moops

I got the trispoke 19's and think they look much better in person than in pictures. I only drove on them a few days before putting on 18" rims for my winter setup. Aside from the feel of winter vs summer tires, I honestly don't notice any difference in ride quality from one set to the other.

drrick89

19s all the way, baby (that is if your climate & roads are up to par)!

I was worried about the ride with 19s before I ordered, but my S4 ride with 19s is actually *much* improved over my 2007 A4 sport with 17s! Part of that has to do with longer wheel base of the B8 vs. the B7 frame.

Don't get me wrong, I like the look of the 18s. But, if you can get the 19s go for it! It really adds to the visual presence of the car and makes it stand out more. In fact, I'm liking the trispokes more now than the RS4 19s and I used to love those wheels!

canyoncarver

I observed a bit less road noise on the18"s compared to 19"s although I think a big reason for the amount of road noise has to do with the choice of Pirellis.

19"s will cost a LOT more to replace and if you run Z rated you will be replacing tires every two years or so. There are also fewer choices in the 19" size.

I'm in the same boat, contemplating the Premium Plus vs. Prestige. I'm going to wait until the MY2011 changes are announced. I'm hoping that Audi will pull their heads out and offer the auto dimming mirrors and seat memory (don't care about keyless start) on the Premium Plus as an option package.

Tomcat84

I personally didnt like the look of the 19s so much that i wanted to spend 1000 bucks on it. (P+)

In fact I prefer the 18 inch look, and cheaper too so I went with those

rktskicar

I ran 18". I only run one set of wheels/tires all year long. I also went with aftermarket 18". Tire/wheel specs in my sig.

Bruce

Smith837

Thanks to all for the great feedback! Still mulling over the pros and cons of the P+ vs. Prestige vis-a-vis the wheels/tires...

While there seems to be no disagreement on the need to get winter (or all-season) treads regardless of package, there's still some disagreement on the need to get a 2nd set of rims to go with the treads. Obviously, 19" winter ties will be costlier than 18", but perhaps not costlier (maybe) than buying a 2nd set of wheels. So, a few scenarios I'm envisioning...

1. Get the P+ and a 2nd set of 18" tires for the winter (would only get a 2nd set of rims if absolutely necessary -- if swapping out the tires this way over a few seasons won't damage the tires)

2. Get the P+ and once thru the 18" summer treads that come with the car, outfit the car with 18" all-seasons (i.e., only run 1 set of wheels/tires all year long)

3. Get the Prestige and a 2nd set of 18" wheels/tires for the winter (and depending on whether I go with winter or all-season tires, either alternate the wheels season-to-season (if winter tires), or keep the 18's on the car year-round (if all-season tires))

4. Get the Prestige and a 2nd set of 19" tires for the winter (only if swapping out the tires this way over a few seasons won't damage the tires)

Unfortunately, since I plan to lease, selling the 19's that come with the Presitige is not an option. Of course, I could always sell any 2nd set rims I purchase when I'm through with the car. They'd be used, but I tend to take VERY good care of my cars.

Any thoughts or reco's? Very curious which option(s) above others would choose and how strongly others feel about the need to get a 2nd set of rims vs. swapping tires on the same rims season after season. If there's a better scenario that I'm overlooking, please let me know...

SLUSH

You will also want to consider how much driving (and what kind!) you will be doing. I know the 19inch performance tires on my M3 only last one season for rear tires, a bit longer for fronts - that's about 18K km (approx 12K miles). Therefore any damage to the tire with swapping really would be minimal if they would only last long enough to be changed once...

Smith837

I drive about 14K miles/yr. I'm already coming to the realization that regardless of the package I choose (P+ or Prestige), I'd want 18's on the car -- and I'd be sure to get both a summer performance tire and winter tire to take advantage of what the S4 and Quatro have to offer.

That said, when I look at the cost difference on a lease for P+ vs. Prestige, and factor in the added wheel/tire expenses of the Prestige, the Prestige would cost about $150, or maybe even $200 more per month than the P+. That's an additional $5.5K to $7K over the 3 years of the lease, for a car that I won't own. Not sure I can justify that kind of premium for the few extra bells and whistles of the Prestige, as much as I want them. When I do the math, seems like the P+ gets me 99% of what I want when loaded up, for 20%+ less! Am I missing something?

MalSer

I chose Prem+ for pretty much that reason, though I'm purchasing rather than leasing. May have missed a minor bell/whistle once or twice, but I honestly have no regrets with my choice. VAG-COM it and you can even tweak it in minor ways to customize some little features.