thats a right pi$$er, do you not have any comeback from the seller?

How much would new bolts and spacers cost you? It would certainly turn those wheels from being a bargain to a fairly expensive investment

 

[Jenno]

OK Here we are again.
Im selling on those 17" wheels as they are no good for me and am now thinking 18".
Can anyone advise me on what ET offset and wheel width etc i need for my car so i dont end up in the same situation? (2002 Avant 1.9 Tdi)
Cheers.

 

[Roscoepeko]

OK Here we are again.
Im selling on those 17" wheels as they are no good for me and am now thinking 18".
Can anyone advise me on what ET offset and wheel width etc i need for my car so i dont end up in the same situation? (2002 Avant 1.9 Tdi)
Cheers.

Hi Jenno,

How have you got on fella?

I have just put Ronal RS6 aloys ET43 8J with 235/40/18s onto my B6 avant SE and they fit perfect - they are close to inner arch covers on rear and doubtfull you would want to go with any more offset (thus putting wheel closer to the inner arch) on this size of wheel.

I have also had the 17 sport alloys (OEM B6 sport) on which were 7.5J ET43 235/45/17 and the standard 16" - let me know - I could send a couple of pics if it may help.

 

[Roscoepeko]

This will help - usefull guide to wheels tyres and offest calcutators.

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible_pg2.html