Downgrading 19inch rotors to a 17inch

[dizzly]

Hi guys

My A4 Avant 2012 b8.5 came with 19inch rotors which look lovely and are probably great in the track or the autobahn, but for London living not sure they are great, as the ride is very firm and they are very prone to kerbing..

I'm thinking storing them somewhere safe and get some audi OEM 17 inches?

Are they a straight swap? Anything I need to be aware of? Has anyone done this and felt the difference in ride firmness?

Thanks!

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[DieselJake]

So long as they go over the brakes should be fine, personally found going from 19's to 17's improved comfort and straight line performance (due to less weight) but didn't corner as well (due to less rigidity).

 

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

British roads are generally poor, due to weather, build quality, traffic and age. however i went from 18s to 19s and whilst i'm always conscious of speed bumps, pot holes and the like, the 19s have improved handling and grip (wider wheel, wider track). So i'm happy with the trade off in terms of comfort.

What suspension do you have, S Line 30mm drop from SE? That will be a factor too.

 

[quattrogone]

Why don't you go in the middle and fit some 18's

 

[dizzly]

Hello. Yeah 18s could be but I think I want to maximise comfort in the city.

It's an s-line, so I believe it's lowered. Would that matter?

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[quattrogone]

If you already have 19's then 18's would be fine. Going all the way down to 17's seems like over kill IMO.

 

[Mackenzie49]

You still want the car to look good too- 17s can look a bit small on a B8.

Different makes of tyres might have stiffer sidewalls, regardless of profile- your 17s might not be noticeably comfier than your 19s!
I ran 16s and 18s on my last S2 and there was surprisingly little difference between the setups ,in comfort, on our 3rd world carttracks we call roads.

 

[Boundy]

I've got a set of S-Line 5 spoke 18's stars if you fancy a swap

 

[rum4mo]

You still want the car to look good too- 17s can look a bit small on a B8.

Different makes of tyres might have stiffer sidewalls, regardless of profile- your 17s might not be noticeably comfier than your 19s!
I ran 16s and 18s on my last S2 and there was surprisingly little difference between the setups ,in comfort, on our 3rd world carttracks we call roads.

One comment I would make is, the "S" versions of Audis tend to have more competent suspension set ups than lesser versions, which means that in my case, I have no issues with using the 19" factory fit wheels/tyres over the 18" Winter wheels/tyres. From what I've read, S Line springs are just stiffer and shorter - so just give hard springing, so maybe even hard with any size of wheels/tyres fitted.

 

[CrazeUK]

Hey. I have some standard Audi wheels for sale with rubbers. They are not rotors though.

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[Pie-eyedpiper]

Hi guys

My A4 Avant 2012 b8.5 came with 19inch rotors which look lovely and are probably great in the track or the autobahn, but for London living not sure they are great, as the ride is very firm and they are very prone to kerbing..

I'm thinking storing them somewhere safe and get some audi OEM 17 inches?

Are they a straight swap? Anything I need to be aware of? Has anyone done this and felt the difference in ride firmness?

Thanks!

Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk

Before you start blaming your wheel/tyre combination, how many miles has your car done? And if your car is S line look at changing your shocks and springs instead.
The S line suspension is notoriously unforgivingly hard. I have a B7 S line and was blaming my 18"s and 40 profiles.
I now have a set of Bilstein B12s fitted and the ride difference is amazing.

 

[dizzly]

Before you start blaming your wheel/tyre combination, how many miles has your car done? And if your car is S line look at changing your shocks and springs instead.
The S line suspension is notoriously unforgivingly hard. I have a B7 S line and was blaming my 18"s and 40 profiles.
I now have a set of Bilstein B12s fitted and the ride difference is amazing.

Good to know.. that's more involved though, will start with the cheapest option and move from there. Got the 17 inches and will get them fitted in the next couple of days and will report back any difference. Thanks all!

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[dizzly]

17 inches in and omg what a great ride!!! Much smoother but retaining enough firmness.. another car altogether. So glad I did the swap.

Thanks all!

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[CrazeUK]

17 inches in and omg what a great ride!!! Much smoother but retaining enough firmness.. another car altogether. So glad I did the swap.

Thanks all!

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Admittedly, sometimes I do regret getting the 19s on mine in place of the 17s. Especially since we now have a baby.


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