rarslan

I came back from a 1900 miles R/T trip which involved going through snow/rain. First thing first, OEM Dunlop tires suck big time. I've got stuck in six inches of snow. I had to dig her up. It was such an embarrassment. Not to mention excessive noise from tires. It seems like windshield wash fluid reservoir is so small, I had to fill it up twice. Proximity sensors are too finicky.
Otherwise, drives like a dream, fast for a jumbo size vehicle; more than enough space for two of us and our dog and gifts round trip to Michigan. I was afraid of getting a ticket from PA troopers but I've got lucky. Don;t like the fact that the trunk does not open when the engine is running except from the button on the door. Nearly 20mpg, mostly driving 80-85mph. GPS is not as useful as I hoped to have. Got to have better tires but I still like it very much. It is a driving machine. Drove 10.5 hours today, not fatigued.
Happy New Year...

Buckwheat2088

You mentioned OEM Dunlops...do you have the S-Line 21" wheel package? Would explain the crappy snow/rain traction.

rarslan

Yes, correct, 21s. I've gone through snow/rain but stuck in snow. Tires had no traction at all when I parked on the snow covered level driveway, Q7 did not move an inch when I tried to leave. All wheels were spinning freely. I had to dig the tires out and placed card boards in fronts of all tires to make it move. Once it moved, continued with little effort. During the rain, everytime I stopped, ABS was kicking in in one or more tires.
What makes me worried is if the tire with no traction should have been spinning at all. The left side had better grip I guess but was not moving the car while the right side tires were both spinning.

JHagerty

I have the Dunlop 21's as well and have absolutely loved their wet performance. Drove through a "gully-washer" of a storm before Xmas and they were like glue to the road even at 75+ going through full road grooves of water. Way better than the old 19 inch all seasons my old Q7 had. Youtube tests of summer tires on snow and they can better explain why they don't work. Blocks, sipes, etc of the tires.

But I agree that road noise is pretty crappy with the Dunlops. I only have about 3500 miles on them and they are noticeably louder than when new. Not many options out there but will try the Vredestein Ultrac SUV Sessanta's when these wear out. Road noise might be a little better.

Sounds like you had a fun road trip !! Happy New Year and many more good miles in the Q7 !!

phil47

The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires that came with my 21" wheel package I wouldn't even trust in cold temps let alone snow. They are max performance summer tires with zero tolerance for cold or snow. With around 20,000 km on them they have also started howling something fierce. I hope to find a more quiet replacement next summer...hopefully someone will have an all season available in this size so I don't keep getting the **** scared out of me in early spring or late fall when i'm not running my winter package!

Force-1

One reason I passed on the 21" option is lack of an all season tire. No way I would ever drive a Q7 in snow/ice conditions on those tires. And as phil47 said--can even be dangerous driving on them in low temp, dry road conditions.