This week on my Facebook Page I’ve been sharing a lot of super clean Audis rocking the OEM 5 spoke “Rotor” wheels, which is one of Audi’s best OEM wheel designs in my humble opinion…and my Facebook fans seem to agree, as these pictures have gotten tons of likes and comments with others either already rocking those wheels or wishing they were. I decided it would be cool to create a post of various Audi models that didn’t originally come with these wheels but are sporting them now in an OEM-plus look, which brings us to this post here, starting with my friend Will’s B7 RS4 above on 20×9 ET26 OEM Rotor Wheels lowered nicely on some STaSIS Motorsports coilovers. The 20×9 size was an OEM option on the RS4s and S5 in Europe, as well as an option on the US Spec RS5s.
These wheels also look great on the “narrow body” B7 A4 or S4, such as staticuxo’s B7 S4 avant above. In this picture he is rocking OEM Audi S5 Rotor Wheels, which are 19×9 ET33 much like the OEM S5 Peelers I ran a while ago. The fitment is perfect on these cars, pretty aggressive yet still suitable for daily driving and a nice amount of concavity. Let’s just say I have my eyes peeled for a set of these myself in exactly these specs 🙂
Of course, they look good on older models too – in the above, a B6 S4 is rocking the OEM S5 Rotor wheels and looking great. What I love about newer OEM wheels on an “older” model is that it makes the whole car seem newer by blending the two styles. The lines of the B6 also work well with the 5 spoke design, and the gunmetal spokes work well with black too – well done by Audizine user “8cylinders” in New Zealand.
To continue our journey back in time, these wheels even work well on the B5, such as this European B5 RS4 avant pictured above. It’s truly a versatile wheel, which is why I think we’re seeing them come as an option and more and more newer Audis too.
But let’s not limit ourselves to the older models – they look super fresh on newer models too. For instance, these OEM RS5 wheels look great on a S5 or A5 – they’re wider and more concave than what came factory, but otherwise close to stock looking. With a nice drop such as above, it really sets the car off. The car above was done by TAG Motorsports here in the San Diego area and has KW height adjustable springs to complete the look.
Another example of the OEM rotor wheel on a newer car is this Q5 owned by Audiworld user Jazzy, pictured above with 21×9 S8 wheels. It’s super clean, and 21″ seems to be a great size to fill those large fenders.
And here’s another SQ5 rocking OEM S8 rotors with 10mm front and 15mm rear spacers:
They also look great on an allroad, such as the above owned by Audiziner “Spaghetti” which is running OEM RS5 Titanium Rotor Wheels which are 20×9 and fill out the “widebody” fender work of the car pretty nicely if I don’t say so myself.
Another awesome example is this TTRS sporting 20×8.5 ET45 A6 Titanium Rotor wheels, which looks menacing as you can see (these also work great on A3s).
In all of the examples above, the magic formula for rotor wheels seems to be this: go 1″ larger than factory, and opt for the titanium package editions (gunmetal spokes, machined/silver outer perimeter) and voila – you’ve got a super clean, super OEM look.
The problem with these wheels coming OEM on newer cars like the B8(.5) Audi S4, TTRS, and other models is that Audi always uses a conservative fitment both in terms of offset, width, and height to preserve the ride quality for the average owner. While you can use spacers to push them out and give it a more flush look, the concavity is something you can’t control. The OEM S4 and S6 wheels particular don’t have a lot of concavity, whereas the S5 or RS5 Rotor wheels have a lot more concavity to them that really stands out. ALWAYS4AUDI on Audizine is rocking OEM S6 wheels in the above picture which look great as they are plus-sized over the OEM 19×8.5 S4 wheels, but the concavity isn’t quite as strong as some of the other options out there so it’s not quite as aggressive. Audiziner “ballinb5” posted this pic to show what the OEM B8 S4 wheels look like (19×8.5 ET43) versus the OEM S5 (19×9 ET33) to get an idea of just how much of a difference in concavity there is:
Different OEM Options & Sizes for the Rotor Wheels:
- 19×8.5 ET43 – OEM B8 Audi Wheel (lower concave)
- 19×9 ET52 – OEM Audi TTRS Wheel (lower concave, lower offset – pretty much only good for TTs, A3s, or VWs)
- 19×9 ET33 – OEM B8 S5 Audi Wheel (more concave, great for aggressive fitment on B7s)
- 20×8.5 ET45 – OEM A6 Wheels (lower concave, great for very aggressive TT & A3)
- 20×9 ET40 – OEM S6 Wheels (lower concave, good for B8/B8.5 A4/S4)
- 20×9 ET26 – OEM RS5, RS4 Wheel (great on Allroad, B8 A5/S5, B7 RS4s and others)
- 21×9 ET35 – OEM S7, S8 Wheel – works great on a Q5/SQ5
- 19×8.5 ET42 (F) and 19×11 ET50 (R) – OEM R8 Wheels – not really practical to run these on anything but an R8, but might as well complete the list!
Likewise Audi made these in a few finishes, most commonly all silver or “Titanium” which is what you see pictured here. The TTRS also had a few special finishes including gloss black, and gloss black with red accents/outer perimeter that are pretty cool.
In addition to OEM options, there are aftermarket/replica versions out there if you’re looking for a fitment not normally available from Audi. My favorite are made by ADV.1 in a partnership with rs-quattro.com such as pictured above – they gave the wheels a step look, more aggressive offsets, and they’re forged so they weigh less than OEM – the only downside is they’re very pricey, as anything is from ADV.1. Hartmann also makes some high quality replicas that are worth checking out, but I’d stay away from the slew of Chinese or no-name replicas out there that might be of dubious quality.
Speaking of replicas, here is a B7 rocking 20×10 Titanium Rotors made by Forge-Wheels – talk about aggressive fitment! It looks great on this car, but the owner did tell me there was a lot of rubbing and it wasn’t a very practical setup.
Got any other cars rocking plus sized OEM Rotor wheels you think deserve a spot here? Send me an email or leave a comment below, I’d love to keep this post up-to-date…who knows, maybe I’ll post a picture of my own car on these wheels sometime in the future if I can ever find a set of S5 rotors for a reasonable price 🙂
My OEM Audi wheels were so heavy. Went for VSR’s.
Yeah, that is the downside of pretty much any OEM wheels, especially if you upsize the height and width of them. They look so damn good though 🙂
hi nick the fellow I purchased my b6 2004 s4 avant from claims that the spare he supplied is correct, a 17 inch wheel (all wheels around the avant have 18 inch tires ) I think he’s all wet. please advise thanks mike levin (ps: the spare wheel he provided does not match the rest, although it is an Audi wheel)
The B6 S4 came with 18″ wheels, known as the Avus wheels, on all four corners. It is possible some had a less than full size spare, although I’ve never come across that before and don’t think it was common. The brakes are big enough a 17″ wheel might struggle to clear the brakes sufficiently, although I know it is possible with the right offset and spoke design. So I can’t conclusively say that the 17″ spare is not. You might want to double check in the B6 S4 subforum in Audizine.
thanks nick I do have the Avus wheels an Audi spec sheet says the spare is full size. I will pursue this on the forums. perhaps an 18 inch tire/wheel won’t fit into the spare tire “well”.
(this seems unlikely though)
Mine definitely came with an 18″ spare and I’m pretty sure the B6s do too, I just don’t know 100% to be the case so I don’t want to misspeak.
thanks again nick: very helpful If you know anyone with an Avus 18″ (used) wheel for sale please let me know.
Nick Mike, I have a B6 S4 and I can assure you that the spare wheel in my well is the same as the 4 mounted. 18×8 / 45et.. I have my wheels currently fitted to 245/40/18 Conti DW’s Extreme Contact. The spare fits fine in the spare well. With enough space I believe I could fit a 255/ 40 / 18 tire…
Great write up Nick
thanks marc
Thanks bud!
Greate post….I will share a picture of mine soon..
Love my A4 B7 3.2 Quattro.
I have made interesting modifications on mine, just don’t know where to post them.
Post a pic on my Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/NicksCarBlog
I have these wheels in 19×8.5 et 43. I’d like to have flush look how would I proceed to do this? What size spacers would I use and do I have to roll and/or pull the fenders?
It depends on what car you have, but you’ll want to add spacers. Read more about that on my recent article here: https://www.nickscarblog.com/reviews/are-wheel-spacers-safe-for-the-track
I have a B7 A4.
I would aim for ET35 as final offset if you don’t want to worry about rubbing and fender rolling, so add a 8mm spacer. If you want to go aggressive, add a 10mm spacer for final offset of ET33, may rub a little but not too bad.
Awesome! I’m also currently lowered on H&R springs. Would this bring up any other concerns?
Would this also be for bothering front and rear with the same size spacers?
Shouldn’t matter that you’re lowered, in fact I almost recommend it otherwise the car will look funny. Yes I would do the same front & back to keep a square setup. Some people add a little larger (2mm thicker) spacer up front to help with understeer, so you could do 10mm in front and 8mm in back if you wanted, but I’d probably just keep it simple and do 10mm all around.
Awesome! Thank you for your help and thank you for making an Audi blog!
Nick, awesome write up, so I have a silver Q5 premium plus with the stock 19″ wheels. Do you think these gunmetal wheels would look fine in the 19″ size ? Or should I bump up to 20? Not trying to look to flashy but definitely like the looks of gunmetal wheels on silver cars
I’d go for 20s personally, I think you’ll be much happier with the look without it being bling. I’ve seen 21s on a Q5 without being too bling, so I think 20s would be perfect for your needs.
My Dolphin Gray B6 S4 Avant winter setup includes 225 tires mounted on 17″ RS4 replica wheels from Hartman. While good for winter comfort and grip on rough icy roads, they look a little cheesy. I’m thinking of changing my setup to 235 tires on 18×8 rotor replicas with the hope of finding a balance between ascetics and winter performance. Certainly not the look of S5 rotors and I’m at stock ride height. Opinions?
On stock suspension I think 18×8 is the way to go, the 19s will look a little awkward without lowering. See how my car looked on stock suspension and you’ll see what I mean: https://www.nickscarblog.com/cars/19-wheels-on-stock-b7-audi-s4-suspension
Hey Nick.
So I got B7 2008 Quattro with stock 17″ alloys, I found 8Jx18H2 ET47 B8 alloys part# 8k0 601 025 D
Need advise on the tyres that I should use, currently it got 245 40 which I guess it’s too much for a B7 or there is a way I make this combination fit without causing any damage to the car or could affect handeling … etc due to using not recommended size ?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Don,
Stock tire size for 18″ wheels is 235/40/18 so you can use a tool like this to compare how off it would be: https://tiresize.com/comparison/
I’d recommend picking up some 235/40/18 tires and then running 10mm spacers to get a flush look.
Thanks for reply Nick.
Using the link provided and comparing 235/45/17 vs 235/40/18 showed very close which is good but May I know why 10mm spacers? My current alloys are ET45 and the new ones are 47.
the Center Bore for the B7 is 57.1 mm and B8 is 66.5 mm, that’s mean I have to use a spigot ring. With all that I’m still ok . right ?
10mm spacers just pushes the wheel out so that it sits more flush with the fender – has nothing to do with the tire size, just a nicer look IMO…definitely not required though. You will need hubcentric rings yes, check out these ones on Amazon that I’ve used in the past (it should be 66.6mm not 66.5 if it came off a B8, just FYI): http://amzn.to/2fbIyJP
Hello Nick,
Really a nice discussion is going on. I have checked your 66.6 mm black poly carbon hub rings from the link which you have given. But I want to use 57.1MM hubcentric wheel spacers for my A8 Audi which I have already bought from Customadeonly. So will I have to change my wheel rings again which I had replaced recently ?
Share some suggestion please , because one of my friends suggested me to change the rings again.
Thank you
You can use both – just put the spacers on first, which will mate up perfectly with your hub (since both are 57.1), then put the hubcentric rings on the end of the spacer before it hits the wheel which will bring the 57.1mm spacer up to the 66.6 diameter needed for the wheels. No sweat, people do this all the time.
Hi, i have an audi a6c6 4f 2005 and i’m looking for some 19″rotor wheels , the car is without sport suspension. Wich et should i get to evoid any rubbing . ? Thank you !
On the regular suspension, you shouldn’t have a problem with pretty much any offset, but I’d go with the S5 Rotors – 19×9 ET33 which will look good both lowered and stock height.
Thanks alot for advice ! And for wich tires size should i go what do you recomend me !
I’m not as familiar with the C5 A6 tire sizes, but I’d just keep with the OEM size in terms of width, you can use a calculator to determine: https://tiresize.com/calculator/
Hey Nick, I’m new to the Audi scene. Just bought my first, a 2012 S5 Cabriolet. (wouldn’t know a B7 from a B8 if it hit me) My issue is I want to change my wheels to the Titanium Rotor Wheels but not sure what size. I have 19″ Peelers on at the moment. I think they are 19 x 9 or 9.5. Not sure. I was wondering if I could put the 20’s on or should I stay with the 19’s? I know if I put on 20’s the ride will change. With 20’s, if possible, I’m worried more about fender/suspension problems. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.
YHey Mickey – your current wheels are 19×9 ET33, and you have a B8 S5 but don’t worry about the chassis codes 🙂
You can definitely do 20s, a lot of people upgrade to the RS5 wheels. The ride is a little harsher, but if you’ve ever ran upsized wheels before then it shouldn’t be anything worse than you’ve experienced in the past – there is still plenty of sidewall there.
Hello nick i have a question. On here you hava a picture of 3 wheels laying flat 2 rotors and one idk what brand the rotor with out tire what size is that one?
I have a b7 i really want them rs5 wheels too lol
I was really hoping those wheels are 19×9 et33
Thank you
The one without the tire is an OEM S5 wheel, 19×9 et33. Those wheels look amazing on a B7, here are pictures of my old B7 on S5 rotors and it was by far my favorite setup (and I had a lot of high-end wheels like BBS, Volks, etc.): https://www.nickscarblog.com/tires/photoshoot-my-b7-s4-on-oem-19×9-et33-s5-titanium-rotor-wheels
Hi, my friend has some 20×8.5 ET36 on his SQ3 but i don’t see them on your list. They are OEM with the Audi logo casted on them.
Cool, I didn’t know about those. That seems like a great size.
Hello Nick! I have the opportunity to get these wheels in a 20×9, 35 offset. I would like to put them on my Audi A4 sline. Right now I have a factory 18×8, 37 offset I believe, I need to know if this upgrade will go smoothly…and going from a 245/40/tire to a 255/35 tire… I’d love to hear about it… Thanks!
Nick DiStefano
Nick – that will probably rub. You might be able to make it work if you go to 235 width tires, but it will be tight.
Hi Nick,
Great gallery, and great comments. I am also a fan of the Audi rotor wheels, and last year replaced the 9×19 ET52 peelrs on my TTS with the 9×19 ET33 S5 rotors. I tried theem first with the 255/35R19 Michelin Super Sprot’s, but there was quite a bit of rubbing even when the car was in the sports mode. So i switched to a lower profile 255/30 R19 Super Sport Michelin’s. The rubbing reduced dramatically, but it would still rub at aggressive cornering, or when going over big potholes at high speed. I was wondering if instead of lowering the profile of the tires, i should have reduced the width. Say, instead of 255 use 245 or even 235 with the stock aspect ratio of 35 and R19. What would be your advice if i were to keep these gorgeous rims for my TTS?
Thank you,
Viktor
Yeah, you should go less wide on the tire…it’s probably the sidewall rubbing. I’ve ran as skinny as 235s on a 9″ wide wheel and it’s not bad at all in terms of stretch, still well within a reasonable spec. Here is what that looked like on my S4: https://www.nickscarblog.com/tires/photoshoot-my-b7-s4-on-oem-19×9-et33-s5-titanium-rotor-wheels
Hey Nick, this is perfect!!!! As these are EXACTLY the kind of photos I’ve been looking for. Aiming to get an RS3 this coming spring but I’m really not keen on OEM wheels and agree the Rotor wheels are the best looking. The problem with the ’18 RS3 rotor wheels is not enough concavity. I have found a few good replica sites that seem to produce a good product with many size options. It would be interesting to know in some of the angled views of the rotor wheels what the different offsets are if you happen to still have that info? I’m trying to decide what offset to go with.
Kind regards,
Blair (hopefully, future Audi owner)
Nick, I have a 2001 Audi TT QUATTRO, I want 20 that are concaved a lot, will thes fit my car?
Probably not, the TT runs a high offset so you’ll need something flatter. See Rui’s TT on 20″ Rotor wheels: https://www.nickscarblog.com/featured-rides/ruis-mkii-audi-tt-on-20-rotor-wheels
Hi Nick, We are giving our daughter my husbands 2016 Q5 for her birthday and want to fix it up with a new grill and wheels. It is silver. Do you have any recommendations for the most impressive looks and options for purchase? We live in Carlsbad. I was thinking about going to Santa Ana Wheels. Thoughts on this and the grill?
You can’t go wrong with HREs – check out their Flowform line…and a RS style honeycomb grille and you’re in good shape!
Nick, I have a 2017 Q5 3.0T and currently run 21” sq5 wheels but looking for a 19” wheel for my winter set up. Looking to find a set of 19” rotor wheels with the classic charcoal color but nervous about replicas. Any advice on finding or aftermarket replicas that would work.
Hey, is there any information about allroad? Is it stanced or stock suspension?
It’s definitely lowered from what I can tell, but I’m not sure how or with what method…
Audizine always has a ton of OEM wheels for sale (as does eBay) but I wouldn’t worry too much about replicas for winter wheels TBH…Hartman makes a high quality replica wheel if you do go that route, just avoid the nameless eBay stuff perhaps?
I can’t seem to find the ET 40 ones. Are you sure those exist?
Just bought a set of RS5 rotors for my B9 Sportback. Can’t wait to put em on!