Champion Motorsport Monolite wheels for RS6

[JAXRS6]

I was given an impressive magazine-sized brochure of Champion Motorsport wheels when I visited their FL facility over the weekend. Wheels beyond Audi, by the way -- including Porsche & Ferrai.

Also learned they now do their own chip programming, and they will even cover the cost of blown turbos if their chip is the cause. But I was discouraged from signing up because I'm not in the area, and servicing would be difficult. Just as well, since I'm thinking of other things anyway -- like wheels & brakes.

Here's a link showing one of the Monolite wheels for the RS6:

http://championmotorsport.com/audi/RS6.htm

Text in the brochure says "The Monolite series has been specifically engineered for your Audi. A6061 aerospace quality aluminum heat treated to T6 standards. Forged using an 8,000 ton forging press diamond cut out lip 100% machine finished to finest tolerances. Over 30 hours of manufacturing labor per wheel." Plus more; will post if requested. These 9-spokers are available in 18" for $3800 weighing 19.5 lbs each, or 19" weighing 20.5 lbs for $4400.

Another wheel shown in the brochure (but not the link) is 18" only, 18.5 lbs for $3000. I like that weight and price, and I have 18" Pirellis now with lots of rubber left. Only problem is these have 15 spokes -- more to clean, and possibly less air to help cool the brakes (tho spokes are thinner).

Do the 9-spoke wheels on the link look thinner than US OEM? They do to me. Is the difference enough to help brake cooling?

Champion prices may be "negotiable." I got that impression but can't recall for sure what was said.

Does anyone know the weight of the OEM wheels for US? I think I read 28 lbs somewhere -- not light, but I don't recall the source. I'm guessing that reduction of unsprung weight by 9 or 10 lbs at each wheel should improve handling, maybe significantly. Right?:incar: :incar: :incar:

All feedback welcomed, including whether one piece aluminum is a good choice. Final question: Were RS6 OEM wheels the same everywhere, or do I need to keep saying US?

[sturs6]

Jack,
That is a great wheel I had looked at getting it when I first bought my RS6 I chose not to get it at the time because it ws so expensive. As for one piece I have a forged one piece now and I love it. It is a light yet strong wheel. I would be interested in there tuning for future reference.

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by sturs6
As for one piece I have a forged one piece now and I love it. It is a light yet strong wheel.

Do tell! Can you share weight, brand & price? I don't HAVE to spend 3K, and the killer looks actually cost $4400 -- too much for me too. At least for now.

[Erik]

They look a bit like Sportec.

Btw, 20" Sportec with wheels weights 23.5 kgs

[Benman]

Jax:cheers: ,

Wow, I didn't know we even had other threads going since the intro of the RS 4:D !

I can speak with some experience of the advantages of forged wheels. I currently own the SSR Comps http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/DisplayWheel.jsp?wheelMake=SSR&wheelModel=Competition&wheelFinish=Anthracite+w%2FMach+Lip

They are @ 10lbs lighter each corner than stock 16.8lbs vs. 27. On the track this makes a big difference in turn in and agility (unsrung weight is a MAJOR facture at the track). I do not have a ton of real world pot hole experience since I've only had them on to and from the track.

Price is good (@ $2000.00 for the set) and they're a six spoke so easier clean up. I do however like the look of the Champions forge wheels. They really complement the Beast and they're the same wheels used by the race team to boot so they have history!

Ben:addict:

[SpinEcho]

Originally posted by JAXRS6
These 9-spokers are available in 18" for $3800 weighing 19.5 lbs each, or 19" weighing 20.5 lbs for $4400.

Another wheel shown in the brochure (but not the link) is 18" only, 18.5 lbs for $3000.

Were RS6 OEM wheels the same everywhere, or do I need to keep saying US?

2 questions, 1 answer:

This may sound stupid, but I assume the quoted prices are for all 4 wheels?

What is the other wheel shown in the brochure only? Is it on their website?

Standard OEM RS6 wheels were 18" in Germany, I believe, the same as the US/Canada wheels, optional in the UK. The 5-spoke 19 inchers were a German option but standard in the UK (not sure about other countries).

[JAXRS6]

Thanks for clarifying that there were some variations on OEM wheels, SpinEcho. Prices given by Champion are for a set of four, I'm sure, and I don't know why the $3000 wheels aren't on the web site but I didn't see them there. The main difference is their 15 thinner spokes rather than 9 thicker ones.

[JAXRS6]

Champion has sold out its inventory of wheels for the RS6 and plans to make no more. That word today in a chat with their wheels guy. He said they discontinued their RF26 and RF33 wheels after having difficulty reaching a price point acceptable to Audi owners.

:cry:

Same guy said they are assessing how to accommodate Audis, working on possible wheels for the A8 and A6. He suggested a set of wheels in their catalog that look absolutely fabulous on a black Porsche, and probably would look great on anything, but they're priced at $6K. That's about twice what I was hoping to spend.

My goals are lighter weight and better brake cooling than stock, plus easy to clean, no exposed rim bolts, probably 19s, and of course they must look good, be strong & properly fit the RS6. Is that too much to expect at $3K? Suggestions welcomed.
:idea:

[gregoryindiana]

I've been following these wheel discussion threads now for about 2 years.

I want a 5 spoke, 19 inch, with some chance at durability on Midwest US pavement. Mostly for looks, but 5 spokes was the continental Europe standard, and 5 spokes will be easier to clean by far than 9.

Options I have considered included buying stock Audi 19s. I was in Austria in Dec. Not much interest at one of the Vienna dealers in a non German speaker. Later that same trip in London, no more success, this time same language, but no interest in doing the transatlantic shipping/insurance hassle; and not enough time for getting them in my hands and taking them with me on the QE2.

I have also spent time watching auctions on ebay.de, thinking I could buy a used set, but either they looked too well used, or the seller specified no shipping out of Germany, or they didn't seem to be original equipment.

I would also consider Abt if I could find a dealer for them. They had a nice 5 spoke for earlier Audi's not inexpensive, but high quality, and I bought a set of 17's about 8 years ago for around $2200.

There are dealers selling wheels for RS6, 19 inch, copies of the OEM Euro 19. I worry that these would be heavier than the OEM, and by a lot.

I wouldi also consider one of the companies that builds a wheel to your car's specs, with custom offsets, etc. I think other members have gone this route. HRE wheels, are I believe, in this category. I also think they do come in a 5 spoke design. Didn't someone from Oregon, USA, post a photo of these once?? I will have to do a search.

[gjg]

Originally posted by gregoryindiana

I want a 5 spoke, 19 inch, with some chance at durability on Midwest US pavement. Mostly for looks, but 5 spokes was the continental Europe standard, and 5 spokes will be easier to clean by far than 9.

the alu or titanium color of the stock 5 spoke?

I can check with the stealer what discount we get and shipping would be no problem - btw when shipping out of EU itaxes are deducted. If interested drop me PM.

gg

[choppo]

Originally posted by sturs6
Jack,
That is a great wheel I had looked at getting it when I first bought my RS6 I chose not to get it at the time because it ws so expensive. As for one piece I have a forged one piece now and I love it. It is a light yet strong wheel. I would be interested in there tuning for future reference.

I would be interested in there tuning for future reference as well :) Much later date tho

[Benman]

Gregory,

I would think your best bet IS the stock 5 spoke 19"s as gjg suggests.

As for Jax, sorry to hear. At $6K, them be pricey. I would suggest:

SSR Competetion

The set of 4 will set you back less than $2K and these are high quality strong and ULTRA LIGHT! These wheels are made in Japan and are used by some of the JGTC (Japan GT Championship) Series. I have them as track wheels for my RS 6 and at least one other member has these for his Beast as well. These are available in the Grey, Gold (looks good on Subie only) or Silver. They are not available in 19"s so I don't know if this will be a problem for you.

Ben:addict:

[JAXRS6]

Thanks, Benman; those look good and I love the price! But I am looking for 19s.

[Benman]

Jax,

If you really want 19"s that are lighter than stock than the SSR GT10s are nice (sort of AMG):

[Benman]

Also the SSR GT3s (sorry for the double post but I can only post one pic at a tim:confused:

Both are available at www.tirerack.com. They have the correct offset but I don't think tirerack will guaranty the fit. ( They guaranty only for the A6 4.2)

Ben:addict:

[JAXRS6]

Thanks again Benman! Unfortunately Luke, my contact at tirerack for years, says the SSR GT10 and GT3 "won't fit." When I asked him why, he said he couldn't say exactly, except that they didn't come up when he plugged in the RS6. "We only have the ones shown," he said, referring to this:

http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/WheelSearch.jsp?&autoMake=Audi&autoModel=RS6&autoYear=2003&autoModClar=Standard+Model

Among these he recommended BBS RSRs or LMs as the only 19s that will save significant weight on my budget of $3K (actually going over budget by almost $1K). He says a friend has the RGRs on his RS6 and they look great. But I don't care much for the spider-web-like design; I prefer the slender five spokes approach as shown in the SSRs here, but the ones that fit the RS6 apparently come in 18" only.

Benman, do you know if the wheels you suggested might fit anyway?

So now... :idea: ...onward with more research. Contributions welcome!:D

But, y'know, those SSRs have me thinking about staying with 18", because they are light and airy (for hopefully better brake cooling) and so affordable. Plus I could put them on tomorrow, without waiting for my current 18" Pirellis to wear out.

[Benman]

Originally posted by JAXRS6
Unfortunately Luke, my contact at tirerack for years, says the SSR GT10 and GT3 "won't fit."

Benman, do you know if the wheels you suggested might fit anyway?

So now... :idea: ...onward with more research. Contributions welcome!:D



Yeah, it's funny that they'll "fit" the A6 4.2 but not the RS 6 even though they have the right offset.:vhmmm:

You might try PMing Nene. He seems very knowlegable when it comes to offsets and wheel sizes (have him check the offsets of the A6 4.2 vs the RS 6) because IMHO I think the 19" SSRs WILL work but that's just my opinion.

As for the 18", I really like mine, but you should get what you really want (19"). To pay that kind of miney and have to compromise isn't fair.:cheers:

Ben:addict: (it seems the 19" GT2 vs GT10 only has an offset difference of +/- 2 mm. Doesn't seem that big of a difference, maybe Nene can clarify).

[SpinEcho]

Originally posted by Benman
Yeah, it's funny that they'll "fit" the A6 4.2 but not the RS 6 even though they have the right offset.:vhmmm:

The difference is probably in the brake caliper clearance.

Jax, 19's sure look good but they are too heavy, even with a lightweight design (remember, that weight is distributed over a greater circumference), will bend too easily and will ride like sh*t on most North American roads. Just my .02 ...

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by SpinEcho
Jax, 19's sure look good but they are too heavy, even with a lightweight design (remember, that weight is distributed over a greater circumference), will bend too easily and will ride like sh*t on most North American roads.

I hear you --I've resisted 19s so far due to concerns about ride quality. However, last August I met up with noushy, another owner, with his RS6 and mine in a Detroit suburb. His had brand new 19" HREs and we really didn't detect a ride quality difference between his car & mine, with three of us in each car at least. Both of us had new Pirellis, with mine mounted on 18" OEM wheels.

I hadn't really thought about bending being a problem, though, and the RS6's weight does push its shoewear hard IMO. As good as the SSR GT7s look in 18" & weighing less than 21 lbs, they are serious contenders even before considering their huge price advantage. If I thought that expense difference meant poor performance I'd reject them, but I haven't heard that so far from people who have owned SSRs of the two-piece welded type I'm considering.

Here's another current forum thread I started on this subject:

http://forums.audiworld.com/rs6/msgs/13514.phtml

[Benman]

Jax,

If you notice on the wheels that fit the A6 4.2 the GT10 and GT3 19"both weight in at 27lbs. That's within 1 or 2 lbs of OEM 18", so weight would not be an issue.

As for caliper clearance, that could be a possibility.

I can't vouch for the other SSR designs, but mine seem to be pretty tough, they take track work just fine. Again, can't vouch for the 19"s though.

Ben:addict:

[SpinEcho]

So you're jatwrite and Jax, one and the same? LOL, I posted a link on AudiWorld to this post earlier in the evening; my mistake.

BTW, 19" rims only one or two pounds lighter than OEM will still mean a slight penalty in performance (although it may be undetectable by the butt dyno), because you are still dealing with too much rotational mass around a greater circumference.

[Benman]

Originally posted by SpinEcho

BTW, 19" rims only one or two pounds lighter than OEM will still mean a slight penalty in performance (although it may be undetectable by the butt dyno), because you are still dealing with too much rotational mass around a greater circumference.
On my SSRs, the TIRES weight more than the wheels (@22LBS vs 17LBS), so if anything, with a large diameter wheel (if lighter) the lower profile tire, (being the same overall circumference) should equal out to the same. The tires being heavier, all things being equal, it should be BETTER to have a lighter 19" vs a 18" wheel that's heavier shouldn't it? In theory, shouldn't the decreased tire thickness (and same overall circumference) actually help with weight distribution?

Ben:addict:

[gjg]

Jax, 19's sure look good but they are too heavy, even with a lightweight design (remember, that weight is distributed over a greater circumference), will bend too easily and will ride like sh*t on most North American roads. Just my .02 ...[/I]

I have 19" stock on + with stiffer (noticeably) than US stock suspension and I do drive in pothole heaven most of the time (beats Michigan by at least one class ....) - these rims hold up pretty well so it will do very well on NA roads .....

I have 18" BBS CH for winter rubber which is fine but the cleanup is hell in winter.

:thumb:

[SpinEcho]

Originally posted by Benman
On my SSRs, the TIRES weight more than the wheels (@22LBS vs 17LBS), so if anything, with a large diameter wheel (if lighter) the lower profile tire, (being the same overall circumference) should equal out to the same. The tires being heavier, all things being equal, it should be BETTER to have a lighter 19" vs a 18" wheel that's heavier shouldn't it? In theory, shouldn't the decreased tire thickness (and same overall circumference) actually help with weight distribution?

Ben:addict:

Hmm. You make some interesting points. I guess in the end we can theorize all we want, but unless someone does the actual math...