I have a B7 with 18 inch wheels sport suspension and would like to replace my stock wheels, however I'm not sure about the size. I like the look of the 19's, but will I be sacrificing ride quality of the car significantly or is it a very minor difference? Might add that the roads are not the best where I live, but does it make sense to get aftermarket 18 inch wheels? Won't they look too small? I would also like to lower the car just a tad. What's the best approach to lower the car and still have a comfortable, every day suspension? Would coilovers or springs be more comfortable? Thanks for any suggestions and hope to post pics soon!

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/131407/dsc04613.jpg"></center><p>Can't personally speak to comfort of 18" v 19" but anecdotally have read/heard 18" are less harsh.

I would say that if you live in an area with historically bad roads you might want to consider staying with 18s. Makes sense to swap wheels if you want to change style.

I had the same dilemma as you with suspension. I did tons of research and poured over 1000s of pictures and netted out that coilovers were the way to go.

Installed my Stasis Streetsports a few weeks ago. I'm totally slammed right now (will adjust to a more suitable daily ride height in the coming weeks, but honestly have not lost any ride comfort from OE sport suspension.

Huge pic above ...

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/224/wheelsside.jpg"></center><p>I'll second what co_pa said below about the Stasis Streetsports. They are VERY close to OEM sport suspension ride quality but with less body lean, better composure over rough surfaces, and of course they are height adjustable. You can see in my sig pic (bottom one) that the 18s look decent once the car is lowered. This other picture is of when I had forged BBS REs on the car, also in 18s. I think they looked pretty good too, although 19s would also have been attractive. 19s will definitely give up some ride quality and be more prone to damage on bad roads. The ride quality issue is subjective; I'd find someone near you with 19s and get a ride with them to see what you think. If you go forged, you can avoid some of the durability pitfalls because they will be stronger but obviously more money.

Finally, if you want to stay with 18s, there are things you can do to make sure they look as big as possible. The biggest thing is finding a wheel that has its spokes going all the way out to the lip, like the OEM S-Line wheels do. This tends to make a wheel look bigger. A wheel like the Oettinger RE, where the spokes actually curl back into the wheel lip before attaching, will look smaller than it really is. Same goes for pretty much any wheel with a dish on it.

wha happened?!

Once I put the stock 5 spokes back on for winter, I realized I actually really liked them and I felt like the marginal utility I was getting from the REs wasn't worth the money I had tied up in them. The biggest issue, I think, was that they were only 8" wide with an ET of 35 which just doesn't look aggressive enough on this car. I thought about spacers but didn't want to deal with the potential for vibration. Plus, I have so many bright accents on the car like the grille and roof rails and window surround that the dark wheels seemed a little out of place. They would look great on a car with the Ti package. If I do another wheel upgrade I'll probably do the RS-GTs in 19x8.5 next time. They have the polished lip which should tie in better with the silver accents on the car. The ride quality improvement from the forged wheels was nice, though.

Ride "quality" is pretty subjective. It can change from person to person. Some want more road feel, some want less.

My A4 came with the S-line 18" wheels. I put 19" BBS RG-R wheels with 235/35-19 Dunlop Sport Maxx tires, and Bilstein PSS-9 coilovers on my B7. The lighter wheel and tire combo made a huge difference in the ride and handling. It is much more responsive and I can feel the road better. Notice I didn't say I can feel the road more, just better. In my opinion, ride quality was not decreased at all. Overall feel of the car was greatly improved.

Take a look at the pictures below to see how it sits with the BBS / PSS-9 on there.

I found that with the PSS-9 set around 8 of 9, it was pretty close to the stock S-line suspension ride for dampening and comfort. I normally drive with it on 6 of 9. Lower if I want firmer. The great thing is, I can fine tune both height and dampening. Sport springs will lower and firm up the ride but may not put you exactly where you want to be in either category. I have mine set at about 1 finger between the front tire and fender and about two for the rear. No rubbing issues with this set up even with passengers in the back seat or a full trunk.

The height adjustability is great. I keep it as you see it in the picture but it can always be changed to match winter wheels and tires or for a day at the track.

Now, all of this does relate to road quality in your area. If potholes are more common than smooth road, you might opt for the 18" rim and more sidewall on the tire. Keep in mind also, that the quality of the wheel is key as well. Even though it is bigger, it also can be lighter and stronger, BUT, not always. I saved about 9 lbs per corner by going up a size in diameter with the RG-R. Not all aftermarket wheels are lighter than stock. Strength is an issue too. An 18" rim that is second rate will bend faster than you can imagine. I have replaced two tires on the same rim, once due to an unseen pothole on the freeway and the other from a construction zone. Both bubbled the tire to the point where I had to replace it. Neither has bent the rim. I know how hard I hit and I know that many rims would not have come away unharmed. I expected to be buying a new tire and rim when it happened. I am thrilled with the performance of the BBS.

Give me a call and I will be more than happy to go over these and some other options we have for you in more detail.

Please excuse the dirty car. I wasn't planning pictures today.

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Thanks a lot for the advice everyone. John, you car looks great, but for some reason the gap looks big in the rear, or is it just the pic? I would like to get some coilovers that are most on the comfortable side. Let me know what you think would be the most appropriate coilover set-up for comfort. Gorobei, you're right! With the drop, your stockers look like 19's. It's not easy to find a wheel like that. I currently have the stock 18" titanium wheels that came with the car, but don't like them that much. I like the Oettinger RXX, but it only comes in 19" and 20". If anyone has any suggestions for an 18" wheel with exposed spokes, please let me know. I've searched a little, but looks like most people are getting the 19's with a lip or the RS4 reps (not sure about the reps on A4). So now, it looks like I will be looking for some coilovers now. A lot of people recommend Stasis, but why is their Street Sport Suspension only listed for 2.0T? When I choose 3.2, the only coils listed are the Motor Sport Suspensions and the Ohlins. Street Sport doesn't fit the 3.2?

but not as much as the pictures tend to make it look. In person it sits right. I have it just a little higher because I like the slightly raked look and it keeps me from rubbing. I live out in the hills and the roads have a lot of ups and downs. That keeps me from bottoming the suspension out on some of the dips. Plus I can load it up and still not rub when it bounces around.

Thats the beauty of being adjustable. You can have it any height you want for any driving style or road conditions.

The comfort level is perfect, for me anyway. You can adjust to stock dampening practically. If you are local to anyone with a set, you should try them out. You are welcome to come by here for a test ride if you are in the area. The car is here just about every day.

<center><img src="http://cdn-1-service.phanfare.com/images/external/4010266_2012426_27226496_Web_4/0_0_f015e14fde94307330fc4ffa498c5422_1"></center><p>
With our GT coilover kits customers report better ride, less bounciness, and improved handling due to stiffer springs.

Right suspension that just works!

Customer quotes:

"I am getting very impressed with Vogtlands spring-winding expertise. Clearly, winding progressive springs has an element of art as well as engineering to it. The Vogtlands definitely transition from soft to firm quicker than the H&amp;R progressives I have experienced, but they also do it in a more controllable fashion."<ul><li><a href="http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/73pkoo0v/4010266/2012426">Follow this link for more pictures.</a></li></ul>

I am interested in upgrading the suspension on my B7 A4 2.0T Quattro. I would go with sport springs becuase they are less expensive, but am worried about premature shock failure and alignment issues. What do you think of these problems? TIA, Jacob

We have had some use the stock shocks and be OK with it. If you have the S-line suspension you will probably be better off than the normal suspension. However, we recommend upgrading the shocks as well. Bilstein Sport shocks are better than stock for a lowered car and for the stiffer spring rate of the lowering spring. I think you will get a better ride since the shock will be working withing its normal range compared to a stock one.

If you wanted to try just the springs, do that and let me know what you think. The down side is that if you do it and decide to add shocks, you will be doubling installation labor.

Thanks John for taking the time to help me out. I think that since I do not want to put unnecessary pressure on the stock shocks, I would do a different suspension upgrade (other than just sport springs). My goal is to improve the handling of my car for spirited street driving and maybe some autoX. I would like to sacrifice the great ride quality and stability that I have now, as little as possible.

If I understand my options correctly, I could do:

A rear sway bar AND/OR
Coil Over Suspension OR
New Shocks with springs not originally equipped on aftermarket shocks.

What are the pros/cons of these options and am I missing anything? I am somewhat confused b/w a coilover upgrade versus a shock/spring combo upgrade. Any info you can give me would be much appreciated.

You have been so helpful and I would definitely consider purchasing the parts I choose from your shop. I think I am 1.5 hrs away or so.

Thanks again for your help.