wolfjo

Completed a deal yesterday for one of the S-Line Sportbacks that hit the lot this weekend. Mythos Black, S-Line, 19" wheels, B&O. I was really surprised at how lively the car was given its size, and loved the handling. I have driven the new S5, and didn't think I needed the extra power for my daily driver. I had a big smile on my face after the test drive, and was happily surprised that the 19's and the sport suspension didn't give it a rough ride at all. I intentionally hit a few potholes, etc. and it handled them just fine.

I have never had summer tires on a delivered car, and this will be a lease (36/12). I am wondering if anyone with 19's on their current car has good experience with my options, or advice from others is welcome. We are in SE PA (Philly suburbs) so we do have a longish winter season.

1) Get AS 19's for the car in the Fall, put the summer tires in storage, and put them back on at lease end

2) Get Winter 19's, and swap them out 2X a year. Would love to hear any advantages for this in addition to handling/wet traction in summer. I don't really want to invest in another set of rims for a leased car. Dealer is 5 mins from my house, so not much trouble to do this.

Any suggestions/experience for tire brands for either option would also be appreciated.

I am also interested in those that have had such low profile tires opinions on the Wheel and Tire protection Audi offers. I have 255/40R18s on my A3, and have had no problems with these. I generally ignore these insurance type things during paper signing, but am curious about others experience with the lower profile.

Thanks for any help - will post some picts after I get it home tomorrow!

N8!

Congratulations! 🍾

You shoukd take some photos of your new ride.

MatsKraft

I'm getting the same Sportback! Mythos w/ S-line 19"s. Port arrival on May 15.

I'll mostly likely put all-seasons on mine. Had 19" summers on my 2014 A4 when I bought it. Unfortunately, they wore out in just 14k miles. I'm a spirited driver, but not that spirited. I then put Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+'s on it, and they're fantastic. I live in CA, so all-seasons are plenty for me. I've even taken them to Tahoe in the winter, and they do just fine in light snow and slush. (and they last so much longer than summers).

Anyway - I look forward to seeing some pics! I'm curious to see the mythos paint up close. Hoping it's as sparkly as phantom black was.

carman63

Congrats on the SB. I'll be test-driving one myself, once they arrive at the dealer. I'm in the DC area and run A/S tires, but I also run 17s on my S3 for my 'winter setup' and will go back to my 19" factory wheels w/ summer tires soon. (Only had ~270 miles on them when I swapped for the 17s for the winter.)

I purchased the wheel/tire protection package, and I usually don't. My last few cars had 17" wheels and there was plenty of sidewall on the tires. That being said, my wife and I had MINIs and they came with runflats. And we both bent 2 rims each, thanks to the NoVA potholes. No wheel protection at the time, and wheels were $300 each I think. ECS Tuning shows my OEM S3 19" wheels to be ~$700 each. I'm not sure what the tires cost. But I'd rather buy the insurance this time around.

wolfjo

Thanks for the opinion about the Michelin's - they are getting great reviews on TireRack as well.

The Mythos is gorgeous in person, and I think it looks even better than Phantom (I have had both as well!) Great choice!

JSING

Not sure how much snow you get. Depends on how much winter driving you have to do. In Colorado the ideal setup is summers/winters, Blizzaks being one of the best. I'm in favor of your option 2 but understand you don't want a 2nd set of wheels.

dseag2

I have to admit I'm jealous! We are replacing our G37 Convertible in June and I would love to get an A5 SB based on how much I love my A4. Not surprised the A4 SB is lively. My A4 is a hoot to drive. My G/F says she doesn't want essentially the "same car" so I doubt it is in the cards. Beautiful car! Enjoy!

N8!

Do the A5 SB's in the US come with a cargo net that mounts to the floor hooks in the rear luggage area? Or is that an accessory you have to buy?

heisnuts

It looks like from the order guide it is an $80 port installed accessory (although I am sure you could buy the net from the dealer direct for the same price or less).

N8!

Cool, thx. I can get one here from Audi for 55€ / $60 USD.