Most people go through life perfectly happy with a car exactly as it left the factory on its build date. It’s a handful of years of oil changes and tire rotations before trading it in for the next new thing. But my brain is broken (that goes without saying, I work here) in the way that makes this kind of automotive complacency completely unacceptable. My cars have to have main character energy, even if I don’t. I can’t do grey or white cars, and they have to have the perfect set of aftermarket wheels. Even my normie daily-driver hybrid isn’t immune from my brand of fettling.
This Audi A3 E-Tron was a perfectly acceptable car in the condition I purchased it. There were a few tiny imperfections which will be sorted this fall, including some peeling clear coat and a small door ding, but otherwise it served quite nicely in a swift road trip across the country. Before I even picked it up, however, I’d already started the modification process. About a week before flying out to get the car I stumbled upon a very inexpensive set of wheels on Facebook Marketplace. I shot the seller a lowball offer and promised to pay and pick up same day, and they acquiesced.
On a warm late-summer day in a Wal-Mart parking lot, I parted with $400 for a set of 18×8.5 inch Fifteen52 Tarmac wheels. I confirmed with the seller that these had been fitted to his Volkswagen GTI, which shares the same 5×112 bolt pattern as my little Audi, both based on the same MQB chassis platform. The A3 E-Tron is more or less the same vehicle as the Volkswagen GTE plug-in hybrid sold in Europe. With a little research I confirmed these were the right offset and would fit the car.
With wheels and car now in hand, I put in an order with Tire Rack to get some sticky tires on closeout sale. I try not to play it fast and loose when it comes to tires, so I ordered a known quantity autocross champ tire to put on my new wheels, the venerable Bridgestone RE-71S. A set of four in a common size, 225/45-18, was $609 shipped to my door. The new rolling stock package is a little more than a percent larger in rolling diameter than the stock wheels I was taking off, which actually made the in-dash speedometer spot on matched to the GPS speedometer on Google Maps. Bonus!
This weekend I spent some time at my pal Patrick’s shop helping him weld some meaty fender flares onto a race car project, and as luck would have it he has tire mount and balance machines. I loaded up four wheels and four tires and trucked down to his place for a full day of wrenching and bullshitting. It was wonderful. If you have been putting off hanging out with a friend, here’s your excuse to set up some garage hang time.
On Saturday the set of Ur Quattro door decals I ordered from the UK finally arrived in my mailbox, so I took this as a sign and brought them along as well. Once the wheels and tires were on the car, we set about measuring and installing the four-rings fade decals on the driver and passenger front doors. Despite my car not having Quattro all-wheel drive, I am aiming for a rally vibe with the car, and wanted to pay homage to the four-rings brand’s most iconic machine. The wheels also help with this, of course.
The decals must have been on the shelf a while because they don’t look perfect up close, but they’re pretty good from ten feet. Just like the rest of the car.
Four bands for a set of wheels, another six for the tires. I paid Patrick a crisp Benjamin Franklin for mount and balance, probably half what it would cost for a local tire chain to scratch my wheels. The door decals were $66 including shipping. All of this took my little hybrid hatchback from stock to rock, and I couldn’t be happier. For $1,166 this little Audi has a totally new look. It still needs a couple things here and there to make it my perfect daily driver, but this was a big step in the right direction. I can’t recommend it enough.
If you look around on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace you’ll find a nice set of wheels for a song, and maybe a dance. Used wheels are significantly less expensive than new wheels. They could change the look, feel, and driving experience of your car, but you should definitely make sure you’re buying quality used wheels made by trustworthy companies with high-standard processes. You might find something you like a lot more than the bog standard cookie-cutter OEM wheels.