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My car is a 2012 A6 3.0T Premium Plus with just over 50K miles. It was purchased as a CPO and at the time came with a brand new set of ContiProContacts 245/45-18s. I live in the Boston area and have gone through two winters without any real issues during the winter months.
My previous Audi was a 2005 A6 3.2 which I ran with ContiExtremeContact DWS and I enjoyed both the ride during the summer months, as well as the handling in the winter much more than with the 2012 with ContiProContacts. Not sure if the differences are due to the tires or the car (or more likely, the Boston highways are awful).
Anyway, the ContiProContacts are now needing replacing - probably still good for dry / wet weather but not possibly for winter snow.
Given that the majority of my driving is on decent roads, i.e. and not up into ski country, etc. the question becomes whether going with a good All Season Radial (rated for winter) or going with a dedicated winter tire for now and getting a another set of All Seasons or other for the non-winter driving.
Big issue is if I go for dedicated winter tires, I will still need new tires for the rest of the year, as well as a place to store the set that is not being used.
When touring the TireRack site, it was actually recommending going with a 225/50-18 Michelin X-Ice X13 as opposed something sized in the OEM 245/45-18 size. Not sure if that also means needing different rims as opposed to just tires.
My car is a 2012 A6 3.0T Premium Plus with just over 50K miles. It was purchased as a CPO and at the time came with a brand new set of ContiProContacts 245/45-18s. I live in the Boston area and have gone through two winters without any real issues during the winter months.
My previous Audi was a 2005 A6 3.2 which I ran with ContiExtremeContact DWS and I enjoyed both the ride during the summer months, as well as the handling in the winter much more than with the 2012 with ContiProContacts. Not sure if the differences are due to the tires or the car (or more likely, the Boston highways are awful).
Anyway, the ContiProContacts are now needing replacing - probably still good for dry / wet weather but not possibly for winter snow.
Given that the majority of my driving is on decent roads, i.e. and not up into ski country, etc. the question becomes whether going with a good All Season Radial (rated for winter) or going with a dedicated winter tire for now and getting a another set of All Seasons or other for the non-winter driving.
Big issue is if I go for dedicated winter tires, I will still need new tires for the rest of the year, as well as a place to store the set that is not being used.
When touring the TireRack site, it was actually recommending going with a 225/50-18 Michelin X-Ice X13 as opposed something sized in the OEM 245/45-18 size. Not sure if that also means needing different rims as opposed to just tires.
Anyway, please offer suggestions.
Thanks!
A car does three things....go, turn, stop. The first is for convenience....the second two can save your life/limb. All seasons can usually get you going, especially on an all wheel drive vehicle. When the time comes that you need to turn/stop for some unforeseeable issue you can't accommodate by just driving very slowly all winter, the dedicated winter tires can make the difference between body shop/hospital or not. Glad to know all has gone well this far. The philosophy is similar to insurance. I've never had a house burn down, but I still keep the coverage on my policy!
Except for one Nokian tire (possibly), I don't know of an all season tire rated for winter. All of the manufacturer websites I've read disclaim for use only on light (or words to that effect) snow. Both the compounds and tread patterns are not up to the job of snow and ice. Stopping distances are significantly longer.
Your Boston Nor'Easters in the winter are not that different from the snowfall we can get here in the flyovers. I suggest a set of dedicated winters, exactly as tirerack.com is recommending...Xicexi3 are excellent, and superior on snow/ice to the less capable "performance winter", such as the same brand's Alpin. Narrower is the goal in winter for more downforce (constant weight of car on smaller contact patch pushes down more psi). Some Tire Rack installers store the off-season set for you, so you just drive in for a "NASCAR" pit stop twice a year. In the Spring, a set of Conti DWS06, or if you are more performance-oriented, Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+, will serve you well for three seasons. You don't want to keep changing tires on/off the same rims...potential for damage/wear/tear exceeds value, and the labor cost for each mount/balance will eventually catch up to the extra rims.
My 2 cents is to get a dedicated set of snows for all the reasons listed above. As you can see I am only 50 miles north of you. If you've lived here as long as me you know last years light winter was a fluke and not the norm. You don't want to be slip sliding away in that wonderful car of yours now do you?
In the end it's completely up to you and if you feel your driving conditions warrant dedicated seasonal tires or not.
I bought my A6 black optic with the bricks (P-Zero summer only). Drove those until the first winter where I purchased a separate set of wheels and put on Michelin Pilot Alpins for winter, which have been just fantastic. Then when summer came back around the reviews were so positive for the DWS 06 that I ran that as my summer tire this past spring/summer/fall. Switched back to the winters about three weeks ago but the nice thing is that the DWS 06 is a great performance tire but it also takes the pressure off of if/when I want to swap over to the winters since it technically is an all season.
I should also mention that I run 20" in summer and 19" in winter.
I am also a big fan of season dedicated tires. The combination of winter tires and Quattro is simply an amazing experience. I have gone with Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 in winter and Michelin Pilot Super Sport in summer and am very happy with both sets of tires.
Snows definitely. Just bought a CPO'd '13 A6 Prestige. It has 20" all-season. I've had an A6 model for the last 13 years and I've always had snow tires, normally Dunlop Wintersports. Now I'm switching over Michelin Sport Alpin 4 (just because they had my size). Going on the car in a couple of days.
I just bought the same Michelins from Tirerack. Very good deal. They are studless snows not performance winter tires. I did not buy wheels because I was concerned about handling the weight in my old age. The Contis Pros are a middling performer. The Conti DWS is half a snow tire and very good on snow. I had two prior sports suspension A4s with summer tires and ran winter performance tires that were great even during ski trips. The X-Ice will have better traction but softer ride. I am slowing down my driving due to age and increased revenue driven enforcement so these X-Ice tires will be fine.
I just put on my Pirrelli Sottozero 3's on dedicated 18" rims. I can't say enough about these tires for winter. This will be my second season with them. Winter shoes is the only way to go. Happy travels.
A decision between a dedicated winter set or all year all season comes down to location and how much you drive in deep snow. In MA, if you commute each day, the drawbacks of changing over twice a year, storage and cost will be offset by good snow performance and safety. On the other hand, if you work at home or are retired (like me) and can forgo driving in the worst conditions and until roads are plowed, a set of decent all seasons rated for light snow can be at lower cost and more convenient.
I have the DWS 06 and am very pleased with the performance, low noise and wet and light snow abilities. Now that I can sit in my New England home, warm in front of the fireplace when the conditions are miserable, I no longer need two sets of tires. Also, having my wife's allroad in reserve doesn't hurt either.
12-03-2016, 04:34 AM
Winter Tires or All Seasons?
