17" wheels is a good compromise of ride and handling. However, I did get a blowout on the freeway from a large pothole. Don't know if a 16" would have survived it either.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the 17" wheels
@bruuster ! I'll take what I can get, if 16s fit, I'll go that small for the protection/comfort.
I believe the base model came with 17 inch wheels - that is an easy downsize. The 18 inchers where part of the Sport Package and Premier model. So 17s from any A3 MY 2016 17 18 should have same offset and clear the Calipers. Audi Wheels from earlier wheels A3 or A4 likely would fit but need to confirm offset. Going to a 16 inch wheel would need advice from someone more aware of the fit. A dealer or quality Wheel &Tire shop. Wheel for a MQB platform VW MY 2016 17 18 should fit. I plan to fit 17s from old 2014 VW Jetta TDI with Snows for winter.
Hey
@Jacks A3 ET , you're right, I was able to find the following information about the OEM 17" wheels that Audi offered on this car:
17" A3 e-tron turbines
17x7.5, et 51, bolt pattern 5x112, 26.5lbs
Part#: 8V0 601 025 CD
I've run 16" wheels on our A3 e-tron (2016), which came with 225-40-18 tires, which lasted maybe 40K km before blowing a belt.
Have used both stock-diameter 205-55-16 (common on the VW Mk7 Golf - same MQB car, basically) and slightly taller 205-60-16. Both ran fine. I'm far more about comfort than performance these days, so these smaller rimmed wheel/tire combos were very nice. Currently on 225-50-17 (10% more sidewall and 3% greater circumference than stock 225-45-17 so the speedometer actually reads accurately) Michelin CrossClimate2 and I'm at least equally pleased with those.
Hey
@Nuje that's very good news to my ears. Thanks for confirming that you've found that 16" does indeed fit over the front brake calipers. Of the two different tire sizes, did you prefer the 205/55 or the 205/60? Any issues with rubbing at full lock in parking lots and such?
Would you say your ride quality of equal to or slightly worse than 16s now that you are on 17s?
I'm all about comfort these days as well, although one could argue that smaller wheels and more tire increases performance in rough terrain. The road conditions have gotten so bad here, I have to slow down to unsafe speeds to avoid busting my tires/wheels up. I think one of the main problems is how heavy these wheels are, so when they hit something, they send so much force up the suspension into the cabin...
Do you have pictures of your A3e running 16s? Any shares would be appreciated.
I have a set of 16s with michelin X ice winter tires. I much prefer the 18s and will upgrade to higher performance tires when they wear out (michelin pilot all season 4 or conti extreme contact).. yea yea there is a small increase in EV range but I'm not hung up about that. The car has a ICE and I'm happy to run it especially in the winter.
@cmc , oh very nice! would you please share some pictures of the 16s on your A3e if you have some handy? Thanks for sharing your experience with us.