bt7676

I live in Portland, OR and am expecting my S5 Sportback around the first of June (arrives in Houston 5/22). Due to the climate in Portland I should be able to see about 4 months give or take of use for the Summer Tires the car will come equipped with. Given the climate in the Pacific Northwest, which typically even in the winter will not go below 40-45 for long stretches what is recommended in terms of my "other" set of tires, all season tires or winter tires for months Oct-March. Thanks for the help.

tstiles

Your decision should be based on your answers to questions such as:
- Is my driving style spirited or is this a commuter ride?
- Do I want to sacrifice driving quality to winter tires much of the year?
- Do I want to go to the expense and hassle of maintaining two sets of wheels and tires?
My thoughts are that if you are going to be driving in your winter months (commuting, etc.) then do your best research on all season tires and go that route. Today's all season tires do an admirable job of meeting typical driving needs - and don't forget that you have a Quattro automobile. Summer tires provide a bit of an edge during the dry months, however in our neck of the woods "dry" becomes somewhat subjective. I'm just north of you, and we've had over 40 inches of rain since October. Good luck in your decision.

fullspeed

Hmm. Tough call. I too live in PDX. Our winter was so schizophrenic, tough to know what to expect out of the next few. I put a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta studless winters on wifey's X1 so she can get to work @ the hospital on the snow days. They were awesome when the weather was very not awesome, but on dry days they make some noise and are obviously less sporting. I'm getting ready to place my S5 SB order soon, and plan to get the all seasons, then try to use them through all seasons. If it snows, I'll park it and drive the wifey's rig.

tonyuf

This question gets asked a lot. Of all the answers I've read the reasoning that resonated with me was if you’re going to swap tires anyway then why not swap to the tire that’s best for the given season.

Up here in the Pacific North West if you’re going to run a tire all year run the all season, if you’re going to do what you’re asking about get a dedicated set of winter / summer.

All season tires are a compromise to function in a broader range of temperatures at the expense of performance. A winter tire is going to perform better than an all season (AS) in the winter and a summer tire is going to perform better than an AS tire in the summer. I would invite you to consider temperature as the deciding factor and not the amount of snow fall you get. The primary difference between the tires is the rubber compound’s “grip” in the respective seasons (summer tires get very hard in cold, hence no traction and winters get too soft in summer)

Here are some resources I used to make my own mind up, hopefully it will help you too.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=116
https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/...vs-summer.html

bt7676

Thanks, very helpful. Think I will find a set of winters seeing how the car already is coming with the Summer Tires to start and it is too late to change the order. However, I think I will ultimately be happy with having two sets to maximize performance as you mentioned.

LV_426

What winter tire set up did you finally end up choosing? I am expecting delivery mid-December with my car installed with 19” summer tires.

tstiles

My choice for the S5 was Michelin's 19" AS 3+ tire to replace the summer tires. They now have around 700 miles on them (I don't drive the Audi much) and find them confidence-inspiring in all conditions so far. Haven't had any experience on snow or ice yet, however media reports on the tire in those conditions are positive. We'll see...

heisnuts

I went with Tire Rack and ordered the 18" Michelin X-Ice tires mounted on Sport Edition wheels. For just over $1200 I now have a set of Winter tires that I can run during the Winter months and not have to worry when running around town when we are at or below freezing temps. It will also be nice on the few days of snow that we get up here not having to worry about putting on chains or sliding all over the place. I have had them on now for about 500 miles and I have been really impressed with the handling and ride comfort on our cold wet roads so far. When Spring and Summer roll around, it will be really easy to switch back to the summer only tire and wheel set up and have awesome handling in the tight twisting back roads we have up here. As the saying goes, it is all about having the right tools for the job.....

jhstl

I just ordered the same tires through Costco. They had a $70 instant rebate and $0.01 installation so it seemed to be a pretty good deal. I've ran that same set on a previous car and was happy with them.

bhargav

Those rims look lot better on car than in pictures at tirerack. Any issues in mounting those rims ? Did you click those pics at Bald peak ?
I was thinking of sottozero 3 performance winter tires at it won't snow much here.