Matthies

I removed my stock 15 inch non sport tires/rims from my 2001 A4. They had maybe 1,000 miles on them when I switched out to 17's with summer only rubber. This has worked great here in Phoenix AZ, but now I'm looking at grad school in Vermont, Montana, or Idaho, which means I will have to deal with something I have not seen in 12 years, snow. So I now have two questions:

1) I figure I will need to re-install my standard non sport suspension, which has been stored in my garage since the tire change. I'm assuming that my lowered car would not be beneficial in the snowy climate I'm moving to, correct?

2) I have also stored my stock rims, with the stock tires, in my garage. The look perfectly fine, still inflated, no flat spot that I can see. Is there anything I should be aware of re-installing these tires? Do tires go "bad" when not in use? Are the stock all seasons OK (Goodyear Eagle LS) for point A to point B snow driving (I'm not much of a sport driver even in good weather)? Anything I need to be aware of before I pout these wheels back on?

Any advice or comments would be great!!

Andy Hedin

...although I'm not in VT, we get a fair amount of snow down here in the Philly area (36" storm a few years ago comes to mind) and I've never had any issues with either my lowere '97 A4 or my lowered '01 S4.

Matthies

I guess I could move the suspension with me, and install if it becomes a problem. Any advice on the wheels? Is it safe to install wheels that have been stored for 3 years?

Thanks!!

SilverA4Fun

and take them for a spin to check for any flat out of balance issues. Also your snow traction will benefit from the smaller wheels and footprint.

Matt2.8.. Evoluzione

BTW, Eagle LS tires are a liability in the snow...replacing them with proper tires is cheap insuranc