bimmereater

Curious to hear what winter tire and wheel set up folks are using. It was painful trying to find the correct fit for my B7 RS4. I have the factory 9Jx20" for summer and i'm thinking a 19" after market version for winter...? Thought and comments are appreciated.

mhblaw

Go on Tire Rack or some such. I put 18" rims and Bridgstone Blizzaks on my RS 5 last winter. Worked very well here in ND.

tr3ndsetr

Confirmation on Bridgestone Blizzaks are the way to go. I had been using them on my 01 S-Line Audi A4 and absolutely loved them. I will post some pictures. I live in NJ and in recent years we had some brutal rough winters of snow and ice. On numerous occasions, I would be the only one of the highway. And I never missed a days work due to bad weather. I have a picture somewhere driving back on NJ Turnpike from NYC. We had been advised to stay home, and off course that inspired me to take the Audi out for a test spin. I stopped on the highway, I was the only one out, snapped a pic, and jumped back into the car and drove home.

Im planning on buying either 16" or 17" Alloys and throwing on some Blizzaks for my 14 Audi A5 for coming winters

banksc

My experience is such that I will never buy Blizzaks again. I have them on the wife's FX35 (WS60) and had them on my old STi (LM-25)...garbage. They didn't do well in the snow or in the dry, so they really have nothing going for them. I ran Hankook i-Pike for the past 3 seasons on the STi and they had significantly better snow grip and marginally better dry grip than the Blizzak. I have also run Nokian Hakkas, which I was very happy with, aside from the price. I have heard good things about the Michelin X-Ice for people that typically only drive in urban areas (usually ice rather than snow), but haven't used them myself.

Obviously, YMMV as everyone drives in different conditions. I happen to be in Minnesota and spend a fair amount of time up north where conditions are much worse than in the Twin Cities where I reside (which is already worse than 90% of the country). Ice versus snow is another consideration as 'snow' tires don't do real well in ice, but 'ice' tires don't do real well in snow...

I haven't made a decision, yet, but I am leaning towards biting the bullet and going with the Nokians (either the Hakka 7 or the R2). They are about 30% higher than the others, but hoping I can find a good deal.

James P.

I used Blizzak LM-25 on 19" wheels for my RS5. You have to be a bit careful with the wheel selection as the brake calipers are pretty big. The wheel I used (Hartmann 19" peelers) only just cleared the calipers, by less 1/8 inch.

bimmereater

Thanks for the info. i am worried about the calipers...same issue with the RS4. did you drop to 8.5" on the width? did you use spacers? thanks again.

mhblaw

My Blizzaks are the LM-60, 255/40R18, on Rial 18 X 8.5 wheels. Suggested by Tire Rack and no issues with brake clearence.

merk

I brought my RS5 into Tire Rack and they used it to measure all clearances for their wheel recomendations so what ever they recommend should fit. That is my car in the photo they use to let you see the wheels on your car.

I went with the 18x9 Matte Grey O.Z. Formula HLT and 265/40R18 Pirelli Winter Snowsport which fill out the wheel well and maintain similar rolling diameter for your speedometer. The Pirelli are more of a performance winter tire and suit the weather here- light snows and some ice. If there is a large snow clearance is the issue, not traction, so the RS stays in the garage. I like the 18" combination as it provides more protection from wheel damage from pot holes.
I had used Blizzaks on my S5- true snow tires which were great in snow but not as good for the rest of the winter when its just cold and you want a little performance from your tires.

James P.

The Hartman wheels I am using are 8.5" and could definitely use spacers. The ET25 offset was not enough to compensate for the narrower wheel and so the wheels did sit inside the arches further than I would like.

tr3ndsetr

Just curious what brand tires you used? Cost?