BorisKipnis

Need 255/40 R21 winter tires for my 2014 Audi SQ5. What's the least expensive option?

mwlmd

If you need true winter tires your only real option in 21" is Pirelli scorpion winter which is roughly $1400

For slightly less money I ordered a 19" wheel set with 255/50/19 Pirelli Scorpion winters mounted and balanced from Tire Rack. ($1297) They have this particular tire in this size on closeout for a steal.

waninae39

nokian hakkapeliita R2 is the best
the summer tires is 20"
the winter tire is 18"

DonnyK

As mentioned there just isn't a lot of selection out there for 21" and they are expensive.

I'd look for either a 19" rim/winter tire combo brand new and swap every season with your 21" on summers, or maybe look for some used OEM 19 or 20" with winters already on them for sale locally to you.

Having a full winter/summer set of rims and tires is a bigger initial investment, but you have to keep in mind each set is only going to see about 6 months of use annually, so you'll get a lot more time out of the tires before they need replacement. I'm guessing it's going to be 3 years before i need to get new summer or winter tires based on the wear on them from last season.

BorisKipnis

Thank you! Looks I don't really need to follow the tag on the car which specifies 21" tires. When you swap the wheels, do you have to do anything to make sure TPMS is still working?

BorisKipnis

Thank you! Will check it out. I've done some searches and this tire brand never came up! I wonder if it is even available in the US.

BorisKipnis

Thank you for your reply! How do 19" wheels look on your SQ5? I love the way 21" wheels look on mine, but I like the idea of having two sets of wheels and swapping them, rather than changing tires on the rims twice a year.

mwlmd

Not with the SQ5. The TPMS sensors are on the hub, not in the wheel. I agree the 21" wheels look great, however it is nice in the winter to have to meaty tires to absorb potholes etc. The Pirelli Scorpions are not as aggressive as some other snow/ice tires however with quattro they work great and have the best dry performance.

DonnyK

It won't look as aggressive/good obviously, but it's more about function then looks in the winter.

^ This. sensors aren't an issue. You ideally want 19 or 20" rims for winter due to the wider variety of tires available, their lower cost, and having more tire to absorb potholes and other crap we have to deal with in the winter. Sure 21's will work too, but they are expensive, and you really don't want to constantly be taking summer tires off and putting winter tires on your 21's. Potholes can damage and/or crack your 21's in the winter once the plows start making craters in the road, and the sand and salt will beat them up. Most that are running 21 winter set-ups are doing so because they had the 21's already and just turned them into their winter wheels. Rarely do you see anyone shopping for 21" rims for a winter set-up.

If you really love the 21 look, then i'd either shop for another set of used 21 OEM rims and make them your winter set, or shop for a nice set of 21 summer rims and turn your OEM 21's into your winter set. I had OEM 20's on my SQ5 and i made them my winter set then bought myself another set of 20" summer rims (i'm not a fan of 21's).

waninae39

you need -1 or -2 wheels for winter
my summer is 20" . my winter is 18"

go online to find a tire calculator to determine to correct ratio when changing wheel size. this is critical to ensure the tire turn at the same rate as the old ones
ie wheels that are 1 -2 inch smaller, that reduce the tire width as well which gives you more traction.

in winter the wider the tires, the less force / sq inch, thus less traction.

skinny winter tires are much safer that wider tires

PLUS

as a bonus your tires and wheels last longer as you now use two sets each year.