McGriddle

I'm just wondering what others think about what I've been noticing below. My S4 is a Prem+ with 18" wheels and stock Pirelli Cinturato P7's summers.

Right now, I'm still running the Cinturato's and I've had no grip issues to speak of this winter even at temps around 20F. Of course, I haven't taken the car on the road while it was snowing significantly and I don't drive too aggressively in cold temps, but I've still driven plenty on the roads after just being plowed or at low temps... and I haven't noticed any slipping of the tires requiring any traction / stability control intervention in any way. I keep the car in either Comfort or Auto on the Sports Diff ADS, if that matters.

It's weird, because I expected to feel the S4 losing traction right away just as everyone on here has warned, but I've noticed none. Even a spirited take off (maybe 2/3 throttle) in 30 degree weather doesn't make the tires chirp. In fact, the S4 has more impressive grip compared to my old A3 2.0T FWD with stock all-Seasons which always had the traction control engaging due to wheel slippage.

I noticed that the Cinturato P7's are rated as only High Performance (as opposed to Ultra-High Performance) and are described as "green" eco-friendly tires. Could this be the reason that their winter grip seems better than 19" summer rubber? Granted, Northern New Jersey isn't extremely cold or terribly hilly...

Anyone else here in the Northeast still running the Cinturato P7's on 18s?

rktskicar

I would not run those tires in the winter...

WatchNut

Ditto.

You're driving a $50,000+ car, and your health/life is obviously worth considerably more than that. Why try to get away with tires that expost you to unnecessary risk? All it takes is one incident to make you wonder why you stuck with summer tires that weren't appropriate for the weather/temperatures you're facing.

McGriddle

I totally hear what you guys are saying. I was thinking the same thing and I definitely plan on getting a good second set of winters or all-seasons (though it might be late for this season since temps are already starting to warm back up). Jersey is pretty crazy about salting/graveling the roads, so that's been invaluable so far.

It's just weird that these tires seem to grip well in the cold (around 30-35 here) and I'm frankly amazed by that. Perhaps my old Pirelli P6 Four Seasons on the A3 were just awful in the cold and I got used to driving with poor grip? Those tires were seriously terrible in the cold or wet.

Does anyone know much more about these new Cinturato tires? I haven't been able to find much about them. The 19" Bridgestone Potenza RE050As have a treadwear rating of 140 while the 18" Cinturato P7s have a 260 treadwear rating. Could this suggest that the Potenza's are softer rubber than the Cinturato's If so, do softer summer tires tend to stiffen more at cold temps compared to harder compounds and therefore the reason that the Cinturatos are more forgiving in the cold?

rktskicar

I don't know much about the Pirelli P7's. Mine are in the garage right now. I am running UHPAS tires. They are in my sig.

Bruce

irenesbob

I don't have an S4 yet, I still have 6 months to go on my '08 A4 lease, but want to add my 2 cents:

1) A statement - For me it would not be the cost of having two sets of tries, it would be no where to store them – I live in an apartment. Also, I am very fearful of the dealer (Audi, gas station, tire store, whoever) scratching the wheels, so I would rather not have to change them. I avoid as much "work" on my cars as possible. I can't count the number of times I have picked up a car after a simple oil change, etc. and found scratches, chips in wheels, etc. I like to do anything myself, so I might get a set of wheels and tires from Tire Rack and install them and uninstall them seasonally myself if I can find a place to store them. I'm 68 but can still twist a wrench - lol!
2) A question - When I do go for an S4 in a few months what is the likelihood the dealer would take the stock summers off and put on a set of all seasons at a price of say a few hundred bucks? I am very conservative as a driver (how do you say olde farte?) and doubt I would come near getting in trouble with all seasons. I have never taken my A4 over 75 and doubt I would with an S4. I just like the occasional mid range power surge and the nice trim, seats, etc. that are part of the S4 package. Any non-insulting input would be appreciated.

WatchNut

I asked a couple of dealers this question. Basically, they said that they would be happy to change the tires if I bought new tires, or brought them a new set. They could not treat the removed tires as new, and tey could no resell them because they had previously been installed and driven on (even if it was just on/off a truck.

So basically it's going to mean I'm going to have to buy a new set of all-seasons, haven them installed, and then if possible, I'll try to sell the stock 18" tires on CraigsList or someplace else.

Michael

equ

I have the P7's on my a4 sport, swapped out to pilot alpins for the winter (NNJ as well). I haven't had these pirellis on the white stuff, but most "summer" tires are "ok" on cold/dry. They also seemed "ok" in cold November rain. They also don't feel that much greater in performance in dry tarmac than michelin alpins (one of the most all-season-like among snow tires). They don't feel like all out performance tires, I agree with the OP on that. They're quiet and smooth, good dailies.

Among summer tires, michelin PS2's that really need heat, they need about 10 miles to warm up on cold days.

Try some hard braking/turning/avoidance on ice/snow, you might change your mind... The salting/clearing here in NNJ has been pretty incredible (different story of course if the last two storms had fully hit here). If you have other vehicles/public transport option, you could wait it out to March, but I'd recommend a set of winter tires for a capable car like the s4. It's kind of the point.

DrGP

Here's what I plan on doing. I will take delivery of my car in April. Will run the summer tires until Oct/Nov. Then I plan to buy some 18" Conti Extreme Contacts DWS.Run them until they wear out and possibly put on another set if necessary. At lease end, I will put the OEM tires back on. They should still have enough tread to pass inspection. Since I will have a 42 month lease, the last 6 months of the lease will be in the warmer time of the year.

s4buyer007

Take this for what its worth but I live in Buffalo New York and had the p7's on my s4 while waiting for a second set of oem 18's to arrive. So i drove the p7's in snow, ice, blizzards, 20 degree weather daily. Now i drive for a living so i knew to take it easy, but it is doable. Do I advise it: no, but is it possible: yes. I was very pleased the the p7s . I now have a second set of oem rims with bridge stone blizzacks which are unstoppable in all conditions.