Advantages:
-lower profile tires... better handling grip
-quicker steering - more responsive
-better looks (my be a personal preference)

Disadvantages
-wheels and tires cost more
-firmer (harsher?) ride

Tom

this means that you can go to a lower profile tire w/o affecting the speedo. Also 17" wheels allow you to increase the tread width, because most are 7.5" or 8", meaning you can run up to 235" on an A4.

Hope this helps,
Mark

PS - This should really be posted on the wheel and tire forum :-)

i assume you can put 17" wheels on the A4, is that correct?

... had an interesting article. They found that 225/55/16's handled better than 225/45/17's in "real world" road conditions. The opposite was the case on a track. Just something I read.

Justin
E31
Eclipse
Katana

The main reason car makers have gone to bigger wheels is that it makes room for bigger brakes. Yes, there are advantages to lower profile tires, but you could put 45 series tires on 13" wheels if you wanted to. (Very popular in SCCA IT racing, since it lowers the car and lowers gear ratios. )

nt

KLHI
klhi@ibm.net
99.0 2.8QM Melange/Onyx Cloth

My buddy thought that there wasn't too much difference between 16" inch and 17" so he went with 16". Now after seeing a vehicle similar to his that has 17" wheels, he wishes that he got the 17". 18s look even better. If you see a car that looks really good with after-market wheels, I guarantee that the wheels are 17" or above.

More tire wall height allows more cushion keeping tire attached to pavement in corners on rough surfaces. On smooth flat surfaces like race tracks the low profile works because there are no bumps to cause tire chatter in corners and you have less chance of sidewall roll. Really it's more to do with sex appeal!

Advantages:
1. Quicker steering response, as there is less rubber between the road and the wheel.
2. More feel of the road due to the less height of the rubber.
3. Looks

Disadvantages:
1. Cost
2. More road harshness
3. Wheels will be more fragile because there is less rubber to cushion pot holes
4. Lower profile wheels leave less rubber to protect against curb damage.
5. More unsprung weight unless you spend $$$ on light weight wheels.

Reggie

98.5 30vQMS
Remus - 17"MAS -MGR wheels/Dunlop 225/45/17 tires

My '98.5 2.8 qMS "before-and-after"...

<img SRC="http://131.107.68.28/a4org/LV_b4-n-after.jpg">

Side by side comparison of fat and frumpy 16" OE Sport 7-spoke and lithe, aggressive 17" Ronal LV

<img SRC="http://131.107.68.28/a4org/LV_and_7Spoke.jpg">

A couple more of my pics are in a recent post in the <a href="http://www.a4.org/forum/m/wheel/8457.phtml>Wheel & Tire Forum</a> and I will be posting many more after this weekend.

The other benefits of 17's have been mentioned. I will add, unsprung weight is the nemisis of plus sizing and finding a larger diameter wheel without increasing overall weight of tire & wheel is important to consider. The wheel/tire package above is only 3 lbs (roughly) heaver at each corner than stock.

Rob O

My '98.5 2.8 qMS "before-and-after"...

<img SRC="http://131.107.68.28/a4org/LV_b4-n-after.jpg">

Side by side comparison of fat and frumpy 16" OE Sport 7-spoke and lithe, aggressive 17" Ronal LV

<img SRC="http://131.107.68.28/a4org/LV_and_7Spoke.jpg">

A couple more of my pics are in a recent post in the <a href="http://www.a4.org/forum/m/wheel/8457.phtml">Wheel & Tire Forum</a> and I will be posting many more after this weekend.

The other benefits of 17's have been mentioned. I will add, unsprung weight is the nemisis of plus sizing and finding a larger diameter wheel without increasing overall weight of tire & wheel is important to consider. The wheel/tire package above is only 3 lbs (roughly) heaver at each corner than stock.

Rob O