nobbyv

Just put them on the wife's car last year, and only ran them two years on my S4 before I sold it. After two seasons, they still looked like new, plenty of tread left. Winter temps here in NH tend to be just a bit colder than than Denver I'd think, so YMMV.

mwar99

Mine lasted well through the season this past winter. I expect to get potentially 3 seasons out of them. I don't get too aggressive when driving with the snows.

DD1546

I just bought a set of Michelin Alpin PA4 tires, 255/40/19. I could have saved a few $$ and gone with Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32. The sales guy at Tire Rack stated that the LM-32s would give better snow traction but that the Michelins would be more performance oriented and quieter. Since I will drive more in dry conditions than in snow, I went for the tires that would be closest to the stock summer tires. I will mount them on a set of OEM Audi S6 wheels that I bought through the forum (Thanks!). Stay tuned.

gpj111

Just received my Hakkapeliitta R2s today. The guys at tiresbyweb were great... and as suggested by a previous post.. I asked for a discount, and they did without any problem. Only took 2 days.

Deazy

Got mine last week. Now just need to figure out some wheels for them. :-)

FAST4DR S6

Have mine just waiting for the weather to get colder before they go on. I have the OEM 20" wheels, so my winter rims will become my stock OEM wheels moving forward.

Next Spring will look into getting non winter wheels and save close to 10pounds per wheel on each corner since the stock wheels are so freaking heavy.

mirin S6

Is everyone sticking with a 255/40 19 size tire on a 19x8.5 rim?

It looks like a 245/40 and a 245/45 would both work as well. Tire Rack recommends staying within 3% of overall diameter from stock, which both of these set ups would. Both would give a slightly narrower contact patch, which is preferable in snow. the 245/45 would give a little more sidewall too (.32 inches or 8mm). I don't think there would be clearance issues even in dynamic mode, considering others have dropped their cars much more than 8mm. Both of these set ups would save a small amount of money on tire price too.

Am I missing something? Would this be a horrible idea?

DD1546

I stayed with 255/40/19 because I mostly drive in the dry or slush in NJ hills. If you plan to drive in snow deeper than about 10 cm a higher profile makes sense, though load limit is a factor if you drive loaded, with passengers.

DrCondor

My experience is based upon living in Central NY since 1974, and driving only Audis since 2000. We average 120+ inches of snow, and significantly more slightly north where I steelhead fish throughout the winter. While I have gone one size narrower at times, I did not do so with this car for two reasons:

1. It is a very heavy car...and the TR first reco is for 255.

2. All of my previous Audimobiles simply had no trouble in 12" of parking lot snow (i.e., not 12" at prudent speed on the highway).

I am awaiting LM-32s from TR, which will go on the OEM 19s...I liked the last set of LM-60s, but the 32s are newer and the shoulder looks better for dry road cornering. I have done very well with Blizzaks and various Dunlop Winter Sports, but have no experience with other brands and gave up studs after doing acceleration and braking tests on ice with these brands. The only local Audi enthusiast I know who used studs campaigned a tuned B5S4 in winter rally events.

As before, I advise 'recertifying' every winter the first time you have a snowy, or better yet, glare icy, parking lot in which to play and learn the limits of yourself and the car. Snow donuts optional, and note that extended donut making has been known to stress the power steering pumps in certain Audi models.

FWIW