letheonz

If so, are you swapping out the high performance tires for winter ones, over the same rims? I was thinking of just buying a beater for the winter and saving the hassle, but Audis are made for the snow! Any advice???

Mcqueen

I'll be looking for a different wheel setup - maybe 18's with a full-on snow tire.

Maybe see if I can find someone selling their A5 S-line Y-spoke design - not sure yet.. could go with just a lower cost Tire-rack set-up as well.

But am definitely going four seasons..It's Quattro dammit.

sfive

I bought 18's with blizzaks on tirerack. it cost like 200 more dollars for the 18's with wheels and tires than just 19inch snow tires. you get more meat on the tire plus you save your 19's from harsh weather. i can probably get you a good deal on tirerack. email me if you are interested.

JerryS4

Changing your tires twice a year on one set of rims is bad for the wheels and can damage the Pressure Sensors also. Plus you get the variety of wheel styles. I'm thinking of a nice set of 18" Hartmanns with Blizzaks.

Roswell

I've driven mine through all kinds of snow and ice conditions and it's very solid. Of course the ground clearance is limiting, but it handles very well. Electronics keep this car very stable and an absolute blast in snow conditions. With the electronics off things can quickly get out of hand.


I believe the tires are the Dunlop Wintersport 3D. As well as handling well in snow they do handle well in the dry but that goes without saying, they're not as sticky as the summer tires.

My winter setup::

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/124899/dsc08039.jpg">

letheonz

JerryS4 mentioned potential damage to the wheels and pressure sensors. And thanks for the pic!

A5Pilot

See the 18" A5 OEM wheels (5-spoke, silver, unused) in AudiWorld classified section. For sale after October 20th.

DoubleDoom

did last year when it snowed. No problems at all

CAN8DNS5

I just made the decision to order seperate wheels and just recieved my TRM MT1's from Tire Rack this week in 18 X 8.5 They are really nice wheels and I have Blizzak LM 25's that will be mounted on them as soon as they arrive. I always used to stay with factory rims and switch rubber twice a year but that is not good for the tires or rims and the 19 " factory rims are too nice to damage. Quite happy with my decision and the 18" will be better in the snow.

Roswell

but if you're not driving in snow very often I think the dunlops are a good compromise in performance without giving up the good look of the stock rims. Despite the width of the 255 dunlops, I think they're perfect. Keep in mind I don't hit very deep snow regularly, but I've had it flying over the hood from time to time.

Be sure to use a shop you trust when you change the tires.

My logic was to go with 20" wheels with wider tires for better grip and performance in the summer, and kept stock wheels strictly for winter tires.