Best winter tire for 2000 A6 stock rims?
08-24-2003, 05:01 AM
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Best winter tire for 2000 A6 stock rims?
What is the best tire for winter (real winter-upstate NY). My plan is to get the tires, then buy a summer rim/tire set to change into once the snow goes away (May! F@$#%^)
08-24-2003, 07:56 AM
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Basically, there are two types of winter tires..."T" and "H"
speed-rated. The "H" group can have "V" rated tires, depending on the size you choose. The new winter tire technology produces remarkable tires.
The "T" speed-rated tires are a more "aggressive" snow/ice tire. There are some within this group that are considered better for deep snow vrs compact snow/ice. Their "draw-back" is their perfomance on dry roads or highway speeds...they tend to be a bit noisier, with softer side-walls so they squiggle and squirm under braking and cornering. They are the best for deep snow or compact snow and ice. Perhaps better for always driving in snow all winter season rather than trips up into the mountains.
The "H" and "V" rated tires are better performers in the dry and at higher speeds, cornering and braking. They tend to be a "step" behind the "T" rated tires in their snow/ice performance...but not much from my personal experience.
All the major tire manufacturers (Dunlop, Bridgestone, Michelin, Yokohama, etc.) should have both types (speed-rated) winter tires, some may have more than one type in each category. There are some "specialty" winter tires (Gislaved, Hakka's) that others will rave about.
Tire Rack is a great source of answers/choices for your driving needs, and "search" may help as this is a annual subject. Tire Rack may be close to having "specials" on winter tires and tire/wheel combos. In the past some tires have been hard to get, so don't delay too long.
If there is a winter driving school in your area...DO IT! Driving in super-slick conditions can be completely different than any other driving school experience you have had. What you learned there may not work on super-slick surfaces. Check your local region of the Audi Club for such an event. Ours (Pacific Northwest) try to put on at least one a winter. The Bridgestone school at Steamboat Springs, Colorado is fantastic, and the national Audi club has an event there, as do many local Audi chapters.
I instruct for our chapter's driving events, so feel free to e-mail me if you want more info.
HTH
The "T" speed-rated tires are a more "aggressive" snow/ice tire. There are some within this group that are considered better for deep snow vrs compact snow/ice. Their "draw-back" is their perfomance on dry roads or highway speeds...they tend to be a bit noisier, with softer side-walls so they squiggle and squirm under braking and cornering. They are the best for deep snow or compact snow and ice. Perhaps better for always driving in snow all winter season rather than trips up into the mountains.
The "H" and "V" rated tires are better performers in the dry and at higher speeds, cornering and braking. They tend to be a "step" behind the "T" rated tires in their snow/ice performance...but not much from my personal experience.
All the major tire manufacturers (Dunlop, Bridgestone, Michelin, Yokohama, etc.) should have both types (speed-rated) winter tires, some may have more than one type in each category. There are some "specialty" winter tires (Gislaved, Hakka's) that others will rave about.
Tire Rack is a great source of answers/choices for your driving needs, and "search" may help as this is a annual subject. Tire Rack may be close to having "specials" on winter tires and tire/wheel combos. In the past some tires have been hard to get, so don't delay too long.
If there is a winter driving school in your area...DO IT! Driving in super-slick conditions can be completely different than any other driving school experience you have had. What you learned there may not work on super-slick surfaces. Check your local region of the Audi Club for such an event. Ours (Pacific Northwest) try to put on at least one a winter. The Bridgestone school at Steamboat Springs, Colorado is fantastic, and the national Audi club has an event there, as do many local Audi chapters.
I instruct for our chapter's driving events, so feel free to e-mail me if you want more info.
HTH
08-24-2003, 08:23 AM
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Winter tire width
What is the minimum tire width for the A6? 205, 215, 225. I have had experience with 205 Hakka1 on my S4avant and found them quite a bit less grabby then the same tire in a 195 on my 90q. So I would like to keep it narrow, but the A6 is a bit larger and heavier. So what have been some others experiences out there?
08-25-2003, 07:57 PM
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Some other things to know.
Some tires have upper 1/2 or even less for the winter compound, while the rest is just an all-season.
That said, the supply of winter tires are rather limited. I usually talk to a guy named Jay at www.tires.com. He's been very good. They recommend a brand called Semperit, and it worked great on my Nissan Maximas. I only had a experience couple of times when I had a difficulty climbing out of a iced up dirty/mud road up in Killington VT last winter. (Typically at -20 in the mornings).
I have not tried other tires, though my house-mate had set of Pirelli's and they were wonderful on his new A4. Obviously, it's not a fair comparison against a 1995 Nissan Maxima with no ABS. From what I heard, Michelins are wonderful in mostly dry, occasional snow. Blizakks are great on ice (But only 1/2 or less of winter compound though...)
For my A6 4.2, I just bought a 16" TT replica wheels (supposed to fit into my A6), and a 215/55HR-16 Semperit Sport Grip tires. The sales person, because I was a repeat customer, gave me a break on the price and the entire thing cost below $1000 including shipping, lugnuts, and locking nut. NOTE: My local tire store was quoting me a discounted/sale price of ~$1400 just for tires/mount/balance (no wheels).
I found a previous post about different tires from the forum in the past as well.
https://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/208232.phtml
Good Luck!
Iggy
That said, the supply of winter tires are rather limited. I usually talk to a guy named Jay at www.tires.com. He's been very good. They recommend a brand called Semperit, and it worked great on my Nissan Maximas. I only had a experience couple of times when I had a difficulty climbing out of a iced up dirty/mud road up in Killington VT last winter. (Typically at -20 in the mornings).
I have not tried other tires, though my house-mate had set of Pirelli's and they were wonderful on his new A4. Obviously, it's not a fair comparison against a 1995 Nissan Maxima with no ABS. From what I heard, Michelins are wonderful in mostly dry, occasional snow. Blizakks are great on ice (But only 1/2 or less of winter compound though...)
For my A6 4.2, I just bought a 16" TT replica wheels (supposed to fit into my A6), and a 215/55HR-16 Semperit Sport Grip tires. The sales person, because I was a repeat customer, gave me a break on the price and the entire thing cost below $1000 including shipping, lugnuts, and locking nut. NOTE: My local tire store was quoting me a discounted/sale price of ~$1400 just for tires/mount/balance (no wheels).
I found a previous post about different tires from the forum in the past as well.
https://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/208232.phtml
Good Luck!
Iggy
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