235/60/18s or 255/55/18s
 

Hey gang!

I’m looking for new winter rubber.

Last couple winters I ran 235/60/18s on 7.5x18 ET 53.

My question is do I buy 235s or 255s as long as they fit on those rims.

2014 q7 tdi

Cheers

For winter, you want the narrower tire, so 235 would be preferred.

Great thanks. Does the weight of the car have any affect on tire size.
Earlier model q7 used the 235s the. Later on they switched to 255s?

thanks

For me, it depends on where you live. Here in central Texas, we hardly ever get snow, mostly cold wet rain. So, I just use a really good all season tire in the stock size recommended. I use Continentals for the most part.

I generally agree with this school of thought too and have always gone with narrow winter tires. That said, for the first set of snows for the Q7, I used 235/60/18. They were good, but in emergency maneuvering situations, it felt like the 235’s were just not enough meat on the ground for the weight of the Q7. There was a lack of lateral grip in all weather conditions with those tires despite overall very high performance ratings for that model. I now run 275/45/20 Michelin X-ice SUV snows and it’s much more stable.

My vote between the two sizes for the OP would be the 255’s.

I also vote 255/55 or 255/60 (my preferred size, which is actually "stock" in terms of speedometer alignment). The narrower tires are better from a PSI perspective on the contact patch, which technically gives you a little better traction in a straight line, but you give up lateral traction due to the smaller contact patch, and you'll only ever (maybe) notice it at initial acceleration from a full stop in deep snow. With a quality winter tire, the extra contact on ice is hugely advantageous for both stopping and starting.

Couple of thoughts regarding some of the comments...

First, there are really two situations that you need to think about: you'll either be driving on top of snow and/or ice, or trying to cut through snow or slush to pavement. On hard packed snow or on ice, your tire must grip that surface. For slush, slop, or loose snow, you want to cut through that stuff to the pavement or road surface. Those of us old enough to remember when our Audis had an "ABS off" switch on the dash probably also remember how important it was to turn it off in most driving situations, so that the brakes could lock up and allow the tires to plow into the snow/slush and bite, rather than have the ABS merrily clicking away as we rolled atop the slush unable to stop. In New England, the most common conditions I see are slop and slush.

Another factor is the road situated "snow bank"...which really isn't a snow bank at all, but just an accumulation of snow in the roadway. I'm referring to the times that you are rolling along in the two black tracks made and maintained by the cars who came before you. As it snows, traffic keeps these ruts clear, but snow builds in the middle and on the sides. If you lose concentration and let a wheel drift out of the rut, a wide tire is going to be much more likely hook into that bank and pivot you around into a spin.

Regarding comments about road feel with different sizes, do recall that most of you are not comparing apples to apples. Going from high performance summer or even all seasons to a good snow tire is going to create a massive difference in road feel, even in the same size tire...and it should. Winter tire compounds are smaller tread block and softer compounds.

YMMV, but driving conditions in your area should be a driver of your tire size.