Contents
1999-2018 Audi A4
5x4.41 (5x112mm) Bolt Pattern with 14x1.5 lug nuts.1/2-inch (12mm)Moving wheels 1/2-inch outwards eliminates rubbing and clearance issues when installing aftermarket wheels. |
1-inch (25mm)A super-effective accessory to increase stability and give a noticeably aggressive stance. |
1.5-inch (40mm)By pushing out the wheels further out from the hub with 1.5-inch wheel spacers you gain in handling characteristics and get a catchy look. |
2-inch (50mm)Allow for significantly wider tires to improve road grip and traction when off-roading. |
2.5-inch (63mm) |
3-inch (75mm) |
In the very strong compact executive car sector, one model stands out with its features – the Audi A4. It’s the only vehicle in its class that’s based on a front-wheel-drive architecture, but most models are equipped with the popular Quattro all-wheel drive. Despite being a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the Audi A4 offers a blend of high performance, precise handling, excellent comfort, and German engineering in a small footprint.
Even though it is not widely regarded as the most beautiful executive sedan out there, the Audi A4 is still an elegant looking vehicle, blended with sporty and dynamic touches. Want more of the dynamic touches on your Audi A4? Wheel spacers are an inexpensive product that can help you achieve that.
Why do you need wheel spacers on your Audi A4?
There are several advantages to wheel spacers. To talk about what they bring to the table, you must first understand what they do. Wheel spacers are put between the rim and the hub, and they push the wheel outward. Easy, isn’t it?
After installing wheel spacers, the Audi A4 will have a much better stance and appear much more muscular on the outside. This is true even with the stock wheels, but imagine what new rims in combination with wheel spacers can do?
With some aftermarket rims, you must install wheel spacers, because they may touch the inside of the wheel well or the suspension components. You may also want to install them if you want bigger brakes because there is not much space in the stock wheels to do that.
Wheel spacers can also improve the already excellent handling of your Audi A4. Thanks to the wider track, you can achieve greater speeds in the bends and the car will feel more stable at higher speeds. The effect is pretty small though.
What kind of wheel spacers to buy for the Audi A4?
We always recommend buying high-quality spacers and that’s especially true for premium vehicles like the Audi A4. Sure, all of the spacers may look the same on the outside, but there’s a big difference in the material used. For example, less expensive spacers are made of steel, which can add weight to the wheels and hamper performance and braking, while more expensive wheel spacers are made of aluminum.
Other than that, we recommend buying hubcentric wheel spacers. These fit much better on the hub and can make a lot of difference in performance and durability. With normal wheel spacers, you may experience vibrations while driving, and they are also less durable due to the fact that they put the whole vehicle weight on the bolts. Hubcentric wheel spacers are the opposite of that. You may also need hubcentric rings in case of aftermarket rims because they are usually made wider so that they can accommodate different hubs.
In the end, it’s always best to determine the right thickness of wheel spacers before you buy them. To do that, you can use washers instead of wheel spacers while the car is stationary, or measure the distance between the tire and the body of the vehicle. Very thick wheel spacers may also prove problematic for the suspension components and the bearings.
What else: Audi A4 Fuse Box Diagram
How to install wheel spacers on the Audi A4?
Installing wheel spacers is a very easy process – anyone with simple automotive knowledge can do that. You just need a jack, jack stands, the proper tools for removing the wheels and flat and hard surface. Then, just follow these simple steps:
- Loosen the lug nuts on the wheels (front or rear, but one end at a time) while the vehicle is stationary. Use the parking brake so the vehicle doesn’t move
- Jack up the end of the vehicle that you’ve started working on and put jack stands underneath so they carry the whole weight
- Completely unscrew the lug nuts and remove the wheels
- Place the spacer onto the hub and make sure that they’re flush with each other
- The spacer should come with nuts. Use them to tighten the spacer onto the hub. If there’s a ridged surface on the wheel spacer, that one should be facing you
- Put the wheels back on the wheel spacer and fasten them with lug nuts
- Test drive your Audi A4, preferably on a bumpy road, to see if the tires touch the body and if there are some strange noises coming from the suspension. If there are noises, you may need another type of wheel spacers (like hubcentric for example), or thinner wheel spacers if the tires touch the body
- Retighten the lug nuts after around 100 miles
Appearance: Poping the Audi A4 wheels out to revamp the stance and more exciting view.
Clearance: A good number of aftermarket Audi A4 wheels lack plenty of room to line up with big brake kits.
Correction: The offset of the Audi A4 wheel assembly happens to be too high, resulting in the wheels positioned too far inside. This can provoke the tire to scrub on the inside Audi A4 suspension components, or other components. Wheel spacers regulates the offset problem.
Handling: by distancing your Audi A4 wheels further apart, this simple conversion can refine the Audi A4 car with more lateral firmness and improved cornering.
