Andrew C.

I've got an S4 Avant. I'm planning on putting winter tires on the stock Avus wheels and getting some new wheels/tires for the dry in the spring.

<b>1. 17" vs 18":</b> do 18" wheels provide a noticable performance improvement in our cars? or are they more for asthetics?

<b>2. 1-piece, 2-piece, 3-piece, more:</b> what are the advantages of multi-piece rims? better control over weight? strength? rivits look cool?

my favorite choice right now is the SSR GT1. at the moment, it only comes in 18" or 19", which could force my hand on #1. of course the SSR Comps or OZ Chronos are pretty sweet as well.

also there is the SSR GT3, which is the 3-piece version of the GT1. does anyone know how they compare in weight? i've heard 18lbs for GT1 & 25lbs for the GT3. sounded pretty portly for the GT3, but that's why i asked #2.

any advice would be appreciated!

Flask

I'm don't have the expertise that some of the others have, but since nobody was responding ...

I don't believe that 18" will provide any noticable improvement in performance over 17". 17x8 ET 35 is the perfect size wheel for the A4. 18's are popular because they look nicer, assuming you are doing some suspension tuning to go with them. 18" wheels are definately more likely to be damaged. They also have a harsher ride because there is less rubber between the car and the road.

In most cases 1-piece wheels are lighter than 2 or 3-piece -- given the same manufacturing process. Forged rims are the lightest and most expensive. The multi-piece wheels are easier to repair if damaged. I can't think of any other advantages to multi-piece wheels.


The SSR GT1 is a beautiful wheel. Great quality and very light. The GT3 is even beautifuller ;-) but as you noted it is heavier and much more expensive.

I think that if I were going with 17", I would get the GT1's because they look larger than the GT3's

Andrew C.

thanks for your input.