RBK

So while obviously not ideal, will just swapping tires 'damage' the car/handling?

I live in Chicago. Definitely need to come up with a solution. Believe these are all my options:
1. buy a beater
2. swap out tires
3. get seperate set of rims + tires

Andrewaw

I live in Denver- opted to go with tires and wheels, only like $150 more than 19' snow tires

RBK

How much was your grand total? And what setup did you go with?

JScottC

No, but you risk damage to your wheels with each swap.

RBK

Approximately how much are we talking for 19" winter wheels vs. 18"s rims with winter wheels?

April

is to look for a fairly open design so you can spot any buildup of ice on the inside of the rim. People often think they have a mechanical issue when in fact it's just some hard gunk throwing the wheel off balance;-)

If you swap tires back and forth, not only do you risk wheel damage, but at around $100 each time, it adds up! $100 to install winters, then another $100 to put back summers.......

Andrewaw

I ended up getting 18' MSW type 14 wheels and 18" 222/45R18 Blizzak LM-25.
it runs about $1420 for everything installed

Andrewaw

above is for 2009 S5- opted to go wiht 18"ers for little better control

Andrewaw

recommended by store to put winters on on halloween and off on mother's day-- seem reasonable?

Inclined

Most aftermarket wheels for Audis have 10 mm less offset than stock wheel - kinda like having a built in 10mm spacer . That's fine for bling , but it will lead to "sand blasting" the side of your car if you drive in a lot in fresh snow where the road crews continuously deposit rock salt or sand . Happens to me up at Lake Tahoe on local roads and Interstate 80 , so my winter wheels were spec'd to have the same offset as OEM.