porsche man

My mistake on the 17/18 ,I think they call it ADHD. Buying 18" wheels for snows 235/60R18 107T XL Blizzak. Or should I buy the 245?

dreadlocks

half an inch larger (1/4in lift), but only 0.3"in wider than 235.. I like to keep OD as close to stock as possible because you cant really carry a larger spare tire with that inflatable.. running a spare tire half an inch smaller would be bad on the drivetrain.. and having to do any distance on a spare tire in the winter would suck enough as is, why add to my stress eh?

If I was buying winter tires for 18's I'd start off with 235/60/18.. another nice thing about keeping OE OD is the fender arches look right.. the gap between the tire and fender is consistent all the way across the arch.. your speedo/odo also stay the same.

porsche man

Thanks.

dreadlocks

then again, I was comparing to 21in OEM tire sizes.. 20in OEM tires seem to be a bit bigger 29.7in.. so mebe 245 would be be better if you were coming off 20's.. I have no idea if they give you a different size spare w/21in wheels.. probably not so I would just expect it to be made to match largest OD.. a half inch is going to be hard to notice either way, but if you want consistency in look and speed settings then I just find the closest size to the ones I'm taking off.. especially if your swapping between em twice a year.

I generally play with tire sizes and ignore OEM suggestions, you can often get better tires at better prices.. if half an inch larger saves me a couple hundred then half an inch larger it is, sometimes just going a bit thinner/thicker/bigger/smaller puts you in a more common size with dozens more choices to pick from.. this is a good resource: https://tiresize.com/calculator/

porsche man

I would rarely drive far on a spare. I took your advice and bought some 18" wheels and deciding on tires now. Thanks.

dreadlocks

What conditions are you typically on in the winter? Icy requires studs, Snow/Slush wants some meaty tread.. if your Snow/Slush on occasion and have mild temp winters or travel from mild winter to Snow/Slush then All Terrains (w/Snow ratings) are much longer lasting than performance snow, but if it stays below 50F all winter snows are better as the'll stay softer for icy conditions, and if your roads stay mostly snow covered all winter just get studded snow tires.. Here in Colorado what Altitude you lived at would determine what was most appropriate, and I'm seeing a more and more Audi's on steelies every day, ski season is just kicking off and looks like were all ready for battle.

2012Q7204

Sorry to hijack here but can anyone recommend the proper size winter tires that would be equivalent to 20" -- > 18" wheels? I.e. I want to downsize from 20" but keep the same height as us suggested above. Looking to maybe stay with the 18" if the ride quality improves significantly recognizing that the actual tires have a bearing on that too of course.

dreadlocks

245/60/18 are 0.1in larger OD than OEM 20in size tires.. its as close as you'll get
235/60/18 are exactly the same OD as OEM 21in size tires

both would be suitable regardless and are pretty much within OEM variance.. but when swapping winters/summers there are benefits to keeping the OD close as stated before..

I think I must have alot more miles under my belt than most people, Ive had lots of flat tires over the years.. might be the 8-10k mile tours I go on every couple years, Ive crossed a desert w/out a spare and lost before.. not something I'll let happen again.

porsche man

I am buying 235/60/18 Blizzaks

2012Q7204

Thanks! I'm trying to track down a set used with rims but is seems the 20 inch are the most popular. Oh well, I will just keep looking.