19" without lowering?

[cellg8]

Will it look ugly if I put on 19" without lowering?

Right now the S4 is sitting on OEM 18" RS4-style rims and I can live with the gap... I was wondering how big of a gap increase it will be if I put on 19"s?

Thank you in advance for any input...

[ItzDarrellS4]

ugly? no

4x4 yes

[cellg8]

ugly? no

4x4 yes

LOL...that sums it up. thanks...

Maybe I should do lowering before the rims then...

[PburghNogaro]

I don't think it would look ugly. I don't have mine lowered and I think the 19's look pretty good on it right now.

[PSYC0TIC ONE]

i too am running 19's without a drop, fills the wheel gap "better" than stock but, still could be dropped about 1/4-1/2 an inch in the front... i think the back is perfect...

[cellg8]

Really? The gap becomes smaller when you put on 19's compared to 18's?

Do you guys have pics of your cars? Thank you...

[PSYC0TIC ONE]

you tell me...

this is a picture of my car about 3 months ago, i bought these 18" LM REPS off a friend only to sell them to someone else 3 days later for the wheels in the second picture... they look SMAAAAALLL as hell huh? thats why i ditched them


i picked these wheels up 3 days after i bouth the LM REPS, they are 19x8.5" OZ SL's... notice the 19's give the "illusion" of less gap due to "more wheel" being present.

[SikhS4]

If you have the right size tire for the wheel, the overall diameter should be the same if you want the speedometer to be accurate. With 19's,the rim is relatively larger compared to the sidewall which makes the wheel gap more noticeble IMO.

[cellg8]

Psy,
You're right. They look awesome!

SikhS4,
so you 'think' the 19's will make the wheel gap look more apparent?

Thanks!

[S4DTM]

19's look fine without a drop, especially if you go with a little wider tire. I went with a 245/35/R19 and the wider look is great! Here's a few pics of mine so you can see the difference. I will be dropping it a bit around the first part of next year, but thats more for performance than styling. So ya, here ya go! Hope you like!

Before:


After:

[cellg8]

S4Dtm, your car looks sick! Thanks! Any more photos especially straight from the side profile?

[PSYC0TIC ONE]

If you have the right size tire for the wheel, the overall diameter should be the same if you want the speedometer to be accurate. With 19's,the rim is relatively larger compared to the sidewall which makes the wheel gap more noticeble IMO.

thats a given, on mine the rolling diameter is the same as stock... i forget the sidewall size but, with a drop i wouldn't be able to run the 245's i am now (well, unless i would roll).

the "illusion" i was speaking about is the fact that there is less "black" between the top of the WHEEL and the high point of the fender... illusion

[S4DTM]

S4Dtm, your car looks sick! Thanks! Any more photos especially straight from the side profile?

Thanks man! Appreciate it! Here's a straight side pic, sorry for the lighting, makes it a little hard to see, but you can tell the difference. My rolling radius is basically the same, just a small difference (few mm).

[Cargo8]

dude those rgrs look wicked! ^^

I realy like the rear with 19s on stock, the front could be dropped. although at the last look i think teh rear could be a tiny drop too (i did jsut take out a set of springs from teh trunk)

[channad]

the front on the B7 looks like it could use a drop with 19s...but that's just personal preference. Some will say it looks 4x4, and others will not say that. Just do what you think would be good. I think I would do c/os before getting wheels...so the look would be dialed in as the wheels enter the picture. Otherwise, I might be like..."damn, I need to lower this thing."

Your rolling diameter should be just about the same. There's a 1/8" of a difference when you go with 19" wheels and a 35 series tire.

btw...if you're selling those stock rims...I might want them :)

[swoyekr.]

4X4 = ugly
Dropped = terrible

Finding a good mix is priceless

[SoCalS4Avant]

the front on the B7 looks like it could use a drop with 19s...but that's just personal preference. Some will say it looks 4x4, and others will not say that. Just do what you think would be good. I think I would do c/os before getting wheels...so the look would be dialed in as the wheels enter the picture. Otherwise, I might be like..."damn, I need to lower this thing."

Your rolling diameter should be just about the same. There's a 1/8" of a difference when you go with 19" wheels and a 35 series tire.

btw...if you're selling those stock rims...I might want them :)

You're looking to change up your wheels Channa? I'm looking to get myself some OEM 18" RS4's...I love the look.

[FastB7S4]

btw...if you're selling those stock rims...I might want them :)

I thought you already had the OEM 18" RS4s?

[channad]

You're looking to change up your wheels Channa? I'm looking to get myself some OEM 18" RS4's...I love the look.

I thought you already had the OEM 18" RS4s?

I just need another set of 18s for my winter setup. I can't afford the 19s I want...yet...I've been toying with the thought of other wheels...but I've gotten accustomed to the OEM 18" RS4s that came with my car.

[sevenstarz]

Will it look ugly if I put on 19" without lowering?

Right now the S4 is sitting on OEM 18" RS4-style rims and I can live with the gap... I was wondering how big of a gap increase it will be if I put on 19"s?

Thank you in advance for any input...

Yes, it will look ugly.

Peace

[audirs]

If you have the right size tire for the wheel, the overall diameter should be the same if you want the speedometer to be accurate. With 19's,the rim is relatively larger compared to the sidewall which makes the wheel gap more noticeble IMO.

dont mean thread jack, but ur name rocks. best ever

[iconoclast]

Will it look ugly if I put on 19" without lowering?

yes.

[cellg8]

Thank you for all your replies and photos, guys! I hope you know how much I appreciate it!

I totally agree with Channad and others.. looks like the front can use some drop. The back looks perfect!

Channad, I'll keep you posted if I ever decide to sell them... most likely not because i will need them myself for winter if I ever get some 19's...LOL...

Wait a sec, do you guys have winter in So. Ca.?

[mioStile]

An interesting bit of info -

The reason the s4 has a larger front wheel gap than rear is because of its weight distribution. If you are going for total performance, the car should be lowered in a flat manner (i.e. the car is not on a slant toward the front or rear..known as raking). If the car is raked to the front (which I think is the best a car could ever look), the weight distribution is shifted a bit more to the front, which would hurt performance on the front-heavy s4. I don't believe it's as big a deal in smaller engined cars.

However, if you are never going to drive the car really hard or track it, raking is absolutely fine.

[Cargo8]

An interesting bit of info -

The reason the s4 has a larger front wheel gap than rear is because of its weight distribution. If you are going for total performance, the car should be lowered in a flat manner (i.e. the car is not on a slant toward the front or rear..known as raking). If the car is raked to the front (which I think is the best a car could ever look), the weight distribution is shifted a bit more to the front, which would hurt performance on the front-heavy s4. I don't believe it's as big a deal in smaller engined cars.

However, if you are never going to drive the car really hard or track it, raking is absolutely fine.

well actually from a performance standpoint, when lowering you would want to maintain that minimal rake with the rear lower since that would put more weight on the rear (taking away from the nose-heaviness of the s4)

[PSYC0TIC ONE]

well actually from a performance standpoint, when lowering you would want to maintain that minimal rake with the rear lower since that would put more weight on the rear (taking away from the nose-heaviness of the s4)

that is exactly what he said man, lol

An interesting bit of info -

The reason the s4 has a larger front wheel gap than rear is because of its weight distribution. If you are going for total performance, the car should be lowered in a flat manner (i.e. the car is not on a slant toward the front or rear..known as raking). If the car is raked to the front (which I think is the best a car could ever look), the weight distribution is shifted a bit more to the front, which would hurt performance on the front-heavy s4. I don't believe it's as big a deal in smaller engined cars.

However, if you are never going to drive the car really hard or track it, raking is absolutely fine.

[EuroB6]

it's not too bad with 19s and stock suspension, but it doesnt give it that sporty look. Once you lower it, you'll love it!

[channad]

Wait a sec, do you guys have winter in So. Ca.?

LOL!! Yeah, not too much snow where I live, but I go to Mammoth quite a bit. The most action my car has seen is about 6" of snow. Dunlop 3D's did the trick!