[s-cars] More questions about wheels and tires

[Matthew Farr]

Based on earlier replies, I've decided to:

1. Buy some new 17 inch wheels and new "summer" tires now.
2. When I get these, I will then shuck my old tires from my origial Audi
16 x 8 rims, get them refinished, and then eventually buy snow tires.

A couple of quick questions:

1. I'm planning on 17 x 8 rims. What offsets are acceptable? (1993 S4)

2. What makes a "good" wheel? Frank had mentioned OZ, BBS, and SSR as
upper end. What about Mille Miglia, AT Italia, Ronal, Borbet, Speedline,
and Moda? I went to a local place here in Denver that had literally
hundreds of brands of wheels. Most of them were chrome, so they didn't
have many options that I was interested in.

3. What do I need to know about "hubcentric wheels" to make sure that I
buy wheels that will be correct for my 1993 S4?

4. What size tires are best? All of these seem to be within +/- 2
percent of the original size:
205/55-16  0.0%  (What I've got now)
225/50-16  -0.1%  (Original equipment?)
225/45-17  0.4%
235/45-17  1.8%
235/40-17  -1.9%
245/40-17  -0.6%

5. Any specific tire recommendations? A friend of mine with a BMW M3
swears that the Bridgestone Potenza Pole Positions are wonderful. What
do you all like? Are there any that I should avoid?


Sorry for all the questions, but I figure the time to ask is now, before
I spend $1400 on wheels and tires.

TIA,
Matt Farr
Centennial, CO
1993 S4