kreativecid

Hello. I've visited the Tirerack site a few times and done quite a bit of reading. But wanted to triple check so I joined the forum.

Looking for a quality non-expensive setup. Live in Boise where the snow rarely stays longer than a day, but it's often sub 40 degrees for weeks. I'll make the occasional trip up the ski hill, too. Work from home so no commuting, but my house is in a valley surrounded by winding steep roads.

Going with a 235/55R19 or 255/50R19. Leaning heavily toward the 235/55.

I want a dark color rim. Am I correct in thinking it has to be a 5x112 bolt pattern, a 66.6 center hole and the rim a 19x8. Or a 19x8.5. Apologies if this is very basic (kind of like asking 'I want to cook, I need water and it needs to boil....')

As for offset the oe is 35mm. Can I select a rim with 32mm offset?

If I'm missing anything please let me know. My budget is about $1000 give or take. Style is not crucial in the winter setup if that matters.

Gary@Tirerack.com

Yes, we have wheels that range anywhere from 30mm-40mm offset to fit the SQ5 with no problem. I would agree that the 235/55R19 sizing would be more effective in loose snow and slushy winter conditions that would be typical of your area.

Winter http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AR8&...nter/index.jsp

kreativecid

Thanks, Gary! I will be purchasing the 235/55R19 treads from tirerack online today before they go out of stock.

As for the rim does it matter if it's a 19x8 or 19x8.5?

And that should do it for the total newbie questions. My entire life I've kept the same wheels and all seasons on year round; never owned summers.

I'll snag some rims after getting the rim width answer. Thank you for taking the time to answer. New to audiworld and already learning so much.

kreativecid

The tire I found at TR is on clearance. A great tire with matching reviews for the money.

My vehicle has load rating of 102Y. The tire on the site has a 101R rating.

I'm not going to be driving at high speeds in any condition let alone wet and snow.

The 101 vs 102 weight rating is about 25 pounds and I will never have a fully loaded vehicle of 5 people plus gear. Never going to happen. About 9 out of 10 times it's just me and then maybe another slender adult.

The TR site showed the 101R tire as an option for my vehicle even though it's a titch under max load capacity. Anything I should be concerned about?

kreativecid

I'm gonna presume tirerack cannot legally say "yeah, get the Blizzak DM-v1" because it's not a 102 tire, but a search of this forum shows maaaaany are running the 19" dm-v1 101 rated with great success. TR had a closeout and I couldn't pass it up. And the gunmetal titanium wheels were on sale and will look good with the Sepang Blue SQ5 with black optics package. In case anyone is interested in a quality setup that won't break the bank for non-high performance winter driving here's what I got for a little over $1200 delivered including road hazard, mount and balance. Shocking price!

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...kageFlow=false


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....cleSearch=true

Gary@Tirerack.com

235/55R19 tires will mount on either 19X8 or 19X8.5" wheels with no problem.

kreativecid

Been a few cold weeks. Pure ice. The tirerack wheels/tire has been flawless. Perfectly balanced upon delivery. Without a doubt the best bang for the buck my SQ5 could have in these slower twisting rural roads. The DMV1, on closeout, is everything I could ask for in these driving situations. If I was to do more high speed freeway or lived in non-icy faster driving roads then it'd be a different tire. A horse for the course, if you will. Definitely be asking Gary and tirerack questions about my next purchase for my next Audi. Thanks!

waninae39

winter tires are not just for snow
winter tires stay flexible even down to -40C or -40F

summer tires turn to plastic at +8C

here is a sample chart

ivan rs