petrashevsky

My 2012 S4 has arrived to a dealer and I will take delivery in about two weeks or so.

I am torn on whether I should replace the stock 19' tri-spokes with aftermarket before taking delivery.
I searched and there was a thread "Who else hates stock 19' rims" around this time last year and discussion in that one mostly centered around style which is subjective.

My question is about strength/performance of a stock rim vs cast alternatives. Not looking for BBS, HRE, etc, but rather for offerings from MRR, Hartmann, TSW and such, all of which are also cast.

Is all this talk by dealers of OEM rims being "certified" and supposedly better/stronger than budget-to-mid-price rims out there just talk or will I really be giving up a better stock rim if I switch for a non-forged option?
I'd especially hate for this to happen seeing how depressed pricing is for stock rims/tires on a secondary market even though they are brand new, not driven on yet.

Looking forward to your input as I need to make a decision in a few days prior to taking delivery. Thanks.

uberwgn

What is your objective? Are you trying to go to 18" diameter?

Goony

I am also curious on this one since I need to buy snow rims in the next two months. I don't want to spend a lot of $$$ on an 18" snow set but am wary of replicas.............so I'll most likely go with the Rials.

DrGP

A god quality replica wheel will perform just as well as a stock wheel. The stock wheesl used on German cars do have to meet certain specs . But that doesn't make them superior to all replica wheels. But ther are some cheap chineese wheels out there.

Goony

Anyone have experience buying from PySpeed? They're an Audizine supporter and I like these:

http://www.pyspeed.com/AU523-OEM-Rep...m-au523-18.htm

The detail doesn't say where they're made but Py appears to be a reputable vendor and does offer a lifetime structural warranty? Also, should I be concerned with the ET35 versus the OEM 18" ET47? Thanks.

mhs525

I have spent a LOT of hours researching and buying wheels over the years. Random thoughts...

I had some cheap reps and they sucked, the car vibrated and they bent easily

VMR is a very reputable Rep company, I trust their wheels and my sons friend just bought a set, they fit, car doesn't vibrate, he is very happy with them. (But I wouldn't put VMR's on a new S4 but that's just me)

Had a set of BBS CH (Cast) used 2 years, no issues, very nice wheel.

I have had a set of Forged BBS LM's originally bought for an E46 M3 for four years that are now going on my sons 3 series. Great wheels, hit plenty of pot holes never had a problem, they still look gorgeous. Can't go wrong with any BBS wheel, the forged one's cost a bundle but they weigh less and are stronger

Bought a Forged set of Vorsteiner monoblocks for another BMW, awesome wheels but they don't fit my S4. I spent so much on those wheels I plan on being buried with them.

After hours and hours of research because I wanted some nice wheels for my S4 and because of the crappy roads in MA I wanted to stay with 18's, I decided on 18 x 9 Advan RZ's, they are on order.

For snows I always go with whatever low price wheels Tirerack recommends and since I usually "minus 1" the rims size the taller tire sidewall protects the rims fine.

I like the 19" OEM S4 wheels a lot and seriously considered them

Most OEM wheels are Cast, very few are forged and several companies have had problems with OEM wheels (BMW 19" on 3 series in Europe cracking)

I always go for the lightest weight I can afford in a wheel I like, less unsprung weight and lower rotational mass are huge performance benefits (turn in, suspension actuation, acceleration, braking)

Although I bought all my BBS wheels and snow set ups from Tirerack for nicer selection I have found Vivid Racing to have the best selection with pricing for everything so you can search wheels in your price range, this is where I ordered my Advan RZ's from

Friends and family say I have "issues" with wheels

Goony

That's where I found the Rials......German made and the DH does not need centering rings or different lug bolts. A few AW/AZ members have them and feedback was positive. My local tire shop also carries these and will be mounting/balancing my Blizzaks anyway.

chestlock

LOL


You have good taste in wheels :-)

ZCD2.7T

I ran 18" VMR RS4 reps on my last car for 4 years of Chicago roads with no issues. Based on that experience, VMR would be hard to beat for price vs. performance/strength.

zooomart

I tend to keep my cars for 7-10 years, at least in the family that long. I bought winter wheels that I would be happy to have on year round and for years. In my case OZ Alleggerita. I guess I just can't consider wheels as short term as tires. You pay for light weight and strength as in many things. Good luck