19" or 20" wheels...I am really torn

[tboooe]

I am really having a hard time deciding between 19 or 20" wheels. I actually really like the stock wheels and had every intention of keeping them but at some angles, they look too small for the car, especially given the car's high (thick) profile. Two things worry me about going to 20s: 1. damaging them on the less than perfect roads out here in Socal; 2. my car will look like a 4x4 on larger wheels.

Can someone please talk some sense into me?

[Mops]

Drop it down a bit on H&R OE and run a 255/35/20. Ride will be just as oem.

[Beast]

Drop it down a bit on H&R OE and run a 255/35/20. Ride will be just as oem.

+1 on 20's

[oohnoo]

I'm in the same dilemma as you with deciding between 19's and 20's for my Audi A5
On my 3000GT I have both 245/40-18 and 255/35-19 tires/wheels and I can definitely feel the difference between the two in ride comfort with the extra side wall the 18"'s give. I love the look of 20" on these cars but don't want to sacrifice ride quality. I'm possibly looking at getting those new MORR VS8.2 in either 19x9 or the 20x10's as I hear people with the 10.5 have to roll the fenders. Also would want these WITHOUT stretching the tires as I really don't like that look.

[mxrz]

I hear people with the 10.5 have to roll the fenders.

That is not necessary with the proper offset.

[tboooe]

Drop it down a bit on H&R OE and run a 255/35/20. Ride will be just as oem.

Thank you sir! I am thinking about getting Kw V1 or V2. Hopefully getting the 255/35/20 will help keep the ride somewhat sane and forgiving on the bad roads here in Socal. I am really leaning towards the 20s now. Do you think I even have room to drop the car if I get 20s and get the 35 tires?

[BlkS5]

Plus, some 20's make your brakes look too small so then you will have to do a BBK kit. It's never ending.

[John P.]

That is not necessary with the proper offset.

For me, I had to roll mine because I went with larger tires (285s). 275s would've worked fine with the Vossen 10.5"s with no rolling.

[S5xy]

Plus, some 20's make your brakes look too small so then you will have to do a BBK kit. It's never ending.

LOL, the perils of modding

[bader.abbas]

20's

[ExhaustNote]

If I can survive in San Francisco with 20's you will absolutely have no problem in Socal.

[John P.]

If I can survive in San Francisco with 20's you will absolutely have no problem in Socal.

I drive a lot here in SoCal, and have had no problems with 20s on the S5. None at all.

[tboooe]

I drive a lot here in SoCal, and have had no problems with 20s on the S5. None at all.

John P and Exhaustnote, what size tires are you guys running?

[hijo]

i would do at least 20s. i have 21s on mine but curbs are a killer and you also have to lower it...

[John P.]

John P and Exhaustnote, what size tires are you guys running?

I'm running 10.5" ET30 wheels all around, with 285/30/20 tires. I had to roll my front fenders to fit them--more info here:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...-on-my-2011-S5

[iconoclast]

I am really having a hard time deciding between 19 or 20" wheels.

if you do 19" all you have to do is lower the car but the 19" wheels do look small on this car they look more like 18s from far...

i would not put 20" wheels on this car if it was a daily driver... i had oem 21" wheels on the Q7 it was a daily and had a lot more meat but on this car you cant do it since you lose a lot of rubber and the roads are horrific.

[ExhaustNote]

275/30/20 on a 20x10 wheel

[S5xy]

I personally think 20's fit our cars perfectly. The B8 coupe is a relatively large car and 20" wheels are just the right size. That being said, if you're looking for performance driving, get 19's or 18's (reduced unsprung weight, etc.). I'm running 20's on 275/30/20 tires and there's enough meat on the sidewalls to protect the wheels (at least on the roads in my area).

[BlkS5]

275/30/20 on a 20x10 wheel

I pm'd you, how much for those and the ecodes?

[Mops]

I gotz dibz buddy;)

[ExhaustNote]

I gotz dibz buddy;)

Sorry guys, I'm holding on to the wheels until after I sell the car. Still gotta look good until the car is sold. ;)
Mop, you still have dibs if you want them then.

[A4A4A4]

I'm going to play devils advocate here and vote for 19's. With 20's you're giving up loads of ride comfort, increasing your chance of blowouts, spending extra money, adding unsprung weight, and sucking performance from what's suppose to be a performance car.

All of these trade-offs for the subjective measure of slightly better looks . Is it really worth it?


I sometimes think the A5/S5 community is getting a little too close to the young "baller", "rapper", mentality of modding cars. I've seen a few too many black and/or chrome 21+" wheels on unlowered 5's, even from what are suppose to be automotive enthusiasts.

[Mops]

^blah blah blah...with all due respect you are waaay off. Very little garbage here.
Brian, pm me in regard to what you are looking to get please.

[mr shickadance]

I'm going to play devils advocate here and vote for 19's. With 20's you're giving up loads of ride comfort, increasing your chance of blowouts, spending extra money, adding unsprung weight, and sucking performance from what's suppose to be a performance car.

All of these trade-offs for the subjective measure of slightly better looks . Is it really worth it?


I sometimes think the A5/S5 community is getting a little too close to the young "baller", "rapper", mentality of modding cars. I've seen a few too many black and/or chrome 21+" wheels on unlowered 5's, even from what are suppose to be automotive enthusiasts.

1000000000% agree, the added look factor of a 20 inch wheel which frankly, in my opinion does not fit the wheel well of the a5/s5 body style, i think they are much more suited for 19'' but thats clearly a personal opinion.... the performance points are on target with that, the added unsprung weight, increase of blowouts, and for the love of the new york giants, get a drop before you get wheels

[A4A4A4]

You sure? I managed to find all these gems simply within the first 10 pages of your "custom wheel thread". Don't worry though, my forum section seems to think slamming, stretching, and poking your car until it's hellaflush is cool.

[cellg8]

OMG GORGEOUS! What kind of exhaust/bodykit are these?

OP - 20 is the best way to go IMO for B8 A5/S5 body style (big car)! Like what others said - drop it low and you'll be fine!

[ExhaustNote]

You sure? I managed to find all these gems simply within the first 10 pages of your "custom wheel thread". Don't worry though, my forum section seems to think slamming, stretching, and poking your car until it's hellaflush is cool.

I think you will find that every model of car has their share of people with poor taste.

[mxrz]

Uhm, those are high quality multi-piece forged wheels and that's a normal drop, nothing excessive... How is that garbage?

[Mops]

^echo that...that car is slick.

[MonzaA5]

I kinda agree with A4A4. While I don't think that 20s look bad (provided the car is lowered), 21s are just tacky. But even with 20s, the loss of performance and comfort from putting on bicycle tires are just not worth the minor cosmetic improvement IMO. Even with 19s and stock sport suspension, the ride is pretty bumpy on bad pavement. I don't even want to know what 20" and lowering would not only to ride comfort but also to the car's suspension in the long run. Remember that our cars' suspension is mostly made of aluminum...

[tboooe]

I kinda agree with A4A4. While I don't think that 20s look bad (provided the car is lowered), 21s are just tacky. But even with 20s, the loss of performance and comfort from putting on bicycle tires are just not worth the minor cosmetic improvement IMO. Even with 19s and stock sport suspension, the ride is pretty bumpy on bad pavement. I don't even want to know what 20" and lowering would not only to ride comfort but also to the car's suspension in the long run. Remember that our cars' suspension is mostly made of aluminum...

Fair enough but as others have suggested what if I put 35s on the 20 inch rims which is the same as stock in terms of tire height. Do you still think the ride would be any harsher than stock?

[mxrz]

Shit, someone call Audi AG and tell them to stop offering heavy 20" wheels as a factory option, because someone on AZ thinks it's bad for the suspension

[MonzaA5]

Shit, someone call Audi AG and tell them to stop offering heavy 20" wheels as a factory option, because someone on AZ thinks it's bad for the suspension

I don't believe they offer 20" as a factory option in the A/S5 in North America. Roads in Germany and most of the rest of Europe are quite different from ours...over there they actually have something called regular road maintenance. Here, the standard practice is to let the roads deteriorate until they become undriveable and then do a half-assed job patching them up (which is good for maybe another season). Instead of 20" rims, I want Audi to start offering the Rough Road Package they put on cars going to Russia and China.

[MonzaA5]

Fair enough but as others have suggested what if I put 35s on the 20 inch rims which is the same as stock in terms of tire height. Do you still think the ride would be any harsher than stock?

You don't want to change the rolling diameter. That would likely cause rubbing and might mess up ABS and traction control.

[A4A4A4]

Uhm, those are high quality multi-piece forged wheels and that's a normal drop, nothing excessive... How is that garbage?

Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. I never called any of them garbage. I actually think those wheels are pretty good looking, it was more about the excessive bodykit and exhaust that qualified it to "baller" status for me.

^echo that...that car is slick.

As much as you guys seem to like that car, you see what I mean with the other 6 pictures right? I found those within a span of about 5 minutes, only reading half of a thread in your section, and this is on what is suppose to be an enthusiast website.

Even those 21"ers on the cab posted above are much too VIP for my taste.

[tboooe]

You don't want to change the rolling diameter. That would likely cause rubbing and might mess up ABS and traction control.

Ca you please explain further? Are you saying I would have to put 30s on 20 inch rims if I want to keep the rolling diameter the same?

[GSS5]

Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. I never called any of them garbage. I actually think those wheels are pretty good looking, it was more about the excessive bodykit and exhaust that qualified it to "baller" status for me.



As much as you guys seem to like that car, you see what I mean with the other 6 pictures right? I found those within a span of about 5 minutes, only reading half of a thread in your section, and this is on an enthusiast website.

Even those 21"ers on the cab posted above are much too VIP for my taste.

i think that car would look pretty nice in person. but i can also see how many would think it's overdone.

for some reason the front fenders look rolled but can't tell for sure.

[mxrz]

Ca you please explain further? Are you saying I would have to put 30s on 20 inch rims if I want to keep the rolling diameter the same?

Yes. 275/30-20 is about the largest you want to go on a 20" wheel in the front, and even though the rear can fit a much wider tire, I would keep it same all around to avoid sacrificing performance and safety.

[GSS5]

i would only get 20s if:

1. they are lighter than the stock 19s
2. the car is not a daily driver (or i had a couple thousand to spend every month fixing bent rims and blown out tires)

the biggest factor really is how bad the roads are where you are. here, i would not dream of getting anything bigger than 18s for a daily driver (19s for thick sidewalls ie. suvs). i've already spent $2K replacing multiple blown out michelin pilot sports. but ny roads are worse than a third world war zone. if the car is driven daily and you have poor roads, i would not recommend getting 20s.

[tboooe]

So you wouldn't put 35s on a 20inch rim? What would be the drawbacks of doing this?