Winter is coming (sort of)

A4B9

A4B9

Registered User
Joined
Jan 16, 2016
Messages
558
Reaction score
315
Points
63
With winter fast approaching, I'd be interested to know what winter tyres you'd recommend. I've never had winters fitted but with my A4 being the first quattro I've owned, I feel as though I should invest in a set to get the full benefits of it over the winter months.

Along with that, what are you meant to do with the summer tyres and I am meant to get a new set of alloys or can I just swap the tyres out?
 
Winter tyres in snow are like night and day - they make a massive difference. Not just snow either, they are better in the cold and wet than regular summer tyres. They help with steering and braking which quattro will not make any difference to. There is a 1:10 hill near me and I can do a hill start on it in hard compacted snow with zero drama (even in my non-quattro second car with winters) whilst other cars (even 4x4's) are stuck because they have the wrong tyres. I can't overstate enough how much of a difference they make.

I have two set of alloys one with winters and one with summers so I can swap them easily myself. Otherwise you will need to pay someone a minimum of £40 a shot.

But I live in rural Aberdeenshire, I get a solid return on my investment every year. As the post above implies, consider how often you've struggled without them in the past before spending the cash. That said, your summer tyres will last twice as long so it offsets the initial cost a little.
 
Oh to answer your original question, for the money Nankang Snow SV2's are absolutely superb. I'm currently running Continental snowsports on the S4 and other than the oustanding grip in the snow you wouldn't know they are winter tyres. I've also run Michelin Alpins and would rate them highly. Both the Conti's and the Michelins performs very well in warmer weather. The nankangs did become noticeably squirmy when the mercury reached 12 or above. I think this is the main difference between budget and premium winter tyres to be honest - any winter tyre will be better in winter than a summer tyres, but premium ones seem to be OK in summer too.
 
Have you looked at Michelin Crossclimate? They are a summer tyre with a winter rating - not to be confused with an all season.

I had them on my A6 and they were very good. I ran Continental T830 and Michelin Primacy before and they performed comparably.

They don't come in a huge range of sizes but do fit my TFSI so I will be going with them when the originals wear out.
 
Im running 19" Continentals during the winter - on their own OEM rims that I picked up off fleebay. They go on mid October, and come off 1/2nd week of April (usually)

The one thing to consider is where you are going to store your winter/summers when they are not on the car?

My local tire dealer operates a "tire hotel" - I pay £40 to have them fitted every year, and he stores which ever set Im not using in a security cage, fully insured for free.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandra
RAF_S7 said:
Im running 19" Continentals during the winter - on their own OEM rims that I picked up off fleebay. They go on mid October, and come off 1/2nd week of April (usually)

The one thing to consider is where you are going to store your winter/summers when they are not on the car?

My local tire dealer operates a "tire hotel" - I pay £40 to have them fitted every year, and he stores which ever set Im not using in a security cage, fully insured for free.
Click to expand...
How much did those set you back?

I was planning on sticking them in the shed (once I get round to building it one of these weekends) but if I can get them fitted and stored for £40 then I'd definitely do that
 
This article should be required reading for all 4WD drivers - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/glob...-why-it-can-be-a-deadly-trap/article26902236/

I always check here for tyres - http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

We both fit winter tyres. My wife has ContiWinterContact TS850s - http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Continental/WinterContact-TS-850.htm - arguably the best winter tyre made. Though I see it is being replaced with a TS860.

I have my tyres on a spare set of alloys. My wife has tyres only and a set of tyre bags. She takes the tyres to the depot and they fit them to her original alloys. When we bought the tyres we arranged a half price deal to get the tyres changed summer and winter. So it costs £25 each time.

It is the tyre bags that make this possible as they keep her and the car clean. Also, I don't have the hassle of fitting 2 sets of winter tyres :)
 
Last edited:
hi guys i have a question if i want to change the alloys for the winter does it affect my tyre pressure monitoring sistem? do I have to buy special alloys or special tyres?
And I have 18 inch wheels do u recomand going on 17 for the winter or just change the tyres on the 18??
 
As the monitoring system uses the abs to detect differences in the rotation in speed of the wheels then I would say that you only have to set the tpms when you fit the wheels. Even then the outer circumference will probably be the same...
 
Tzetze said:
hi guys i have a question if i want to change the alloys for the winter does it affect my tyre pressure monitoring sistem? do I have to buy special alloys or special tyres?
And I have 18 inch wheels do u recomand going on 17 for the winter or just change the tyres on the 18??
Click to expand...
The first question is easy - as said above, the car uses the abs sensors to calculate rotational speed. If a wheel suddenly starts rotating faster you get a warning. The system is set/reset through the MMI menus. It will ask you if you wish to store the current tyre pressures. So no special tyres or alloys needed for the TPMS. It will automatically adjust to whatever is fitted.

The second question is down to personal choice. There are pros and cons to having a second set of alloys or just a set of tyres. I have a second set of alloys (which I find a pain). My wife has just a second set of tyres.

Tyres + alloys
Pros: You can get smaller size alloys and tyres. (Check the tyre pressure indicator panel on the door pillar to see what you can fit.) Smaller tyres are cheaper. There is a small performance advantage in certain conditions. You can change the tyres yourself whenever you think it is necessary. It saves your good alloys from the risks of winter driving.
Cons: The cost of a second set of alloys. Unless you are going to pay a garage to store and fit them - then you have to do it yourself. For me it is over an hour of heavy lifting. The car will look different. (My winter alloys look like poo :( ) Risk to the alloys from whom ever fits them. I managed to damage one of my own alloys :(

Tyres only
Pros: Don't have to buy alloys. The car will look the same. The tyre depot does all the hard work. Get the tyres balance twice a year.
Cons: Risk to the alloys from winter driving. Risk to the alloys from the tyre fitter.

If you have a 2WD car, don't be tempted to fit just 2 winter tyres to save money. You will not be covered by your insurance.
 
Last edited:
Blimey, do we live in Canada or something. I've never heard so much talk of winter tyres till I came on here. Must be the new craze :welcoming: (Although I shouldn't presume everyone here is in the UK)

Still this is a very informative site.

On a connecting note. Whats the crack with 'cross climate' tyres, any good ?
 
Simonb1975 said:
Blimey, do we live in Canada or something. I've never heard so much talk of winter tyres till I came on here. Must be the new craze :welcoming: (Although I shouldn't presume everyone here is in the UK)

Still this is a very informative site.

On a connecting note. Whats the crack with 'cross climate' tyres, any good ?
Click to expand...
We live in the UK. In a rural location where they do not grit the roads.

Winter tyres are as good as summer tyres below 7C and significantly better below 3C. Which is usually about 2-4 months where we live. The costs are small as you can only wear out one set of tyres at a time. We both like the added safety.

Are you referring to Michelin CrossClimate as opposed to all season tyres? They look quite good for people that want a tyre that works in all weather conditions. Though not quite as good as a dedicated summer or winter tyre. Though given our climate they do make a lot of sense.
 
Cross climate was just something I heard about.
It's all irrelevant to me as I'm in Northamptonshire and we may see snow once or twice a year at best. Icy roads in the winter months sometimes but my old Focus ST estate never had any problems with that. And the added traction of AWD helps further on the S3 when its working!
 
4WD doesn't help when you're stopping...

For me the snow argument is missing the point. With winter tyres when the temperature is below 7 degrees a car should stop in a shorter distance than one with summer tyres. For me this is a good thing.
 
Daz Auto said:
If you have a 2WD car, don't be tempted to fit just 2 winter tyres to save money. You will not be covered by your insurance.
Click to expand...

Is that actually true? I imagine it dependant on insurance company as well? I did this on my B7. As I needed the traction up some steeper hills as my all season were *****.

Surely 2 are better than none.
 
4wd is just for traction. Any how's if you drive right for the conditions you shouldn't have any problems. Just gotta worry about everyone else on the roads
 
  • Like
Reactions: Daz Auto
PhxViper said:
Is that actually true? I imagine it dependant on insurance company as well? I did this on my B7. As I needed the traction up some steeper hills as my all season were *****.

Surely 2 are better than none.
Click to expand...
If you don't believe me ask your insurance company.

I just happened to mention that I fit winter tyres when getting my insurance quote. The woman asked did I fit 4. I replied yes and asked what if only fitted 2? The woman said that they would refuse to cover the car in an accident if only 2 winter tyres were fitted.

I would be very surprised if any insurance company would insure any car with only 2 winter tyres fitted. They are well aware that fitting 2 winter tyres is potentially very dangerous under certain circumstances. Google it or have a look on youtube.

Just like 4WD - 2 winter tyres on a FWD car will provide much better traction to drive a car forward, in poor conditions. Again, the problem is stopping and cornering. Only this time the front wheels have much better grip than the rear tyres. This makes the car very unstable when braking and cornering. This can result in an uncontrollable snap oversteer.

I have actually witnessed this happening. I was driving up a big snow covered hill with a slight right-hand curve in the road. The car coming down the hill towards me touched his brakes. The rear of his car swung out across the road. Luckily he released his brakes immediately and his car straightened up or he would have hit me. His front winter tyres had lots of grip and the rear summer tyres had virtually no grip.

The place I used to get my tyres even suggested I fit 2 winter tyres. I said no, I need 4. He checked and told me I was right. The place I currently get my tyres was surprised when I explained to them that my insurance company would only insure the car if 4 winter tyres were fitted. Apparently the boss in the place had been telling people it was ok to only fit 2.

I have met several people who only fit 2 winter tyres. I actually got fed up trying to explain to people why it was dangerous. So now all I say is, please check with your insurance company as mine said they would refuse to cover the car in an accident if only 2 winter tyres were fitted. That usually gets peoples' attention!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Tzetze
Finally got round to ordering some budget winters from black circle. Cost about £250 for all 4 corners which isn't too bad a hit
 
Ordered a winter tyre /wheel package from my supplying dealer.The A4 winter package uses 17 inch winter wheels (specially protected for winter salt roads) and special Audi specification tyres.There is reference in the Audi literature to standard alloy wheels that they are unsuitable for hard winter use and could be damaged by salt etc. Anyway managed to get a £200 discount on the set and free storage including 2 free additional tyre changes .However after that its £60 charge for a season storage including refitting. I also have never had winter tyres,however when the weather does change (which it will in the NE of Scotland) hopefully we will be better prepared.
 
A4B9 said:
Finally got round to ordering some budget winters from black circle. Cost about £250 for all 4 corners which isn't too bad a hit
Click to expand...

Sound damn reasonable to me. Did give it some thought (For whatever car I drive next) but then I live in Northants so 2-3 days of snow if we're lucky wont matter.
 
Now running my winter wheel/tyre package from my dealer.Slightly quieter,and better ride (which on 17s is expected)
Ready for winter....
 
I always swap my tyres over to winter tyres as well as on the wife's Fiesta.

The added grip when temperatures go below 6°C is reassuring and their performance when it snows is astounding.

Can't go far wrong with a set of Nokian's. If anyone knows how to drive in winter it's the Finns.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
cuke2u said:
Better swop them back tomorrow, with temps of 14c they'll overheat ;-)
Click to expand...
Well, considering I put this set on in October 2015 and didn't take them back off, and used them all summer they're not doing too badly.

After 9,000 miles there's still 5mm of tread left on them.

To be honest, they're better summer tyres than the Pirelli's my A3 came with.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
Moving on slightly, are tyre pressures on winters meant to be any different from summers? The place I got my swapped put 31 psi all around which is a lot less than what it says on the door
 
A4B9 said:
Moving on slightly, are tyre pressures on winters meant to be any different from summers? The place I got my swapped put 31 psi all around which is a lot less than what it says on the door
Click to expand...
The tyre pressure chart on the door tells you what pressure to inflate winter tyres to on the A3. Think it's under M+S tyres.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Warranty is coming to an end
Replies
5
Views
941
BigAardvaark
BigAardvaark
V6_Man
B9 S4 - the tune is coming ...
Replies
0
Views
930
V6_Man
V6_Man
KI6RAN
Winter wheels
Replies
74
Views
9K
Airfan
Airfan
Antjos1
Winter wheels
Replies
1
Views
627
cuke2u
cuke2u
DohNut
Winter tyres
Replies
10
Views
901
DohNut
DohNut
Top
Back