Will the stock tires get me to the mountains for skiing in Calif.?
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Will the stock tires get me to the mountains for skiing in Calif.?
I am in southern California so no worries for snow tires but we are going skiing in a week. Will the stock tires handle moderate amount of ice and snow?
Also, I assume chains are out of the question for these low profile tires. Is this correct?
Also, I assume chains are out of the question for these low profile tires. Is this correct?
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Joined: Sep 2002
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absolutely not
they won't handle any amount of ice or snow. Summer high performance tires become hard as a rock once it gets cold out. Even on dry pavement in the cold, they lose some traction. Add in even a light coating of snow and they become a nightmare. You will end up in a ditch or curbing your wheels if there is snow or ice on the road...guaranteed.
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The owner's manual advises that you NEVER use chains.
Your tires will be pretty worthless in the snow, but Caltrans does a good job of keeping the roads clear. As long as you don't travel <b>during</b> a storm you should be okay. If it were me, I'd try to borrow at least two snows w/rims from someone--it's an awfully long drive just to get stuck halfway up the mountain.
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Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Montreal, Canada
High performance summer tires with cold, snow or ice don't work well together...
And I don't think even advise you on getting "4 season tires" either. I'm running some now on my car and they suck real bad in snow. Glag I'm getting my M3s tomorrow.
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NEGATIVE! The S4 comes with high perf summer tires. Might as well drive on the rims in the snow.
Straight from the Audi web site!
** These tires are designed for optimum performance and handling in warm climates. <b>They are not suitable for cold, snowy or icy weather </b>conditions. If you drive under those circumstances, you should equip your vehicle with all-season or winter tires, which offer better traction under those conditions. We suggest you use the recommended winter or all-season tires specified for your car or its equivalent.
Note that they're not just saying snow but COLD weather. That should give you an idea how much these tires are not suited for snow.
** These tires are designed for optimum performance and handling in warm climates. <b>They are not suitable for cold, snowy or icy weather </b>conditions. If you drive under those circumstances, you should equip your vehicle with all-season or winter tires, which offer better traction under those conditions. We suggest you use the recommended winter or all-season tires specified for your car or its equivalent.
Note that they're not just saying snow but COLD weather. That should give you an idea how much these tires are not suited for snow.
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Always pack Shur-Z cables when headed up to Tahoe!
Depending on the conditions, CalTrans may require you to carry snow chains, although you won't need to put them on (unless in extreme snowing conditions, where you shouldn't be on the road anyway). The stock Conti's should be fine as long as it hasn't snowed in a while. Otherwise, just drive slowly and carefully.