Audi 8Y RS 3 Wheels

Audi 8Y RS3 Wheel Performance

The 8Y RS3 utilizes a 19” reverse staggered wheel and tire setup from the factory, which helps alleviate some of the understeer characteristics common with this type of chassis configuration. While installing a wider square setup will neutralize the handling characteristics, making the car push a bit more at the limit, overall grip and cornering speed will be greatly improved at the same time. Plus, the ability to rotate your 8Y RS3 wheels and tires will allow you to maximize your tread life. If you want to fully take advantage of your 8Y RS3’s chassis and drivetrain, a set of Apex 8Y RS3 wheels in a wide and aggressive fitment will allow you to do just that. You can check out all of our 8Y RS3 wheel offerings available in our Forged VS-5RS and SM-10RS designs, as well as our Flow Formed SM-10, via our chassis specific 8Y RS3 Wheel & Tire Fitment Guide.

Prior to picking out your preferred set of 8Y RS3 wheels, let’s take a look at what makes the newest generation of Audi’s flagship compact performance car such a solid performer both on the street and at the track.

The 8Y RS3 first hit dealer showroom floors in early 2022, offering a plethora of significant performance improvements across the board when compared to the outgoing 8V RS3. The 8Y RS3 carries over the legendary 2.5l 5-cylinder turbo motor that enthusiasts have praised over the years for its potent power delivery and the unique rally-esque exhaust note. Power is sent through a lightning-quick 7-speed DSG gearbox with Audi’s Quattro AWD system offering plenty of traction off the line or in limited grip situations.

8Y RS3 Chassis Dynamics

The 8Y RS3 OEM wheel specs are a bit unique due to the fact that there is a large offset difference between the front 19x9” ET25 and rear 19x8” ET46 wheels, making certain fitment configurations a bit tricky. Due to this, while a square setup will offer the ability to rotate your wheels and tires to maximize tread life, while also providing a more neutral handling balance at the limit, large spacers are typically required to compensate for the track width differences between front and rear on the 8Y RS3 chassis.

While 8Y RS3 wheels are an important consideration when looking to purchase or build one of these cars to your preference, there are also a lot of other factors that contribute to making the 8Y RS3 such a great dual-duty car for street and track use. Car and Driver wrote an excellent review article on the 8Y RS3 that highlights a lot of aspects we haven’t mentioned here.