Why does Audi use so narrow rims

[miksen]

I have a 2019 Audi Q3 arriving from the factory in a few weeks, and am shopping for a set of winter rims & tyres. I looked at the spec for the summer wheels it comes with. Does anyone know why Audi uses so narrow rims? The spec is:

* 18" x 7.0J '5-double-arm' design alloy wheels with 235/55 R 18 tyres

Normally I would think a 7.0J rim would fit a tyre no wider than 225, and that for a 235 a 7.5J or 8.0J would be more appropriate?

Cheers, Michael

[anonymous-user]

The recommended widths tend not to account for profile - the taller the profile, the narrower (relatively) wheel you can get away with. And narrow wheels are lighter and cheaper

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 4th February 21:41

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 4th February 21:41

[Nuttcase]

The recommended rim width for this tyre size is typically 6.5 to 8.5 inches so you are within normal range. As previous reply states lighter rim - this may have some marginal improvement on economy and emissions which is what every car manufacturer is going for these days.