Winter Tires

[boarder8888]

Hey Guys Winter is coming! I'm from Alberta Canada. Our winters get really cold and snowy. Just wondering what your thoughts are for winter tires. I drive a Audi A4 with 18's. Got some questions:
- I'm looking at Nokians and Blizzaks, anybody else have winter tires they are happy with? What brand?
- I'm supposed to go with 235 40R 18s, would a 225 40R 18 make any difference other than it is a bit shorter?
- What do you think about studded winter tires? Has anybody tried the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 Studded?
- I will be doing doing about 8 hours of highway driving every 2 weeks to go snowboarding. Is highway driving (dry pavement) during the winter bad on studded tires?
- Anybody have some used or new 17s Audi reps or OEM they want to get rid of for a cheap price?
Thanks! I appreciate any thoughts and opinions! [:)]

[elwigglero]

I've heard nothing but praise about Blizzaks...don't know much about Nokians. I don't think you want to do a lot of highway driving on studded tires though. If you're quattro, then a good set of winter tires should be more than enough.

[Entropy333]

I have Hankook Winter Ice Pikes on mine. They are pretty popular up here in Alaska. They are studded, and are supposed to last about 2-3 seasons depending on how you drive. They seem to offer excellent grip and response on icy roads. I feel like they grip a little better on the ice than the studless do. However, if went out on the dry/cold pavement and cowboyed the piss out of them for a few days, then I would probably smoke all of my studs. Having snow tires is a lot about how you drive when you have them on.

[Blarg]

Blizzaks are amazing!

[climbernyc]

Any thoughts on 17's vs 18's? Is there a dramatic difference in deeper snow traction with the narrower tires, using a blizzak or equivalent? thx

[Louis J.]

I'm from Vancouver and by far the best tires I've owned are the Nokian WRs followed closely by Blizzak LM-25s. The Nokians are an "all weather" tire that can be used from Fall through to the end of Spring. They are quiet and handle very well in the dry. The LM-25s are a little noisier and wear out much quicker. I just bought a set of Hankook W300s after doing lots of homework. They seem to be very comparable to the Nokian WRs but much cheaper. They're not even on the car yet so I can't comment from experience.

These options are great for Vancouver's milder weather and may not work as well for Calgary winters but I would certainly look at anything from Nokian, Bridgestone and Hankook. Dunlop also makes good winter tires.

[ABanT]

I just got the W300s as well. They seem to get great reviews (although 5% of them hate them). I think what they don't know is that they are a mixed tire. Not a true snow tire, you can tell just by looking at the treads. It's a mix for dry pavement and snow which is great since roads get plowed and snow melts anyways.

For me anyways this is exactly what I want, and with quattro I'm sure it will be fine.

18" snows will also cost you. I'd stick with 17"s and get a cheap set of used or replica rims to mount them.

[deanfun]

I'm up in Fort McMurray and just put 16" Nokian Hakka Rsi's on our avant. We haven't had much snow up here yet, but I seriously doubt you'll need studded tires unless you're way out in the boonies. Most of the major cities have their roads graded down to pavement over the winter, so you'd just be wearing down your studs.

[vtracer20]

im from vt and we get pretty decent winters...blizzaks and haks i would recommend...not sure why haks are soo expensive both are great tires

[scottns]

Any thoughts on 17's vs 18's? Is there a dramatic difference in deeper snow traction with the narrower tires, using a blizzak or equivalent? thx

The thinner/narrower the tire the better it will cut through the snow.

[aphextwin2050]

I'm from Edmonton, Alberta and I'm actually planning to go down to 16 inch. Does anyone know the exact size you're suppose to get? The 17inchs are currently 235/45/R17...what would the 16 inch be?

I'm alos thinking of getting steelies too and the Hankooks seem good tires too.

[fajimr]

I'm from Edmonton, Alberta and I'm actually planning to go down to 16 inch. Does anyone know the exact size you're suppose to get?

here is doc's reply to a similar inquiry i had in this thread:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=247165


The 215/55R16 needs to be XL to carry the axle weight requirements. The 205/55R16 (other than being too small in diameter) falls below our minimum requirements for load capacity, and will cause the tire to wear more quickly and have a higher chance of failure at high speed. Is the 1/2" change in tread width that inportant ?