S4MadMan

...I'm looking for the best traction in snow. Don't care about loudness or treadwear. I just want the best traction/safety/braking.

How good can the traction be? Can it compare to a 4WD SUV?

Thanks!

gr

Any of the tires you mentioned on an S4 will give you 10x better acceleration, MUCH better safety (as far as loosing control goes) and a zillion times better braking (those SUVs are heavy as hell and have a high center of gravity, not good things when you are trying to stop in the snow!)

All in all, S4 with high performance tires in snow = yougottabenuts!!!

AWD SUV in snow = not like you see on T.V. !

S4 with snow tires in snow = as safe as your ever going to feel driving in the snow (snow mobiles not included!)

As far as specific tires, I had the M2s last year (and will remount them this year) because they were great in the snow for accelerating\turning\braking and were great when the snow dried and the highway on ramps were cleared off! Others swear by the Blizzaks and the Alpines, I think any of the three and you'll be happy!

Hope that helped!

chris8l

225/45/17 Wintersports were EXCELLENT, not much worse than the crap 040's in the dry.

dcginc

I have used the Blizzak MZ01 (or02) on my Volvo 98 XC 15/65/205 for the past two winters. I have snowed skiied 40 years now. The most Awesome tire I have ever had. I bought a Subaru Legacy GT 2.5 last winter while my S4 Avant was on order. Once I found that the 16' tire size of the subbie would fit my S4, with soon to be purchased 16 wheels, I ordered. The MZ-02 is the wider profile of the MZ-01 (or vice versa-can't remember). In my Volvo (I live in Oregon) I skiied over 28 days last year. Assuming the snow was not just slush, I could drive 65 to 70 mph on the snow and ice. Even my wife could tell the awesome diffference in traction. Almost could do full throttle starts and you can really hammer the brakes without going into the ABS!

Go for em. They simply are the best.

Audi Dudey

longer and are specifically designed for Nordic conditions. They're not as widely known as others because they're not carried by Tirerack or other big distributors and they don't advertise near as much (they don't have to) but if you have to drive on ice and snow most of the time, you won't find a better tire. A number of rally teams use them. Ask anyone on this forum who's compared them to others and you'll find they can't help but be impressed by them.

I drive in ice and snow up to 8 months a year so don't flame me about this but I can tell you from personal experience that there isn't a jeep/SUV/4WD pickup out there (with their stock tires) that can hang with you on ice and snow with these tires. Quattro and Nokian rule the winter roads. They don't defy the laws of physics but they come close as anything I've seen or heard of.

Check out nokiantires.com

Nick Gustas

I was going 55 and he was probably going about 50, as I went to pass he noticed me and I hear the wail of his engine as he goes to full throttle, I dropped it into 3rd and blew past him


Hard pack snow, slightly shiny

Nick Gustas

I agree.

JRS4

Ditto. Great winter tires.

Ted K

Blizzaks are marginally better in deep snow and ice than the Pilot Alpins, but give up considerable dry winter weather performance. The Alpins are therefore marginally worse in the deep and icy stuff, but WAY better in the dry. They are clearly the two top high performance winter tires. Go to the following URL to check it out yourself:<ul><li><a href="http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testResultsModel.jsp?tireModel=Pilot+Alpin&tireMod el=Michelin">http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testResultsModel.jsp?tireModel=Pilot+Alpin&tireMod el=Michelin</a</li></ul>

Ted K

Blizzaks, and Nokians are not really necessary. If you live in the Northeast or Chicago area, Pilot Alpins are better as you won't give up as much in dry winter performance.