General Wheel Advice

[camhabib]

Have a B7 A4 2.0T with rear tires that are in grave need of replacement, front ones will hold off until summer possibly. I live in Boston Massachusetts, so as I'm sure most of you know, that means beautiful sunny weather one moment and 5 feet of snow the next. I current have just the stock rims and tires. The rims are in perfect structural condition, however, do have a fair amount of road rash.

My first question is - which tires? Should I just stick with the stock Continentals, replacing the rear two for now and just doing the front two when the time comes, or is there a better choice? I drive 80 miles a day, 60 of it highway, so good MPG is important, but me not crashing due to snow or rain is more important.

Second questions is - what to do about the rims? Leave as is in somewhat bruised condition, get them refinished, or start looking at a replacement. If refinish, where should I go and how much are we looking at? If replace, with what?

Any help or guidance is appreciated. Thanks.

[A4A4A4]

Check www.tirerack.com to help you decide on a tire, there are tons of reviews and comparisons there to help you out and I'd definitely recommend changing all your tires at the same time.

As for the wheels, it is ultimately up to you and how much cash you are willing to spend. If you can stand looking at beat up rims then keep em', if the bruising bothers you and you don't want to spend a whole lot of money get them refinished. If you're willing to drop some coin, grab a new set of wheels. Check www.velocitymotoring.com for a quality, low priced wheel, if you want to spend more try oz wheels, BBS, HRE, etc... the sky's the limit when it comes to your wheels.

[camhabib]

A4A4A4 - Thanks for the reply. Do you know about how much I would be looking at to refinish just the stock OEM rims? Its just basically around the very outsides, from potholes and what not, some scuffing / scraped, etc.

[A4A4A4]

I think generally it'll be around $500 to refinish a set of 4 wheels($100-$150 per wheel), if you want a accurate estimate call a shop around you and get a quote from them. You may find it to be a better idea to just buy a complete new set of wheels. You could also check the AZ classifieds for some nice cheap wheels.

[VMRWheels]

If you do drive 80 miles a day, i would suggest looking for a good affordable higher treadwear tire. Make sure to do alignment! That is the vital key to saving money and keeping the tires for a long time IMO.

As far as refinishing... you probably looking around $500 for fixing on the dings/curbs + powder coating. I would suggest saving up a little bit and going for a set of 18" wheels. We offer wheels here starting at $699 a set for 18" in various finishes and styles.

Feel free to PM me for details.

-Charles@VMRWheels

[Doc@tirerack]

My first question is - which tires? Should I just stick with the stock Continentals, replacing the rear two for now and just doing the front two when the time comes, or is there a better choice? I drive 80 miles a day, 60 of it highway, so good MPG is important, but me not crashing due to snow or rain is more important.


We'd always recommend matching the pair of tires you are keeping to keep the tread patterns and rubber compounds the same on both axles. Its one thing to mix tread depths (which will affect snow and standing water traction) and a much different thing to compound the issue by using a different tread design and compound front and back.