OCGuy337

Well, I finally pulled the trigger. Just ordered a set of 891R through Peter at Wheel Experts. I have a couple concerns regarding fitment though.

From what I was told, HRE says its best to go 19x9 all around (with a 24 offset) to keep the Quattro system intact. Prior to finding out about this, my plans were to go 19x10. I was assured that these wheels will run flush with the fender and no spacers will be required. I would also have a choice of going either staggered lip (2"-front and 3"-rear) or 2.5" all around.

How is it that a 19x9 wheel can mount flush with the fender while the factory wheel, also 19x9, requires a 10mm spacer to achieve the same look?
Am I missing something here? How exactly does offset work and what does it really mean?

Please share your thoughts so I can rest assured about my order. =)

Thanks in advance.

Alan
07 Mugello Blue RS4
Milltek Resonated Non-valved
Stasis-Ohlins Kit
Stratmosphere SSK

RI A6

Stock wheel is 19x9 with a 29 offset. Your HREs with a 24 offset will push the outside of the wheel out by 5 mm. That will still make you 5 mm short of what people are doing with 10 mm spacers. You can fill the rest with a 265 tire.


The MTM BiMoto wheels are 19 x 9.5 with an offset of 30. These will work with a 265 tire and place the outside tire edge even with stock wheels/tires with a 10 mm spacer. You could use these all around and have good fit with 265 and 275 tires.

You can use the wheel offset calculator to determine where the edges of the wheel move. Then you'll need to add to this any additional tire size. Going from 255 to 265 adds 5 mm to the inside and outside edge.<ul><li><a href="http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp">wheel offset calculator</a></li></ul>

JMSIV

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/85168/s4_side2.jpg"></center><p>
...with water accumulation in the reverse lip wheels? I had a set of HRE's for my S4, and when it rained, they shook like crazy until I stopped and unsloshed the water. They were sweet on dry days, but that was a PITA.

Vijay

Offset is the distance (usually expressed in millimeters) from the mounting surface of the wheel hub to the center line of the wheel. FOR A GIVEN WHEEL DESIGN, a wheel that is 0.5 inches wider (12.7mm) can have that extra width towards the outside of the wheel, towards the inside of the wheel or some combination of both. Depending on the distribution of the extra width, the offset of a given wheel will change.

However, this says nothing about spoke geometry and actual spoke shape which also affect how a wheel sits and fits on a given car. Spoke geometry is also a determining factor of whether your wheels will clear your brakes. A wheel with a long tubular hub, for instance, may have a low offset (the long hub will put the hub face close to the centerline of the wheel) but may still have plenty of space behind the spokes to clear the brakes. A wheel with a large offset, if it has a short hub length, or thick spoke design, may still not clear your brakes.

Offset alone can not give you an indication of how a wheel will sit or fit. Offset and spoke/hub design have to used in combination. Ultimately this is a labor of trial and error since any given wheel has such a different design. There is really no other way around this.

Hope this help clarify what goes in to selecting a proper fitting wheel.