buffaloboxster

It's going to largely depend on the tires you have on there now, whether you'll want snows. I've been driving in Buffalo for 20 years and I've never used snows. I've gone several winters on Dunlop D60A2s which were downright scary and I got stuck a lot, but the stock tires on my Mazda CX7 were fine. If you have a "performance all-season" type tire on there now then you may want snows.

I just got my Q about 6 weeks ago. I am not planning to buy snows. I may change my mind once the weather gets here but I doubt it. Racing karts in the rain gives one a certain confidence in slippery conditions

uberwgn

We used to run Vredestein exclusively on our cars. I'm thinking back twenty years ago, current tires may be different.

The Vredestein was a more aggressive snow tire than probably required (lower Fairfield Cty in CT) and had an open tread design. Did great in real snow but tended to wear too fast and were noisy. It was probably well-suited for traversing the French Alps, etc.

There are so many snow tire options today. Find a design that's going to work for your local conditions (deep snow vs. hard pack + ice), Rook. Have a look at reviews at Tire Rack or check in with our Tire Rack rep: Gary

Tip: look at the Conti Contact Extreme. It's value-priced and tends to wear real well. Does nicely on dry roads, fairly quiet. Fitting another set to a car this afternoon

kleinbus

how cool is that, awesome man awesome...

So short wheelbase feather light 200 lbs rwd pocket rocket drivign characteristics reflects to awd 4000 lbs Q5 HOW?

Never the mind, you live down south and your worst winter is like my mild summer. Up north the winter begins when ground freezes and roads stay white all the way to March.

Parsec

Huh? How much further North can you get than Buffalo and still remain in the US? It already borders Canada!

ELEVENS

Kleinbus hales from Finland too. Thats a good 20 degrees north of Buffalo. 20 degrees latitude is the distance from the Florida Keys to Buffalo.

4Rook

Thanks for the tip on the Conti's. I'll check them out. We have the Conti all seasons on now and have been happy with their performance. The Vredesteins were 202/ea. w/ free shipping for 235/60r18.

buffaloboxster

Sure but... When's the last time they got more than 2 feet in a single week?

..and clearly if you don't have an appreciation for how racing in the wet enhances your ability to drive a road car in the snow you've never done it yourself. I'm not trying to start a flame war here but.. C'mon.. I thought this was an Audi forum.

buffaloboxster

Sorry this was snarkier than I meant it to be. I was only trying to provide a little counterpoint to the conversation and give the background behind the reason why I personally have never used snow tires. For me, a guy who races, has above-average car control, and doesn't drive very far anyways, I feel like snows would be a waste of my money. Most people I know do not have snow tires, and they drive cars without excellent all-wheel-drive.

If your wife shuttles the kids to day care in a snowy climate, or you live in Finland, then your situation is obviously different than mine.

However, I stand by my original advice: Wait and see so you don't blow a grand on something you might not need.

ELEVENS

No worries buffalo. The problem is that just about everyone thinks they have above-average car control. I'm not doubting you, in fact I believe you. But it seems everyone thinks they're a better driver than the others on the street.

Snow tires are usually associated with superior forward propulsion, but their real value is superior STOPPING and MANEUVERING. Just look at the tread, it's angled for STOPPING traction, not forward propulsion. It doesn't matter if you're Ken Block, many times in an emergency situation where speed control (stopping) and hazard avoidance is the only way out, we're all at the mercy of the tire-road interface.

I have another reason that I fit all 4 of my personal cars and all 3 of my company cars with winter wheels and tires. I live on a hill and it only took one time of having to park down by the road and walking up my snowy drive to convert me.

But there's another upside to winter tires. For me, they make winter driving about 10 times more fun than summer driving. It's invigorating! Want to drag race that big 4x4 pickup to the other side of the intersection. You'll kill him! At fresh snowfalls, I usually stop off at a nearby unplowed parking lot on my morning commute and practice J-turns and drifting. By the time I get to my office, my heartrate and smile is like finishing a 20-minute track session on my Ducati racebike.

The downside is that it is SO FRUSTRATING that everyone else on the road is moving about as slow as a 100 year-old woman in a marble factory and it's like c'mon people what's the big deal? And of course they all look at you like you're some kind of maniac driving "so fast". "Never judge another until you've walked a mile in his moccasins." Snow tires are completely different moccasins.

buffaloboxster

Yeah I get all that, I only thought it was a disservice to the original poster to light me up. Boston and Buffalo are actually at about the same latitude and have similar weather and road conditions.

Anyways..