Help with new rims / tires
 

Hi guys- my wife wants to get some new rims / tires for her car.

She has a white Q5 and wants to get some black rims and tires. Looking at probably going with 20' all season type set-up. She just likes the way it looks so "Happy wife, Happy Life" is the approach I'm taking.

Any suggestions as to where I should be looking for these?

Thanks for the help.

tirerack and discounttires would be good places to start.

i got my wheels and tires from discount tires. mounted/balanced and shipped to my local installer.

Smart man.

I always tell people to start with the The Official Q5/SQ5 Wheel Thread - Post your setup! over on AZ to get ideas first.

What's your budget?

Does she have a particular style of wheel (concave, spoke style, etc) she wants other than black?

Is lighter weight a priority at all or just looks?

Do you want a wider wheel and/or more aggressive stance?

Thanks... Just more for looks. I'd probably go for 20's so the wheel gap isn't as big anymore.

It's more look thing than anything else, so I'll have to show her some options. Would like to keep it around $2,000 if possible all in.

Thanks for the help and suggestions.

The wheel gap should not vary...
 

… As the overall diameter remains the same, regardless of wheel size. For my two cents worth, the 20" wheels leave a huge gap between the brake disk rotor and the inside of the wheel - especially in the back. The 20's ride harsh and are more fragile than a tire with a bit more sidewall. They are more expensive and the increased unsprung weight slightly reduces performance. The race for larger diameter wheels has been a fashion show that has not really given the consumer much more than visual bling. My vote is a 19" set up and if you want a slightly more aggressive stance, use high quality spacers…

I second the motion for Tire Rack - have gotten over a dozen sets of tires and wheels from them with no disappointments.

I have attached a chart from a recent article on the effects of larger wheels on performance, in this case, a VW Golf. Acceleration versus cornering are the combatants, with the best compromise on that chassis being a 17" setup.

Good Luck

Eric

If your budget is around $2k all in, you may want to browse and keep an eye on the classifieds sections here and on AZ especially. Tires alone are going to likely be around $900 by themselves. My general rule of thumb is to not buy anything that's either a cheap replica and/or manufactured in China. I know the odds of it happening are still relatively low, but I've seen enough threads about poorly made gravity cast wheels basically imploding to not want to take a risk on that kind of stuff these days.

If you like the stock wheels but just want to change up the color, you could get them powdercoated or just dipped even. I tried the dip route on one set of wheels and it turned out pretty well given the low cost. I removed it when I sold the wheels. Lots of options in terms of color as well if that's the priority.

Thanks guys... I could go up in terms of budget, just wasn't too sure what to expect. Any suggestions on name brand rims that won't break the bank?

I'll take a look at the classifieds too.

IMHO I'd stick with brands like BBS, OZ, Rays, etc. They all provide OEM wheels as well, and I'd feel confident in the engineering standards and quality control they have in place. The issue is going to be that most of those wheels in 20" are going to start at like $500 each. That's why I was suggesting searching through the classifieds.

I'm sure most of the other wheels available on Tire Rack will be fine as well, but my personal preference as mentioned is to stay away from wheels manufactured in China. You could also look into some of the other bigger brands like TSW, who even though they are manufactured in China, should have decent quality control.

I'm sure others will have their own recommendations.

Saw that you posted looking for wheel on my for sale thread.... Please pm me so we can talk...

riceboy22,

is that the TSW Nurburgring wheels? Were you able to find Audi logo center caps for those wheels?