Winter Tyres On The S3, Worth It?

To the OP, I would say yes, well worth it, you would not believe the difference they make! I've not driven an S3 with winter tyres but driven a lot of other cars with them and they are noticeably better in the snow and ice. I live in Germany and its compulsory by law that winter tyres must be fitted in the winter. Initially I thought it was just tyre manufacturers looking to gain more profit and couldn't see how it would make a difference, but after many years now of switching to winter tyres in winter i can categorically say they are better. I can see why you would ask with the S3 being quattro 4WD, the quattro 4WD as I understand it is not permanent 4WD, it is biased to front wheel drive and automatically goes in to 4WD only when needed for more traction, this doesn't really help with stopping distances on ice/snow whereas a winter tyre will. Hope that helps.
 
Done 100 odd miles on new 225/40 x 18 Pirelli SottoZero 3 AOs... Very impressed. Seem to suit the car better than the Conti 5s!!
 
my new michelin PA4's are excellent. even with release compound, the S3 is transformed in the cold greasy wet conditions up here in NE Scotland. money very well spent.
bizzarely, they are also quieter than the conti SC 5's OEM.
 
Same down here in South Wales, only problem since I've put them on is we've not had cold weather!
 
hit a greasy damp roundabout today at quick entry speed, perhaps a bit too fast. the PA4's dealt with it like a dry tyre. no slip, grip under power and no dramas. also i can sense the braking performance has been nicely improved. recommended !
 
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I have just spent the last 2hrs swopping the summer wheels for winter wheels on my S3, as others have said the price of the tyres is probably not a lot more than most people's insurance excess so why not do it? Also saves any scrapes/scratches on the summer wheels as the winter wheels aren't 'as important'..............although both my sets are the optional 18inch multi spokes.
 
If any forum members are considering winter wheels/tyres for their S3, I am currently selling a full set of 4 brand new and unused genuine A3 OEM 18 Inch '5-parallel-spoke' alloy wheels fitted with 'Pirelli Sottozero 3' AO winter tyres. Please PM or see 8V classified section for further details.
 
Hi all. After living and working on the French/Swiss border for several winters, I've talked plenty with the locals there. In France down there it's mandatory to use winter tyres. And in Switzerland and Germany the insurance companies insist on it. If there's an accident and you don't have them, you're in deep ****. You'll see loads of top cars with steels on as no one gives a damn about their car looking top class in the winter...they'd just prefer it not to be looking up from the bottom of a ditch.
The best quote I remember is summers to winters are like night and day. Some of the guys there have them on all year round. It's not a big issue. I can remember driving with my (English) colleague in his 4WD through Germany and being overtaken by some 2WD thing like we were stationary.
I'll be looking into them...Audi do a winter kit including tyres. I may look at that.
 
Screendevil said:
The best quote I remember is summers to winters are like night and day. Some of the guys there have them on all year round. It's not a big issue. I can remember driving with my (English) colleague in his 4WD through Germany and being overtaken by some 2WD thing like we were stationary.
I'll be looking into them...Audi do a winter kit including tyres. I may look at that.
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A friend of mine in south western France (well north of the Pyrenees though) uses winters all year, car still grips fine and most years the temp is easy 20deg+ from may thru October. I used the jack that came with the car and it was fine, OK not the best jack I have ever used but worked fine.
Mine felt odd for the first 25miles but now have settled in nicely, no apparent lack of grip at all in dry conditions at 8deg so looking forward to the real winter coming. Where we are in France they don't really use salt/grit and kind of let you get on with it so people tend to err on the side of caution and buy winters.

I too one left Rodez airport on summer tyres in a hire car well below 0deg and snowing and wondered how the hell the locals were flying around like it was summer time, then I realised what tyres they were all on.
 
Put mine on Monday night. Just in time! On Tuesday morning I was on the back road to work as usual. There was a small lorry in front of me. He hit a patch of black ice and started going sideways. Then he kindly pulled over and let me pass, with a white van tailgating me who obviously wanted to pass me too. My traction control light flashed briefly on the next hill and I watched the van fall way back in my mirror.

Winter tyres give confidence in poor road conditions. Just remember - you still can not drive like an idiot. I learned that lesson last winter.
 
Oh... my wife got the tyre depot to put her's on too. She even took the tyres (in their carry bags) out of the boot herself. She commented on how light a tyre (no alloy) actually is. Much less hassle than I had - about 1h20min of jacking and heavy lifting. Luckily my back wasn't aching after.
 
I've just looked back through my photos to find when I had my winter tyres fitted 23/12/2012! Never got round to changing them back (or had the money for a 2nd set of wheels) so they have been on ever since. I was getting close to swapping the fronts for the rears, until I came home tonight and found I had a punture! Still.. thats two years they've been on the car, and had I not got the puncture I would be rotating them to get at least another 12/18 months out of them. Better still I would've got another set of summer tyres & wheels & changed them over when the weather dictated I do so.

So they have lasted 18k miles so far..as for performance, they allow you to get around in the poor wet/winter weather (though not a licence to drive like a tw*t) and have saved me from a couple of kerbs/pedestrians/other vehicles.

Verdict: Best money I ever spent!
 
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My Winters have been on all year too, in fact I am still on the original set of winters well 2 of them, got a puncture in one so replaced 2, I Put a little more air in them to strengthen the side walls
 
Admittedly not an S3 but i've just ordered some Nokian A3's for my 8V from Tyre Leader. Just hope they balance up ok and I can cope with one set of rims.
 
Just had a set of Vredestein Wintrac Extreme S fitted in 235/35/19. I'll report back in a week or two once I know how they go in the grease and wet.
 
For those with an S3 saloon, is 235/35/19 the standard tyre size? I'm thinking about putting some winter tyres on mine when i get her but was unsure if i'd be better to just go for a full set of 18" alloys with winter tyres so it's easier to change them out when(if) the weather warms up.

Thanks in advance,

Si :)
 
No. not sure what size the standard wheel are but the 19" I have were a paid for option. It's easier to get a new set of wheels as you say, so less hassle to change - just make sure you buy the right size!
 
Thanks for the reply.

Was thinking about a set of 18"s that Audi have on the website. I think they are the ones you get on the cabrio. At £1720 for the set, i wasn't sure if that was a particularly good price. I've asked my saleman if there are any discounts to be had. Don't mind paying a wee bit extra to know i have the correct fitment.

Si :)
 
swapping out the tyres at a depot every winter time is ok if u don't mind paying the tyre guys to swap them out, as pointed out already it's much easier to have a second set of wheels so u have a winter set and a summer set that u just swap out yourself. Here in germany everyone seems to cut around on steel rims or a smaller set of alloys with winter tyres in winter and have their nice alloys with summer tyres in the summer. You get more grip in the snow with a narrower wheel/tyre, so better to downsize. As for leaving winter tyres on all year round, that's ok but for optimum performance it's not that great, winter tyres are only effective in temperatures lower than 7 degrees, above 7 degrees and if wet too they are pretty poor, just look at the wet grip ratings in comparison to a decent set of summer tyres. Winter tyres for winter, summer tyres for summer! There are "all season" tyres available if you are not into changing tyres/wheels twice a year.
 
Psyman79 said:
Thanks for the reply.

Was thinking about a set of 18"s that Audi have on the website. I think they are the ones you get on the cabrio. At £1720 for the set, i wasn't sure if that was a particularly good price. I've asked my saleman if there are any discounts to be had. Don't mind paying a wee bit extra to know i have the correct fitment.

Si :)
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£1720 sounds reasonable for OEM, but overkill IMO for a winter tyre/wheel set up. Get a set of good quality aftermarket alloys with winter tyres on. No need to have 19's or even 18's on in the winter. The car will look filthy dirty for the next 2-3 months so the winter set up is about safety, not looks. In the long run the replacement tyres will cost less the smaller you go too.
 
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Wasn't sure if there would be issues with brakes/mag ride if i went smaller than 18"s

Thanks.
 
Also, is there a setting in the car to adjust for winter tyres? My Leon Cupra had a setting that could be adjusted to allow for higher profile tyres/smaller wheels. Does it make a difference to the accuracy of the speedo?

Si :)
 
Psyman79 said:
Also, is there a setting in the car to adjust for winter tyres? My Leon Cupra had a setting that could be adjusted to allow for higher profile tyres/smaller wheels. Does it make a difference to the accuracy of the speedo?

Si :)
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As long as you stick to the OEM wheel and tyre sizes then any difference in rolling radius will be negligible.
 
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Always have winters on our RS3 (Dunlop 3D's) and the TT (Vredestein Wintracs) no problems going anywhere on them. quattro + winter tyres = safe.
 
Got an e-mail back from my Audi saleman saying he could knock £70 off the price for a spare set of 18"s with winter tyres. Don't think i'll be going that route.

Si :)
 
the_lecht_rocks said:
Costco FTW. Michelin Alpin PA4 at £650 and only £35 to swap in Spring and Winter.
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Was that for 18s? I checked the price for 19s and they were about £850 a set, which I thought was OTT, even though I was really keen to try them.
 
70 quid off is not really a lot considering the wheels and tyres will probably be in the region of 2k plus
 
I've just bought a set of winter wheels/tyres for my Touareg (large VW 4x4). Total cost (alloy rims and Vredestein Extreme S) was just over £1000 delivered and fitted. That was for 18" rims with 255/55 18's on. This was from Tyremen in Hull (I live in Wiltshire and they have partner fitting stations all over the place). Whilst they aren't as sexy as the 20" 275/45's they replace, they will get as dirty as anything quickly and are dead easy to swap now as the 20" originals are sat in the garage. You can shod an A3 with 17" and 225/45 Contis for similar (see: http://www.tyremen.co.uk/winter-wheels/audi/a3-2012-new). They also do other tyres at competitive pricing.

Recommending as I had the best possible service from them (I had some issues but they were sorted promptly and efficiently).

I would be buying a set for the A3 if it weren't for the fact I have a hankering for an A5/S5 in a year or two and they won't fit.

For the record, I have no connection with them other than as a satisfied customer.
 
Tony1982 said:
70 quid off is not really a lot considering the wheels and tyres will probably be in the region of 2k plus
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Yeah, thought they might be able to do a bit more off. Package was for 18" multi star (cabrio style) with pirelli winter sotto zero 3's for £1720.
 
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