ChrisR

(re-post from A4 forum)

Thought I'd share my experience:

I've been participating in this forum for just over 3months now, and during that time reading all the negative hype about driving SP8000e's in snow/ice. The general consensus seemed to be that you are absolutely insane to even consider driving in snow with these tires. I now wonder if any of those naysayers have ever done it.

Yesterday I experienced it firsthand. I knew winter was fast approaching, and was in the debate on whether to get winter tires for my new '00 1.8tqmsx, but I decided to trust my driving ability over some frantic posts on this forum. Yesterday here in northwestern CT we got about 1-3inches of an Ice/Snow mix. The stuff was pretty slick, and I had a 30min commute home in it, on a mixture of back roads and main roads.
The first few miles I took it very slow, vastly underestimating the limits of the car's traction. The ABS did not kick on ONCE. No problems sliding around corners. I picked it up a little, found the limit, and stayed below it. Near home I found a parking lot and was purposely inducing some turning slides. The car responded instantly to counter slide turning+ throttle. You could feel Quattro doing its thing.

In summary, would I take the car out in a blizzard?...No. Would I feel comfortable in 1-5 inches of snow?...YES. I cant imagine how great the car would be in snows and next year I plan to get some. The SP8000e's handled no worse than any other car I've driven in the snow, probably better than a good portion of the cars that were out there yesterday. As I have always thought about driving in adverse conditions, it is less about the car and more about the driver's skill.

"SP8000e's....not for everyone in the snow, but certainly do-able for skilled drivers."

ChrisR

'00 1.8tqmsx (in snow)

Ted K

So many of you say you haven't had any scary experiences yet on 8000e's (or any
other UHP maybe). But it seems like everyone was "testing" their car under controlled
conditions (ie. no emergency maneuvers, panic stops, etc). I'm sure the performance
of the 8000e's is predictable, even though the capabilities of this tire in the snow is
minimal. But, how many of you are driving on 8K's w/ enough room in front/behind and
slow enough such that if something unforseen were to occur, you would have enough
time/traction/distance to do something about it? Think about it, most folks probably
don't even come near the adhesion limits of the 8000e in the dry, or if they do, it's on
track or for spurts in one's commute. Yet, when you are driving in snow on UHP tires,
you are probably at or near adhesion limits for much of your drive.

I've driven in snow on UHP tires (in a RX7 turbo no less) and on A/S, and it certainly
can be done. It's even a lot of fun. After driving 9 hours in a blizzard (Jan99) trying to
get home to Chicago from Michigan (without accident), I vowed not to take anything
less than snows on a long trip in the winter. Yeah, VA isn't exactly MI in terms of snow
intensity, but snow depth really has little to do with adhesion, and if anything, the
drivers and snow removal teams in DC/MD/VA are much less prepared for handling
snow and (the drivers) are downright dangerous sometimes (I know, I'm from MD). You
never know what's going to happen, weather-wise, or in front of your car. I think the
cost/hassle of snows is minimal (we're talking about 3% of the cost of the A4, and not
much more than an ECU chip) considering the expanded margin of safety for our cars
and the people riding in them.

ChrisR

I think that people who test their car's performance in a controlled situation ARE the skilled drivers. They are the ones who actually are seeing beforehand HOW their car will react in an unexpected situation. With this knowledge they can adjust their saftey margin with respect to other cars accordingly.

I think that the unskilled/unsafe drivers are the ones who just go out and hit the roads in inclement weather NOT adjusting their driving style correctly/ or to the correct level. This explains the SUVs I see frequently wrecked everytime it snows in CT. I for one, do a little skid test everytime I hit the road in the snow, to get back the feeling of how the road and car react in snow.

I am not condoning unsafe driving in UHP tires in snow. I am trying to relate my driving experience in snow with them, to cut thru the hype, and maybe this info will help someone make an informed buying decision. I myself plan to get snows next winter.

ChrisR

'00 1.8tqmsx (in snow)

Ted K

driver's skill could let one "get away" with using UHP tires in snow. I agree
wholeheartedly that controlled at-limit driving is the best way to educate oneself in
driving in adverse conditions. I had this opportunity at Road America in Sept. this past
year, it rained the whole time. All we did was drive near-limit in the rain. I can now say
that I know how my car will handle near limit in the rain. I am reluctant to call myself
"skilled", however, simply because I have a few track events under my belt. Is
experienced a better word?, maybe, but not compared to most instructors, and
certainly not enough to overcome the deficit of UHP tires in the snow in an unforseen
emergency maneuver. I'm just better than I used to be, that's all. I think it would be
dangerous to encourage someone who isn't experienced w/ driving UHP tires in the
snow, that they could do so if they are "skilled" enough. Everyone thinks they are a
great/safe driver ( I know I did), but when you see real ability at the track, you realize
how far you have to go. That lesson is invaluable.

Nick N.

I definately second controlled experimenting issue.

golfa4

I got my brand new 2000 A4 1.8T on December 30. I didn't have a lot of time to think about snow tires at that time. The first day I drove to work (10 miles) it snowed. By the time I left work there was 3 inches of snow. I drove slowly and made it home on the 8000E's (10 miles) without incident. However I am getting snow tires (Michelin Arctic Alpins) next week. I think I just don't want to worry about the weather.

Reggie

I would never have used the car for getting anywhere else. A five mile commute on city streets that are plowed and covered in gravel in times of snow. To have thought that I could go on a freeway and/or the mountains would have conviced me I am having aftereffects from all the drugs I did in my youth.

I put Dunlop Wintersports M2s on my 16" seven spokes not because I could not drive in the snow - but because I needed a way to avoid others who did not. The 8Ks could not respond fast enough to emergency manauvers. I watched several times as OC drivers (out of control) were heading toward me and I could either watch or make decisions that made me OC. I am much more confident now that I can handle the 6 sigma situations that can occur in my simple 10 minute commute.

Reggie Short

98.5 2.8QMS