S4 All Season Tyres

[ninjag]

Does anyone run All Season tyres? I've been considering it is a while now, but I'm wondering if I would notice the difference in warm weather compared to good summer tyres.

I've probably never pushed the car to its limits with cornering and rarely even try as the roads are so bad. I've got All Seasons on my wife's car and it's been some difference in the ice and limited snow we've had, but I really don't like having the whole family in such a small car when other vehicles on the road are sliding about.

 

[45bvtc]

Just get a spare set of oem rims and fit 'em with winter rubber. Not hard. Maybe cost effective! For sure safely effective! Depends if you care that much! Most don't!

But; if you've a hospital 'treatment' appointment, say, and 3ft of snow between you are and where you NEED to be then for sure it's a no brainer!

We found it so anyway!

 

[desertstorm]

Having a tyre that is designed to work in all conditions means it has to make compromises so won't provide the ultimate performance possible when compared with a tyre designed to work as a summer or winter tyre. Saying that some of the best all season tyres are better in snow that tyres that are designed to be winter tyres.
And they are not very far behind in terms of performance in the summer.

2022/23 Tyre Reviews All Season Tyre Test - Tyre reviews and ratings

All season tyres are trying to be one tyre for every situation, but as we know no tyre can excel in every category, meaning tyre manufacturers often take away from one area to be better in ...

www.tyrereviews.com

 

[ninjag]

Just get a spare set of oem rims and fit 'em with winter rubber. Not hard. Maybe cost effective! For sure safely effective! Depends if you care that much! Most don't!

But; if you've a hospital 'treatment' appointment, say, and 3ft of snow between you are and where you NEED to be then for sure it's a no brainer!

We found it so anyway!

A set of winter tyres and wheels is no good as whilst I've got a fair amount of extra storage space, it's all taken up with logs! lol My plan was having All Seasons on just her car because it only does low mileage so wear wasn't an issue and it would allow me to have good summer tyres on mine. But after seeing just how fast and stupid people were driving last week in the icy and snow and all the crashes, I don't feel like the little Swift provides the same protection as the Audi.

Having a tyre that is designed to work in all conditions means it has to make compromises so won't provide the ultimate performance possible when compared with a tyre designed to work as a summer or winter tyre. Saying that some of the best all season tyres are better in snow that tyres that are designed to be winter tyres.
And they are not very far behind in terms of performance in the summer.

2022/23 Tyre Reviews All Season Tyre Test - Tyre reviews and ratings

All season tyres are trying to be one tyre for every situation, but as we know no tyre can excel in every category, meaning tyre manufacturers often take away from one area to be better in ...

www.tyrereviews.com

Cheers, I do have my eye on the Hankook Kinergy 4S2. I think I would be willing to sacrifice outright summer performance in order to gain some decent winter performance and whilst I don't get a much snow and not a huge amount of ice, it can be under 5°C quite a lot and All Seasons would keep me on the road 365 24/7.

 

[quattrogone]

I have 2 sets of wheels and run Conti's Winter Contact sport this time of year, not much snow ever but sometimes ice and lots of wet. Find them a great winter tyre and with the recent snow my 1/2 a mile lane that leads up hill from the house was pretty much one sheet of ice all the way up.
No drama and no slipping in each direction, and yes mine's also a quattro but I still fit these every winter.

 

[AlS3BE]

I would say get a set of Michelins cross climates 2 and be done with it. I run these on my winter wheels at the moment as I wanted to see what the hype was about. You do lose all out summer performance but you gain a lot elsewhere. Last week or 2 averaging -7c and sheet ice on the roads it gripped well. Some snow on Friday and it didn’t even flinch so does well in cold. It’s not as full on as winter tyres I’ve had in the past. Braking distance is not as good but a tyre that can handle pretty much a bit of everything it’s up there.

 

[spartacus68]

Been running my A4 Allroad with Michelin Cross Climates + and can’t fault them. Were had temperatures as low as -12 this winter and had around 6-8” of snow. Quattro drive makes a difference. If you can afford it, then spare alloys and winter tyres would be perfect combination.

 

[Dippy]

I have no experience of the all-season tyres, but I have a fair bit of quattro in the snow. So much better than 2WD but let down by low profile tyres. If I were going to have to face snow on a regular basis then I would likely not consider all-season low profile but instead get a spare set of wheels with proper winter tyres.

 

[Spencer589]

Been looking at getting myself some second hand wheels or replica wheels with winter tyres, but trying find out what will fit an RS3 8v FL without buying somthing cheap and not fitting or getting ripped off on some that do fit is a challenge. If I was looking at all season tyres I'd probably get some Hankooks, the guy from tyrereviews.com rated them pretty good on his youtube channel in terms of winter performance. They were outperforming quite a few dedicated winter tyres.

 

[45bvtc]

Really! Nothing there tyre-specific of course but Hankooks are good, trying hard to get market approval.

In my experience Sotto Zeros are mega on an 8P RS3. Same/also on an 8J TT.

And for sure Continental 860S on an 8R SQ5 are simply outstanding - but then an SQ5's traction just is 'outstanding' anway!

But lets not forget braking and steering in/on snow - here any ALL-season will be better than a 'summer' tyre on snow!

Remember: nothing sticks to snow like snow (just check rooftops next time it snows heavy!)

Please do not respond if you cannot see the difference...

 

[45bvtc]

A set of winter tyres and wheels is no good as whilst I've got a fair amount of extra storage space, it's all taken up with logs! lol My plan was having All Seasons on just her car because it only does low mileage so wear wasn't an issue and it would allow me to have good summer tyres on mine. But after seeing just how fast and stupid people were driving last week in the icy and snow and all the crashes, I don't feel like the little Swift provides the same protection as the Audi.




Cheers, I do have my eye on the Hankook Kinergy 4S2. I think I would be willing to sacrifice outright summer performance in order to gain some decent winter performance and whilst I don't get a much snow and not a huge amount of ice, it can be under 5°C quite a lot and All Seasons would keep me on the road 365 24/7.

So good we went out again, and again, and again - ninjag (sotto zeros)

 

[45bvtc]

Note: our TT and RS3 are on summer rubber - for sure they'll not see SNOW again! But the SQ5 is sat on winter rubber and cannot wait for 3ft of SNOW to get out into it!

 

[RyanJonS4]

I’ve had Michelin PA3’s as a winter set, unreal on snow and ice, terrible in the dry and almost dangerous in the wet. I live in quite high up town in the Pennines, and even here we don’t get nearly enough snow days to justify a full winter tyre. I don’t run them any more as they give up to much performance on dry/wet roads which is what 98% of my winter is.

It’s not a fair comparison to an S4 but, I’ve just put some continental all seasons on my van and they where incredible last week in the snow and ice. I’d say I’ve given up 5% dry performance for a night and day difference in the snow, it’s not the ‘getting going’, it’s the fact that if you hit your brakes you can actually bring the thing to a stop! The steering feel has gone a bit lighter and the road noise is up a tiny bit but it’s not overpowering. Come March/April I’ll be putting some summers back on the van and my AS tyres will become my winter set.

I’m currently planning a trip to the alps and after my bad experience with full winters, and seeing how some of the premium AS tyres now out perform budget winters, I’ve got my eye on some Michelin cross climates for my trip to France. I don’t think I’ll use them through summer months though, they’ll be off as soon as possible and should last me years, and many more ski trips.

Ryan

 

[AlS3BE]

Worth a watch

 

[ninjag]

Just looking at the weather this week compared to last week, I'd be swapping summer with winters and back again like a yo-yo lol

 

[AlS3BE]

Just looking at the weather this week compared to last week, I'd be swapping summer with winters and back again like a yo-yo lol

That’s the issue. In an ideal world we would have a pit crew for any changes of weather/temperature.

 

[ninjag]

Just ordered up a full set of Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 along with Road Force Balancing - especially as I recently hit a mahoosive pothole - and hopefully being fitted next week.

My current Eagle 5's have perhaps 3mm left. It may sound a bit early to change them but I have noticed considerably less traction recently, especially in the rain despite being a little warmer now. My logic is that tyres keep going up in price (these Hankook have already gone up a few pounds since my opening post), so why bumble through the cold months with low-tread summer tyres only to end up replacing with All Seasons as we head into summer. I may as well replace them now and start enjoying them immediately.

My biggest concern is wear. At £730 this isn't something I want to be doing every year!

 

[ninjag]

It all turned into a bit of a saga but rather than drone on, this is quick breakdown:

• Garage ordered the wrong tyres so left with my originals on until they could find them in stock, which was proving difficult.
• Last Thursday hit a horrible pothole tearing the sidewall. Alloy is ok, no cracks but there is a tiny dent. Nasty space saver on.
• Ordered four new MPS5's same Thursday evening from Blackcircles to be fitted at a different garage on Saturday morning (unlikely though)
• Original garage called to say the Kinergy tyres have just arravied! Oh crap, I now have eight new tyres costing £1,450!!!
• Blackcircles cancelled and refunded, new Hankook fitted Friday morning. Yeah!

I was kind of looking forward to seeing how the MPS5's would perform but then I'm also thinking that I've never pushed the S4 to the limit and probably never will on the public roads, especially with all the potholes, whereas the All Seasons are probably the more sensible option and will keep me mobile all year round. So far they seem ok but I've not really taken my usual corners as hard as when I had the Eagle 5's on.

Also, in hindsight, it was perhaps a blessing in disguise that they originally ordered the wrong tyres otherwise I could have knackered a brand new All Season tyre in the pothole. I'm now driving with my eyes glued to the tarmac until they sort these shocking roads. It's not much fun.

Enjoy my pain....

 

[quattrogone]

Tears for Fears..."so glad we almost made it...."
Couldn't have been more apt! Pot holes in Devon and Cornwall getting to the point of stupidity at last people have been more proactive and started putting traffic cones in the big ones....if you're lucky you can just see the top poking put.
My daughter hit one in her little A1 with rubber band tyres and got away with it, unlike the 3 cars parked just up the road ahead of her, all with ****** tyres one of them had done both down the same side.

 

[Dippy]

Years ago I tore a nearly new PS3 in a pothole and had to buy a new one. Happened again not long ago but at least the PS4 had some wear - I had to buy 2 new ones and now I have a part-worn PS4 in the garage. I have a dashcam video like the one above but mine includes lots of loud cursing after the bang...

 

[ninjag]

It's terrible and one really has to wonder where on earth all the money goes?

I cut my video just before my outburst to keep it family friendly! lol

 

[ninjag]

The photos have gone a bit wonky above, maybe because I dragged them straight into the forum. I'll try uploading them instead.

When I pulled into the side the flat tyre suddenly yanked me at the last second right into the kerb. Oh what a horrible noise that is and absolutely gutted.

 

[AlS3BE]

The photos have gone a bit wonky above, maybe because I dragged them straight into the forum. I'll try uploading them instead.

View attachment 262897


View attachment 262898


When I pulled into the side the flat tyre suddenly yanked me at the last second right into the kerb. Oh what a horrible noise that is and absolutely gutted.

View attachment 262899

Where about in Glasgow was that?
I’m always in and out of there. Was there just yesterday.

there’s a place in Broxburn called ecosse powder coating. Mate used them a while back and they were pretty good. They had an offer of £150 for 4 wheels refurbished with a plain colours like silver, black, white if you take the wheels to them rather than leaving a car with them.
im going to get my winters done after the winter as wife merged them.

 

[spartacus 68]

This is more than simple deterioration of the road surface with freezing temperatures. I was on the A90 and M90 last weekend and even the major trunk road maintained by Bear Scotland has some serious holes. It’s just under investment and lack of regular surveys. In this case - you can claim from the council, or rather their insurance company, but be prepared for 3-4 months of waiting. Luck may be on your side.

That alloy requires more than just a light feathering. If money is tight, and you’re prepared to put in the time you can achieve a decent finish with rattle cans using Wurth paint. I tackled one of my own alloys that had corrosion. Granted it was mid summer, but if you have the time and an area where you can spray and dry it, it’s doable. They do a version with a spray-gun for spraying. You can use high build primer too.

 

[ninjag]

Where about in Glasgow was that?
I’m always in and out of there. Was there just yesterday.

there’s a place in Broxburn called ecosse powder coating. Mate used them a while back and they were pretty good. They had an offer of £150 for 4 wheels refurbished with a plain colours like silver, black, white if you take the wheels to them rather than leaving a car with them.
im going to get my winters done after the winter as wife merged them.

West End but they are everywhere. I'm swerving all over the place now and everyone has to get out of way because I'm not having another tyre ruined!

 

[ninjag]

This is more than simple deterioration of the road surface with freezing temperatures. I was on the A90 and M90 last weekend and even the major trunk road maintained by Bear Scotland has some serious holes. It’s just under investment and lack of regular surveys. In this case - you can claim from the council, or rather their insurance company, but be prepared for 3-4 months of waiting. Luck may be on your side.

That alloy requires more than just a light feathering. If money is tight, and you’re prepared to put in the time you can achieve a decent finish with rattle cans using Wurth paint. I tackled one of my own alloys that had corrosion. Granted it was mid summer, but if you have the time and an area where you can spray and dry it, it’s doable. They do a version with a spray-gun for spraying. You can use high build primer too.

Cheers, it's a bit of a pain doing the alloys as I use the car every day and have no driveway. I'll maybe look at doing them myself using the gun at work over a weekend. The mechanic is an ex bodyshop owner and good with paint. I could get it up on the four post lift, remove and do all four at once.

 

[AlS3BE]

Cheers, it's a bit of a pain doing the alloys as I use the car every day and have no driveway. I'll maybe look at doing them myself using the gun at work over a weekend. The mechanic is an ex bodyshop owner and good with paint. I could get it up on the four post lift, remove and do all four at once.

I think for me with a driveway and hassle factor it was easier taking wheels to a wheel/powder coating place and they turn it around in a day or 2. Maybe laziness as well

 

[Dippy]

Wow that is a seriously bad road, far worse than in my area!

 

[ninjag]

Wow that is a seriously bad road, far worse than in my area!

I think it was the great Bill Connolly who said that if there was a nuclear attack in Glasgow, it would look exactly the same afterwards.

 

[Dippy]

We went to Glasgow for the Commonwealth games whenever that was (but I think it was shortly before the independence vote) and we had a really great time. Glasgow looked like a reasonably tidy city, possibly even better than Edinburgh when we visited a few days later. Maybe there was something wrong with my "tourist" eyes?

 

[ninjag]

We went to Glasgow for the Commonwealth games whenever that was (but I think it was shortly before the independence vote) and we had a really great time. Glasgow looked like a reasonably tidy city, possibly even better than Edinburgh when we visited a few days later. Maybe there was something wrong with my "tourist" eyes?

Aye they did it up for that, in particular the roads and surrounding areas where the games were being held. Similar thing happened with some cycling event in the city centre that may have been linked to the games. They resurfaced only the roads that the cyclists would take so that it would look good on TV, but the roads leading off the track were still terrible.

Same thing happened again for COP26, many of the routes leading to the SECC were sorted, but like most of the repairs they have all come apart, probably from a lack of decent material and technique in order to cut corners. The councils don't seem to hold the 3rd parties to account.

It's really been in the last couple of years that they've really gone to hell. But about 10-15+ years ago they weren't all that bad.

 

[ninjag]

They are out to get me!

 

[ninjag]

Been running these Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 tyres for a few weeks now and not sure how I feel about them.

The Eagle 5's had a very slight tramlining feel when going straight but always felt very planted when cornering giving me lots of confidence, however, these Kinergy feel lighter and whilst they seem to be gripping fine the lighter feel isn't giving me as much confidence. It's still early days and the weather is still cold, so looking forward to seeing how they are when it warms up. I appreciate that they are more of a jack-of-all trades tyre so perhaps I'm expecting too much from them.

 

[AlS3BE]

New tyres require a few hundred mile to break in and clear that manufacturing shine. Should get better with age. At least that’s how mine are all like.

 

[ninjag]

New tyres require a few hundred mile to break in and clear that manufacturing shine. Should get better with age. At least that’s how mine are all like.

Looking at how much fuel I've paid for since getting them fitted I must have done over 300 miles on them, but I'll keep an eye on it. I wonder if it's more of a placebo effect due to the lighter and more linear steering feel.

 

[ninjag]

I think I'm in for new shocks at the front, there's always been a faint knock when going over certain bumps and I though it may just be the pads as I've already replaced all the front arms, ball joints and drop links. The rear is getting very jarring now so I'm going to need to have a look. I'm guessing either arms or shocks. These crap roads have probably not helped. I'll need to investigate but maybe this is why I'm feeling a difference in the handling as well.

Oh boy, can't wait to deal with that pinch bolt again. Hopefully easier this time as we put some lube on when previously fitting.

 

[ninjag]

Yeah, I think these All Seasons were not the best choice, they aren't giving me confidence with hard cornering and they are noisy as well. Maybe if we got more snow and cold weather, but I miss my Eagle 5 tyres. Well, lesson learned. Maybe they will wear fast! lol

 

[Simon]

I’m running mps5’s at the moment on the s4, previously ran the mpss4. not had any snow to test the 5’s but the 4’s were rubbish the last time it snowed.

 

[ninjag]

I’m running mps5’s at the moment on the s4, previously ran the mpss4. not had any snow to test the 5’s but the 4’s were rubbish the last time it snowed.

That's interesting to hear. It was MPS5's I almost put on so it will be interesting to know how they perform in the snow. The Eagle 5's were ok, I got up an icy hill almost as good as the little FWD Suzuki Swift with All Seasons.

 

[Simon]

I also run the Mps4s on the GTR (MPS5's not available in the GTR sizes) in the damp and wet they are pretty decent, they work well in the dry but when pressing on have a bit less ultimate grip than something like the Dunlops the GTR originally came on (but they are rubbish in the wet and wear out super fast).

I've never tried a winter tyre, each year that rolls around I promise myself I'll give it a go but never end up doing it, from what I understand a good winter tyres is good in the snow and up to about 7c air temp so good for a broad range of conditions not just snow and ice.