RBK

Hi - I apologize ahead of time, but I have some question could use some help with...

I will be purchasing an A5 and the car will be located in Chicago.

1. I don't like the standard 18"s that come with the A5. The 19"s come with summer performance tires and are $900 extra. I live in Chicago and thus have winter. Is it typically cheaper to swap out all-season tires on existing rims, or to swap out rims with tires completely in the winter? Also, do they even make a 19" all-season tire?

2. If you get Navigation - is there a monthly fee for service or it is included?

3. Would you tell me I'm crazy if I said I liked the front styling more on the A5 (at one point I was sure I'd get the S Package upgrade).

4. Are there any big reasons to not get one of the first A5s in the US?

jpc-S4

1. I'd be wary of using all-seasons... they are known as "no-seasons" for a reason. In your climate, I'd go with a winter tire (Nokian WR is my favorite) for winter, and a high-performance summer for the good weather. You probably want to use an 18" with the winters, since potholes are typically more prevalent in the winter (19" wheels tend to bend more easily).

2. No. The maps are on DVD... it's about $200 for the annual update, but the update isn't necessary (but you'll miss new roads, new businesses added to the database, etc.).

3. That's a personal thing. Since it's been available in Europe for a while, I wouldn't sweat it, but early B6 S4 owners had some issues in the states.

RBK

When taking to a mechanic in the winter is it cheaper for them to put all-seasons on existing rims, or cheaper for them to just take off the existing rims with tires and put on completely different ones?

- I think the standard 18"s look plain.
- I do like the 19"s (plus the upgrade is only $900) but they come with summer performance tires.
- I live in a hellish winter location and get the impression 19"s with summer performance tires would be a no-no.

What do you think I should do? Just order the standard (drive those in the winter) and get some cool after-market rims and swap out every winter? Or maybe I should just get the 19"s and not drive on really crappy days.

Your advice is appreciated...

jpc-S4

You could always use the 19" optional wheels for summer, and pick up a relatively cheap (but strong) set of 18" wheels for winter.

But... the manufacturer wheels tend to be $$$... and you have no choice of summer tires (likely Continental ContactSport2 or something... not a favorite of mine). I turned my stock wheels into my winter wheels, and bought a set of aftermarkets for the summer. I just used the Contis for one summer and dumped them with about 8k miles on them.

MililaniTT

Upgrade to the manufacturers 19's with summer tires. Since you can't get the A5 until Spring '08 anyway, you can drive it as-is then wait until November to buy a second pair of 18's with winter rubber.

You don't have to be mechanically inclined to jack up your A5 2x each year and swap the wheels out - don't pay someone to do it but just mark on each tire which location on the car it came from and put it back in the same place - or rotate them forward.

Just to clarify your 3rd point. You can get the A5 with an "S-line" package for $2900 but that doesn't make it an "S5". The S-line package doesn't change the front styling to that of the S5, I believe it's only minor styling changes from the base A5 front end. The downside to the S-line package is that your roads within a 75 mile radius of where you live suck and you'll feel every bump with the sportier suspension combined with the 19's.

You're not alone, there are many on this forum that prefer the A5 grill over the S5 (I'm not one of them though).

To your 4th question, there are always downsides to getting the first of a new car series. A year from now they'll work out more kinks, silence some squeaks, offer a lot more options and the base car will probably have better "goodies" than the first A5's on the street. All that matters is what is right for you. Most here would take one today in a heartbeat and enjoy the exclusivity of the car and try not to worry about what's coming in a year. Life is too short for that.

MARKNMTT

sedan I chose to do the dedicated 19" summers and then have a second set of the OEM RS6 wheels 18" that I have Dunlop M3s on which have worked great for two winters...I switch them out in Oct/Nov and back on in May. The all season tires simply do not perform to the level i need them to in the summer and I am not about to risk a car of this value in the one or two deep snows that we get. Also again your 19" wheels are cheaper now from Audi than 18" OEM or aftermarket later for snows. Along that lines it is much easier to find another A5 owner who may have 18s willing to sell them cheap as they are switching out to aftermarket wheels. Also less potential damage to the wheels than mounting/de-mounting tires. Honestly the tire place I go to has switched them out each time for free so I have no extra cost to changing the wheels each time.

JScottC

Not only is changeover quicker and easier then-(even I do my own, so anyone can), but it also avoids the inevitable damage to your wheels from having the tires removed and re-mounted twice each year.