Delimma: Looks vs. Performance

[johntesi]

Hey all:
I'm definitely way more show than go, but that doesn't mean that I don't always want my car to look good. [rolleyes] I have been set on 18" OZ Superleggeras for a long time because it seems that +1" and - roughly 8 lbs is a winning combination all around. However, seeing CHs lately has me tempted to gain a few pounds in exchange for looks. Try to swing me one way or the other with pics of your rides with either of these rims, or other lightweight (and strong) wheels on your cars! I've made offers on nicer forged BBS wheels, either to have them snatched out from under me or had pathetic correspondence- definitely not going to send that kind of dough to someone who can't send me a few simple pictures I request.
Anyways,
18 x 8" UL: 18.6 lbs
18 x 8.5" BBS CH: 24.5
19 x 8.5" BBS CH: 26.1 lbs

The CHs look fantastic in silver, and the new black editions are tempting too. Help!
The reason I'm leaving out 19" Ultraleggeras: Seem a little 'thin' in 19", and I'm a little concerned about their strength with that low of a tire profile.

[Rotond0000]

i dont really think a few pounds will seriously affect ur performance

[Siggiepop]

UL lightweights for the win

[johntesi]

I've seen those UL Lightweights listed on TireRack for some cars, they aren't listed for the B7 A4. Could you tell more?

[Phrost]

If you were going for performance, you'd have 16 or 17 inch wheels. Go for it, and do what you really want to and what you think looks best.

[TSlice]

i dont really think a few pounds will seriously affect ur performance

Normally, yes. Wheels, tires, brakes, and suspension components, however, are unsprung weight and each pound of unsprung weight is comparable to 10 pounds of sprung weight on the car. Reducing the amount of unsprung weight on your car will yield numerous advantages (better handling, braking, acceleration), even if it is just a few pounds.

[johntesi]

I know all of this stuff. Unsprung = between 6 and 10 lbs of sprung depending on who you ask. I really don't want a lecture about how I should be putting 16 x 10 magnesium forged wheels with Pilot Sport cups. I want a reasonably priced good-looking wheel. The 18 seems to be the ideal combo of some visual meat and light weight. The 19" CHs look great, though. Pics would be helpful!

[oakenfolde]

a few lbs are going to kill you. id rather look good and sacrifice a little performance. your not trying to race everyone on the road are you?


forget the weight, get what u think looks good.

[quattrosaint]

my vote is for the UL and where are the pics of the new front???????

[johntesi]

Dealership.. isn't done. Can't explain. Needless to say, they will not be getting as much money as the bill says I'm supposed to pay.
My main question is for those who have experienced the change from 18s to 19s.. what differences did you notice?
And in particular, any comments on the durability of these wheels?

[gods_kitchen]

I went from RS reps 19" to the UL 18". I like the reps because it looks better on the avant.
But with the UL, the car feel much smoother and I no longer have to worry about the damn potholes in LA.

who said you can't look good with 18s? [:D]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/eric_cheng/IMG_0190.jpg

[johntesi]

Thats the kind of stuff I wanted to hear! It's hard to find silver UL's on black A4s! Do you have any more pics? I'm anticipating all kinds of improvements with wheels that are an inch bigger and 7 lbs lighter! Pic it up guys (and gals), I need to decide soon. I'm thinking the ULs, though, I've been leaning towards them for a few months now. The CHs just look so good!

[INTEGRATION]

Hmm, this is an interesting dilemma indeed.

18x8 = lightest, you will have the unsprung weight advantage.
18x8.5 = what the Champion RS4 racecar uses, wider wheel = you can run a wider tire- more grip! But I think their RS4 may have been limited in their wheel due to GT class-rules
19x8.5 = this is a highly debated subject but in the hands of a more advanced driver; it's been proven that you can post up faster laptimes (with certain cars) if you run 19s vs 18s. But as with all tuning there is a tradeoff (as you would have to use lower profile tires, etc. too lazy to elaborate on the pros & cons right now)

Those are just some things to consider.

[johntesi]

Good points, Integration. That's helpful stuff. Have you installed the sways yet?!

[INTEGRATION]

^ No problem! Actually I haven't even picked up the sways from the shop yet... Been so busy recently.

[johntesi]

Anyone know how much the Volks Stasis puts on their Touring A4 cost? Or their Champion wheels? I can't find the prices on the website and e-mail response has been very slow...

[quattrosaint]

John look under the group buy. BBS CH Black Edition. Wow I would be so jealous. Oh and BigMac on NTAG responded. He is a good guy and those are sick sways!

[whitevdub]

i'm going with the LM reps in about a month..it was between that or the ch. i would definitely go with the ch black editions if you can get your hands on them in the group buy.

[Louis J.]

John, I recall you discussing your desire to possibly get involved in motorsports at some point. Is this still the case? If so, you may want to consider buying a set for show and a set for go. If you're on a budget, you won't be able to get BBSs but you can get a nice set of wheels for street and a lightweight set for track.

I'm buying a set of 19" RS4 reps with Falken 452s for street and a set of 17" or 18" cheap lightweight wheels (sub 20lbs) with Falken Azenis 615s for autocross and track days. Total cost for both sets: $3k.

[INTEGRATION]

^ Falken RT-615s come in 19" sizes? When!?

[johntesi]

This all sounds good. I've seen the black editions on the group buy thread, I might pick some up. I'm not sure how it will look with the car that has all chrome trim including on the RS4 grill. If anyone could photoshop the CH black editions on a black A4 with chrome trim, I'd really appreciate it! Hopefully I'll have some pics of MY car with the new grill later today..
As for motorsport- This would never be a dedicated track car. It WILL, however, probably see about 10-15 track days a year.

[Unleaded20T]

Carbon fiber rims!!!!!!!!!

[Louis J.]

^ Falken RT-615s come in 19" sizes? When!?

They don't. Read my post again...

[swoardrider]

I've tracked my car 10-15 days a year for the past 2 years and this is my opinion from experience.

First be honest with yourself. Are you really gonna track the car that much? I know lots of drivers with trailored-in race cars that run less than 15 days a year. 15 days is also expensive, at $4000-$5000 per year just in entry fees.
If your indeed going to invest this much time and money into track days, then you'll need to build a car that can take this kind of punishment. This means BBK for sure, and a good set of coilovers. PSS9's would be minimum. Most Audi guys that track this much, including myself, use Stasis/Ohlin Motorsports. I learned the expensive way not to skimp on suspension (Konis suck!) You'll probably want to get a harness and some engine tweaking too. With this many track days you'll burn through tires real quick, and want to graduate to R compounds. This means an extra set of lightweight track dedicated rims in 18" like the Oz's you mentioned. So with all this money your throwing around, you my as well get some 19" bling-blings for everyday street. (This is what I am in the process of doing as I am finally ready for R compounds, so my 18" rims are going to be track dedicated, and I'm in the process of buying 19" for the street)

If your not going to do this many track days, then I would just get a good high quality set of lightweight forged 19's like the Volks, Champions, or HRE comps, and run good street tires like the PS2's. This set up would be strong, durable, and look good. Basically everything you just asked for in this thread.

Either way, the advantage of lightweight rims is amazing. Your braking and handling is better. As well as acceleration. Its like getting your car re-chipped again!

[johntesi]

I hear you on that one! I am fortunate enough to have a country-club style racetrack about 15 minutes away, and have a couple of good friends who are members. So for me it's $50-$150 bucks and I can run up to four 30 minute sessions. This is nice, but you are right that 10-15 is being optimistic. I just got back from the dealership and saw the S4s sitting on the stock pseudo-CHs. They look nice. I can't even imagine the 19" Black Edition wheels. The weight scares me though, as does the price. I need a few more pics guys! The OZs actually look pretty nice, too.