19 inch or 18 inch wheels

[Talonz]

Hello everyone NOOB posting , own a A4 Avant 04 3.0 lit, currantly running the stock 17 inch wheels, but would like upgrade to bigger wheels, and drop my ride with some stastis street coilovers. Is it true that if I would install 19 inch wheels that my gas milege would drop. Has anyone out there ever came up with that problem??? Or should I just stick with 18 inch wheels and won't have any worries??

[Gondi Stylez]

go for the 19s man! look so much better than the 18s! and from what ive read i dont think the gas milage is of any importance

[audiracer]

I ran 19's for a few months before this winter and didn't see any significant difference in gas mileage. 19's fill the wheel well in perfectly and look great with a drop.

[vinny.dtw]

really depends on the road conditions of where you live. Reason i got 18's was because I don't want a bent wheel every other week, and the looks are acceptable. 19's look darn good, but the downside is a heavier wheel, and you can bend them easier. And yes bigger wheels do mean worst gas mileage because of more rotational mass. It may not be that significant, but there is a difference.

[Talonz]

really depends on the road conditions of where you live. Reason i got 18's was because I don't want a bent wheel every other week, and the looks are acceptable. 19's look darn good, but the downside is a heavier wheel, and you can bend them easier. And yes bigger wheels do mean worst gas mileage because of more rotational mass. It may not be that significant, but there is a difference.

Thanks for the reality check, but then again 19's look so sick, but a bent 19 rim, would hurt. So as for the weight would forged wheels be a lighter choice to keep the milege same??

[80020vr6]

I'm in the same dilema. I think that 18's would look just as good as 19's, with the proper drop.

[Howard Hughes]

I used to think that^.... until I saw a car with 18's sitting next to a car with 19's....

[xbatmit3x]

I used to think that^.... until I saw a car with 18's sitting next to a car with 19's....

i had my friends USP with the stock b5 rs4 (18s) next to mine with my b7 rs4 in 19s and the difference is pretty big... the 18s end up looking like 17s...

i also made my decision to get 19s based on road conditions... i thought it was safe enough to drive in my area with 19s... gotto be careful tho!

as for gas mileage there is a slight difference that u will see going from 17s to 19s as i did.. . but with the look of ur car after putting on 19s u will think its well worth it

[norcatalyst126]

19's...went through the same decision a few months ago....i bought 19's a few months back, they have a lip so sometimes they almost look like 18's....so, if you got 18's with a lip they'd look like, well, what you already have...IMO

[rhassoii]

18's with no lip if you want them to look as large as possible, and if you go with an all black wheel it will give the illusion of being larger

[billyboy]

19's. but spend the extra $1000 or so on good wheels so the probability of them bending is alot less.

[trautob]

the rs4 reps are insanely strong, i went over a 1 foot curb at 30 mph no bending.

[AudiA4_20T]

I'm in the same dilema. I think that 18's would look just as good as 19's, with the proper drop.

I wish! My fliks look alrite but Ive been searching for some good 19s forever

[billyboy]

the rs4 reps are insanely strong, i went over a 1 foot curb at 30 mph no bending.

well i hit a nasty bump on I95 and now i have a vibration. but im road force balancing the tonight. so we will see how it works out.

[Doss]

The difference in MPG is mainly going to be attributed to the weight of the wheel. If you can find some lightweight 19s, you'll remain in the same ballpark as stock.

I went from 30-32.4 MPG (1.8t quattro manual) to 27-29.5 when I switched. This could also be due to the weather changing too. But, needless to say, more rotating mass will equal a lower fuel efficiency rating.

Oh, 19s do look better IMO.

[AudiA4Style]

Go 19's. You won't regret it.

[[email protected]]

Go with 19's and if for some reason you don't like the ride you can always sell them for a small loss and buy 18's with the remaining money.

Can't do that if you buy 18's first.

[Matav23]

I too was one of the guys who thought 18"s would be a better idea living here in Colorado so I got some. I kept them for less then a year before I got 19"s. I think they look much better and I haven't had any problems with the roads. And no im not running them now, I put my 17"s on for the winter.

[ArcticBoost]

blah blah blah 18's are NOT too small with the drop as many people have said. I was in the same boat and living in new york, I could not afford to take the 19" route just in case. Go 18...they are cheaper and will hold up much better. (make sure the car is lowered though).

[Talonz]

All right everyone. I'am convinced that 19's are the way to go and that yurp mass and weight does make a differance as for gas mph. 18 s are also nice and will probably save me some gas, and money but knowing me , satisfying my taste is what its all about . So I just purchused a set of Hartmann Silver RS6-172, 19s X 8.0 with Falken 235-35-19 tires and will be here tommorrow . Then the ride will be dropped with Statis StreetSport coilovers. Thanks everyone for the input.

[LAZY TURBO]

19's!!

[adam's rotors]

i found this out the hard way...
i used to have 18" RS6's and had them maybe 4 months before i stepped it up to lipped 19's...now im playing around with what 19" i like...

if u want to max out the look, go with the 19" b6 rs4/usp reps, not the b7's...
those look like fucking 20s...a lip shrinks them, but then you dont get the dish look...

19s tho hands down...

[sliverwagon]

get the 19s you will probably regret not getting them if you get 18s I bought 18s twice but the second set of 18s was such a good price I couldnt pass it up

[ewytt]

i like 18's that have a "extending spoke" design. (like RS4's, DTM's, maybe RS4) the "extended spoke" design brings the design all the way to the tire which gives the illustion that the wheel is still extending which makes them look big. I think my stock sport 17's look like 18's somedays and when i see USP's with the 18" RS4's the look like 19's!
I want to split the difference and get 18" Hartman DTM's with my 02 sport suspension. I think it will look fine. (just like how stock USP look, almost perfect)

[PROXUS]

19"s all the way

don't buy the stories about gas milege.