gsaltan

Hi everyone,


I am new to this page. I need some expert help.


The standard tire is 225/40R18. Considering the fact that I am living in a very snowy part of the country, and the fact that roads are not in good shape, I decided to go 17" rims and tires for winter set. I placed an order online to PMC tires in Quebec for 205/50R17 (identical to the circumference of original tires). I chose 205 width based on suggestions for snow traction.


My rim choice is:


https://winter-tires.pmctire.com/enw...udi-91182.tire


My tire choice is Bridgestone Blizzak 205/50R17 WS80.


When I searched on the internet, some of the vendors say 17 fits, some of them do not show it as an option.


There seems to be 1" and a bit clearance between the caliper and inside of the rim with the original 18" set. Assuming similar proportions between the original and new rim, I am guessing gap would narrow down by 1/2", rim still clearing the caliper by about 1/2".


The Audi dealer also offered 17" set, saying that they checked, but their price was much higher for same brand of rim and cheaper tires !!!

Has anyone installed 17" rims on their S3? Any feedback/suggestions on any of the rim / tire selection would be greatly appreciated.

DennisMitchell

17" is the size to go with winter tires. Nice choice of wheels all though a little tough to clean with the spoke segments. The specs look correct.

Antarius

215/50/17 would give you a little bit more rubber, and is the exact same outer diameter as the stock 19s (so pretty close)...

But yea, those wheels are going to be tough to keep clean, not only because of all the extra salt-slush, but because if you have them on during the winter, you're not going to want to do more than spray them off on the days that it peaks above freezing, getting in between each spoke with a brush is probably more than you'll want to do.

If you like the style, maybe you could plasti-dip them black, that'll hold up a little bit better to mud and grime better than the polished silver.

awss4

For winter tires on my S3, I use 225/50x17 tires on B5 S4 wheels. Slightly larger than the 19-inch original but they fit, no rubs and speedometer reads 100% accurate.
I have used these wheels on a prior B6 S4 Avant and a 2009 TTS.

gsaltan

Thanks guys - much appreciated for all comments.


Actually it helped me to re-check the tire spec. Tire is good for rim width of 5.5" to 7.5". The rim I ordered is 8". So had to change the rubber to 225/45R17. That seems to be the closest ratio to 225/40R18.