papertrade15

Hey guys, I have been reading the forums and it certainly has offered a lot of help. Enough to get me prepared to go out and get a new set of tire/rims for the winter.

I live on Long Island and lets just say the winters here are not always brutal but we are susceptible to some horrible weather, freezing rain(sleet), snow, gross roads etc, during our winter season. Plus I will be doing quite of bit of day tripping upstate/PA/NJ and the occasional weekend trip to Vermont for snowboarding. With that said, I have read a dozen forums and they all offer great incite but I am still OCD and need to ask for myself.

I am currently awaiting my 12' Moonlight Blue Prestige with the stock 19's and am trying to find out the best way of going about getting a new set of rims/tires for the winter.

First concerns that come to mind are the right sizing with the vehicle. Will there be in issue if the wrong tires or rim is on there. I am not savvy at all when it comes to rims/tires, I was thinking of speaking to my SA and the parts department at the dealership, but in no way am I going to order from them, as I am almost certain I will get hammered on price. I am just concerned with buying the wrong rim/tire and then creating a real problem for the car.

I did check out tirerack and it seems like you can put in the car make/model/etc and it shows what they suggest for a winter set up. Just looking for anyone with a B8 Prestige winter set up with experience to point me in the right direction.

Thanks again.

GUEST123

No need to limit your searches on the Tire Rack website to just the Prestige model. Selecting Prestige model eliminates 18" wheel/tire combinations from the search results. So take a look at the S4 selections for the Premium Plus model, even if you have the Prestige model. The sizings and offsets will be right for your S4 (no problems with speedo errors), and you'll have lots more to choose from in both wheels and tires. You'll also get the benefit of extra sidewall for lousy winter roads, and lower costs for both wheels and tires. I went with 18" winter wheels for our S4 and have had zero issues.

StevehamS4

I have read that the thinner the tire the better the grip in bad weather. However when you try and find a tire that is thinner you also get a taller tire. I was not happy with trying to find the perfect match as I made a chart for circumference and the circ matches for the 18" on my Premium+ were not available. So I opted to go with a OEM size and just get a winter performance tire rather than an all season. They may be fatter than desired but if you get an inexpensive rim and just buy extra wheels, then when you damage one in a pot hole you swap it out. Much less of a hit than the factory wheel.

Good luck

papertrade15

I really appreciate the incite, I wasn't sure if the smaller rim/tire would work right. I will check out tirerack but this time using premium plus. I was thinking about just getting a good set of winter performance tire and some inexpensive knock around wheels, with the pot holes here in NY the winters can get ugly.

My 08' A4 got the full experience two years ago when I was coming home from work in a blizzard late one night moving pretty quick and before I knew it all I heard was a huge bang and explosion. I got lucky the tire didn't come off the car or that I didn't do any significant wheel damage. That was also back in the day when they still put a full spare in the trunk.

Thanks again for the help, I will post some of the options when I make my decision to get some input.

zulujams

A big tip I learned on the forum here is not to get Tire Pressure Monitor sensors installed in after-market wheels. The B8s don't use sensors. I've been shopping around myself, but I've got stock 18"s on my car now that I'll turn into winter wheels and then buy new wheels, 19" likely, in the spring. I used tire rack once in the past with good results but currently I'm eyeing up some Alzor wheels on ECS Tuning's site for next spring.

papertrade15

Can you elaborate??

zulujams

Others here could do a better job, but from what I've read in the manual and on this forum, you use the MMI to 'learn' the car's tires when set at the correct pressure. If the sensors outside the wheels (in the brake setup?) detect a loss of 20% or so, you'll get a warning to check the tires. I've seen a couple warnings on this forum not to get talked into buying TPMs as they just aren't used but some sales people will push for them. Help from others with more mechanical insight would be great!

Huey52

^ The B8's employ 2nd generation TPMS technology by ECU computing of wheel rpm deviations via the ABS system and therefore don't require the "old" in-tire RF sensors.

Rial DH 18x9.5" rims (German made, hubcentric, use OEM lug bolts) with 245x40x18 Michelin Alpin snow tires myself. Quiet, very capable in snow/slush/rain at low temps and a bit taller sidewall than my OEM 19" to help absorb pothole shock, etc. Tire Rack balanced and delivered.

zulujams

^ what he said! Thanks neighbor.

papertrade15

Haha, that looks like chinese to me, but I appreciate the help. I am also going to check out the rim/tire package you added. I'm still so antsy waiting for this car, I can't stay off the forums. I just want to make sure I do the right things to take care of the car.