chides64

Anyone have any recommendations for a winter wheel and tire setup? I have 19" rims, but for winter I am thinking of going to winter tires (probably Blizzaks) with dedicated rims. Probably go to 18" for winter. Or should I just go to an all season tire? Maybe the Continental DWS? Anyone have any experience with that tire in the snow?

I know its only July, but looking thoughts from the board.

Thanks

StumpJumper

where do you live? suggestions change based on climate

in MA I use 18 inch Dunlop Wintersports, wheels & tires from Tire Rack

angryRotarian

On a car like the S4, I think it's fair to apply the rule of all season is no season. They are an exercise in compromise.

You bought quattro, and hopefully the sport diff. In my opinion, this car deserves sneakers, not loafers.

A 18" wheel package is a good idea, and Blizzaks are a good choice. I also have nothing but great things to say about the Dunlop 3D/4D/M3 Wintersport line, and that's what I'll be using come winter.

bandersen

Good that you're looking in July..Tire Rack sells out of the good packages early. I live in NC (I know...generally no snow (except this past winter)) and have stock 19's. I purchased a wheel/tire set from them for about $1600 or so, with the Pirelli tires. Didn't go for the more expensive Blizzake's because I live in NC....I also have the space in my garage for them (with the TireRack wall mount), and do the changeover myself. As another poster so aptly put it...why put loafers on? Use summer performance for 3/4 of the year, and the winter set up for 1/4. You will also save on how often you need to buy the summer shoes. As a sidenote...was able to attend the Audi Ice Driving school in Austria this past Jan. Got home, and two days later, the infamous winter storms started hitting here!! And me, with snow tires on. It was heaven. Enjoy - and if you buy from TireRack, put the order in before end of Sept!

chides64

I live in MT. Can you recommend a decent 18" wheel? I don't need anything fancy, just something to get the job done. Thanks

vitas

I've been thinking about winter as well: 19" wheels option comes with summer tires only. So far, I'm leaning towards getting all-seasons. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 seem like a good option based on Tirerack reviews. Sounds like this tire compromises on snow performance more than on summer performance.

I live in Chicago, and had a dedicated set of winter wheels with Continentals for my previous car (BMW 540i). The performance in the snow was nothing short of amazing, even with rear-wheel drive. While the last winter we had tons of snow, there were still too many days when I was driving on perfectly dry roads on my winter tires. That's why, this time with quattro, I'm considering replacing my summer tires with all-seasons.

My only question is whether I should go 255/45 instead of 255/35 (while staying with stock 19" peeler rims) to get a little more rubber to protect against potholes.

That being said, if a great deal on pretty 18" rims comes along, I would jump on it and still get a dedicated winter set :-)

togatown

I wasn't thinking about winter tires until reading this thread! Just checked and Tire Rack is having a closeout sale on 18" Blizzaks. Killer deal.

QuattroNorth

The word winter is very relative!

I think people should consider more the thermometer than the number of snowy days. This consideration will determine the compromise that you'll make.

Even here in Canada, we don't get too many days of pure snow driving. But even on ''dry roads'', with very low temperature you need a tire that remains sticky (relatively speaking I mean). All season tires get harder and with not so low mercury levels they just slip so you end up not getting that much performance like you thought you would.

All in all, I would suggest to go with all season tires if you don't get too many freezing winter days so you can enjoy performance on dry days and with the quattro system you don't mind facing a few snowy days. For the ones who get cold winter, I think there shouldn't be a compromise and go with the dual tire set up, 19' in the summer, 18'' in the winter.

StumpJumper

I went with cheap Sparco Pista grey wheels, they don't show brake dust and dirt so much that way.

I specifically went cheap for winter because if I have a problem I'd prefer to just buy a new wheel or set of wheels than try to repair.

uscmatt99

I live in Michigan, and I agree that winter tires are great for more than just snowy days, it is all about maintaining grip with the temp is under 45 degrees or so, where all-weathers start to underperform. I went with Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 tires on the 18" wheels, very predictable on snow and wet, as predictable as one can expect on ice, and felt almost as nice as the all-seasons when roads were dry, a bit noisier. This was on a stock A5, and will use them on the S4 this winter.