When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
please forgive me for reposting what surely must have been posted before but I have been unable to find it.
i am looking for wheels for my 2002 S6 Avant. I have settled on OZ Ultraleggera in a 18x8 with 255/35x18 tires. This set-up is identical to the stock 255/40x17 dimensionally. Here is where the problem lies. #Tire Rack is the US distributor for OZ wheels. Their fitment list only OEM stock size OZ wheels for the S6 Avant and they will not order any wheel that is not listed. Note that there are other 18 inch wheels from other manufacturers listed.
Also the OZ website does not list the S6 Avant as an searchable vehicle. while it does list the RS6 Avant which came with 18 inch wheels this does me no good with Tire Rack as I do not know the S6 and RS6 Avants are the same suspension.
Does anyone know if the 18 inch OZ Ultraleggera will work ? 18x8 5x112 et35
Is there a car that uses this size wheel that I can use as a dummy to order from Tire Rack? 2003 Audi TT shows 18x8 et 35 Ultraleggera but.... 5x100!!
You say they are dimensionally identical but I would be concerned about the offset. Also the bolt pattern dimensions are a concern. May not be resolvable with your selection of wheel. Also bear in mind if there is a variance in size, even a small one, it can affect other things such as speedometer/ odometer and trip computer functions. Instead of searching on Tire Rack by vehicle, get the info for the stock measurements and search Tire Rack or other vendor by wheel/ tire size.
Harleyguy, Thanks for the reply. The wheel I posted has the same offset and bolt pattern of the stock wheel. Using multiple tire size comparison calculators the width, height, and circumference are within 1% for the two tire sizes. Less difference than one could expect between different tire manufactures of the same size tire.
George, Yes I have. I was told in no uncertain terms by the a sales representative that they will not sell a set of wheels that they do not specifically list as applicable to the model car in question. I even asked if they would order a different color wheel of the same type and was told no "If it is not listed we will not order it"
Since an 18 inch OZ wheel is not listed I cannot get it from them for my S6. Interestingly they do offer other manufactures wheels in 18 inch for the S6 Avant.
This is why I am asking anyone if they know a different car that uses an 18x8 5x112 ET35. I came close with a 2003 Audi TT bur it has a 5x100 bolt pattern. Switches to 5x112 in 2007 but the offset changes also to 47mm
Thank you both for your input.
PS I may have just gotten an angry rep on a bad day who didnt want to mess around with a "custom" set-up.
As much as anything they are concerned about liability issues. If their engineers haven't certified a product for a specific application then they are going to respond this way. Maybe try to source the product from another vendor? Discount Tire, Big O tire, Pep Boys, etc?
OZ wheels are solely distributed by Tire Rack in the US. In fact Tire Rack responded to an inquiry I made on the OZ website.
But in the meantime I found the optional 18 inch wheels for a 2000 Passat wagon have all the specifications I needed to match my S6 Avant wheels. What is also interesting is when the Passat search is narrowed down by wheel size to an 18x8.5 it lists exactly the same wheels as my S6 with the same 18x8.5 search restriction, right down to the closeouts with only 2 and 3 wheels remaining in stock.
I'm confident the Passat wheels will be a direct bolt on for my S6.
I agree with your assessment of the liability situation and don't hold it against them. On top of that with a commission based system the sales personnel may have very little interest to spend time on a custom installation when in the same amount of time they can sell 8 sets of tires. Won't hold that against them either. So it goes.
Glad you are resolving this. One of the little "isms" when it comes to Audi; something that should be fairly simple and straightforward to a gear head becomes a major research project for an Audi application. This is one of the reasons that used Audi's aren't worth much money. In that respect the company shoots itself in the foot. They are nice cars but most people don't consider $50k + cars to be disposable after a few years. With high maintenance costs, expensive parts and reluctance to be helpful to owners of older cars they turn away lots of customers. Too bad cause like I said they are nice cars.
Found my wheels. 18x8.5 et35 These are a stock size for an RS6. Fit is perfect and fills the fenderwell nicely with 255/40 18 Michelins. Also a stock RS6 size. Much nicer look than the stock 8.0 x17 rims.
By the way I purchased these wheels from TireRack with excellent service. One issue though was the lugs provided with the wheels were too short with too little thread engagement. But considering I was not going to use them anyway it was not an issue. I used titanium bolts in the correct taper and length as specified by the wheel manufacturer.
I got the ti bolts because they look way better and because, you know, Ti. Lol
12-09-2018, 09:17 AM
S6 Avant wheels
