All Season Recommendation/ Extra vehicle

[mellow_sparky]

Originally Posted by canyoncarver The bottom line is that you should get the right equipment for the conditions you will be driving on. Dunlop Wintersports cost $200 a pop in the 18" Size. You can get budget rims for winter driving for as little as $40 per wheel. My mind is still boggled by the thought of buying a $50K car and then obsessing over saving a few hundred bucks on tires for it for proper winter driving. For me it's not about the money - after all, you will use x% of tire tread every year regardless of whether you have 10 sets of tires or 1 set. It's about the fact that I don't really have garage space to store 4 18" or 19" wheels/tires. Living in Seattle, I belive you can get by with a single set of tires - if you live in Washington DC, maybe not :-)

[canyoncarver]

Originally Posted by mellow_sparky

For me it's not about the money - after all, you will use x% of tire tread every year regardless of whether you have 10 sets of tires or 1 set.

It's about the fact that I don't really have garage space to store 4 18" or 19" wheels/tires. Living in Seattle, I belive you can get by with a single set of tires - if you live in Washington DC, maybe not :-)

My local dealership has a program where they will rack and store your off-season tires and wheels for you for about $20 per year.

You should investigate the possibility of doing something like that.

It's also not difficult to get a sturdy plastic tarp and store your off-season tires/wheels outside of the home altogether.

I've lived in apartments, condos, town homes, small homes and now a huge home and I've never had a problem finding storage space for a set of tires and wheels.

[rktskicar]

If you know how to drive in the snow, pure winter (snowflake) tires are not needed IMO. M+S tires are are just fine. I have been driving in the snow now for 38 years and an AWD car with good M+S tires is superior to the 4 wheel studded snow tires in years past I drove with 2WD cars.

Bruce

[Nicky_do_it]

Originally Posted by canyoncarver

You don't say where you are located or what the weather is like.

I have always run separate winter rims/tires for my Audis. It takes all of 1 hour twice a year to swap the wheels out (I do have an air wrench but you can get a decent one for $100).

Even if you bought a cheap beater for driving in the snow you are looking at $1500 for a vehicle that will have limited reliability, plus gas, insurance, registration, etc.

You can get a complete 18" rim/tire package from Discount Tire shipped to your door for under $1000. As far as dings and fender benders happening, that's what insurance is for. I buy an expensive car to enjoy it and show it off, not to hide it in the garage and take the wife to a night downtown in a beater.

I live the Philly area. Most winters are mild here but coincidently I think we are seeing a record snow fall this year. Gas is not relevant to owning 2 cars but your other points are certainly valid. I noticed there are no advocates to owning a second car. I was planning on keeping my "beater" until the winter is over then shop for the all seasons. I have changed my mind and will likely spend whatever is necessary to get the best available tires. I simply wanted to get other viewpoints and advice on tires. Thanks everyone thus far for the input.

Regarding the rim and tire package from tire rack for $1K, I guessing it will cheapen the look of this $50k car for the 4 months that I will need them and I don't want to spend a ton on a set of nice rims. As I mentioned before, I struggle with knowing my rims are going to wrecked by the tire machine when I switch back to summers. I guess the good news is that I won't need to buy another set of tires for a really long time since I only drive 7K and I'll have two sets of tires to spread it across. I just hope the rubber doesn't degrade before their worn out.

Just to provide some additional background, I have always owned two cars for myself with one being RWD. I am new to the S4 family. One of the main reasons, I bought my S4 is for all season capability without the hassle or extra cost of having another set of tires or needing another vehicle. I truly respect the passion of Audi owners but I thought one of the reasons for being one is because of the smart & sophisticated AWD system. Many of the posts imply that owners have a second set of rims and tires. I think that means many of you could live with RWD but opt for the advantages of the Audi AWD system. Is this correct? If so, is it mainly for the extra traction in the snow all things being equal (ie snow tires on both RWD and AWD) and the extra traction in the rain weighted against the extra weight of the car? What is the biggest advantage of the AWD in your opinions? Is it that much better on slick roads? I assumed it would be but my car has been sitting in the garage since I bought it because of the snow here so I wouldn't know.

[canyoncarver]

Originally Posted by rktskicar

If you know how to drive in the snow, pure winter (snowflake) tires are not needed IMO. M+S tires are are just fine. I have been driving in the snow now for 38 years and an AWD car with good M+S tires is superior to the 4 wheel studded snow tires in years past I drove with 2WD cars.

Bruce

I have been driving in the snow for 23 years myself. I started out driving in Vermont as a kid and have been driving Colorado winters for the past 15 years.

Driver skill sort of goes out the window when you don't have any traction. Admittedly a more alert driver who is more familiar with the conditions can plan his/her next move but it still doesn't replace traction.

Snow tires are relatively cheap. Rims are cheap. It takes me an hour to swap my wheels and I've routinely run my A4 through solid packed snow, ice and up to a foot of snow without getting stuck. As long as I have ground clearance and real winter tires I can pretty much get around regardless of the conditions.

[canyoncarver]

Originally Posted by Nicky_do_it

I live the Philly area. Most winters are mild here but coincidently I think we are seeing a record snow fall this year. Gas is not relevant to owning 2 cars but your other points are certainly valid. I noticed there are no advocates to owning a second car. I was planning on keeping my "beater" until the winter is over then shop for the all seasons. I have changed my mind and will likely spend whatever is necessary to get the best available tires. I simply wanted to get other viewpoints and advice on tires. Thanks everyone thus far for the input.

If I was in Philly, where it is extremely uncommon to see more than a few inches of snow I would probably not buy dedicated snow tires. I would wait until the factory rubber wears out (with Z rated tires it will wear out pretty quickly) and then go to a good performance all season tire.

Snow tires are really needed when you live in a geography that gets a large amount of snowfall every year, or you live in an area with less snowfall but where the roads are never cleared.

Obviously though if it will increase your comfort level to have snow tires and you don't mind the inconvenience or expense of having them then go for it.

[Hobbes]

I live just outside of Philly in New Jersey. I run with good-quality all-season tires year-round with no problem. Not only do we not receive large quantities of snow typically (this winter notwithstanding), but the roads are cleared quickly.

I recognize that even in this climate all-seasons will be inferior to dedicated tires, but I've found all-seasons to be quite a satisfactory compromise.