Wheels/rims
 

I am about to take ownership of a new TT 3.2 Quattro S-line and know nothing about Audis, or tires and wheels for that matter. The car comes with S-line wheels which are 19", with performance tires.

I am going to also purchase a set of winter tires and rims (17") and did get a quote from the dealership. The rims are about $300 each--these are factory Audi rims and I am sure the quality is excellent.

However I would like to understand if I could get a quality product for something less than that.

Can anyone provide input here--e.g. would steel rims or alloys be better and why. Do replica rims (e.g. Harttman) have any issues, re fit etc. that would impact on performance. The parts person at the dealership did warn against aftermarket rims or rims that aren't "Audi correct". Are there any brands or types of products to be wary of?

Thanks for your help.

Re: Wheels/rims
 

Don't bother getting high quality winter wheels. the reason for this is that the salt and snow will eventually destroy the wheels. Most people just get steel wheels, but if you don't like that look get a set of replica OEM wheels. there is no benefit besides aesthetics. I'm running 17" winter wheels and they're fine. Another recommendation is to not buy the wheels from the dealer. Dealer's tend to sell at a much higher price. Go to and Wheel and Tire store near you and pick out a set that you like and they should be able to tell you what will fit your car.

I'm just curious as to why you want to buy winter wheels now in April?

Re: Wheels/rims
 

lol. that's bolonie. 300/rim will set you at 1200 for a set of four, that's just rims. don't forget the tires. you may be paying close to 2grand for a set of winters which is not worth it. i would just wait until it's close to winter season when shops start offering sales and deals. or search on the buy/sell forums for owners dumping their used sets of winters.

Re: Wheels/rims
 

Thanks MAlby7 and dsq for the good info.

I have got a tire store quote now for 17" Nokian tires (Hakkapeliitta RSIs) and Core Racing 17" rims that (after the dealer "sale" discount) comes to right around the same as the dealer quote on Audi factory original rims (probably the standard ones that would come with the car) plus Pirelli Sottozeros. The way the numbers work on the tire dealer quote the wheels are less than half of what the dealership charges but the rest goes to the tires , which are basically the same price as the Pirellis (and no deduction). Plus in both cases, tire pressure monitors are quoted as well, which adds almost as much as the rims for the tire dealer quote.

My main concern--since I know dealers do what dealers do on prices and it appears that Nokians are priced the way they are due to limited distribution (no names mentioned)--is making sure I don't have any brake fit or caliper issues with the wheel. ( My apologies if this sounds stupid, but I am mechanically challenged) The dealer is obviously trying to scare a person off aftermarket or replica wheels because then they will have to go to the dealer and would likely buy the tires there as well, with inflated prices on both. I just thought I read in another forum that with the S-line the brakes size or position would make wheel fit more difficult/require offset or something.

And MAlby7 the reason we are trying to sort this out now is mainly to ensure that whoever we buy from will provide storage--sounds like the tire dealer may not offer this for long and the car dealer (sales people anyway) seemed to suggest there were agreeing to the storage as part of the sale transaction . That might be a bit of baloney though. Also we had thought that you could get a better deal on winters going out of winter rather than into..but that may not be the case from what dsq is saying.

Thanks again

Re: Wheels/rims
 

What are you Big brake clearence kit guys running for wheels? My RS4 reps dont have a chance in hell, 10mm spacers MAY do the trick but I might just opt for new wheels... I'm running the ECS 993TT Stage 3 btw

98' A4 QM - Was APR Stage 3, now in peices, going for 400awhp or bust

01' Golf 1.8T - The daily, APR 93, TIP, TB exhaust, Vmaxx coils, and countless other tidbits

I wrench for a living and the cost of this modification disease makes me wanna