yzykg

Hi guys, I need some suggestions of the summer and winter wheels sets.
Currently my car has the OEM 18'' wheels with summer tires(Only 21 miles on them).
My plan is to:
1. Winter set: Get new winter tires for my 18'' wheels and sell the original ones
2. Summer set: Buy 19'' rims and summer tires

Not sure if this is the best choice? Can someone recommend some 18'' winter tires and 19'' summer tires?
The 19'' rim I may purchase is either Hartmann HS5-209-GA:M 19" or Hartmann HTT-256-MA:M Replica

And if anyone interested in getting the original OEM 18'' summer tires, please pm me

Any suggestions will be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

ChipB

To determine which tires are best for you, first tell us what your criteria are. How do you rate (a) performance, (b) life expecatancy, (c) ride comfort & noise level, and (d) cost in terms of importance? The best performing tires tend to wear out the quickest and cost the most, and are often quite loud, but the top of the heap this year for summer tires belongs to either:

1. Dunlop Direzza ZII
2. BF Goodrich g-Force Rival
3. Bridgestone Potenza RE-11A

Just behind, and still excellent, are the Hankook RS-3, Micheline Pilot Super Sport, and Yokohama Advan AD-08. I know that the Direzza ZII is the new favorite street tire of the people who do testing at TireRack, but they are noted as being quite loud.

DoubleA4

Some of the suggestions for winter tires will depend on where you are. What's your typical winter like? I'm in Chicago, I drive on all-season tires during the winter here. Primarily, this is due to when I put them on and the varied conditions that I can get. The most important aspect, I believe, is that the rubber compound used in all-season tires will stay "soft" in freezing weather. The tread design is another aspect but is secondary compared to the rubber (or compound or whatever you want to call it). I have two cars with seasonal setups: an Allroad and my S5. On the AR I have Conti Extreme Contact DWS all-seasons that stay on the car year round. I like the tire A LOT but its not perfect. First and foremost, the sidewalls are very compliant. This can lead to an unsettling feeling when driving. The AR is soft to begin with so I live with this compromise and revel in the quiet ride and exceptional grip year round. They are mounted on the OE double-spoke 17" rims that came with the car. My S5 will ride on (haven't seen a winter yet in it) Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's. I have had them on my A4 and loved the tire. I will be putting them on the OE wheels which are 19". My old A4 rode on 18" and they were an improvement over the OE rubber which was summer-only Continental. Yes, the Michelin's are expensive, you get what you pay for.

As for summer-only running I think it really opens up a bit. Michelin Super Sports are high on my list as they claim high wear rating, are sticky, and lighweight... almost can't believe the combination is achievable but that is what I have read. I have heard of people being happy with the Hankook Ventus. I am currenty running the Dunlop Sport Maxx and am happy with them but hard to compare as I haven't swapped out the tires yet to compare road noise, traction, etc. What I can say about the Sport Maxx is that the tread wear is even and looks like I will get 30K out of them. We'll see.

Hope some of the above helps. For more advice, I have read many people suggesting to call Tire Rack and talk with them about your car and such. No doubt, I will be doing that when I purchase my next set of tires. Have purchased three sets of tires from them and can recommend their customer service.

a5sport

Just depends where you do your winter driving. Mine is done in the Northeast US, with plenty of snow covered, hard pack, and ice covered, roads to drive on.

All-seasons just are not an option for me. They are a compromise in all situations, and do not do any one thing particularly well.

My winter tires are Blizzak WS-70s. Superb traction in snow & ice. One of the Tire Rack's favorite winter tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=135

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=116

For my summer setup, I have the OEM Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GTs that came on the car. I have had then on my previous A5, and on our current A4, and like them very much. Good traction in wet or dry.

I have used General Exclain UHP tires in the past, and found them even better than the Dunlops, but they are no longer available in the US, but do show up as being available in Canada. Not sure why.

Probably will go to Yokohama S.drive for my next set, when & if I need some.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Have these on another car I own, and find them fantastic in the wet & dry. Hope this helps.

Toronto S5

There are many, many threads on winter tire options, but to summarize my views from when I looked two years ago, the most popular performance winter tires that kept popping up over and over were:

-Michelin Alpin PA3 (now there's a PA4 being sold)
-Dunlop Winter Sport 3D
-Bridgestone Blizzak

I did a bunch of research and the truth is these are all good, and you'll find people backing all three. Check the ratings on Tire Rack and you'll find the same. I ended up going with the Michelin PA3s but I've not seen any complaints about any of these. I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with these choices. Good luck!

KarlFEvans

I can recommend the Hartmann HTT-256-MA:M Replica. I got these in 19" along with Dunlop 3D Sport for winter. The weight of each wheel/tire was 2-3 lbs less than my 19" potato peeler with Pirelli summer tires.

The Hartmann HTT-256-MA:M Replica look so good on my red S5, that I'm considering making them my summer wheel.

I like the Potenza RE-11, but that is based on my experience with them on my MR2 Spyder. They look great and have tremendous grip and road feel with Mister Two.

yzykg

Thanks guys, these recommendations are very helpful.

I think I may choose:

Winter tires: Michelin-Pilot® Alpin® PA4
Summer tires: Bridgestone-Potenza RE-11

Thanks again for every one!

ffejie

I'm running the Pirelli P-Zero Rosso 255/35ZR19 and after 17,000 miles, they've just about had it. I found them to generate a lot of road noise, although they did handle well.

I'd like to get more than 17K out of my next set, so I was wondering if anyone had any good recommendations for longer lasting, smoother running tires, without giving up too much handling.

Finally, I just had to replace one of them, so I'm running with one at full tread and 3 more getting low - do you think it's worth it to toss the new one after only ~1000 miles and get a new set of a different kind, or just stick with the Pirelli's for the new 3?

Fithian

I have the Hartmann HT-256-MA:M replica wheels in 20x9 +29 for $345 with Michelin Pilot Super Sport 265-30-20 tires. This tire/wheel combo is perfect for me. Very quiet, smooth riding, sticky on ramps, good fuel mileage - same as the 18" Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tires that came with the S5. Tires were about $1400 shipped. Good reviews from the neighborhood teens and lawn personnel, "Man, those wheels are sick!."

No winter tires yet, but I am planning to use the original 18" rims with Hakka tires. I am not happy with the Blizzak tires on either my old 2007 335i coupe or the wife's 2011 535i. Nokian Hakkapeliita R2 tires are probably the best unstudded snow tire in the world. The size best for the S5 would be the 225-45-18 for about $220 each. These tires are rated R, and therefore are not good for speeds over 100 mph, but they stick like crazy. If you can stand them they make a studded version that is unstoppable on glare ice. Ask me how I know. There are parallel stripes on my garage floor when I left too quickly.

yzykg

So far more than 1000 miles on my new RE-11, everything's good. Didn't try the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 came with my S5, sit in my garage now, but I believe they are very good tires.