Snow Shoes!
 

Just in the nick of time (we just got 4 inches of fresh snow in Chicago), I got my winter wheels and tires installed. Like larryv, I chose a set of Hartmann wheels; however, I went with a different style so our cars will only be twins in warmer weather. I went with the set-up you see below, the wheels are replicas of Audi's +1 set-up for the S5, my dealer says they're affectionately referred to as the "Slicers". I went with 20x9s with 265/35/20 Dunlop 3Ds. Kudos to the folks at Cassidy Tires for doing the work for me....when I pulled out of their shop the manager called the RS "the mountain goat from hell..."....
I just came back from a run up to the northern burbs and back (came back on the twisty parts of Sheridan road); big fun....the car handles superbly with the new shoes. FYI, at the moment, Achtuning/Hartmann is out of stock on all RS7 wheels.....

Very nice. Love the wheels. Send a pic to Dan Neil of The Wall St. Journal. He'll understand. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...mentid=6747441

Hi allroad,

nice done. quick question though, did you buy a new set of tpms for the winter tyers?

Awesome
I live down the road in NW Indiana, my Panther black on Pirelli Sottozero's is amazing in the snow and ice, I have a lincoln navigator and a jeep wrangler at home and this past week the RS7 did better in the weather than either 4x4. Not only is weight distribution adequate to provide winter handling the tires and the electronic controls all make an amazing combination for excellent driving.
I waxed it last Saturday and then headed to Aurora in snowstorm, what a beast and got over 20mph on my first highway drive!!
Enjoy your new shoes and your new ride!!

Yes, it was $800 for the set, but given that the RS7 has "real" TPMS (plus temperature readings) it was worth it.

Did you have any problems with your Hartmann wheels this winter such as they bent after hitting potholes? Also can you confirm the offset you picked when you bought your wheels? They look great!

Well, winter in Chicago is still going strong, but so far I have only one tiny bend in one of the wheels; it's almost imperceptible (uh oh, I've just jinxed myself!). The offset is ET25....

Hi gents, about to be a new RS7 owner living in New England so snows are a must. I always get a second set of wheels, these Hartmans look nice, thanks for the pics. A couple questions:
1) TPMS: is that the audi OEM version you refer to?
2) Spacers: did you have to use them or are these the right fit?
3) Durability: After a full season are they still round and how did the finish hold up?

Thank you!

1. Yes, I was referring to the OEM RS7 TPMS.
2. Hartmann has wheels with proper RS7 fitment/offset....no spacers necessary.
3. The finish held up fine last winter (the worst in history here in Chicago); however, I lost 2 wheels and tires due to a gigantic pothole in February......not a problem with the wheels though.

Very nice 60614, glad to hear the Hartmans are quality, thanks for the post. That may be the ticket for this year. I've always loved and run the M3 Wintersports too, although they don't seem to be the exact size as the 20" OEMs, I'll have to do the calcs, but you didn't have any speedometer issues?