Shabbis

I have a 99.5 2.8QMS and live in Oregon. We probably get two or three snow days a year here (and I walk to work on those days, too many idiots in Expeditions here all over the road in the snow). But I plan on taking my A4 up to the mountain to ski quite often this winter.<p>My old 92 Subaru Legacy Wagon AWD had a good set of all-seasons and worked great up on the mountain. Should I do the same in the winter with my A4? I know the SP8000s probably won't do well up in the graveled mountain passes this winter.<p>My question is: Should I get a set of snow tires for the winter? Or should I just get a set of good all-seasons?

Andy Hedin

I take it from your post that you already have the Dunlop SP-Sport 8000E tires. If that's the case, then I'd say buy a set of snows. Now if you already had all-season Conti's on there, I'd probably tell you not to bother but the 8000E's won't cut it in the snow. You'll put yourself and everyone else on the road in danger when your driving on them in the snow. So since you really need another tire for winter, you might as well do it right and get a set of snow tires. In case you missed my postings on this subject, I love my Pirelli Winter 210A's...great compromise between snow traction and dry handling.<p> Andy Hedin

Shabbis

We only have two or three days of snow here each year. But I do plan on going skiing with my A4 a lot. With snow tires, would I have to swap wheels every time I go up? It would be kind of pointless to have snow tires around town all winter when I only go up to the mountain once a week or so.<p>So I am wondering if I can just get an agressive tred all-season for November through April instead of a snow tire, like I had on my old Subaru AWD. Which was flawless on the plowed and graveled mountain roads.

David Hess

I plan on putting on snow tires from November to March. If you want the safest and easiest way to drive in the mountains, a set of snow tires is the way to go. Some snow tires are pretty good around town and chances are you will not be the only one with snow tires on. DONT drive on the SP8000s in the snow, unless you want to fall off that mountain. All seasons will be better than the SP8000s but snow tires is the best option.<br>David Hess <br>98.5 2.8 QSTip

Andy Hedin

<i>We only have two or three days of snow here each year. But I do plan on going skiing with my A4 a lot. With snow tires, would I have to swap wheels every time I go up? It would be kind of pointless to have snow tires around town all winter when I only go up to the mountain once a week or so.</i><p>I think it would be a major pain to install snows every weekend. Are you planning on purchasing new rims for the snow or all-season tires? <p><i>So I am wondering if I can just get an agressive tred all-season for November through April instead of a snow tire, like I had on my old Subaru AWD. Which was flawless on the plowed and graveled mountain roads.</i><p>You can certainly do this, but all-seasons are "OK in everything, great in nothing". It would be like wearing sneakers out in the snow. They work OK but a snow boot would be much better. I don't personally see a lot of snow here where I live (last winter was a real dud)...some winters are worse than others and occasionally we get some freak 36 inch storm. With Quattro I could probably get around just fine. But I want to feel 100% comfortable and safe and have confidence in my car to get me where I need to go....my snow tires (really should call them "winter" tires) give me that feeling.<p>The performance oriented "winter" tires (Pirelli Winter 210A and Dunlop Winter Sport M2) are the best compromise for those of us who end up driving most of the time on dry roads but occasionally need to deal with snow/ice/slush.<p>As you can tell, I'm biased towards proper "winter" tires. I believe that having the best tire for the particular season is the best way to go. That's why i have "summer" tires and "winter" tires. In my limited experience with all-season tires, I wasn't happy with them in any season.<p><A HREF="Mailto:andy_hedin@hotmail.com"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman" SIZE=4>Andy Hedin</FONT></A><br><p>'97 A4 1.8Tqms, Wett 1.0 Bar, ABT Filter, Euro Headlights, more...

Shabbis

How do the snow tires handle in rain and dry pavement? As you know, here in the NW, we get a lot of rain. I was actually impressed with the SP8000E performance in the rain.<p>So I should just run a moderate snow tire November through March up here?<p>Also, do you recommend a seperate wheel for the snow tires? Maybe the Audi 5 spoke 15" wheels?

Andy Hedin

<i>How do the snow tires handle in rain and dry pavement? As you know, here in the NW, we get a lot of rain. I was actually impressed with the SP8000E performance in the rain.</i><p>My Pirelli's handle great in the rain...no problem at all. I honestly think they handle <b>better</b> than the all-season Continental ContiTouring tires that came on my A4. The Pirelli's stick great in the dry, not a peep out of them (I'm running 205-55-16 Pirelli's).<p><i>So I should just run a moderate snow tire November through March up here?</i><p>I usually put mine on sometime in November and depending on the weather forecast, take them off in March or April.<p><i>Also, do you recommend a seperate wheel for the snow tires? Maybe the Audi 5 spoke 15" wheels?</i><p>Separate wheels makes things very easy when it's time to swap over. But, there is the additional expense of the wheels. 15" Audi take-off alloys would be a great choice...check out the classifieds on A4.org. You might even find a great deal on 16" OEM alloys too. Other than that, you could purchase take-off steel Passat rims from a VW dealer or from Tire Rack.<p>Andy Hedin<br>

CraigB

I run Pirelli Winter 210A on 16" R-28s (I'm in Denver, CO). The traction is awesome and the dry handling is surprisingly good. They're not squirrely on dry pavement, like most snow tires. I usually put them on by Halloween (unless we get substantial snow before that) and run them until I quit skiing for the year (April, usually).<p>CraigB

pdw

They don't look great but they work. Steel rims tend to have less problems snow accumulating inside and throwing the rim off balance. Also, the salt will eat aluminum rims in short order.

Arch57

In Central CT we can get 106" of snow (1996) or 30" of slush that usually melts by 10a.m. Yet, I invested in Quattro for a number of reasons, one being not to fear the weather. (I used to have a 5.0 Mustang in the snow & rain...scary stuff!). I am encouraged to hear the Pirelli's offer decent dry handling. After reading this thread I will probably get "high performance" snows instead of comprimising my grip with all-seasons.<br>Thanks...<br>-->Arch57 99.5 2.8QMS