tysonm

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-.../#post24624723

Hadds1823

I just bought the SQ 5 with 21' tires and put on 255/40R-21 Pirelli Scorpion Winter Tires. I live in Chicago and the Winter tires are working great in our first snowstorm. You don't need new rims either. It would be a shame not to have those 21 tires all year around! There isn't much information out there about winter tires that fit the 21 inch option but the tires I listed above works great. They cost around $330/tire.

koobah

I never understood why people do this. Not only wider tires are more expensive, they have less traction in snow, are more likely to get damaged in the winter (along with the wheels), and you're putting extra wear on your wheels and tires by annually mounting/dismounting and balancing them, not to mention the annual cost. For much less money, I got 19" OEM Audi Q5 wheels off ebay and bought DMV1 Blizzaks from Tirerack (around $160 per tire in 19" size). Sure, it doesn't look as hot as the 21" setup, but it's better in the winter because the tire is narrower and with the higher profile, I'm better protected from obstacles hiding underneath the snow. I can also swap everything myself. Having said all that, a dedicated winter wheel/tire set is the way to go IMO.

Dave DC

While I agree having a dedicated winter wheel/tire setup is optimal, for many people you may be overstating the importance of narrower tires. Where I live (DC) we rarely get enough snow that having a narrower tire would be meaningful and if we do the entire city is shutdown as the fed government closes with the first snow flake so no need to drive to work anyways. Personally, I prefer the dry handling advantage and appearance of a wider tire on better looking rims for the 95% of the winter season here when the roads are dry to moderately wet.

tdifan

Absolutely second that. I am also in Chicago and I ordered 18 inch wheels and went down to 225 for the winter set up instead of the stock 235 all season 19 inch set up. I am still waiting for the "real" snow to install them on the car though .

koobah

I'm in Chicago as well and glad I put mine on before the weekend as the did come in handy during Saturday's storm. If this winter will be anything like last year (and it appears likely at this point), I need all the traction I can get. My 21" got cleaned, waxed and are safely tucked away in the garage

GlacierSQ5

Hey guys, I have a question. Do any of the SQ5s come with TMPS? I have the 20'' with rubber valve stems so we know it doesn't. Long story short, Audi USA is exchanging a 2015 SQ5 with me due to some problems in our 2014. It is supposed to arrive in early January.

I ordered the 21'' wheel option so does any of you know if they come with rubber valve or metal valve stems? I can't wait until January as the winter is already here. It would be great if you 21 inchers can chime in.

Thanks!!

spijun

Here
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-.../#post24624155
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System > Glossary > advice > Audi Centre East Rand
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-.../#post24073332

GlacierSQ5

Thanks for the quick answer buddy. I am glad Audi doesn't use TPMS which make things a lot easier and cheaper!

hilld

So there is a mixed bag as far as TMPS. My wife's 2009 A4 does have sensors in the wheels.

The easiest way to identify is the valve stem. All TPMS sensors use metal valve stems, if the valve stem is rubber, there is no sensor in there. The tire pressure is inferred via the rotations calculated by the abs wheel speed sensor. A low tire will rotate faster to cover the same distance compared to a correctly inflated tire and then trigger the yellow low tire pressure warning.