Aftermarket wheel size restrictions? B8.5

[dubspeed22]

Hey gang,

So I tried doing a search and couldn't find anything specific to b8.5 wheel restrictions.

In the future I want to get some nice stagered wheels like I had in my old tt..

I've heard and read around that our cars are very limited to wheel width issues? What's the max I can go? I'm looking to do like 19x9.5 in the back and 19x8.5 in the front like my old ride (below). Am I still okay?




I miss her 

Thanks in advance!

[Li ls4]

you can fit up to a 10" wheel without having to do any crazy modifications

[MVR 155]

Not in anyway trying to be a smart ass but there is a sticky at the top of this section with 114 pages of specific wheel fitment information. All of the answers you are looking for can be addressed there along with tons of photos. Here is the link.......

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ent-discussion

[dubspeed22]

you can fit up to a 10" wheel without having to do any crazy modifications

Yea? Ok nice. I should be good then.. Even if I where to lower it or you talking with stock ride height?

[dubspeed22]

Not in anyway trying to be a smart ass but there is a sticky at the top of this section with 114 pages of specific wheel fitment information. All of the answers you are looking for can be addressed there along with tons of photos. Here is the link.......

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ent-discussion

All good. I was lazy and did a search and didn't see anything specific so I posted. I'll look through the 114 pages when I get 4hrs to do so, lol. Jk. Thanks

[CaptSlow]

you can fit up to a 10" wheel without having to do any crazy modifications

10 inches wide? Really? I thought it would rub like crazy on 255

[jran76]

10 inches wide? Really? I thought it would rub like crazy on 255

A 10" wheel is definitely doable, but with a very limited offset range; say ET39 to ET43 or so. Even then, there is a small chance of rubbing with a 255 tire depending on alignment, height, and tire choice.

[Jimminez]

Like others have said, 10" is fine depending on offset, camber and how low. I ran a 20x10" ET42 with 255/30R20 with no issues.
Pic for reference on how low I was too. I had adjustable front control arms.

[CaptSlow]

I think OP was at stock height, so maybe there would be less worries with 10" wide.

Unless someone says they're running 10.5

[jran76]

I think OP was at stock height, so maybe there would be less worries with 10" wide.

Unless someone says they're running 10.5

A 10.5" is out of the question for the front, but you could pull it off on the rear.

[dubspeed22]

Like others have said, 10" is fine depending on offset, camber and how low. I ran a 20x10" ET42 with 255/30R20 with no issues.
Pic for reference on how low I was too. I had adjustable front control arms.

Niceeee. Ok cool 9.5 in the rear sounds just fine w/ 8.5 in the front. Thanks for the quick responses! I'll figure out wheel size and et when I find the perfect wheels :p

[Okan509]

I think OP was at stock height, so maybe there would be less worries with 10" wide.

Unless someone says they're running 10.5

10 inches wide will likely not work on stock ride height. With that fitment you really need the camber to help tuck that wide of a wheel.

A 10.5" is out of the question for the front, but you could pull it off on the rear.

there is a guy on 10.5's (squared) over in the a4 section without anything crazy going on, actually. fender liner screws pulled, etc.

[Okan509]

Niceeee. Ok cool 9.5 in the rear sounds just fine w/ 8.5 in the front. Thanks for the quick responses! I'll figure out wheel size and et when I find the perfect wheels :p

why would you stagger? pretty pointless on these cars.

[jran76]

10 inches wide will likely not work on stock ride height. With that fitment you really need the camber to help tuck that wide of a wheel.



there is a guy on 10.5's (squared) over in the a4 section without anything crazy going on, actually. fender liner screws pulled, etc.

I guess technically you could do a 10.5" on the front, but it would either take a stretched tire, or some fender work. Just to clear the suspension, you would need something around an ET40, and I think that would take a 245 to even think about clearing the fender (which is way too much stretch for my taste).

[eurotic]

Like others have said, the real problem is not the width of the wheel per se, it is the offset and the tire that are going to cause the biggest problems and then throw in ride height and camber. At the end of the day there are a lot of variables that you need to consider so when one person tells you "no problem you are fine" you need to know all the specifics of their set-up.

As you may know the brand and model of tire will play a significant role as pretty much all tires will have a different tread/shoulder profile even though they are all the same size. If you don't really care too much about the rubber you put under the car in terms of width or performance category then you probably have many more options available. Maybe you want a huge stretch or maybe you want a nice square sidewall. Unfortunately you will need to wade through the stickied thread and try to digest what is in there. But read it all and PM people with questions because I have found some people will go and say one set-up will work only to be contradicted by someone else later.

[stereojorge]

Like others have said, 10" is fine depending on offset, camber and how low. I ran a 20x10" ET42 with 255/30R20 with no issues.
Pic for reference on how low I was too. I had adjustable front control arms.

Holy crap! Beautiful. But tell me this had to have rubbed the wheel well SOMETIMES, SOMEWHERE?!


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[Jimminez]

Holy crap! Beautiful. But tell me this had to have rubbed the wheel well SOMETIMES, SOMEWHERE?!


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Well I never had the car fully loaded at that height, so sure there could have been rubbing. You also do have to be aware of how turned your wheels are when hitting a bump/turning in to an elevated driveway. Under normal driving with two kids in toe with stuff in the trunk, I didn't have any issues. As mentioned, added camber and being aware that you're low, you can run an aggressive wheel and tire combo.

[dubspeed22]

why would you stagger? pretty pointless on these cars.

can you elaborate? i did in the past for more cosmetic reasons (bigger lip in the back). obv its not just a RWD car I understand that.. why is it pointless?

[RizzoS4]

I've run 19x10 et35 and 20x10 et35 with zero issues. 20's had 255/30, 19's have 245/35. No rubbing whatsoever on 19's, even at full lock. 20's rubbed at full lock but I wasn't aligned properly. I'm bagged, but camber in rear is only -2.0 when its maxed out, so it isn't even noticeable. Not sure why people are so worried about wheel sizing, just try it!

As for running staggered, that's dumb. It's AWD. You can still have a staggered LOOK and still have the same width all around if you do a 3-piece wheel.

[Okan509]

can you elaborate? i did in the past for more cosmetic reasons (bigger lip in the back). obv its not just a RWD car I understand that.. why is it pointless?

removes practicality of rotating tires.

you don't need staggered wheels on this car in order to achieve a flush look on all 4 corners

resale value, staggered set-ups are not going to sell as well because of all of the following.

No weird tire size issues to worry about.

simply. better.

[dubspeed22]

removes practicality of rotating tires.

you don't need staggered wheels on this car in order to achieve a flush look on all 4 corners

resale value, staggered set-ups are not going to sell as well because of all of the following.

No weird tire size issues to worry about.

simply. better.

Thanks! Appreciate the feedback guys and noted!

[eurotic]

Some other things to think about...

- Different tire sizes will have different rolling diameters which will increase wear/stress in the AWD system. Even if you follow the tire specs for revs per mile, if you are not using the "measured rim" width then you are further stretch the tires you are going to affect the rolling diameter.

- Theoretically putting more rubber in the back or increasing the rear track will also increase the rear end grip. This sounds great except for the fact that these cars already have a tendency to understeer and doing this would theoretically make it worse or more correctly it would further reduce the car's ability to rotate. I say theoretically because I have not actually put this to the test...I can't afford to buy multiple sets of wheels and tires just for the sake of science. I suspect only people that track their car would really see the effects of this where you are driving near/at the limit and vehicle dynamics are really going to come into play.