falconcry

Hi Folks,

Been a long time Toyota/4Runner guy, but my '98 Limited with 205k miles needed to be replaced. Don't like the new 4Runners... and wanted something fun to drive, in additional to having some utility.

Enter the Q5. Requirements were black on black, black optics, 3.0, and some warranty left at a decent price. Wasn't in the market for an SQ5... but one popped up local meeting all my criteria, so what the heck, right? I know the stock 3.0 is probably close in terms of performance, and you could close the gap with a tune... but I sat in this SQ5 and it just felt right.

Anyway... brought her home yesterday (on my birthday no less). Now I'm contemplating accessories, care, etc. to get the most out of it. I have a few specific questions, but welcome any other general advice related to this car:

1. Wheels/Tires: This car came with the 21's. Are these well suited for year round use, or would it be worth getting a different (smaller) set for winter etc.? Anyone have any issues with these, other than the slightly rougher ride?

2. Interior: Want to keep it looking/smelling great. Has the nappa leather seats, alcantara side panels, and carbon fiber inlays. Saw good reviews for Lexol and Griot's products. Sound good?

3. MMI: I'm seeing conflicting reports about SD card maximum size and supported file formats. Preference would be for large (256GB) SD cards with FLAC files so I don't have to convert all my crap to mp3. Guess I'll just try for myself but any tips would help. Also, is there an advantage to using the iPod interface rather than SD? What else can be hooked up to that interface? USB, AUX, etc.?

Think that's about it for now. Got some WeatherTechs on the way.

That Gen 3 4Runner was a workhorse for sure, but this SQ5 is sweet. Seems to be a real swiss army knife... can do a lot of things well.

Appreciate the help!!

DonnyK

i want to say 128 gig is the biggest SD card you can use in each slot, others that have tried larger have had issues I believe.

dassq5

as for winter tires ... yes, worth it. here in colorado springs the 21s would get beaten up by winter potholes. I went with 19s and 255/50s.

katzjamr

Welcome to Audi, I recently got my Q5 and the Griots products are great, I use both car washes, one has extra carnuba, interior detailer, wheel spray, and their leather cleaner and leather dressing. Another former Lexus owner myself, was ready for a change.

falconcry

Nice, those rims look great. Audi or other? Do you switch them out for the season or leave the winters on year round?

dassq5

I run those from late Nov thru mid March -- BBS SR with Pirelli Scorpion Winters.

For the rest of the year I run BBS XA with Continental Extreme Contact DSW06 in the same size of 255/50 19.


The original 21s with the Pirelli Scorpions are stacked in the garage and will go back on when (if) I sell it....

turner56

There is only one all season available from a name brand tire company in the stock size and they run close to $400 a tire. I would recommend simply going up to a 265 inch tire. I installed Michelin Premier LTX all seasons in a 265/40/21 for about $500 less and they offer a little bit of rim protection that the stock 255 does not. If I were to do it again I would probably go with a Pirelli though as from what I have seen they tend to run a little bit smaller than Michelins and I have almost no clearance between my UCA and tread due to what appears to be a lack of factory machining on the UCAs (I have seen photos of other years with more machined clearance). Swapping wheels and tires sounds like a pain TBH but I have another car that I just drive in the summer with summer tires. My other car is a 2012 with Nappa leather and I've used Lexol cleaner and conditioner about 2x a year on it since I bought it. The seats still look like new and the car still smells new when you get in it. I also have a Griot's DA set and use it to remove swirl marks every 18 months so you are on the right track. I wouldn't bother messing around with FLAC files. You're never going to notice the difference between a FLAC file and 320kbps from Google Play Music on the B&O system. I know its supposed to be great but I consider it worse than the Harman Kardon on my other car that is several years older. I would 100% recommend buying this cellphone mount as it is high quality, blends in and is super functional without obstructing any controls.

falconcry

Thanks for the link to the cell mount, that looks like a great add on.

I agree that FLAC won't sound much different than mp3 in a car... but my entire collection (3.5TB) is FLAC, so I'm trying to avoid converting thousands of albums..

turner56

wow that is an impressive collection of music! Have you tried Google Play Music (paid)? You can "upload" your songs which will add the digital copyright to your collection plus if you have poor reception you can listen to and download any album for free while you are a subscriber. I switched from spotify years ago and never looked back. As an added bonus you get You Tube Red for free (no commercials).