Sep 5th 2024
How to get perfect wheel fitment on your Audi B8/B8.5
The Audi B8 and B8.5 platform might be the best option for mid size luxury sedans that are beginning to be affordable to us plebeians. Letβs put it this way: we donβt see Mercedes putting superchargers or turbochargers on virtually every trim.
This gives you tons of potential to make more power. If you wanna be able to use that extra power, youβll need to consider a new set of wheels and tires, heck, maybe even before you throw on those go-fast parts. In this guide, weβre going to discuss the wheels and tires that fit your B8 AND look good.
The B8 and B8.5 are certain production timeframes rather than simply model years. As such, weβre going to be covering A4, A5, S4, and S5 models. You could possibly extend the info here to your A6 or S6, but these cars look better with larger, more aggressive specs.
Sorry RS owners, weβre looking specifically at βAβ and βSβ models. If you want a fitment guide dedicated to this widebody variant, feel free to request it in the comments - weβre always open to suggestions.
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Basic fitment info
- Bolt pattern: 5x112
- Bolt thread: M14x1.5
- Center bore: 66.5
- Lug torque: 89 ft/lbs
Thre are a couple of things to note before ordering wheels. The B8 platform uses an M14 lug bolt thread size, while a lot of wheels will come drilled to accept M12 bolts. If your wheels donβt come M14 you could use a M14 to M12 stud conversion kit or have your wheels drilled out.
The 5x112 bolt pattern is pretty common amongst German cars. Youβll see it on Mercedes, VW, Audi, etc. However, as weβll show, the best option for a particular wheel may not be offered in 5x112. In this case, you can consider custom drilling from another PCD, for example 5x114.3 -> 5x112. Bottom line, when done correctly this procedure is perfectly safe - itβs something we can do in-house as well.
Most of the time you should be able to find your perfect wheels in the correct bolt pattern. We offer over 100K options in 5x112 after allβ¦
Examples of B8/B8.5 fitment
19β wheel fitment
This is the diameter you should choose unless you have a particular reason not to. Youβll see aftermarket wheels between 18 and 20 inches, but 19βs are by far the most common size, probably because they offer a good mix of performance and looks.
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Notes |
Stock height, no rubbing. Wheels also available with +35 offset |
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Starting off with something pretty tame, this B8 S4 is on a set of BBS CH-R. These wheels seem to be one of the most popular models for this platform, along with Rotiform, but weβll look at those later. As far as specs, this is about as OEM+ as you can get. The wider wheels allow you to go up to a 275 tire, but the owner elected to keep the factory size. This isnβt flush fitment, but these wheels bolt on without any headaches and give a fresh look.
Otherwise, there's not much to say about this one. Consider this a baseline for aftermarket wheel fitment, theyβre only going to get more aggressive from here.
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Wheels |
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Notes |
No spacers, coilovers unknown brand. No rubbing |
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These look a lot like the popular CH-Rβs, but cost about half the price. Also, theyβre available in an offset not offered by BBS. Talking about offsets, the best fitment comes from the low to mid 30βs, but +40 still looks pretty good especially with this car being lowered.
Again, we see a 255/35 tire. This is factory size, and while it works fine, weβd like to see a 265 or even 275. You might have to consider rolling your fenders depending on your alignment (especially with a 275/35), but the whole point of wider wheels is to pair them with wider tires.
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ECS coilovers. no spacers or fender rolling needed. Doesn't rub |
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This B8 Avant has very similar specs to the last, just with 2mm lower offset. Same tires, also on coilovers (this time ECS coils), also fairly low. Pretty similar all around, but youβll notice the wheels are 3P BBS LM-Rβs. A lot of dished 3P wheels have trouble clearing the brakes on these cars, but the owner confirms these fit A4 brakes without needing spacers - S4/S5 brake clearance isnβt confirmed.
German wheels on a German car will always be a great pairing, if you wanna learn more about why BBS are so good, check out this feature we did.
20β wheel fitment
This is our second pick for diameter. 20βs really fill out the arches and look pretty baller, especially with a lowered car. When we were researching, we found them to be more common on the A5/S5. Do they look better on these models? You be the judge.
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Notes |
Lowered on coilovers. Fender rolled, minimal rubbing |
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Hereβs what a B8.5 looks like on 20βs. 9.5J wheels are kinda the go-to for width, but that doesnβt mean you canβt step it up to 10 or even larger (with some fender work). The reason to go wider is to run a wider tire, as the owner of this A4 did - 265/30R20. With these specs, you get almost perfectly flush fitment. Note that the fenders needed to be rolled to accommodate the wider wheels and tires.
This car is static on coils. You donβt have to go this low if you want 20βs, but weβd recommend a set of coilovers or at least lowering springs. You can find these parts plus more in our shop.
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Wheels |
Forgestar F14 20x9.5 +27 *needs redrilling |
Forgestar F14 20x9.5 +27 *needs redrilling |
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No spacers, dropped on KW V2's. Also offered in 19x9.5. *20β size needs to be redrilled. No rubbing |
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Forgestar F14 wheels are becoming a staple on midsize luxury cars, and this S5 shows us why. These wheels have a bunch of caliper clearance, allowing these to fit S4/S5 brakes without spacers. If youβre interested in these wheels but prefer 19βs, we sell them in the same width and offset.
As far as the fitment, 9.5 wide with a +25 offset is about as far as you can push before making some kind of concession, whether thatβs adding camber, stretch tires, etc.
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Vossen VSF1 20x10.5 +30 (effective 25mm) |
Vossen VSF1 20x10.5 +30 (effective 20mm) |
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Tires |
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Notes |
Accuair B8 sport kit. 034 Motorpsorts adjustable upper control arms. Rolled and pulled fender all around. No rubbing when aired up. |
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Along with Lexus, Audi is one of those brands that come to mind when you think of air suspension, so itβs only fair that we include a bagged B8. Normally, bagged cars are synonymous with aggressive fitment, so hereβs what an S5 looks like with 10.5β wide wheels.
To fit the Vossen wheels the fenders needed to be rolled and pulled - there simply isnβt enough room otherwise. With stretched tires and some adjustable upper control arms to dial in the camber, thereβs no rubbing when this car is aired up.
Of course, you could throw on wheels with a lower offset and add camber to compensate, but this setup looks good and is still practical.
18β wheel fitment
This size is best for those after the lightest possible wheel configuration or something winter-specific. There is more potential for brake clearance issues, depending on your brake package this may or may not cause potential for concern.
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Enkei RPF1 18x9.5 +45 *5x114.3 only |
Enkei RPF1 18x9.5 +45 *5x114.3 only |
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Tires |
Bridgestone Potenza RE71R 275/35R18 |
Bridgestone Potenza RE71R 275/35R18 |
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Notes |
Bilstein PSS10, SPC control arms. 3.5Β° camber up front (could get away with around 2.5Β°), 2.5Β° camber in rear. Unneeded tab on rear brake mount needed to be ground down. |
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Whatβs a nice light, cheap wheel you can run on your Audi B8? RPF1βs should come to mind. The only caveat is that they arenβt offered in the perfect specs AND 5x112 pattern. This means you could opt for the smaller 18x9.0 +35 with the correct PCD, or as we discussed earlier, go for a custom-drilled set in 18x9.5 +45, as the owner of this S4 did. The extra width is justified with a wider 275/35 tire.
To get these to clear S4/S5 brakes youβll need to grind down a bracket in the rear. These would probably fit an A4/A5 without modification, but we canβt guarantee that. Also, depending on your alignment, you might have to run a small slip-on spacer to clear the upper control arms.
Check out βnotesβ for more details on this autocross S4 build.
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Notes |
Needed new lug bolts: conical seat style. No rubbing. |
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This 2013 A4 Avant is on 18βs, but slightly more aggressive ones. If you looked at our suggestions for 19-inch wheels, you would have seen that these are very similar as far as poke, just with a smaller diameter. In case you skipped to this part, the width and offset you see here are considered to give near-flush fitment without needing to mess with rolling fenders, adjusting camber, etc.
The thing to note is that youβll want to size up your tire if you choose a 255; so, get a 255/40 instead of a 255/35.
Wrap up
So, pretty straightforward, right? Most of you should consider 19β wheels first, as that size is a happy medium. Whatever your budget is, you can find it in our shop. We have thousands of options that will bolt straight to your Audi, or we can even custom drill wheels if needed.
If you have an Audi on a sick set of aftermarket wheels, be sure to add it to our Fitment Gallery to help others dial in their fitment.
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