18's on stock susp. - why does wheel gap get larger in the front than in the rear?

[KryptoniK01]

I've been looking at pictures of cars running 18's on stock suspension and can't figure out why the front seems to look higher than the rear. Clearly the new wheels and tires are equal in dia so why would it loose the equal gap it had when running the stock 17's?

Am I missing something here?

[S4-ORCE]

When you run 18's usually you run a thinner tire than running stock tires/wheels therefore there is a larger gap

[imola]

When you run 18's usually you run a thinner tire than running stock tires/wheels therefore there is a larger gap

but if you're running the same exact tire in front as rear, it shouldn't matter, right? The gaps may be bigger than stock, but proportionally they should stay the same.

[KryptoniK01]

but if you're running the same exact tire in front as rear, it shouldn't matter, right? The gaps may be bigger than stock, but proportionally they should stay the same.

Exactly. I realize the gap may change slightly but they should be equal gaps in the front and rear yet most pictures I see the front appears to sit higher.

[casawhites4]

um, parking brake makes a difference. lol

[KryptoniK01]

um, parking brake makes a difference. lol

Are you saying that when the parking brake is on it will sit higher in the front???

[UberA3]

the arches are different. Like most European cars the front arch is higher from the ground than the rear and makes it look like this. This is why most aftermarket suspension companies make cup kit and springs that lower the front more than the rear.

[KryptoniK01]

the arches are different. Like most European cars the front arch is higher from the ground than the rear and makes it look like this. This is why most aftermarket suspension companies make cup kit and springs that lower the front more than the rear.

This still doesnt explain why they appear equal with stock wheels and not equal when 18's.

When upsizing wheels, S4's going from 17" - 18" barely changes the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combo because the smaller sidewall makes up for the difference in wheel size. That being the case, the gaps from the top of the tire to the wheel arch should remain the same both front and rear.

[Klum00]

When you run 18's usually you run a thinner tire than running stock tires/wheels therefore there is a larger gap

your overall rolling diameter should be the same, so this doesn't make sense...

[GunSupplier]

This still doesnt explain why they appear equal with stock wheels and not equal when 18's.

My front wheel-gap was always substantially greater than my rear wheel gap on the stock 17" Avus. When I measured my stock height, front fender to ground height was a bit more than 26.5 inches, whereas the rear was like 26.1 or so. I could see from a distance that the front had more wheel-gap than the rear of the car.

Most cars nowadays that I've noticed come from the factory with more wheel-gap in the front than the back....

[jukesandz]

My front wheel-gap was always substantially greater than my rear wheel gap on the stock 17" Avus. When I measured my stock height, front fender to ground height was a bit more than 26.5 inches, whereas the rear was like 26.1 or so. I could see from a distance that the front had more wheel-gap than the rear of the car.

Most cars nowadays that I've noticed come from the factory with more wheel-gap in the front than the back....

I'm the same. I'm on 17" Avus, and the front is noticeably higher than the rear. My Passat was the same way. It's always bothered the crap out of me. Coilovers will come someday, definitely before bigger wheels do.

[Bimmerchop]

This still doesnt explain why they appear equal with stock wheels and not equal when 18's.

When upsizing wheels, S4's going from 17" - 18" barely changes the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combo because the smaller sidewall makes up for the difference in wheel size. That being the case, the gaps from the top of the tire to the wheel arch should remain the same both front and rear.

x2

glad someone already said it. If you buy the correct sized tires, than the overall diameter of the wheel does not change, you'll have the same wheel gap you had before. However, with the smaller sidewall of the tire, it does give the illusion of the gap becoming bigger when in reality it doesn't. This is just because there is less tire now with the same amount of wheel gap.

[KryptoniK01]

My front wheel-gap was always substantially greater than my rear wheel gap on the stock 17" Avus. When I measured my stock height, front fender to ground height was a bit more than 26.5 inches, whereas the rear was like 26.1 or so. I could see from a distance that the front had more wheel-gap than the rear of the car.

Most cars nowadays that I've noticed come from the factory with more wheel-gap in the front than the back....

Thats strange, I just measured mine and there is only a very slight difference from front to back. Damn near 26.5 at all four corners, biggest variation was at most 1/8"

[Crekuc]

I'll send you some pictures later. I have factory suspension still on an 01 S4 and it has a slight rake forward. 18" wheels with 245/40 tires on it (went that size because it looked a little better than the 235/40 did) and the gap is significantly smaller in the front. Now I know my struts and springs are older and of course it probably lost some ride height, but none the less it doesn't lean backwards.