Wheels

[Olly_K]

Thinking of getting some RS4 alloy wheels for my baby, or maybe some other type of wheel that'll suit the car.

im thinking of going 18", what are the implications of this ?
Will i loose my handling and my acceleration ?
When i had my golf vr6, i went from 15's to 17's and you could really notice the difference. I dont want to ruin the ride quality at all, so should i stick with 17's ?
also, what wheel sizes should i be looking at ? what ET and stud pattern ?

many thanks in advance

[cliveyboy]

The original RS4 alloys won't fit (they stick out about 1/2" either side of the wheel arches). You need to look for a good set of replicas with PCD 5x112 and offset ET35.
My personal opinion is that 18" RS4's or RS6's look good on the S4.
If you look at some of the other threads on here, you will see that an upgrade to 18" wheels should ideally be accompanied by a slight lowering of the suspension, to get the ride and look just right.
Correct me if I'm wrong anybody, but the speedo will read slightly under as each revolution of the wheel will take a little bit longer to complete with a larger circumference - unless it's all electronic now (accelerometers?)
What about the effect on gearing ratios anyone?

[sash]

any 18x8 et35 alloys should be fine. Do not get 18x8.5 et35, that extra 0.5 will gibe you rubbing issues later on if you decide to lower the car.
If you dont lower the car with the 18s on it will sit higher and wont look right imo.
If you get 18 then get the 225/40/18 these are the recommended profile for that size alloy.
Speedo should be fine if rolling circumference isnt changed.

[Nige_RS4]

The speedo will read slightly under, but they tend to read high these days anyway. With 225/40/18 tyres I found the speedo accuracy to be increased to within 1% of my GPS. Obviously acceleration will be impacted slightly, and theoreticaly, the car should have a higher top speed, but it is very slight and most people upgrade for cosmetic reasons these days. There are a lot of RS4 replicas about - stick with a good make (Ronal) if you can find them and avoid the double-drilled ones is my advice.

[Golfather]

You can now get RS4 replicas in ET42 which is the correct offset for the A4/S4

[sash]

this site may help you decide on an alloy / tyre:

http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/ ... toModClar=

[sash]

having had another look at that site, i really like the ssr alloys. Doesnt look like they available in the uk though

[Olly_K]

wow thanks for all the info guys.
where's the best place in the UK to look at ?
i'm thinking about BBS challenges, which i think really suit the hibiscus red colour
Dont really wanna get them from halfrauds

[cliveyboy]

are you saying that the reduced profile of the tyres will compensate for the increased diameter of the wheels (as otherwise the circumference is directly proportional to the diameter)?

I understood the correct offset for the S4 to be ET35?

[Olly_K]

clive, yes, as long as you keep the rolling circumference the same the speedo will be fine.

[sash]

Hi Olly_K, got mine off a guy called Phillip Walker who knocks about in these forums. He managed to supply 4 wrapped with 235/40/18 goodyear f1s for 1500. Not sure how much halfords are charging but when i looked on the net his price was very competitive, well it was the cheapest actually. Look in the For sale /wanted section, you should see his name in there, send him a pm.
Nothing prepares you for how good they look in person, photos dont do these alloys justice.
I was considering the rs4s originally then the rs6. It just seemed that every man and his dog had these alloys on thier audi, especially the rs4s.

If you wanna really see what your car will look like, check out this page (check half way down the page for "Rob’s BBS Challenges"):
http://stuff.tungstentech.com/Cars/S4_W ... heels.html

[Olly_K]

yeah ive seen that page. Georges car (further down the page) is the same colour as mine, and they look wicked.
spoke to philip, and he says BBS CH's are only avail in 18" up. But what i really wanna know is how much they are gonna ruin my ride quality and acceleration? i hadnt really though about lowering the car, so are 18"s gonna look stupid ?

[sash]

I absolutely love that colour, i think that alloy / colour combination is defo the best on that page.
18s wont ruin your ride, in fact BBS CH are lighter than the standard alloys, so you will be actually reducing the overall weight of your car, this theoretically means that performance will be slightly improved (not sure if you'll notice it though). Lighter weight and extra grip means great cornering ability. Get the suspension sorted and it will corner like its on rails. I have the 18x8.5 on mine, if i could chose again it would be the 18x8 et35 (this prevents any rubbing issues if you get it lowered later).
Also, lowering the car can be cheap and pretty simple, i wouldnt let it put you off the alloys. Many people put 18s on and dont touch the suspension. If you are really worried about how it will look, go to any decent alloy shop and tell them you wanna see how a set of 18s look on your car.
Anyway, all the best with your decision.

[Olly_K]

BBS CH it is then !
thanks for the advice matey

[sash]

no probs, also i would suggest getting 225/40/18 for the rubber, he supplied mine with 235/40/18, make sure you specify when placing your order with him. If you are not gonna lower then 235/40 will be fine.