Tongpo~Dr. Evil

looking to upgrade...
either 17x7 or 18x8 wheel.
225/40/18 tires or 225/45/18

question is- will i have a problem with fender rub? is the rubber thick enough for city roads/potholes or will i have to be super careful?! also- car is lowered with euro springs- on it's stock 16inch wheels with 205/55/16 wheels it has about a 2finger gap in front and just a tad less in the rear....

thanks all!

Gary@Tirerack.com

I've had no problems with 225/40R18's in my area <not on an Audi though..>, which does have a mixture of nice, and not-so-nice roads. You will need to be a bit more cautious of course, versus using 225/45R17 or 205/55R16.

I use 225/45R17 on my 97 A4 1.8TQ and like the compromise between appearance/perforance and ride/protection pothole damage.<ul><li><a href="http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AR8&amp;url=/wheels/index.jsp">wheels</a></li></ul>

ex-quattro PETE

If you're going with 17s, I'd suggest 7.5" or 8" as the width of the rim. You'll get less sidewall flex with a 225 tire and it will look better visually, but 17x7 will work too, if you have to.

For 17s, you want 225/45/17 tires.
For 18s, you want 225/40/18 tires.

You should not have any rubbing issues as long as the rims have the correct offset (between ET32 and ET43).

17s will offer you more pothole protection than 18s. If the roads in your area aren't that good (lots of potholes and such), you may want to stick with 17s to save yourself the hassle of fixing/buying rims.