since84

I think in the last post I saw you had decided on a manufacturer and model, but I didn't see the size. As I expect to see my car in November in Minnesota, the first thing I'll have to do is get tires. I'd like to put snow tires on the OEM Avus rims and get different rims for summer, but I'm concerned about 18" snow tires.

We average 40" snow a year, varies from 20-80" with snowfalls of up to 20" at a time.

Thanks for your help.

BiggerTwin

I was very happy with my experience on these tires in a smaller size on the WRX and I think that influenced Wes at Tire Rack to recommend I stick with them. Tire Rack apparently recommended Yokohama to another owner that called. I think they are significantly cheaper.

We discussed the theoretic advantage of a narrower tire to go through snow better and Wes didn't think that the 17 inch wheels would make much of a difference. I liked the Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2 on a 330xi I drove and there is no doubt they would handle better in the snow on 17 inch wheels (they don't make them in 18 for the S4) than the all season Pilots on 18 inch wheels. Snow tires won't handle as well on dry pavement and despite all the snow we had last year, I am usually on dry plowed roads or hard packed snow. There aren't many days I face unplowed roads and I have once again decided to compromise my deep snow performance in favor of dry road handling. The Tire Rack web site lists all tires for the S4 if you plug in the year and model. I think they have 2 snow tires in our size.

While it sounds like I face the same amount of snow as you do, how it falls is very important. We usually get a 5-8 inch snow a couple of times a month with mostly dry roads in between. If we got an inch or two every day so that the roads were mostly snow covered all winter, I might have gone with snow tires. Last year we had a record breaking 13 consecutive days of snow, two 23 inch storms, and a few normal size storms. The Subaru with the Pilot Sport A/S tires never got stuck and I never had a single "white knuckle" drive that I buy AWD cars to avoid. The WRX liked to drift a bit but it was always controllable and fun in the snow. I imagine the S4 will be a more planted ride like I had with my A6.

Alan

since84

Thanks very much for your response. I plan to go with your recommendation.

Efrino

Thanks....any reasons for ruling out A/S Conti Extremes and/or A/S Pirelli PZero's?

BiggerTwin

was impressed with how well the car handled in snow.

Alan

PS4

Yes, Wes at Tirerack did prefer the Yokohoma's (AVS dB S2), in part because they are supposedly quieter. Any experience with Yokohama AVS dB S2??

BiggerTwin

a different Yokohama for my Z4. This leads me to believe 1)He really likes Yokohama, 2)Tire Rack makes a higher margin on Yokohama, or 3) Tire Rack has a lot of Yokohamas to move.

While I was very happy with the Pilot Sport A/S in the snow, I am inclined to save some money and try the Yokohamas on the Z4 in the spring. I would also be interested in hearing from anyone with personal experience on any of their tires.

Alan

jprice@CPS

Nokian WR in V rating, hands down. Yes, they perform well in the dry too, while having better snow/ice performance than the Pilot A/S. The V rating is important if you're interested in the dry road performance (actually, you may only be able to get the V rated in 18" sizes). You can get a set from Anderson Motorsport ( <a href="http://www.andersonmotorsport.com">http://www.andersonmotorsport.com </a>) which is in Chanhassen.

Also, check out <a href="http://www.mnaudi.com">http://www.mnaudi.com</a> and join up from the join link off the main page, which will get you access to the discussion boards.

Pre-Congrats on the new S4! :-)

otw185

living in MN....I've run them for a winter in Ohio with less snow than you'll get and was not overly impressed. In a way my RWD Benz felt more stable in snow running Blizzaks than my S4 did on The Pilot Sport A/S. Overall of course the quattro setup on an A/S tire is better than most anything you could equip on an RWD car, but just saying there is a reason to go with dedicated tires for specific purposes. This year I'm going back to a real winter tire. Haven't tried but I've heard the Nokians are really good too...

BiggerTwin

The RWD Bimmer had better braking in the snow but the Audi had better traction (The BMW's traction control kept kicking in to kill power to the rear wheels.) The WS-15 tires were terrible on dry pavement and had so much squirm that the car lost a significant amount of it handling prowess; which was the reason I bought the car in the first place. I actually preferred the 740iL with a fresh set of Michelin all season MVX4 tires on it in the winter to the WS-15s. A RWD car with all season tires can get through winter but there will be a few "white knuckle" drives in heavy snow. I find AWD with all season tires to be the best compromise for me. I can understand others wanting winter tires for maximum performance in the snow. Unless you have a lift and air compressor in your garage and can quickly change wheels and tires based on the weather forecast, all of our choices involve some compromise.

Alan