Stock Summer tires in the snow...
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AudiWorld Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
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Stock Summer tires in the snow...
Hey All,
I just placed the order for my S4 yesterday, It is due sometime in December, just curious if any of you have ran your summer tires in the snow? Or do I need to go out and buy winter tires? The car is a lease so I really don't wanna invest any more money than I have to.
Thanks
I just placed the order for my S4 yesterday, It is due sometime in December, just curious if any of you have ran your summer tires in the snow? Or do I need to go out and buy winter tires? The car is a lease so I really don't wanna invest any more money than I have to.
Thanks
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 354
Likes: 73
Hey All,
I just placed the order for my S4 yesterday, It is due sometime in December, just curious if any of you have ran your summer tires in the snow? Or do I need to go out and buy winter tires? The car is a lease so I really don't wanna invest any more money than I have to.
Thanks
I just placed the order for my S4 yesterday, It is due sometime in December, just curious if any of you have ran your summer tires in the snow? Or do I need to go out and buy winter tires? The car is a lease so I really don't wanna invest any more money than I have to.
Thanks
AudiWorld Member
Joined: May 2010
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From: Lancaster, PA
Unless you want to wreck your leased vehicle (or another motorist).......DO NOT USE SUMMER TIRES IN COLD WEATHER/SNOW!!!!!!! Summer tire compounds have little to no grip in temperatures below 40F. Therefore, it is not just snow that you need to be worried about. If you wanted to be cheap, perhaps you should have bought a Camry.
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Unless you're being chased by zombies, do not drive in snow, ice, or freezing rain with summer tires. I had the pleasure of test driving a Carrera 4S 996 about 10 years ago during the first light snow of the year. The dealer was bragging about the all wheel drive saying how a dusting of snow would be nothing at all. Boy did he know nothing about tires. I nearly put that poor car in the woods a few times and spent most of the time struggling to keep the car out of the ditch, oncoming traffic, etc.
With a set of winter tires, the car is a monster in the snow. Many say you can get away with all seasons, but once you've had proper winter tires, it's hard to ever go back. Consider it a safety feature - describing it that way generally has a high wife approval factor.
With a set of winter tires, the car is a monster in the snow. Many say you can get away with all seasons, but once you've had proper winter tires, it's hard to ever go back. Consider it a safety feature - describing it that way generally has a high wife approval factor.
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From: Philly Burbs
I know because I went to a training center for an all day event. I came out at lunch to drive down to a local Deli and noticed it had started to flurry and about 1/2-1" of snow had fallen. I was parked in a "level" parking lot and when I went to back out my car slid literally sideways!
The roads were black but the lot was covered with a little blanket. I was able to carefully drive out to the road and get a bite. But that was the last time the car saw the snow.
Granted this car has Quattro but what good is more than one wheel turning if it they have no grip. Worst part is you can stop or turn when your tires are smooth as a baby's butt?
I have made the decision to get a winter tire/wheel package from tire rack for about $1,500-1,650. That way if I clip a curb I still have the OEM package for the summer.
Thought about going all seasons but the forum here has convinced me that I am making the smart move.
Good luck with the car.
Hopefully my car is on it's way down I95 for delivery next week.
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Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Seattle area
if you are going to drive in the snow, need minimum of A/S tires IMO. Winter tires are better if you have more than one set of wheels. do not drive the OEM S4 summer tires on snow.
Bruce
Bruce
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as everyone has said you will definitely need at least All-Season tires.... summer tires are more then useless in cold weather...and when they hit snow...it's like driving on an ice rink.
last winter i had to drive to my tire shop in our AWD 335 with summer tires and a very little bit of snow on the ground and it was tricky. i would definitely recommend getting all-seasons or winters!
last winter i had to drive to my tire shop in our AWD 335 with summer tires and a very little bit of snow on the ground and it was tricky. i would definitely recommend getting all-seasons or winters!
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From: Toronto
This is one of the best articles to refer to when people ask this question:
http://www.insideline.com/features/t...vs-summer.html
It's not even close! Look at what summer tires do in the snow.
I have not yet bought winter tires for my S5 but I certainly will in the next couple of months.
http://www.insideline.com/features/t...vs-summer.html
It's not even close! Look at what summer tires do in the snow.
It takes 11.7 seconds for our Civic Si to accelerate to 40 mph on snow tires, and 14.5 seconds to get there on all-season rubber — nearly 3 seconds and 24 percent slower. As for the summer tires, well, they require, ahem, 41.7 seconds as they struggle to 40 mph. That's no typo; it takes a half-minute longer — 257 percent more time — for the summer tires to reach this modest speed.
And that brings us to our next test: full stops with ABS engaged. Here again the snow tires dominate, stopping from 40 mph in 156 feet, some 28 feet shorter than the all-season tires' 184-foot performance. Meanwhile, our summer tires skate to an ultimate distance of 351 feet, the ABS actuator rattling for all it's worth the whole way.
And that brings us to our next test: full stops with ABS engaged. Here again the snow tires dominate, stopping from 40 mph in 156 feet, some 28 feet shorter than the all-season tires' 184-foot performance. Meanwhile, our summer tires skate to an ultimate distance of 351 feet, the ABS actuator rattling for all it's worth the whole way.
I have not yet bought winter tires for my S5 but I certainly will in the next couple of months.
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From: Lancaster, PA
And for the record, I will be putting on a set of Blizzak LM25's for winter.