iandonovan

Hey guys, I just bought my allroad and the original owner gave me a set of winter wheels. I was taking my stock ones off to see if these ones fit and it turns out I need spacers. The winter wheels are about half an inch wider than my stock ones. so thats equivalent to about 12mm? So I have a couple questions.

First, should I go with 12.5 mm spacers to make the wheels flush, or go up to 15 or 20 mm? pros and cons of going bigger?

Second, I know this sounds stupid but I totally forgot to look at my wheel bolts so I don't know if I have conical bolts or ball seat bolts. Does anyone know what bolts 2004 allroads come with? I would look for myself but I am in college and my car is sitting at home currently.

I plan on getting the ECS tuning wheel spacers.

Thanks guys, Im really in the dark here.

Arondale7

If you plan on doing a 402 mod, I'd probably stay no greater than a final ET18. More and you could get rubbing. I'm not 402'd, I'm still on the fence. I believe my offset is ET22 with 5mm spacers up front. No spacers in the rear. I thought I didn't get any rubbing at all, but I did wipe my finger under the fender flare and got some rubber, but no damage. I've hit some bumps pretty fast on the highway enough to bottom it out, but again, no damage. There is a great FAQ offset for your wheel size / ETs / spacers used. Do a search and you will find it. If it's not here it may be on audizine.

iandonovan

Yeah definitely not doing a 402 mod. Just wanting my wheels to fit without rubbing lol. Just curious, why did you not put spacers in the rear?

Arondale7

The rears look flush, like they should, and because they don't turn, all travel is cambered under the fender flares when the suspension pendulums from suspension travel. It's the front that I need to experiment with more. I've decided against the 402 mod. If I had springs and shocks (in which I question why have an allroad at all and leave a dash of useless buttons in the cockpit... might as well buy an S6), I would have them stiff enough and adjusted to ensure no rubbing at a lowered stance, but that's not why I bought an allroad. I like raising the suspension and hitting the occasional trail...

If you know the brand of wheel you want and the size, check out this allroad offset guide: allroadFAQ.Com - allroad Wheel and Tire Fit Guide

If your wheel/tire combo is not on there with the specific wheel brand / tire brand, I would ask someone that has the exact setup you are looking for by PM'ing them.

Some people will tell you their combo does not rub... some people lie about that. After all, who likes admitting their combo decision didn't work as planned and they made a mistake?

I had an allroad on here write they had no rubbing with their combo. Later in a PM he told me they did. Driving for a few weeks under all conditions... cornering hard at speed, accidentally hitting a pothole, turning into angled corners, hitting uneven bridge connections at speed where the car is lifted and then compressed the suspension at level 1... these conditions will tell you a lot more than someone's opinion of their combo immediately after their install. So, I guess it's safe to say that some may lie, whereas some will learn about their combo under the aforementioned conditions. Probably more like the later.

The good news is that spacers are relatively cheap. If you take it to the right shop and arm them with enough data... like the allroad FAQ sheet, they will save you money and likely get it right the 1st time. Those that have a lot of experience with spacers (and audi tuning - spacers) will bring their experience to the table.

I'm may try different spacers, but since I don't have much rubbing at all, I'm going to wait a little while longer and see if it's even necessary.

I hope this helps.