chain control in tahoe

[wannabeS4]

Im heading up to tahoe wednesday night and with all the snow falling this week, I was wondering how strict is chain control with quattro and non snow tires is???

[Nogaro_PhiDelt]

I would say probably at your own risk..my experiences you just roll down your window at the stop station, say AWD, and they let you by (unless the conditions are just horrendous)...but with an S4 don't hit a snow bank = $.

to say how lenient they are one time i was driving back from truckee and someone has a DONUT on their back right tire, the station didn't even look around the car so they let him drive...I was just staying 100 feet behind him waiting for him to go into a ditch...amazingly in 6" of fresh he didn't..

[wannabeS4]

Ya thats what I was thinking. I may just carry some cables just in case.

[Nogaro_PhiDelt]

ya, have you done anything to your car? I don't even think I could put chains on my car due to the suspension height.

[wannabeS4]

I bought it with some lowering springs. I have like 3/4 inch between the tire and fender. Come to think of it I may not be able to run anything.

[RolledMySTi]

I have a lowered B5 S4 and I was able to put chains on it. I would recommend it. Quattro is good, but non snow tires suck. And esp is like night and day in the snow.

[wannabeS4]

I will just carry chains with me, worst come to worst I have to put them on.

[SACTOWNB5]

I just drove back yesterday evening on 50 from south lake, did not need snow tires, just stay in a good gear and drive with everyone else. I had chains just in case, but went thru chain control with the S4 and stayed in 3rd most of the way down the mountain and was fine.

Just remember, go slower than normal, don't brake on curves, and leave lots of space between you and the guy in front of you.

(Please don't misinterperet my post, snow tires do make a huge difference, and I recommend if you are going to head that way often, invest in some)

[wannabeS4]

I just drove back yesterday evening on 50 from south lake, did not need snow tires, just stay in a good gear and drive with everyone else. I had chains just in case, but went thru chain control with the S4 and stayed in 3rd most of the way down the mountain and was fine.

Just remember, go slower than normal, don't brake on curves, and leave lots of space between you and the guy in front of you.

(Please don't misinterperet my post, snow tires do make a huge difference, and I recommend if you are going to head that way often, invest in some)

well thats good to know I was hoping that would be the case. I am planning on getting some all seasons so that I can at least have some decent traction.

[Nor-Cal'N]

I was just up there this past weekend snowboarding it up and it got pretty cold where the brakes on the Sequoia we were in froze. We were leaving northstar and the brakes locked up and we came within 1 foot of sliding into a giant rock.

I also saw a Grand Cherokee over turned in a ditch and some tire tracks that lead off a 10 foot clif.

Just be careful when you go up even with quattro because anything can happen in the snow.

[jayuuey]

to the OP, you at the very least have all seasons, right? snow tires would be ideal, all seasons are better than nothing, but don't even think about going up with summer tires.

[Phantom2.0T]

I was going to head to Tahoe on Friday. Maybe I should just get a rental because my tires are only for wet and dry conditions, not all-weather.

[SeKKeY]

i think summer tires get hard under 40 degrees

[RowdyAudi]

Im heading up to tahoe wednesday night and with all the snow falling this week, I was wondering how strict is chain control with quattro and non snow tires is???

Hey man... They won't hassle you at chain control... but from personal experience, I average about 40 days of skiing a year, I've never driven up there on summer tires, but I've had a few times where even quattro and ultra high performance all season tires was still pretty scary.... The best piece of advice I can give you is either try to wait out the storm and go up when you know the weather is clear and the roads are plowed... this is your safest bet... or try to find some snow tires on craigslist asap.... Another thing to remember is that along with poor traction in snow, a lowered audi has horrible ground clearance... I have been high centered in like 8-10 inches of fresh snow when the snow plow made a berm at the bottom of our drive way... without ground clearance quattro is useless, I may as well have been in a ferrari f430...lol So definitely carry some cat gravel, rock salt, and a shovel in your trunk.... Keep it safe man...

[wannabeS4]

I am planning on picking up some better all seasons after christmas, so I am only going up on these tires once. I think if I just drive smart I should do fine. I will have chains with me as well. Thanks everyone for all the help.

[S4Sumi]

Just got back from tahoe yesterday.. going there I left from Lodi so drove on 88 and 89. Coming back we drove on 50. Didnt need snow tires and im running generals on my b7 s4.. you should be fine, just drive carefully and have fun!

[doobiesdaddy]

Another thing to remember is that along with poor traction in snow, a lowered audi has horrible ground clearance... I have been high centered in like 8-10 inches of fresh snow when the snow plow made a berm at the bottom of our drive way... without ground clearance quattro is useless, I may as well have been in a ferrari f430...lol So definitely carry some cat gravel, rock salt, and a shovel in your trunk.... Keep it safe man...

allroad FTW!

[doobiesdaddy]

I bought it with some lowering springs. I have like 3/4 inch between the tire and fender. Come to think of it I may not be able to run anything.

these chains require only .25" space. good for Quattro as well
Amazon has them for like $75. Only put on rear wheels as per owners manual.
http://www.scc-chain.com/Traction%20Pages/Trac_SZ6.html

[RowdyAudi]

allroad FTW!

This is true... Allroads rule in Tahoe... but just wait when that fancy suspension breaks... lol I heard it is a pain in the butt to fix...

[doobiesdaddy]

This is true... Allroads rule in Tahoe... but just wait when that fancy suspension breaks... lol I heard it is a pain in the butt to fix...

some one just released an after market air spring that is 1/3 the cost of the stealerships OEM air spring. Could have saved alot of loot if I had not already done mine

[Chekm8]

just came back yesterday from tahoe--left at around 6pm and got back in about 3 1/2 hours. the mountain was a little tougher since i'm now running 17s (with sumitomo htr or is it hre--anyway all sesons), as my winters and i was a little scared to push it. i miss my 15s with contiextremes.

chains were required but funny thing was when i came up to the checkpoint, i rolled down my window and the dood just said, "doohd, what brand is your lights? they're blue!" i snickered and told him they were xenons and then rolled up the window and went up :). snow was maybe 2 inches minimum on the ground and it was still snowing when i drove.

anyway, same advice everyone has mentioned, quattro is a go with all season tires minimum. winter tires will probably rock--never tried it. drive slow and if a mcfly tries to tailgate you, let the fool pass to his funeral. try not to slam the brakes so give a lot of room

Conditions: http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi
Resort info: http://www.snowbomb.com/conditions/snow.php

[veloracer]

+1 for all the advice above. If you dont' have snow tires, make sure your tires say "M+S" on the sidewall (mud + snow). And be extra careful.

I took my A4 up to the snow during a crazy storm last year with Bridgestone Potenzas. Didnt' have a problem with them.

Stay safe!

[wannabeS4]

well I just checked the weather and it looks like it will be clear for the most part. So I may luck out and not have to worry about my tires.

[smurfsvt]

I'm going up Friday, hopefully the storm that is supposed to be coming in is light and I can kind of sneak through without much worry.

[SeKKeY]

you guys all have at least all season tires? Can't go up on summer tires even if it's sunny and clear like today?

[RowdyAudi]

you guys all have at least all season tires? Can't go up on summer tires even if it's sunny and clear like today?

Yeah, all season tires are a must even when it is sunny like today... Even when it is sunny and clear the temperature in Tahoe is still really cold, I just checked and it says that it is currently 9 degrees... This being said, a summer tire is not designed to handle sub 32 degree temperatures the same way that an all season or winter tire is.... thus greatly effecting the amount of traction despite the fact that there is no snow on the road....

[smurfsvt]

That's exactly why I'm taking my father's truck instead of my GTI. And the fact that tucking the front is counter-productive for chains. Haha!

[Jay B7]

I have something to add to this. I just went up on Sunday and I was running summer tires =X so bad. I didn't really have a hard time except when the snow was slushy and thick. I wouldn't recommend going on summer tires again. All-seasons at least but Audi Quattro is fine in the snow with the right tires.

[Daddy MO]

AWD w/ summer tires = light snow ok
AWD w/ M+S = still ok up to even white out conditions
AWD w/ snow tires = as long as the roads are open your good to go
AWD w/ chains on any of the above = I couldnt tell ya

All I know is the Audi and Suburu systems work like a charm. I have done 65+ in snow while others were cruising at 35. FYI... my 02' Yukon w/ M+S got stuck last year and I had to shovle her out. It sucked.

[wannabeS4]

Well I just got back tonight and everything was fine there was a good 2-3" of snow on the ground. I was going up and down steep inclines and everything was fine, the only time it stepped out was when I wanted it to

[Daddy MO]

Well I just got back tonight and everything was fine there was a good 2-3" of snow on the ground. I was going up and down steep inclines and everything was fine, the only time it stepped out was when I wanted it to

What tires did you have on?

[wannabeS4]

some cheap nexen n3000 the po put on.

[Muck_and_Grind]

went up to reno yesterday. no chains required to get there. it was fun. car handles amazing in the ice and snow. i just have some cheep coopers on. just got done washing my car in 32 degree weather.

[got boost.]

Just got back from Tahoe. It was snowing and there was chain control both ways. Most of the sedans i saw were either subarus or audis. Ended up taking a ML350 up since the A4 has summer tires on the 19s. My friend with a STI with summer tires ended up putting chains on becuase he was slipping. I knew summer tires would fail even if you have 4wd.

[LowA4]

I live in South lake and today in Meyers (leaving town) I saw a black S4 with B6 S4 wheels and was lowered, looked awesome. Any of you guys?

[Muck_and_Grind]

I live in South lake and today in Meyers (leaving town) I saw a black S4 with B6 S4 wheels and was lowered, looked awesome. Any of you guys?

wasnt me. i wish i was on that side.