Anyone experience driving on snow with quattro, but with regular tires
04-07-2003, 04:35 PM
#1
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Anyone experience driving on snow with quattro, but with regular tires
The weather forecast predicts snow in the mountains and I'm sort of at a lost on what to do for my ski trip. I'm under the impression that snow chains are bad, buying snow tires for this one trip is out of the question, and I'm currently driving on Kumho 712's. How bad can these things be on snow, assuming I can get past any checkpoints?
04-07-2003, 04:38 PM
#2
IME, quattros are scary on regular tires, compared to real snow tires...
my avant loves to toss the rear end out at the slightest provocation with even all season tires, but with real snows, it's planted and predictable..
04-07-2003, 04:42 PM
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i think all seasons are fine on the bigger quattros
the A4 sux w/o snow tires because of the wheelbase... my 200 handled better in the snow with all seasons than my A4 w/ snow tires... wheel base makes a huge difference...
04-07-2003, 04:49 PM
#7
Having not yet had a 'bigger' quattro, I can't vouch for that..
what I find with my car is it goes forward fine, but handles like crap. Too slow, you get massive understeer. Too fast, massive oversteer. There is a fine line where the car is neutral, and it's too fine of a line.
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04-07-2003, 05:08 PM
#9
You need a tire education.
And in the absence of a real authority, you'll have to settle for one from me.
First of all, quattro is all about power distribution. It can send power to the front or the rear of the car. Quattro doesn't help with braking (or turning).
Tires are *THE* most important feature on a car that affect accelerating, turning, and braking. If your tires are gripping the road, then the ABS doesn't have to kick in during braking. If your tires are gripping the road, then your quattro doesn't have to do much in terms of power distribution.
The key here is "grip".
What you need to know about tires is that they are formulated for certain temperature ranges. Summer tires are made of softer compounds that stay soft and provide good grip in high temperatures. Unfortunately, summer tires get hard in cold temperatures and subsequently they don't grip the road well. (The tread design is also not good for driving in snow.)
Winter tires perform well in cold temperatures and have a tread design that works better on snow.
All-season tires are a compromise in all seasons but they provide adequate grip in all temperature ranges.
You will inevitably get testimonials from all kinds of people that use summer tires year-round and claim that they are fine. It's a judgement call. Quattro will somewhat mask any slippage as you accelerate. If the tires are failing to grip, having four wheels push you forward will make you think all is well. If you are going to have a problem, it will happen when you want to turn or stop.
It's your decision. Will you be driving on snow, or just in cold temperatures? If you take your car, you'll have to be cautious. Good luck.
First of all, quattro is all about power distribution. It can send power to the front or the rear of the car. Quattro doesn't help with braking (or turning).
Tires are *THE* most important feature on a car that affect accelerating, turning, and braking. If your tires are gripping the road, then the ABS doesn't have to kick in during braking. If your tires are gripping the road, then your quattro doesn't have to do much in terms of power distribution.
The key here is "grip".
What you need to know about tires is that they are formulated for certain temperature ranges. Summer tires are made of softer compounds that stay soft and provide good grip in high temperatures. Unfortunately, summer tires get hard in cold temperatures and subsequently they don't grip the road well. (The tread design is also not good for driving in snow.)
Winter tires perform well in cold temperatures and have a tread design that works better on snow.
All-season tires are a compromise in all seasons but they provide adequate grip in all temperature ranges.
You will inevitably get testimonials from all kinds of people that use summer tires year-round and claim that they are fine. It's a judgement call. Quattro will somewhat mask any slippage as you accelerate. If the tires are failing to grip, having four wheels push you forward will make you think all is well. If you are going to have a problem, it will happen when you want to turn or stop.
It's your decision. Will you be driving on snow, or just in cold temperatures? If you take your car, you'll have to be cautious. Good luck.
