Had my first snow experience with my new S8 and and my new snow tires. I picked up the Blizzak LM-25s from Tirerack in combination with a set of rims and the TPMS units all mounted and Roadforce balanced and shipped to my front door for about $1500.

I have to say I'm thrilled at how well the S8 performed on the ride to work with 2-3 inches of packed snow. Great handling, very confidence inspiring!

The dry pavement ride doesn't seem to be as smooth as the Dunlop M3 Wintersports I had on my last DD but I'll have to give them more time before I pass judgement.

 

Am considering an S8 at some point - running 19's on my S4 in summer, dropping to 17's in winter.

Guessing 18" snows on your car?

19's gotta be $$$$$

 

What a coincidence. I just switched my wheels this weekend and had the exact same 18" Blizzaks insalled on my 08 S8 - and my observation is exactly the same. One thing to check: What PSI are you running in the tires? Mine were originally set to 42 PSI, and I lowered it to 39 which seems to have improved the ride quality.

 

Also depends on what kind of snow you get - here in Toronto its not too bad - salters run pretty quickly after a fall so not too deep ...

 

I have 255-40-19's on my 2007 S8 on 19 inch OZ winter wheels with Blizzak LM 22's and they are terricic. This is my fourth winter with this combo and the tires show little if any wear, run smoothly and quietly on dry pavement and are great on snow and even pretty good on ice here in Wisconsin. McBucky

 

The 18" PSI setting is the same as the 20" using the W12 reference point. S8's and W12 have identical brake set ups; W12's weigh a little more, mostly due to more accessory weight and some to the L body; both motors are fairly hefty weight wise. In 20's some S8's came with 265/35's, but others w/ the sport wheels apparently come/came w/ 275's, particularly after the 2007s.

The W12 came w/ the standard D3 5 spoke 18" as a baseline, hence why the sticker covers it. Your S8 will clear that wheel; my W12 does just barely too (it's the spare tire rim in disguise actually as well). Can't imagine anyone got it that way, but the sticker covers it. The handful of other W12's I have seen have the pieplate/many spoke 19's or the "old" or "new" polished 20" RS4 style wheels also used in the sports package of late. Sounds like the S8 is always 19 or 20 from the posts here.

For a 255/45-18, the settings are the same per the factory W12 sticker as a 275/35-20. Range of 38-41PSI front, and 35-44PSI rear. The range is light loading at low end and full loading at high end. If you happen to run 235/50's on 18's, those fall into the 19" grouping at different PSI's. For reference I typically run at 40 PSI all around as near the middle of that range on a W12.

The sticker I reference is for a very early 2006 and is on the gas lid, with predominantly silver color and black print. Is yours there or is it on the door jamb? And what color is it? If it is on the door jamb and white background with red and yellow and black colors and a wheel graphic, you have the "Ford Explorer NHTSA special," or in plain English the sticker that has caused manufacturers to up their pressure ratings artifically to get to the maximum tire load rating to comply with the Explorer incited regulatory changes about warning stickers; regulations now supposedly require it at the door jamb for all cars. Changeover happened in the 2006/2007 timeframe as I recall. Over on the VW Vortex Phaeton site, this was identified some time ago after people figured out different year stickers had different settings even w/ the same size wheels, tires and motor. For that car at least, the later NHTSA stickers had elevated pressure settings for US spec cars, while the older ones had settings consonant w/ those shown for stickers posters cited from Europe.

If you have the door jamb style sticker, would you mind posting what it says for comparison?

 

Well, we're getting crushed again today. We had 33" on Fri.-Sat. with 20" more in the forecast for Tues.- today. I had to drive home 25 miles from the hospital this morning on unplowed roads in near white out conditions with deep blowing snow but I have to say the car was amazing! The S8 was the only vehicle I saw that wasn't a truck or SUV. The snow was so deep in places that I could charge the state for plowing even with the suspension at the highest setting.

I arrived to find that my wife had already made a path in the driveway so I'm enjoying a Bloody Mary now instead of shoveling! Life is good.

To address a few questions I missed since I last posted to this thread, the tires are 255/45R18 Blizzak LM-25s that I run at 40psi front and rear. Dry performance is a bit of a step down from the 20" summer tires that came on the car but I guess that's to be expected. Really not bad, just not great. Here are a few pics. (Note the Acura MDX in the garage where it can't get stuck in the snow)

 

I am out in Upper Marlboro MD. And I would not dare go out in my A8 in this mess if I did not have too. I have been driving the wife's 450h which is surprisingly good in the snow. The problem that I am having is that my car does not have enough ground clearance to get out of the non plowed neighborhood streets. And what a wife... She shoveled you a path? You are a lucky man.

 

I too have an 09 S8 Daytona grey, with almost the same set up. My dealer gave me a set of 19' rims with the blizzaks for the winter, and I must admit that the car is an animal in the snow. I don't think there is any amount of snow that would keep me from driving this car. I also have an A8L with pirelli P6 all weather tires, and that car is not as capable in the snow (must be the difference in tires).
Enjoy your mobility during this wild winter.

 

Of course it is the difference in the tires. The pirellis are High Performance all season tires that are lousy in the snow. They get poor traction in the snow despite being all season. The Blizzaks are superior winter tires. I am getting them next winter after 4 years with the pirellis year round.