RKA

Temperature.

Summer tires freeze around 40 degrees and below. The net effect is a loss of traction. Any kind of precipitation mixed in with that significantly lowers your available traction.

Being a good driver, taking extreme caution, and bringing cables is all well and good, but none of it makes up for the fact that you've chosen to use the wrong tires for the conditions. Let's not overcomplicate this matter. It's well documented, and there is more than enough bent sheetmetal around to prove it. If you're going to drive your car in sub-40 temps with summer tires, you're making a big mistake. If you choose to do, go right ahead, but DO NOT pass along the advice, DO NOT say it's okay, in fact, DO NOT say anything. Just keep paying those insurance premiums, because you're going to need it.

[/rant]

RKA

and the countless posts before that (all in the archives).

Kapoosh1

your nuts if you think a s4 with summer tires is better than a rear wheel drive with snow tires.

ESFO

God must have been with sayemthree when he went on his mountain jaunt with his summer shoes on.

ESFO

But have you driven an S4 with summers on in the snow back to back with a rear wheel drive car with snows on?

I have. Hence my thought.

DrGP

A rear wheel drive car with rear snow tires is so much superior to Any Audi with AWD and summer tires that it isnt't funny. My previous A6 had its first encounter with less than 1' of snow and summer 17" HP Potenzas. Went fine in the straight. Couldn't stop!Plus I only made it 1/2 way through a 15mph S turn. Fortunately there was an additional road in the middle of the S turn And I went straight. I didn't steer it straight, it just went that way. With RWD and snows, I would have negotiated that turn without a problem. Summer tires are a no go in any amount of snow even with AWD!

meem

by driving with summer tires in the snow.

really, it is an exceptionally <b>bad</b> idea. there is no excuse not to have proper winter tires.

meem

what he said

luckb0x gamb00ler

just because you made it this time and the next ten times doesn't mean that you won't lose traction at the time when you need it most. Why risk sliding off the side of a mountain just to prove your quattro is great or to save a little money?

ESFO

I stated that snow tires are better than summers in the snow. That if you get appreciable amounts of snow or you plan on driving in much snow, get snows. Focus on that. So many people on this forum love to beat the **** out of people when they say anything in a post that they don't agree with. Why focus so heavily on the one portion of the post you don't agree with rather than the part you do agree with? Again, I've driven a rear wheel drive car with snows right after I drove my S4 without then in the snow. I felt like the S4 did better. This is my opinion. My opinion is not debatable. If I didn't say that it was my opinion but instead said that it was fact, then ok, have a fit. But I wrote <b>IMHO</b>. sayemthree drove in the mountains, in the snow with his car with summers. By all accounts here, he should be dead right now. Dumb luck? Or because it handled pretty well? I'll re-state, if you're driving in a lot of snow or get appreciable amounts of snow in a year, <b>get snow tires</b>!!! If you get a few inches in a year, like Wes mentioned a few posts down, you're probably fine. Use good judgement dependant upon your particular weather.

Good grief!