Winter tires

[mmaturo]

I used Dunlop Winter Sport M3s on my stock 18" wheels for 6 years/seasons...excellent, never any issues in snow, wet and dry and all temps. Didn't feel lacking in ability to have fun when weather was good with them. I went with the 3Ds on my S5 now but only because they come in 19s otherwise the M3 would be my choice although had no issues with the S5 but we had a very mild winter with almost no snow so short season to have a real opinion on the 3Ds.

[MNRS6]

This last winter I had a set of Blizzak LM-60's (235 width) mounted on the stock 18's. I was very impressed with these. I am in Minnesota so we see plenty of snow and cold temps and these tires handled both easily. Had to drive out to South Dakota in January for a wedding and ran into a blizzard on the way out. This set-up (car and tires) were amazing!! 80 mph through snow drifts.

[bobski]

I have had Dunlop wintersport M-3's for years on my RS6 and TT and love them. I know they have changed the tires a bit, but they are great in dry, wet and snow.

[905084]

4-500 inches of snow here a year. Blizzaks or Hankook I-Pikes. Son drove his Crown Vic to school all year on the I-Pikes and never got stuck once. Although, in Seattle you could get by with something a little more sporty and not so grippy.

[pwm]

need some more info I think.

1. How much driving in actual snow conditions
2. How cold is it going to get
3. How warm is it going to get
4. Highway driving v. secondary roads?

[ben916]

1. How much driving in actual snow conditions
- to me, it is more of being prepared and not getting caught in a rush to get snow tires purchased and then shipped and then mounted.
it is better to have them and not need them THAN not have them and then really need them.

2. How cold is it going to get?
- typical Seattle weather during the winter is a range from mid 30's to low 40's with an occasional three week long snow blanket where the city just $hits itself...

3. How warm is it going to get
- see above

4. Highway driving v. secondary roads?
- highway and city/residential roads

[905084]

I have had Dunlop wintersport M-3's for years on my RS6 and TT and love them. I know they have changed the tires a bit, but they are great in dry, wet and snow.

I like this idea. $80 to switch to winter, $80 to switch to summer. They will even store your tires for $10/month. $280/year just for tire "maintenance". Yikes.

Think I might look for some Dunlops.

[pwm]

Seems like a lot of your winter driving is going to be spent driving on roads that are actually above freezing and/or not deep snow. I wouldn't bother doing the narrow tire move. It'll give you fresh snow traction but you'll lose a lot of dry/wet contact patch. I don't think that tradeoff is worth it.

Were I in your position, I'd get a sportier tire so you don't lose so much performance in the non-snow conditions. A regular width, winter sport should be your best bet. Having not put snows on the RS yet, I don't have any direct experience with this car. That said, I grew up in upstate NY and have spent a lot of time in the Rockies with some other cars. Recently, I also drive from LA to Montana pretty frequently, and all year round. Driving from LA to Montana in the winter is a weird thing. You can't do it on all seasons because you have to have snow tires up there, but you have to baby the hell out of them when you're in warm weather. It's a tough tradeoff. I've found that the WS series Blizzak is nice for the highway miles, but not sporty at all. I have a narrow set on the TDI A3. Drives like a beast in the snow, but floats all over the place in the non-snow, and is the squirreliest bastard ever under braking. On the other hand, the LM series is a harder sidewall and much better to drive on secondary roads. The only problem with the LM that I have seen is that when you reach the limit in the snow, it comes and goes pretty quickly. They're happy once they're going sideways, and happy in a straight line, but that transition to supar-dorifto can be a little abrupt.

I've driven a couple S4s up in MT that are on Hakka sport winter tires that were more graceful in the transitions. I've also heard that they don't die off at the end of their treadlife quite as quickly, but I've only used Blizzaks lately so I can't speak to the current Hakka lines.

I believe that completes my ramble on winter tires. hope it wasn't a total waste of time.

-bill

[Bigglezworth]

You don't recommend the Michelin Pilot Alpin's or the Blizzaks?

I need no white knuckle moments...

Correct. They simply don't feel any 'safer' or any 'grippier' in inclement conditions than my all-season Avon tyres do. I'm suspecious it's due to the large 255 width which is easily a full 1" wider than many use for their largest winter tire width. My friend has a nice family van and his winter tires always felt soft to the touch, had grip resistance as you slid your hand across them, and a host of tiny fingers created by the tread design. The Alpins have none of these characteristics. Perhaps others have better experiences than I. My experiences/observations being what they are, I'm likely going to look to do a different combination of width/rims/tire this next winter.

[905084]

Correct. They simply don't feel any 'safer' or any 'grippier' in inclement conditions than my all-season Avon tyres do.

Really? On my iced over dirt road I definitely notice. Sliding down the icy grade with all seasons and the anit-lock kicking in and out didn't give me that warm fuzzy. I'll take Blizzaks in the winter every day on ice, Hankook I-Pikes in a foot or two of snow.



What my driveway looks like in the winter.

[pwm]

bigglezworth, where do you live?

[Bigglezworth]

bigglezworth, where do you live?

Calgary, AB

[Primo]

Hakkapaelitta 7

[mmaturo]

I like this idea. $80 to switch to winter, $80 to switch to summer. They will even store your tires for $10/month. $280/year just for tire "maintenance". Yikes.

Think I might look for some Dunlops.

Or get to know your Discount Tire manager very well....which with an RS6 you will...free switches/and check balance every time (for years on 3 cars)...I think they will do this anyway...and just now started charging for storage as they switched to central storage rather than in the store where it was free for me for years, but the wife likes them not in our condo storage so worth it. So $100 a year maybe for two cars/sets now. I run a second set of OEM wheels for each car with snows as I said above and all Dunlops. Done.

[kday]

Regarding the Alpins, I had them in a really narrow width on my C4 A6. I think they were 195s (15x6.5 wheels IIRC). They were really quite good in both deep snow and icy slush. I think the width is the problem as others have mentioned. 255 is just ridiculously wide for a snow tire.

I have 255 series Conti DWS on my RS6 with plenty of tread, and they suck in the snow. I have heard they are pretty decent on other cars, so again I think it's the width.

I'd really like to find a set of used OEM Audi wheels from a different model that are narrower, and get proper snow tires. (I'm assuming that eventually Boston will have a winter again.) I ran 225 series tires on my S4 and they were OK, but still on the wide side. What's the narrowest tire you could run on an RS6? Anyone have a list of wheels from other models that will fit over the front brakes?

[ben916]

ok I just saw this on AZ:
https://www.mitasnowchains.com/articles-and-newsroom

I still think that Blizzaks are my first line of defense as it was frosty on the solar cell sunroof this morning.
I am looking at 245/45R18 with XL rating, slightly narrower and slightly taller.

Opinions?

[rwheelz]

I have michelin pilot alpins on my STI and they are incredible in the cold and snow.

[905084]

ok I just saw this on AZ:
https://www.mitasnowchains.com/articles-and-newsroom

I still think that Blizzaks are my first line of defense as it was frosty on the solar cell sunroof this morning.
I am looking at 245/45R18 with XL rating, slightly narrower and slightly taller.

Opinions?

Blizzaks will do you fine. That other thing?? Only for "Ice Road Truckers". And please remember, Quattro makes you go, brakes make you stop, but with the RS as with most cars in the winter mu is the limiting factor, not Hawks, or slotted rotors or 365mm disks. All the brakes in the world don't mean s#!t when the antiskid is kicking in and your eyes are wide because the Suzuki Samurai in front of you hit the dry pavement before you did.

Plenty of distance and a wary eye will solve most of your troubles, Blizzaks fix the rest.