bjweber

I have been a long time BMW owner and my current vehicle is an M3, but I am very close to closing a deal on an SQ5. The X3 styling is not for me (too boring) and I cannot afford an X5 optioned the way I would like, which is why I am looking at the SQ5. However I am concerned about how it will perform in both snow and ice. Yes, I know it has quattro but it also needs a decent tire package. I recently moved to Portland, Oregon from California and hope to get back into skiing now that I live 40 minutes from Mt. Hood.

The SQ5 I am considering has the optional 21 inch wheels. If I am going to go anywhere near snow and ice, I assume that I will need to get a second set of rims and tires. Has anyone who recently purchased an SQ5, or is familiar with it, looked into wheel/tire options? I assume with a decent set of all season or snow tires the SQ5 will do OK in snow and ice. Of course the SQ5 may be the wrong choice for my intended purpose and I may be better off looking at a Q5 3.0T.

mishmosh

Whether Q5 or SQ5, I would get a set of winter tires/rims if you have any amount of snow to contend with. Now with Oregon, I'm not sure if that is like Seattle weather where snow accumulation is not that severe. In that case, it may be hard to justify having separate purpose tires/rims if all you need are all-season 95% of the winter days.

I am actually disappointed in the SQ5. We don't get the lowered suspension that was previewed. Sounds like you get a different tune, some SQ5 trim and badging, and maybe bigger brakes compared to the Q5 s-line. You can easily do the APR reflash and call it a day if so.

MP4.2+6.0

21" is a non starter for snow, starting with the only choice currently available in the stock Q5 size is a summer Dunlop. Look at TireRack and you can confirm.

You just need a different set of wheels. For example, if you look on EBay, a fair number of 19" OE choices are available at reasonable prices. Or 20's for that matter if you want a performance combo. but still w/ winter tires. You can get Dunlop 3D's in 255/45-20's as one example. A great "performance" snow.

As your post suggests, quattro is quattro basically. I have had it since 1997 on 3 successive Audi's. Use it in Tahoe skiing and a second home. We get up to 200" annually where we are at 6700 feet, and it never lets us down, both plowed and unplowed and with hard frozen road surfaces for days on end.

Current rides are an A8 W12 and an older A6 4.2. Both have much lower clearance than the Q5 but lots of HP. The 4.2 was a bit too old to even have ESP. All perform great, and the prereq. are definitely the tires. Generally I use the Dunlops, though for the A8 I had to get the Pirelli Sottozero's for proper fitment/sizing. By contrast, for serious weather I have found A/S's don't make it, and have seen many spun and even flipped vehicles of all flavors with them. And on occasion when I have had the wrong tires on (A/S's) but gotten caught in weather in swing seasons, they haven't cut it adequately for critical stopping--including Bridgestones, Pirellis, Michelins and Dunlops, all on AWD vehicles. Push and pray is not my choice for poor condition braking--downhill on ice or ice into a corner at any speed being the usual worst scenarios.

Net, buy the Q5 you want performance and budget wise, and then just get a good set of snows if you are in serious weather climates.

gtwagon941

I live in Beaverton and have 19" snows on my RS4 and it does great. Sure, a narrow 15" tire would be better in the snow, but you aren't gonna get stuck or have issues unless you are driving like an idiot. We have an SQ5 coming with 20s but I'm still assuming I'll end up finding some 19s come winter. What is the Offset for Qs?

tomaszp72

I have 19 with the all season tires and drive to Mt.Hood as often as to work, especially in the winter. Love driving Q in snow, its fun. Quatro is a big reason why I got it. Had driven quatro before for 10 years and loved it. 19 was and all seasons was a big reason why I didnt go for the full S line, just the interrior.

spijun

Winter tyres two size for SQ5 :
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2851963

spijun

Offset for Q5:
17X7 ET 33 - only for winter tires
17X7 ET 37 - only for winter tires

17X8 ET 39
18X8 ET 39
19x8 ET 39
19X8 ET 27
20X8,5 ET 33

For SQ5
19x7 ET 37 for winter tires
20X8,5 ET 33
21X8,5 ET 33

Gossip Girl

I live in the Rocky Mountains and I would never consider driving in the snow without dedicated snow tires. All seasons do not cut it. Looks like the SQ5 will take 19 inch rims for snow tires, which is great. Another post in this thread says: 19x7 ET 37 for winter tires.

We won't know how good it is in the snow until we try it. You can drive it at low revs and not engage the torque of the supercharger. My only concern would be how big the 19s are. A narrow skinny tire is always better for snow but I'm sure that with dedicated snows it will do very well. Will report when the snow flies. I have to admit I tend to cheat by using my 2005.5 A4 Avant when it's really nasty. 117K miles makes it feel more disposable.

kleinbus

All-seasons are for southerns who get one or two days snow a year, meaning they don't know what the real winter is. These people are usually the loudest to promote how amazing the all-seasons are and how there is no need for dedicated winters.

People who haves real winter knows second set with dedicated winters is only way to go as all-season junk is compromise between two dedicated type of tires.

Our Q5 with dedicated winters was good up to the point when vehicle gets high-centered and is carried from belly while wheels are just spinning and polishing the frozen ground.





Shaky video clip wife took when I went out to play with Quattro...

Q5 Bob

I live in IL and we get a fair amount of snow but usually nothing too bad. The snow we do get is removed quickly so all-seasons work just fine. In fact, AWD is not really needed but nice to have. IMO around here dedicated winters would be a waste of time and money. I understand the need for them in certain areas though.