Winter tires question(Gary and others)--- B6 S4
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Winter tires question(Gary and others)--- B6 S4
looking to get some winter tires. Not sure if I really need to go for 17in. It will be cheaper to keep my stock 18 wheels than buy a new set of rims. I'm driving 90% in city. I live in Montreal, Canada. I Almost never drive in snowy road. Road are cleared fast and there is more ici than snow. So:
1. Should i really downgrade to 17 inches wheels?
2. What do you think of the new Michelin PA3. Any better choice?
Best regards
1. Should i really downgrade to 17 inches wheels?
2. What do you think of the new Michelin PA3. Any better choice?
Best regards
Member
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 13,105
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Take a look at the Dunlop Wintersport 3D
<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AR4&url=%2Ftires%2Ftires.jsp%3FtireMake%3D Dunlop%26tireModel%3DSP%2BWinter%2BSport%2B3D%26ve hicleSearch%3Dfalse%26partnum%3D34VR8WS3DXL%26from Compare1%3Dyes%26place%3D3">http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=SP+Winter+ Sport+3D&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=34VR8 WS3DXL&fromCompare1=yes&place=3</a>
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Re: Winter tires question(Gary and others)--- B6 S4
If you are truly dealing with very little snow and mostly ice you'll want an ice compound winter tire like the Blizzak WS-60, which are only available in 17". The PA3 will have better dry grip and steering response but will be a significant step down in ice and snow traction from the WS-60.
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I read your question wrong. Gary is right, if you see a lot of ice, you want a softer compound
I think the best non-studded ice tire you're going to get in 18" is the Nokian RSi in 225/40/18 (should fit on your stock wheels), however be prepared to spend a lot for those unless pricing is different in CA vs US on them. If you can and want to run studs, there's more options as well.
Going to a 17" wheel and 225/45/17 or 235/45/17 will open a lot of other tire options for you that will handle the ice well.
Going to a 17" wheel and 225/45/17 or 235/45/17 will open a lot of other tire options for you that will handle the ice well.
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1343$ installes for rsi
1343$ cdn installed. tx in. Not cheap but in canada they are alot cheaper than blizzak. Where do you live j price? You have dunlop 3d? Are you happy with them? With tire rack, i can expect to pay 850$ for Dunlop. 500$ difference. Its hard for me to explain how winter is uphear. Some years, its snowy, some not.
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Sounds expensive
I'm in Minneapolis, MN.
I have driven on the M3 and 3D, but I personally prefer more agressive snow tires. I have been really happy with my Nokian Hakka2s (without studs), which are halfway between an RSi and the
3D in terms of dry road performance and ice traction as well. The newest version of those is the Nokian Hakka5. I find it to be the perfect balance for me where we do get a few good snow storms every year, icy roads sometimes, and a lot of cold dry road surfaces. Tires like the 3D, LM25, and PA3 give up too much in snow and especially ice for my taste, and the soft blizzaks like WS50 and WS60 give up too much on dry pavement. Even the Nokian RSi which is better in dry than the soft blizaks still are too squirmy for what I wanted.
The 3D is a high performance winter tire, which means it handles the dry pavement better, but gives up ice traction as a result.
If you were looking at 18" Blizzaks, then they were most likely the LM25 which performs similar to the Dunlop 3D. The 17" Blizzak WS60 that Gary mentioned is much softer and does well on ice. Completely different tires.. just similar in name.
I have driven on the M3 and 3D, but I personally prefer more agressive snow tires. I have been really happy with my Nokian Hakka2s (without studs), which are halfway between an RSi and the
3D in terms of dry road performance and ice traction as well. The newest version of those is the Nokian Hakka5. I find it to be the perfect balance for me where we do get a few good snow storms every year, icy roads sometimes, and a lot of cold dry road surfaces. Tires like the 3D, LM25, and PA3 give up too much in snow and especially ice for my taste, and the soft blizzaks like WS50 and WS60 give up too much on dry pavement. Even the Nokian RSi which is better in dry than the soft blizaks still are too squirmy for what I wanted.
The 3D is a high performance winter tire, which means it handles the dry pavement better, but gives up ice traction as a result.
If you were looking at 18" Blizzaks, then they were most likely the LM25 which performs similar to the Dunlop 3D. The 17" Blizzak WS60 that Gary mentioned is much softer and does well on ice. Completely different tires.. just similar in name.
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I have the original X Ice on my wife's car...
They are a very good tire on the dry considering they do well on the ice. However I didn't think the X Ice 2 was in a size that was correct for the B6 S4? (235/40/18 or 225/40/18)