ssteigss

Can any one comment on either of these tires on Q5.
235/60/18
Continental LX20 ecoplus
Bridgestone dueler ecopia 422

Ive read the reviews/ tests on Tirerack. Need something with better snow traction/ treadlife than horrendous Michelin Tour HP that came stock. Worn out @23k miles and have been undriveable in snow since new.Leaning towards Conti's but many mentioned balancing issues.

tmoe

I'd take a look at some Nokian WRG2, they have very good high speed stability, quiet, very good snow traction, not as good as a dedicated snow tire but the best I've found in an all season. Downside they're on the pricey side. That's what I have on my Q5 and MDX both have handled the winter in Chicago this year very well.

bpp

Nokian FTW!
Put a set of WRG3's on the A4 earlier this week. ;o)

acadianbob

X2! Nokian WRG2 is a fabulous tire. Size availability can be a restriction though.

soonerfan

I replaced my OEM tires on the 2011 Q5 with the Bridgestones above and can highly recommend them. Very quiet tire and what little snow they went through, no issues handling it. Excellent tread wear qualities, too. Bought them from a nearby Firestone store and they beat Tirerack's price. The Conti's that are on my new Q are all-season (20") and excellent as well. Print your results from the Tirerack website and take them with you to the tire store.....those guys like knowledgeable customers and it gives you some bargaining strength.

ELEVENS

There is no substitute for dedicated snow tires but we run Continental ExtremeContact DWS on 2 of our Audis in the "good" weather. I haven't studied up on it in 6 months so maybe there's something better now but they used to be the "best all-season for snow" (now there's a contradiction of terms!

soonerfan

I can vouch for the Extreme Contact DWS as Elevens has pictured above, as these are on my new Q5, but only have 3700 miles on them. Seen a little snow and were excellent...very quiet riding as well. As a point of info, these are the only "approved" replacement tire from the OEM tires that Audi would allow the dealer to swap out before I took delivery of my new Q5.

bpp

The DWS was 2nd on my list behind the WRG3. Love the aggressive tread pattern too which makes it look like it will work in its application. But the final factor for the Nokian is the Severe Service Emblem. "Exceeds the new government standard for tire performance in harsh winter conditions."
Check out the sipes on the WRG3 and you'll see it is very similar to dedicated snow/ice tires.

ssteigss

Unfortunately The DWS doesnt come in the size i need.

soonerfan

If you do not want or need a dedicated snow tire, I'll repeat my recommendation for the Bridgestone Ecopia. You will not be disappointed.