Advice needed: Steel Wheels and Winter Tyres for my B5 Avant Quattro

[mixmaster]

I need to invest in a set of Winter tyres (I might also be in the wrong section).

Instead of swapping them all the time I have been looking at Steel Rims. I have found a set that sound correct but could someone confirm fitment...the only information I have on them is:

5 hole, 4.5" pitch circle diameter and 2.25" bolt hole centre to centre


Has anyone any experience of Winter tyres and if so any recommendations?

Thanks.

 

[aragorn]

4.5" isnt correct.

The A4 is 112mm, 4.5" is 114.3mm

Get yourself on ebay and pickup a cheap set of 16" alloys. You'll probably find a set of genuine ones on there for 50quid or so.

As for the tyres themselves, the only advice i can give is dont buy budget ones.

Budget winters tend to be fine in actual snow. But hopeless on wet roads. And given you'll likely spend most of your time driving around on cold wet roads rather than on actual snow in this country, you need decent tyres.

I'd take a look at these:

2011 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test | the online tyre guide
2011 EVO Winter Tyre Test | the online tyre guide
2011 ACE Winter Tyre Test | the online tyre guide
2011 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test | the online tyre guide

You'll notice the same few tyres pop up in the top 5 over and over, and its some of these that you should be looking at.

I run Dunlop Wintersport 3D's

 

[jcb]

you can probably get cheap alloys as easily as finding the right steel ones
ditto on the tyres

I have just dropped £700 on new tyres

 

[mixmaster]

Thanks again aragorn.

The ebay advert suggested they fitted a Passat but I had no idea re my A4.

I am taking the car back to the Alps. It did pretty well on Summer tyres last year but don't fancy getting caught out. Stopping is the problem on Summers!

 

[PAULF]

I got a set of 15" A4 alloys for both of mine, from All Audi £100ish delivered, as the narrower, higher profile tyre works better in the snow.
I have 195/65/15 Gislaved Eurofrost3 on one, just fitted same size Dunlop Wintersport 4D on the other.

We get apocalyptic levels of snow in our road even during reasonably mild winters. Last couple of years, it got silly - L200 and tractor/snowblower couldn't cope!

 

[mixmaster]

Any chance this advert - click for link - is wrong slightly and they mean 4.48" PCD and that they will fit my A4 with 205/55 R16 snow tyres?

 

[Nessy]

I'd do as suggested and just get a cheap set of OE Alloys, that's what I've done anyway, now have another identical set of 16" Competition alloys shod with winter tyres waiting in the garage for the cold weather.
Trying to find suitable steel rims looked to be more expensive than buying an old set of alloy ones.

 

[PAULF]

Just thought I'd show what I mean by apocalyptic

3 years ago (mild-ish)

2 years ago, taking shopping home by sledge

Last year

I'll try and get some of the Audis sometime!

 

[PAULF]

Just an update on tyre performance- although we didn't get much snow this year, at one point there was still enough to cover the 4 rings on the front of my wife's Avant - she drove through no problem (apart from blocking the rad!) on the Dunlop Wintersport 4Ds.
We also had the drive transformed into the Cresta Run one morning, and although she did slide off at one point, it was that bad she couldn't stand up and walk, using foot spikes! Once it was back on the track, the Avant made it up the hill.
REALLY impressed with the Dunlops on a Quattro

 

[aragorn]

Good to know the dunlops perform that well.

I've a nearly new set of Nokian WRG2's which i run this year on my own car, and found them fine, although i never really encountered any snow! They dont grip as well as the Eagle F1's i run during summer do on cold wet roads, but they dont act like ditchfinders either which means the car can still be used properly.

I've actually just been out refitting my Summer Eagle F1's to my own car this afternoon.

The Dunlop 3D's on the missus car are getting a bit low, they're down to ~5mm and i cant decide wether to push them thru for another year, or to take em off and sell them then buy some new 4D's before next winter.

Will need to take some measurements once they come off this weekend and decide from there, if they're down to 4mm then they'll probably get changed.

 

[PAULF]

They were worth it!
Just to note that I run 195/65/15 for the winter as the thinner wheel performs better, then back to the 16" for the summer.

 

[aragorn]

Both my sets are 225/45r17 on OEM boleros. Means the car doesnt look any different, and i dont have any issues with ****y insurance companies claiming i've "modified" the car by fitting winter wheels that are different size to the standard ones.

Sure they might not be as good in snow as a skinnier tyre on a 15" rim, however they will be better than a summer tyre in the same size without doubt!