[Need4S5]

Had the pleasure of driving in 3" of snow this morning. Traction Control
never went on the car felt very sure footed. Yes I do have 18" snow tires
here in Denver can't be without them. My point is if your going to drive this car in the snow. Buy some snows it's well worth it.

 

[wrx_xb9r]

I have my 19" snows waiting in the garage. All I need now is a car to put them on. WE don't get as much snow as you do so the 19" will work fine for the 20 or less days that we will have snow on the ground.

 

[Need4S5]

Hey WRX,

The wait would be killing me. When are you suppose to get your car?
This my my 7th car in 6 years, my 1st Audi. So far I'm really liking this car.

 

[PapaS5]

Need4S5,
Where did you buy the 18" wheels and snows and what brand? I will need to do the same in New England for ice vs powder.

 

[jeff_sc]

Ditto PapaS5's question. Can you post a pic of the wheels? Also, did the switch to 18 inchers affect the car's performacnce and the dash readouts -- i.e., does the speedometer still read and report accurately, etc.

 

[jerseybeemer]

Having never driven Quattro before, will I be ok driving occasionally in the snow without getting snow tires?

 

[Phantom S5]

Having never driven Quattro before, will I be ok driving occasionally in the snow without getting snow tires?

You should always have a dedicated snow tire for the winter. 19 inch performance tires are going to be like racing slicks in the snow. I disagree that you can keep 19's and get snows and be okay. Obvisiously if you don't have the money to change wheels and tires than just tires is okay, not great but okay. 19 inch wheels have too big of a tire patch and not enough bite to grip the snow or ice as a set of 18 inch wheels and tires would be. Quattro as great as it is cannot do anything if the tires don't give the quattro system anything to grip.

I am getiing 18 inch wheels and tires, even going to smaller tire size to help with the snow. I live in NJ and although snow isnt a daily occurance we do get snow. Then I'll change back in the spring to my 19 inch.

 

[wismie]

I would agree with Phantom S5, winter tires are a must if you want to use your car in winter conditions - and to use optimally your Quattro.

I mostly drive on mountain roads in winter, and for me Quattro is a necessity. I'll get my car with 17'' wheels mounted with Michelin Pilot Alpin 3 tires (summer wheels being the 19'' Y ones))

Here is a pic of them

Think also that winter tires are not only useful when you find snow and ice : it is also much safer once the outside temperature falls under 7° Celsius, as the gums are specially made for the cold.

 

[wrx_xb9r]

Hey WRX,

The wait would be killing me. When are you suppose to get your car?
This my my 7th car in 6 years, my 1st Audi. So far I'm really liking this car.

I got an update last night that pushes my car back to at least next week. I will be gone all next week to the PRI show so it will be at least 2 weeks before I can pickup the car.

Having never driven Quattro before, will I be ok driving occasionally in the snow without getting snow tires?

I agree with wismie and PhantomS5. You need some kind of tire with snow performance. The stock tires are summer only. This is a sure way to end up with a bent car in the snow.

From my personal experience:
I had 3 of my 4 snow tires show up when 1 got lost in shipping for over a week. I had a snow come up so I put the 3 tires on and left one summer tire. This single tire spun like crazy on 1/2" of slush dropping my kid off for school. The rest of the 3 mile commute was cleared off enough to get by.

I put my snows on last week on my current car. During the cold evenings I was getting tire spin in 3rd gear with the summer tires (they hate the cold) now I only get spin in 2nd. This is around 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit. The ground is clear and dry just cold.

I prefer the "performance winter" category of tire for my usage. We generally don't get a lot of snow here. When we do it is usually here for 1 morning and gone by that night. A lot of above/ below freezing each day/ night. We do get quite a bit of ice. Again usually melted off each day.

I can get away with stock size winter tires as I use them more for the soft rubber on dry vs. true snow/ ice performance. If I lived somewhere where snow was constant I would use the more snow orientated tires in a smaller and narrower profile. Also the smaller rim gives you more cushion from unseen impacts from hidden items in the snow.

Cliff notes: get some kind of snow tire

 

[Need4S5]

Ok guys this is what I have Dunlop Winter Sport M3 225/45/18 tires.
For wheels I went with 18' Sport Edition ST4.

From Tirerack total cost w/TPMS to my door $1500. minus $50 rebate.
It's worth every penny. With this car if you live where there's cold and snow
a 255/35/19 summer tire is trouble waitng to happen.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...alse&filterBrand=All&filterNew=All&sort=Brandhttp://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...&partnum=245R8WSM3XL&fromCompare1=yes&place=2

 

[Need4S5]

As far as performance your going to lose some cornering grip . For snows their quiet and track pretty well.
Speedo wise I believe this combo keeps the same ratio. So the MPH is not
off.

 

[boomer]

Not to bore people since I've posted my thoughts on this before. I have gone both ways over the years with dedicated snows or good all-season tires either down sizing or using stock size tires. I agree that there is no doubt that if you get snow or slush etc. it would be wise to not have just summer tires. I also agree that for maximum control true snows are best but downsizing really only helps if you are going to get a narrower tire as well. Like most places we get fairly frequent snows but they melt very quickly and road maintenance is quite good. Also I just cannot part with the looks of the rims for several months each year--it is part of the car's "mystique" The good all seasons I have had on audis over the years have been very acceptable except in really heavy snow and then the clearance is a problem anyway. Also you will be going through more than one set of tires on this car in all likelihood so why not get the most out of them--so I went with Michelin sport pilots A/S and like previous experience we have had one 3-4 inch snow already and I had no problems. Plus I didn't change the looks of the car (important to me) and I can drive these year round if I wish. I don't think you could go wrong either way--it is personal preference and what your main goals are. Sorry about the verbose response and I'll try not to repeat this again for those who have read some of it before

 

[jeff_sc]

Not to bore people since I've posted my thoughts on this before. I have gone both ways over the years with dedicated snows or good all-season tires either down sizing or using stock size tires. I agree that there is no doubt that if you get snow or slush etc. it would be wise to not have just summer tires. I also agree that for maximum control true snows are best but downsizing really only helps if you are going to get a narrower tire as well. Like most places we get fairly frequent snows but they melt very quickly and road maintenance is quite good. Also I just cannot part with the looks of the rims for several months each year--it is part of the car's "mystique" The good all seasons I have had on audis over the years have been very acceptable except in really heavy snow and then the clearance is a problem anyway. Also you will be going through more than one set of tires on this car in all likelihood so why not get the most out of them--so I went with Michelin sport pilots A/S and like previous experience we have had one 3-4 inch snow already and I had no problems. Plus I didn't change the looks of the car (important to me) and I can drive these year round if I wish. I don't think you could go wrong either way--it is personal preference and what your main goals are. Sorry about the verbose response and I'll try not to repeat this again for those who have read some of it before

Well said Boomer. Need4S5, any reason you chose the Dunlops over the performance Blizzaks? I've heard raves about those.

 

[Need4S5]

I've had the Blizzaks before i liked them great tire. These Dunlops are
a little cheaper and a $50 rebate. I've got a friend who told me to give these
a shot. So far I think they are as good as the Blizzak time will tell.

 

[Chris Turner]

Had the pleasure of driving in 3" of snow this morning. Traction Control
never went on the car felt very sure footed. Yes I do have 18" snow tires
here in Denver can't be without them. My point is if your going to drive this car in the snow. Buy some snows it's well worth it.

Hi There

What size are your snow tyres, are the speed rated?

Regards

Chris Turner

 

[Quattrings]

Awesome! If you or anyone get a chance to post pics of your S5 in the snow - please do. I can only imagine how amazing it looks in the white stuff!

Had the pleasure of driving in 3" of snow this morning. Traction Control
never went on the car felt very sure footed. Yes I do have 18" snow tires
here in Denver can't be without them. My point is if your going to drive this car in the snow. Buy some snows it's well worth it.