dlynch1

I posted in the TR forum, but should have posted here perhaps.

My wife bought an 02 TT, and we're wondering what to do for winter tires. We ski a lot (except I broke my leg 4X, have 2 plates, 16 screws...)

We're looking for advice on winter tires; (tires are cheaper than fenders ;-) )

Stock size? (17" rims)

16"?

15" clear the calipers? (Have some old Jetta snows/rims 195/60-15's)

What about 16" rims? what did you choose? Any pics?

Snow removal is getting worse every year in Ontario. Ice is always a concern. And studs aren't allowed here.

Thanks in advance

Dave L

JustJeff

will fit the TT.

<img src="http://uh.clem.home.comcast.net/images/winterttr1.jpg">

<img src="http://uh.clem.home.comcast.net/images/winterttr2.jpg">

<img src="http://uh.clem.home.comcast.net/images/winterttr5.jpg">

<img src="http://uh.clem.home.comcast.net/images/winterttr6.jpg"><ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/tt/msgs/743110.phtml">WinterTTR</a></li></ul>

|everso!|

i love those winter wheels...they make the car look so old school.

artinmoTTion

Dave,

Depends how much you're willing to sacrifice dry handling to get safety on ice and packed snow. You might want to search out my (longer) post from a few days ago, and there are also some discussions of this on the Tire forum like you thought. I decided I had to have better ice/thin packed snow safety, so I gave up a lot of dry traction and went with tirerack's recommendation, the Blizzak WS-50, in 225/45/17. Gary from TR says it's a bit different in that size, more directional than the others. 16" should clear the calipers, but I'm hoping to get big brakes someday, and those require at least 17's. Other good choices are the Nokian Hak 1's and WR, Bridgestone LM22's, and the Pirelli WinterSport 210/240. Others like the Dunlop WinterSport M2/M3; I was less impressed by them on my S4, but they're a compromise as well, to keep the "sport" in the dry handling. Hope that helps, see the other posts.

Rich

dlynch1

Anyone use Blizzak MZ-01's? (We have a used set of 205/55-16's.)

Appreciate the thought about the caliper clearance with brake mods. Don't think we'll change the brakes.

Don't like steel wheels. But understand that others do. We've run mags for many years in winter without excessive damage from salt on the rim coating.

Dave L
Mississauga

And a special thank you listing the various tires characteristics.

dlynch1

My hat is off to you for the thought and time you put into your response.

One of our winter cars last year was our '02 Miata SE with 16" rims. We mounted Pirelli Winter Sport 210's in 195/50-16 I believe. (They're in the basement, I could check, but that's close enough.) They were disappointing as a winter tire. OTOH, we mounted 17" Pirelli Winter Sport...tires on our ML430 and they absolutely transformed the vehicle. Too bad they don't fit.

We had Michelin Arctic Alpin (185/60-14's) on another Miata, and they were ok, but not as good as Blizzaks in snow or on ice. Great skier car, eh? (Cdn eh?)

And I've heard that the Pilot Alpin is more biased for handling than snow/ice use than the Arctic Alpin. Just what I've heard...although a friend used them on another Miata in Newfoundland and liked them.

How was the S4 in winter?

Dave L
Mississauga

CaberneTT

17" rims...they work fantastic in an urban area, and still handle decently.

DrizzTT

had them mounted to Mille Miglia A1's. 16" rims with 205/55-16 tires. Obviously I can't tell you how they perform from experience, but I heard the M2s were awesome in the snow and these are the newer, better ones. Bought them at TireRack and didn't pay much.

artinmoTTion

Dave,

The S4 was still quite decent in the snow, even with the H rated M2's, but it just slid around a bit more than the A4 sport I had before it, with Nokian Hak 1's on that car. (I trust by now you've read my post from last week).

The Hak 1's were definitely better in the snow than the M2's, but that's expected and by design, since the M2's are a bit more performance oriented, kinda like your Pirelli Sport 210's on the Miata. The weight/rear drive aspects of the Miata probably wouldn't make it a stellar winter performer with any tires, though, I'd guess.

I'm choosing the least sporty tire (the blizzak) this time because I'm pretty much insisting on the safest ice tire, which unfortunately just can't be done with existing tire technology on higher speed rated tires. The higher the speed rating, the worse they are on ice. I'm just gonna have to slow down this winter : ( We get ice and thin sheets of snow left by the plow trucks that turn into ice. I wish they'd just leave the roads alone sometimes...

So, best if you want the best available for icy conditions is probably the Blizzak WS-50, in the tallest sidewall size that can fit over your brakes on the TT, likely 16" if you've not upgraded the brakes. If you decide the ice performance is less important than keeping more sport dry handling, the LM22, M2/M3, or Nokian WR should be perfect. Vredestein also make some, and others of course.

As Jeff said, you're probably best to look at TR's packages for the best price on these. I couldn't find a better price elsewhere when www searching, and I decided I like TR's support of this site anyway. You can order through the "marketplace" on this site if you're so inclined. I'm putting mine on 17" ALMS replica wheels from the Wheel Exchange. (Use the factory 18" ALMS wheels for the rest of the year.)

Good luck, and post your results!

Rich<ul><li><a href="http://www.tirerack.com">Tire Rack.</a></li></ul>

100% K

they come in a 17" tire and have a sidewall guarantee. i bought them through a local tire chain here in MA. it was the owner that recommended them to me. he has them on all his cars for the winter. says they are the best he's seen so far.