fitting 19" wheels

[jonzolee]

Hi everyone, new to this forum..great help.

More to the point, I am currently trying to fit 19 inch s8 wheels on my 2002 audi a4 avant. I have a problem with the suspension strut getting in the way..so much that I cant actually bolt the wheel on.

Do you think this problem would be fixable with spacers and be a simple job, or would I need to adjust camber etc..?

Any help is much appreciated because I am absolutely stumped!:confused:

Kindest Regards

[bez101]

u need spacers

[jonzolee]

u need spacers

any idea how big I would need? it looks about 20mm to clear, but will I need extra clearance? I just dont want to get spacers that are any bigger than I need...

Cheers

[bez101]

what offset are your wheels and are they 8j or 8 half J ?

[thefreak]

You'll want the correct hubcentric spacers if they're gonna be 20mm, otherwise there'll be no centrebore to locate the wheel onto.
plus you'll need some longer studs to go with them.
I may have the spacers, PM me if you're interested.

[jtx]

u need spacers


Basically the wheels are the wrong offset so will sit into the arch too far. Spacers would cure it but make sure they are hubcentric or ideally swap the wheels for a set with the correct offset.

[StuPDi]

i'm about to order a set of 17"rs6 replica's, will i have the same problem???

Stu

[Marco34]

Are spacers safe to use? I've read that fitting wheels with the wrong offset can put extra strain on the suspension. I may be wrong, but trying to fit wheels that simply don't fit onto your car is not a good idea.

[StuPDi]

spacers are perfectly safe to use, and this is just 1 example for using them.

usually it is to widen the track to improve roadholding.

a lot of fwd cars have a wider front track than rear, so using spacers on the rear to match the track will reduce the risk of the rear "stepping out" when extreme driving an track.

As said, hubcentric spacers are a must, along with longer wheels studs.

Stu

[thefreak]

I've made quite a few big brake kits for cars, and sometimes the customer wants to keep their existing wheels, even though with the new calipers, there isn't the clearance. On these occasions I've had some spacers produced to go with the kit to allow the clearance, anything upto 15-20mm hubcentric ones and as long as the longer studs or bolts are used, there's been no problems. Plus it gives the car a better look having the wheels sit flush with the outer edge of the wheel arch, rather than being tucked under there.
Yes, if you were making the car into a trackday monster, where there's going to be lots of strains and stresses on the car (far more than spirited road driving) then I'd suggest looking at wheels with the correct offset for the job, but just for everyday driving, spacers shouldn't have any undesirable effects on the car.
Also, I'd recommend staying away from generic £5.99 ones you can get from Halfords and the like. they just hang there and wont be centred on the hub correctly, so you may get vibration like an unbalanced wheel when using them. As Stu says, make sure they're hubcentric if they're any wider than the centrebore lip.