Aftermarket wheel options

[medrads2020]

I recently purchased my 2007 A4 2.0T Quattro and am trying to correct multiple negligent and careless fixes/mistakes made by the previous owner. It looks like he/she drove it into a ditch or over a curb at some point and had it towed. There was a tow rope tied around the rear hitch cut just before the knot, the front belly pan is missing, the spare wheel has a blown out tire, there are 3 different 234/45/17 off brand tires and a 205/55/16 tire on a different 16 inch OEM Audi wheel on the passenger rear corner. Needless to say, this car has seen better days, and I'm hoping to get it back into shape.

Currently, I'm not looking to get too crazy with modifying it. I just want an updated factory look. I'm planning on going with 17x7.5 or 17x8 wheels since money is on a strict budget. Does anyone know what offset would push them out to the fenders? And any recommendations on wheels? Like I said, money is a limiting factor, so I'd like to keep the wheels between $500-$750.

[StatusQuo]

I've been looking at alzor wheels. It's cheap and it's an ECS brand. The offsets are proper being that the company makes them specific for German cars. The have some that are an oem+ look.

They have example pics


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[Sylvania A4]

Shameless pitch - I'm 45 minutes from you and have a set of OEM TTS wheels listed in the classifieds. 18x9 et 52, though. I'd sell them for $300 if you pick up.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...cb-400-shipped

[medrads2020]

Thanks for the recommendation, StatusQuo! The 18" Alzor wheels are much more affordable than I thought. I'm considering the style 349 ET35 and 640 ET45 wheels. The price difference between 235/45/17 and 235/40/18 Continental DWS 06 tires is manageable as well.

Searching online, I found Konig Oversteer 18x8" +45mm within my price range ($642 for the set). I really like the spoke style of these wheels.

Is +45mm an offset that will push 8" wide wheels out more towards the fender? Should I go with the Style 349 for the +35mm offset to get the look I want? I am pretty set against running any sort of spacers. I don't want to deal with balance and other issues that come with running them.

[medrads2020]

Shameless pitch - I'm 45 minutes from you and have a set of OEM TTS wheels listed in the classifieds. 18x9 et 52, though. I'd sell them for $300 if you pick up.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...cb-400-shipped

Thanks for the offer! I'm looking for a brand new set and prefer to avoid spacers. GLWS.

[Sylvania A4]

No worries. Good luck avoiding the pot-holes in Detroit, they are terrible right now.

[rhfosu]

I've been looking at alzor wheels. It's cheap and it's an ECS brand. The offsets are proper being that the company makes them specific for German cars. The have some that are an oem+ look.

They have example pics


Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Audizine mobile app

I run Alzors almost exclusively. They look good, and are cheaper to replace than repair, but they are soft, and they bend easily. I've had to send back more than one set for being bent new out of the box. Last set I bought I was told I needed conical lugs, but they arrived with ball seats. Even ECS was unaware of this. These are Chinese wheels, and even though ECS sells them, they suffer from Chinese quality problems and other inconsistencies.

[EvolutionArmory]

Thanks for the recommendation, StatusQuo! The 18" Alzor wheels are much more affordable than I thought. I'm considering the style 349 ET35 and 640 ET45 wheels. The price difference between 235/45/17 and 235/40/18 Continental DWS 06 tires is manageable as well.

Searching online, I found Konig Oversteer 18x8" +45mm within my price range ($642 for the set). I really like the spoke style of these wheels.

Is +45mm an offset that will push 8" wide wheels out more towards the fender? Should I go with the Style 349 for the +35mm offset to get the look I want? I am pretty set against running any sort of spacers. I don't want to deal with balance and other issues that come with running them.

A 45 offset will tuck the wheel back. 35 will get the front lip closer to the fender. 35 means the mounting hub is 35mm from the wheel centerline. A 45 will put the mounting hub 10mm further out from center with a positive offset wheel so the face of the wheel will be set back further in the wheel well.

[rhfosu]

35mm is just shy of flush on the B7 without spacers. It's the offset I'd personally recommend.

[StatusQuo]

Thanks for the recommendation, StatusQuo! The 18" Alzor wheels are much more affordable than I thought. I'm considering the style 349 ET35 and 640 ET45 wheels. The price difference between 235/45/17 and 235/40/18 Continental DWS 06 tires is manageable as well.

Searching online, I found Konig Oversteer 18x8" +45mm within my price range ($642 for the set). I really like the spoke style of these wheels.

Is +45mm an offset that will push 8" wide wheels out more towards the fender? Should I go with the Style 349 for the +35mm offset to get the look I want? I am pretty set against running any sort of spacers. I don't want to deal with balance and other issues that come with running them.

It is consensus to run a 8.5 wide wheel on a +35 offset for the best fitment with no rub. I'd personally go 225 just to be safe, but many run 235.

Some tires run wide by 10mm so be aware of that.


Yes alzors are Chinese made but ECS designed from what I know. But you got a reputable company backing them. So you should have good support if something happens to em.

There are alot of happy users and a few unhappy users. But note that dissatisfied users tend to be more vocal. But it's still cheap enough to play the risk game in my book .

I think the wheels are TUV certified too.

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[EvolutionArmory]

Are Hartmann Wheels any better or do you think they might be made in the same Chinese factory as Alzor?

[rhfosu]

It is consensus to run a 8.5 wide wheel on a +35 offset for the best fitment with no rub. I'd personally go 225 just to be safe, but many run 235.

Some tires run wide by 10mm so be aware of that.


Yes alzors are Chinese made but ECS designed from what I know. But you got a reputable company backing them. So you should have good support if something happens to em.

There are alot of happy users and a few unhappy users. But note that dissatisfied users tend to be more vocal. But it's still cheap enough to play the risk game in my book .

I think the wheels are TUV certified too.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Audizine mobile app

I run 235s on 18x8.5 et 35. No rubbing.

I am not complaining about Alzor. For $500, they are a great set of wheels. And yes, ECS is good about replacing them or correcting issues. But, if you are picky, or have unreasonable expectations, you could be unhappy. Like you said, many people are. In the end, they are gravity cast Chinese wheels, with the support of ECS, yes, but they are not of the same quality as OEM or most other options. I knew that going in and I have not been disappointed.

[StatusQuo]

I run 235s on 18x8.5 et 35. No rubbing.

I am not complaining about Alzor. For $500, they are a great set of wheels. And yes, ECS is good about replacing them or correcting issues. But, if you are picky, or have unreasonable expectations, you could be unhappy. Like you said, many people are. In the end, they are gravity cast Chinese wheels, with the support of ECS, yes, but they are not of the same quality as OEM or most other options. I knew that going in and I have not been disappointed.

Yeah I agree 100%. You get what you pay for in this game.

I'll be buying a set too once I save up a bit. I think they ar great looking wheels for the money.

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[Skyler@Achtuning]

Are Hartmann Wheels any better or do you think they might be made in the same Chinese factory as Alzor?

Hartmann wheels have never been made in China. If you search for peoples experiences with Hartmann on AZ and elsewhere you'll find the feedback to be extremely positive. We've had plenty of opportunities to go with cheap (yet high margin) Chinese made wheels over the years and turned them all down, it's just not worth the headaches.

[EvolutionArmory]

Hartmann wheels have never been made in China. If you search for peoples experiences with Hartmann on AZ and elsewhere you'll find the feedback to be extremely positive. We've had plenty of opportunities to go with cheap (yet high margin) Chinese made wheels over the years and turned them all down, it's just not worth the headaches.

Excellent. Can you use any influence you may have with them being that you’re a dealer? I would love to see more updated designs. I would kill for set of Hartmann VW Mallory or Savannah reps in a 35 offset 😀

[rhfosu]

Are Hartmann Wheels any better or do you think they might be made in the same Chinese factory as Alzor?

Hartmann makes a nice rep wheel. They have been made in Italy and Germany or the "EU" in the past, as far as I know. They are also 2-3X as expensive as Alzor. I don't know about their manufacturing process. My guess is they are also using a casting process. They definitely are not forged. Then again, most OEM wheels are also cast.

[EvolutionArmory]

Hartmann makes a nice rep wheel. They have been made in Italy and Germany or the "EU" in the past, as far as I know. They are also 2-3X as expensive as Alzor. I don't know about their manufacturing process. My guess is they are also using a casting process. They definitely are not forged. Then again, most OEM wheels are also cast.

Definitely cast. They aren’t that expensive either. Most wheels are in the 250-300 range MSRP

[Skyler@Achtuning]

The current lineup of Hartmann is all low pressure cast, there will be a rotary forged style (low pressure cast face with spun barrel) coming out pretty soon though. There was a very limited run of forged versions of the HRS4-252 style and HRS4-DTM style wheels in 19 inch years ago but forged wheels are something that only the most dedicated enthusiasts tend to go for due to the much higher cost.