New Alloys/Winter tyres

[Camerashy]

I'm looking for some help and advice please if you could.
I have a 2014 A4 tdi Technik and am thinking of replacing the alloys with 5 spoke ones and possibly buying some Winter wheels and tyres later this year.
The current tyres are 8J 245x40x18
Firstly, some of the websites I have been on say that they supply a fixing kit....what is this please??
Secondly, With the Winter wheels do you normally just buy steel rims and then add tyres to match or is it more complicated than that and could you recommend a good place to buy these.
Appreciate any help
Thanks
Dave

[neilos100]

Hi Dave....
Fixing kit for non oem alloys may well be just different bolts...other than that I'm not sure what else you'd need .
As to buying the wheels...well, I have a set of alloys that I use as my winter wheels. Got them off eBay for £200 ...they are genuine A4 B8 wheels.
I have an A6 Avant so I needed to buy spigot rings to reduce the size of the center bore of the wheels from 66mm to 57.1 mm.
Your car will have 66mm bore so make sure the wheels you buy do too.
It's also recommended to drop down a size for winter tyres too....they work better when narrower..not as prone to skating as wide tyres are. My stock summer tyres are 245 40 18 and my winters are 225 50 17....so 20mm narrower.
And just to let you know...they make a massive difference in driving in winter....I drive to the Czech Republic every winter where they are mandatory and temperature gets to around -25 on occasion. Roads are not salted either as salt refreezes at around -7 so you drive on compacted snow with a covering of course grit. The winter tyres have got me to places I wouldn't have thought possible! .
Neil

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[Camerashy]

Hi Neil - many thanks for your detailed reply, really appreciate your help
thanks again
Dave

[Boy]

I agree with the advice given by the previous poster. I also bought a set of B8 17" alloys on ebay to which I fitted Winter tyres a size smaller. They are a great assistance in Winter.

[Camerashy]

Thanks appreciate your help

[neilos100]

Now there's a bargain..... 17'' GENUINE AUDI A4 B8 ALLOY WHEELS AND TYRES 5X112 A6 PASSAT A8 VW GOLF CADDY | eBay

Could even sell the tyres off them for 20-30 quid each and it would cost you just over £120 for four genuine Audi Alloys!

nb. They are exactly the same as my winter wheels.

Neil

[Camerashy]

Thanks, will check them out

[croakey]

Winter tyres you can drop whatever size you want as long as they stay within the listed sizes shown on the inside of your door shut.

I run 19's in summer, and 16's in winter, obviously a massive difference in tyre sidewalls but the same rolling radius