tofuking

Hi all, i am contemplating between getting a 18" wheel and tire set for the winter with winter tires and do the swap annually OR just replacing the summer tires with high performance all-seasons like Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus or Continental ExtremeContact DWS amd mot have to worry about it.

I used to have the extra winter set on my GTI and, it was nice but a pain in the butt to have to swap it out.

Anyone out there running all seasons? how do they perform with the quattro in the snow? Is it good enough? I live in Philadelphia, it probably snows 4-5 times per winter.

Thanks

Audirings4

Dedicated winter wheel/tire setup.
Switching them out should take you no longer than 25 mins with a hydraulic jack and jack stands.

rktskicar

I run all ultra high performance all seasons (UHPAS) all year long for last 13 years, 10 of those on S4's. One set of tires/wheels. I do a lot of skiing, they work fine for me. It does not snow much here in Seattle, but we get a crapload of snow in the mountains. a pic below from a ski area 1.25 hrs from my house (Crystal Mountain, WA).

Bruce

Mt Rainier from Crystal Mt Wa, (~ 6800 ft elev)

steveracer

This depends on if you enjoy driving in the snow or treat is like the plague. Driving in the snow can be so much more enjoyable in an AWD car than on summer pavement.

If this is your bag, get studless ice tires. The "performance winter" tires are a misnomer, they do not provide winter performance driving enjoyment. Trust me, I had a set on my A3 and it was painful not to have decent grip in the snow.

But, if you just look at winter driving as "I have to get around", get the all season tires and save yourself the personal hassle of changing skins.

Me, I wouldn't be caught without dedicated winter tires. The fun begins with the first snowfall.

rktskicar

I also drove 4 wheel dedicated studded winter snow tires on 2WD for 25 years here before I switched to AWD and all season tires 13 years ago. I am used to driving in the snow, I like it!. This setup works fine for me. you can run whatever winter setup you want

To me snow/ice driving is all about driving within your traction limits. My AWD with AS tires works pretty friggen great IMO.

Bruce

WoodyV

This is the first time I've gotten snow tires. I wasn't happy navigating the hills around here in my previous RWD car with all-seasons. Having the dealer install winter wheels & tires and store my summer tires seemed like a better option than switching the all seasons. The only downside is that I don't like my winter wheels as much as the stock wheels. But I get them back in march and I don't have to leave my car in the garage for a week if it snows (summer tires were unusable in the first snow we got here in Seattle; I live on a hill with lots of trees so the snow can stay around for a while).

Excelsior7

My BMW on Snow tires could drive circles around my old Subaru on AS's. Huge difference in performance in the snow.

On the pavement, though...

I can spin the tires if I get on it too hard in 3rd gear. It's somewhat annoying.

So I'd guess it depends on how much of your winter driving is in snow. I'm with a previous poster i that I seek out the stuff.

nhs4

I tend to keep my cars long enough that I would go through 3-4 sets of tires anyway, so it is well worth it to me to know that I have the maximum traction for safe winter driving. I do agree it's all about understanding the physics, but both my AWD cars have snows and the difference versus all seasons is incredible in bad weather, especially ice and sloppy snow.

Don't play around with a single set of wheels for both summer and winter tires. Any money you save upfront will be eaten up by the change-overs and associated aggravation.. I'm currently living with this mistake on both my wife's car and an SUV, and have determined it takes 2 winters to break even with the cheapest set of rims.

Smith837

Can't speak for all seasons on the S4, but had them on my G35 and found them to be adequate. Gotta say, even though there's a world of difference between the S4 and G35, I'm really appreciating the dedicated summer and winter setups on the S4. The S4 Winter Wheel and Tire Package is really impressing me. I've yet to get a chance to take it out in the snow, but that's sure to change soon.

psymon_pwnz

Depends on how you drive and what you're gonna do with your summer tires. For a performance car, I would get a winter set just to utilize the summer tires. The summers are 350 a piece so why let it go to waste. You live in PA and even though it may not snow a ton, it does get very cold which is enough to significantly reduce traction.

Point is, why get a performance car if you aren't going to push it to the limit? You might as well gotten an a4. (much more comfy suspension and alot cheaper)