Winter tires
08-14-2018, 09:56 AM
#1
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Winter tires
New 2018 A4 owner here. As the summer is coming to a close, I have begun to think about which winter tires to get. I am open to suggestions from you guys as I do not know where to start. I’m trying to find a balance between performance and price. I currently have the 19 inch Pirelli pzero summer performance tires.
Thabks in advance.
Thabks in advance.
08-14-2018, 10:28 AM
#2
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i live in Canada and went with Michelin alpine pa4. they are performance winter tires. keep the same size tire as my summers.
to be honest i didnt even feel a change from summer to winter that is how good they ride. On snow and slush perform really well. they dont preform great on high thick snow but do a good job still. So if your area gets dumped with a lot of snow that is higher then 10" maybe stick to the xice series but u will lose the performance of the car.
they are a bit pricey but you get what you pay for.
just do you research. that is what i did and ended up with these. good price. good reviews. couldnt be happier.
to be honest i didnt even feel a change from summer to winter that is how good they ride. On snow and slush perform really well. they dont preform great on high thick snow but do a good job still. So if your area gets dumped with a lot of snow that is higher then 10" maybe stick to the xice series but u will lose the performance of the car.
they are a bit pricey but you get what you pay for.
just do you research. that is what i did and ended up with these. good price. good reviews. couldnt be happier.
Last edited by R8ready; 08-14-2018 at 12:23 PM.
08-14-2018, 11:24 AM
#3
AudiWorld Senior Member
Michelin Alpin PA4s as well. I run them on a 2018 S4 and have two thoughts to expand on R8ready's post above
1. I have 9000 miles on mine and they are starting to get pretty noisy in the dry. They were quiet when new.
2. Winter grip, when coupled with quattro, is insane. I don't know what more I would realistically want from a winter tire in the grip department. Whatever shortcomings these tires have quattro seems to make up for... I've taken them up the windward side of Vail Pass in 4" of driving snow at 40-50mph during a winter storm and they didn't sweat it at all, all while semis were chained up and spinning tires.
3. I think in an A4, you'd be pretty close to running into ground clearance issues before you were in snow "too deep" for these particular tires.
1. I have 9000 miles on mine and they are starting to get pretty noisy in the dry. They were quiet when new.
2. Winter grip, when coupled with quattro, is insane. I don't know what more I would realistically want from a winter tire in the grip department. Whatever shortcomings these tires have quattro seems to make up for... I've taken them up the windward side of Vail Pass in 4" of driving snow at 40-50mph during a winter storm and they didn't sweat it at all, all while semis were chained up and spinning tires.
3. I think in an A4, you'd be pretty close to running into ground clearance issues before you were in snow "too deep" for these particular tires.
08-14-2018, 12:00 PM
#4
Where do you live? Do they clear the roads well? Do you have quattro? Even if you did, all cars are all-wheel braking.
If you anticipate very cold temperatures and going through a lot of snow/ice, look at Michelin X-Ice or Nokian Hakkas; they're the best for actual snow/ice, but you will give up dry/wet performance.
Michelin Alpin PA4s will trade off more wet/dry performance for less snow/ice performance.
Another idea - Nokian WRG4, Michelin CrossClimate+, Toyo Celsius. These are all-weather tires and can be run year-round, but offer good snow traction (and mediocre ice traction). Don't have to worry about the shoulder season with these tires, when temps are 35-50F. Too cold for summers, too warm for winters. We run WRG3s on our Subaru Forester and they are great year round, and for ski trips up to the mountain (although the SUV version of this tire has a different/better tread pattern than the car). Consumer Reports actually ranked the WRG3s on par/better than Alpin PA4s (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1a890324f7.png)
If you anticipate very cold temperatures and going through a lot of snow/ice, look at Michelin X-Ice or Nokian Hakkas; they're the best for actual snow/ice, but you will give up dry/wet performance.
Michelin Alpin PA4s will trade off more wet/dry performance for less snow/ice performance.
Another idea - Nokian WRG4, Michelin CrossClimate+, Toyo Celsius. These are all-weather tires and can be run year-round, but offer good snow traction (and mediocre ice traction). Don't have to worry about the shoulder season with these tires, when temps are 35-50F. Too cold for summers, too warm for winters. We run WRG3s on our Subaru Forester and they are great year round, and for ski trips up to the mountain (although the SUV version of this tire has a different/better tread pattern than the car). Consumer Reports actually ranked the WRG3s on par/better than Alpin PA4s (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1a890324f7.png)
08-14-2018, 12:21 PM
#5
I rode one x-ice 3s last winter and while I didn't get a ton of snow, I did get to drive freeway speeds through some 4" drifts and they did well. We also did get moderate ice and they behaved like other good ice/snow tires.
Wet and dry performance was excellent. They ride very well and must be pushed pretty hard to brake free.
Wet and dry performance was excellent. They ride very well and must be pushed pretty hard to brake free.
08-14-2018, 03:04 PM
#6
AudiWorld Senior Member
I have 17" Michelin X-Ice Xi3 on some aftermarket 17" rims and have been quite pleased with them - they certainly were wonderful when I got stuck in a nasty nasty freezing rain storm in 2016. Back in 2016, the Xi3 or the Blizzak WS... 80?... were generally seen as the best winter tires.
08-14-2018, 04:28 PM
#7
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LIke VM, I also have 17'' running Bridgestone LM-32. I decided to go down from 19" since it was cheaper and I don't need to go big for winters.
Last winter, I honestly felt like driving a tank A4 - I went out during that one last snow storm in March or April (in Toronto).... no problem at all
Last winter, I honestly felt like driving a tank A4 - I went out during that one last snow storm in March or April (in Toronto).... no problem at all
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08-14-2018, 05:11 PM
#8
AudiWorld Senior Member
Do you mean the big ice storm in mid-April? The one a few days AFTER I put my all-seasons back on... (stupid me, I had to go out of town that weekend and I expected it to be warm, so figured having the winter tires still on would be bad... and then, oops, ICE STORM. Driving back home on the QEW at 70km/h was fun...)
08-15-2018, 02:55 AM
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I am looking in to this to. Last years winner (for 16") done by ADAC and most of the european car clubs was Dunlop Winter Sport 5.
But it really comes down to the climate you drive in. 80-90% of my winterdriving will be on wet/cold asphalt as roads are fastly cleaned here and snow is not that common
.
So i am going for the Dunlop as it performs great in wet conditions. Will pair them with some 18" wheels from Rial that looks like my original S-line wheels in the summer.
But it really comes down to the climate you drive in. 80-90% of my winterdriving will be on wet/cold asphalt as roads are fastly cleaned here and snow is not that common
.So i am going for the Dunlop as it performs great in wet conditions. Will pair them with some 18" wheels from Rial that looks like my original S-line wheels in the summer.
