Knowledge Base: Wheels & Tires

[OEMplus.com]

Hi All,

With the recent failure of harrison's factory rear wheel, I thought it might be a nice idea to put together some data about both the factory wheels and some options on the market that are geared to reducing weight and increasing strength.

As a baseline, we have the four factory wheel options:
- 18" Winter Wheels - 8,5x18 ET42 & 10,5x18 ET50
- 19" V8 Wheels - 8,5x19 ET42 & 10,5x19 ET50
- 19" V8 Wheels - 8,5x19 ET42 & 11,0x19 ET50
- 19" V10 Wheels - 8,5x19 ET42 & 11,0x19 ET50

The wheels are available in a number of finishes:
- 1H7 - Silver (18" only)
- Z33/Z17 (Silver/Polish - V8)
- Z33/4EE (Silver/Polish - V10)
- 4EE (Full Polish - V8)
- 3AJ (Titan - V8/V10)

The color combinations don't affect weight, which is:
- 18x8,5 - ?? lbs
- 18x10,5 - 28.5 lbs
- 19x8,5 - 21.5 lbs
- 19x10,5 - 24 lbs
- 19x11 - 24.5 lbs

The tire options & variations are as follows:
- 235/40-18 (Load 95) & 285/35-18 (Load 101) - Continental SC3
- 235/35-19 (Load 91) & 295/30-19 (Load 100) - Pirelli PZero
- 235/35-19 (Load 91) & 305/30-19 (Load 102) - Pirelli PZero

There is not a size difference between summer & winter setups. When spec'ing out a new vehicle, the 305/30 rear tires are only available to order with the 11" V8 Titan or V10 wheels, but they will fit the more narrow 10,5" rear wheels w/o problems.

As a side note, the 18" wheels and V10 wheels use the new 'star' style center caps, while the V8 uses the older cap.

See next post for aftermarket options...

[OEMplus.com]

With the factory options covered, it's time to discuss some of the optional aftermarket wheels. (pics are pending)

The big winner that we've found so far is the carbon fiber & magalium Dymag 2-piece. the most common size combo is 19x8,5 & 19x11 and the weights are as follows:
- 19x8,5 - 17.4 lbs
- 19x11 - 21.5 lbs
- 20x9,5 - ??? lbs
- 20x11 - ??? lbs
- 20x12 - ??? lbs

Unfortunately, they are not available at the moment as Dymag is in liquidation.

HRE makes a great line of forged "Comp" wheels, which are available in 18" & 19". For light & strong, they recommend Comp90 in 19" and weights would be as follows:
- 19x8,5 - 20 lbs
- 19x11 - 24 lbs

PPI Design in Germany offers their forged Mag11 wheel in 19" and 20" versions in both matte and gloss black versions. Weights are:
- 19x9 - 19 lbs
- 19x11 - 22 lbs

PPI also offers a more aggressive track package as follows:
- 19x10 - 19.5 lbs
- 20x11 - 23 lbs

Some enthusiasts have suggested upgrading to some of the wheels from the Lamborghini Gallardo. We have found them to be slightly stronger, but not necessarily lighter. For example, the Cordelia (LP560 wheel) is 0.5lbs heavier front and 0.8lbs heavier in the rear. However, if you are a glutton for punishment then go for the Scorpius (Superleggera) wheel. It is 20lbs front and 23.2lbs rear, but they are $5k each.

[OEMplus.com]

HRE Comp90



PPI MAG 11

[harrison]

Good work Rich. After my own studies, this HRE Comp 90 in Charcoal spoke color is my logical choice...unless the HRE or some other C.F. wheel will warranty track use. Not an easy task, deciding which wheel to upgrade to.There are so many options.BUT I have always dreamed of having a lighter, stronger, prettier, wheel !

[willyjp]

Thanks for the data!

A question: I was surprised to see the 10.5" rear wheel option for v8s. Is that the wheel width if the car came with 295s? I got the "polished" option and the spec specifies that they are 11.0 rears, but I haven't seen what it says for the "std" v8 wheel.

Functionally, what difference, if any, is there between the 10.5 and 11.0 wheels? By that, what I'm trying to get at is: Can you mount either 295s or 305s on either of those 2 wheels?

Thanks for being so generous with your knowledge about the car.

[harrison]

I never ever heard of the 10.5" till now WillyJP. The 305 option is for the 11". 305 on 10.5" might not be recommended.

[desperado]

I understand the OEM Snow Tire & Wheel Option comes on the 10.5 inch rear wheel. Toecutter should be able to confirm this.

The parts guy at my dealer and I discussed possible reasons, and the only thing we could come up with was to provide a little more room for tire traction devices (cable chains).

[harrison]

There are some after market wheels that come 10.5 too. An Auidi club forum member mentions 43 and 45 mm offsets for the V 10 wheel.What are the offsets for the V8s' stock 8.5s and 11s? These people who look at the pics of after market wheels should remember that the pics usually show wheels with plenty of lip. I don't think the R 8 can support much of a lip. Next I will research Lambo wheels for weights and OFFSETS.

[harrison]

I found a set of Superleggera wheels. At a price I am willing to pay.Will they fit? SDS & Stock Lambo wheels come with a five year warranty. I can live with the looks of Gallardo wheels but must find out weights. Is 675 KG (1,470 lbs) load rating good enough?

[Maverick]

A note of warning from personal experience with a set of HRE wheels on my RS6. They are 19" 3 piece wheels and have been a nightmare as they dent very easily when hitting potholes with the low profile tires. They are also difficult to keep polished and clean. I wouldn't buy another set of these with the cast rims they have. I would only go for fully forged wheels. I have some Champions on my porsche that seem way sturdier. So, if the HRE you are looking at has this construction be careful. I think they also do fully forged wheels too - their monoblock line? M