citizenvlad

so, being the good noob i am, ive done a lot of searching and it seems like the Nokian WR AWP are the tires i need to get.

i live in salt lake city. i just moved here so i havent experienced any winters here. i imagine they do a good job of clearing the roads up here when it snows. however, i plan to make frequent trips to the mountains to ski plus i live on the very north side of town which is elevated several hundred feet above the valley. theres a good mile long stretch of road on a steep incline i have to take to get to/from my house.

i just got my A4 (cpo) a few months ago and the Pirelli P6s are shot. i'm assuming they are the tires that came with the car from the factory. car now has 24k miles on it. i need to replace my tires now and i don't think i can afford to get a pair of dedicated winter tires and then a dedicated summer pair in the spring. so i'm going with all seasons. seems like everyone is in agreement that the WRs are the way to go.

question is how much should i expect to pay? i got a quote from a tire shop here in town. $185 per tire + $20 mounting fee for the set. total of around $760 mounted and balanced. seem reasonable to you guys?

tires in question are 235/45/17 and are 97V rated.

i'd appreciate any input. also you guys think i'm making the right choice here?

ex-quattro PETE

If you MUST have just one set of tires to get you through winter and summer, I guess WR is it.

Personally, I don't think I'd be happy with this solution though. WR will do great during winter, but in the summer while it's OK, it's definitely not a 'fun' summer tire. You buy a car like an A4 to have some fun, to drive spiritedly through the twisties, etc. You're not going to feel confident doing that during summer with the WR.

For not a whole lot more, you could get two sets of tires - dedicated winters and dedicated summers. Or get a set of 15" steelies (if they'll clear your brakes) with winter tires - smaller tires are much less expensive, plus they'll work a little better in the white stuff as well. Just a thought.

citizenvlad

i thought the v rated tires did really well even in dry. lets say i do decide to get a dedicated pair of summer tires...wouldn't the nokians do really well in the winter anyway as dedicated winters? i just don't know what i'll be able to afford come spring you know? i dont want to buy a dedicated pair of winter tires now and then come spring realize that i dont have room in my budget for new summer tires.

do the nokians perform that poorly in dry?

ex-quattro PETE

They do well during summer in a sense that they don't wear out very quickly and don't become overly mushy come high temps, but they're no comparison to dedicated summer tires when it comes to handling, steering response, etc.

They're definitely a great choice for winter. I was just saying, you could do better for summer if you had a second set of summer tires. But if spring comes and you've got no cash, it's still OK to keep running on the WR. Put it this way - see how you like driving on them come summer time, and based on that make a decision if it's worth it to buy a separate set of summer-only tires.

citizenvlad

so i'll get these now, they'll get me through the winter and then i'll see what i'm feeling come spring. sound good? and as far as running a single tire all year round, i thought the wrs were the tire of choice around here?

is it too early to be getting winter tires or do you think i'm ok? i just had one of my P6s basically desintigrate on my yesterday so i'm worried that the others might be close to doing the same...

ex-quattro PETE

> and as far as running a single tire all year
> round, i thought the wrs were the tire of
> choice around here?

Yes. That is what I said in my first response.

Definitely get them NOW if your current tires disintegrating.

citizenvlad

So, any idea how much these babies run?

jprice@CPS

I have my wife, mom, and sister running on WRs all year long. It is great for them.. decent treadwear, awesome winter traction. Good enough on the dry for them. None of them are going to go for thrills pushing their cars on windy roads. For me, the WR would not be enough for summer. When I drive my wife's car in a spirited fashion.. it actually does ok (205/55/16 V on Subaru Impreza wagon), but it leaves me wishing for more. I haven't been able to talk her into two sets since she knows I'm the only one that would benefit. ;-)

I would 2nd Pete's suggestion of getting a 15" or 16" wheel and getting skinnier/cheaper winter tires. I might recommend the Nokian RSi... specifically if your incline gets slick with ice in the winter (ask your neighbors). Then come summer, get some good summer tread on your stockers (Toyo T1-R?).

The only downside to that for you mountain folks is if you drive up past the snow line in the summer for skiing, you'll need to throw your winters on for that trip. With the WR all year it wouldn't matter.

azeemtn

Does any one know where else we can get these tires?

I can't imagine they need to be THIS expensive.

Thanks.

ex-quattro PETE

Did you try your local Nokian dealer?