Winter Tires

[dubbinjeastin]

Well, this will be my first winter with my s4. I just got rid of my .:R (poor awd) and I drove FWD before that. What are you guys running on your cars? I will be driving in upwards of a foot of snow but, I would like to keep performance in mind for highway driving. Thanks.

[Patrick Bateman]

i literally just bought a set of michelin pilot alpin snow/ice tires on tire rack ten minutes ago. cant comment on dedicated snow /winter only tires yet,as ive at best went with all seasons in the past for my winter wheels.

[B6JoeS4]

I run Michelin X-Ice Xi2. They are supposedly limited to 98mph but.......they can do better than that.

If you want to maintain performance and lose a little bit of traction over the X-Ice, get the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 or Dunlop WinterSport 3D/M3

[LJH]

I will be placing an order for the Dunlop M3's in the next couple days. All the reports are pretty positive.

Cheers,
Jim

[Patrick Bateman]

I generally like michelin products, and the Alpin's i chose are good for a $70 rebate til oct 22nd on tire rack,as well as other brands also.

[A4Ultrasport]

I've had the Michelin Pilot PA3s for a year now, and like them a lot.

[dparm]

Rather than relying on "tire X is great" posts, why not go to Tire Rack's website and looking at the objective test numbers? What good does "OMG I HAVE THE SUPER DUPER SNOW TIRES AND THEY'RE GOOD" do?

[BAHNSTORMER]

I bought a set of Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3's from Tire Rack prior to last winter and love them. After studying the reviews and info on the site, they seemed to be the best price/performance combination IMO. No issues whatsoever. Stable grip at highway speeds in slippery conditions. Cut through 6" of snow easily. I'll be putting them back on in a few weeks and I can't wait for the snow to fall.

[Docwyte]

Dunlop M3's are ok if you spend most of your time on dry roads. If you live where there's a good amount of snow and ice I'd go with a Hakkapellita or the General Artimax, which is a Gislavid.

If you need an in between tire, the Blizzaks are good...

[Renegade5]

Dunlop 3D's

[Time4Audi]

My delaer reccomended the Michilien Pilot Alpin, they had them for $242 (delivered) a tire but better/similar prices can be found from some of the vendors here.

[jpo]

[Huey52]

You chose - Wisely. :)

i literally just bought a set of michelin pilot alpin snow/ice tires on tire rack ten minutes ago. cant comment on dedicated snow /winter only tires yet,as ive at best went with all seasons in the past for my winter wheels.

[Kem]

I've had two sets of the Dunlop Winter Sport 3D and was impressed by their snow/ice handling and impressed with how they felt in the dry and in the San Francisco area during the entire winter time. Obviously since SF doesn't get snow it was important the tire was usable when I was home. However I do go to the mountains often in the winter that a dedicated snow tire makes sense.

Clearly the Dunlops only ranked 5th in the above chart, but their snow and ice performance is still WAAYYY better than all seasons. Getting anything in the top of that chart is still going to perform well, so get the one that fits your budget.

[B6JoeS4]

In reality, any snow tire will be fine. Our cars already have awd and theyre heavy so that combine with any snow tire will be fine

I bet an Audi with all seasons will still be better in the snow than a civic with the best snow tires

[dparm]

Find something that's rated for ice. Could save your ass.

[VMRWheels]

Michelin Pilot PA3's, Blizzaks, or Dunlop 3D's are all great choices.

[Huey52]

I don't find Blizzak's to be confidence inspiring in the cold rain/sleet/melt. They are excellent dry and in the snow however.

Michelin Alpin's are great in any conditions and much quieter.

[dubbinjeastin]

I've had the Michelin Pilot PA3s for a year now, and like them a lot.

My issue with that is, they aren't rated to a specific car, they are "in general". I've read 15 different sites claiming that 12 different tires were the best, one site dogs the tire that won in a previous rating. I figure you guys have been driving your s4s and it's better to hear from experience, not some rigged rating system.

[LJH]

If it means anything after thinking about it for way to long I just placed an order for the Wintersport M3's in 215/50/17 which are 95XL rated. I really thought about going with the Xi2's but to be honest the car sits in the garage all week only to get pulled out on Friday night for a blast up to VT. Most of the driving is done on dry roads so I thought the M3's were a better idea....and I know it sounds crazy but the T (118MPH) speed rating put me off a bit.....the Rt.7 Bypass is pretty long and open...LOL. I will have the tires next week but will not mount them till Thanksgiving weekend....a long tradition held tradition to knock away some of the hangover after too many glasses of red wine on Thanksgiving.

Cheers,
Jim

[dparm]

My issue with that is, they aren't rated to a specific car, they are "in general". I've read 15 different sites claiming that 12 different tires were the best, one site dogs the tire that won in a previous rating. I figure you guys have been driving your s4s and it's better to hear from experience, not some rigged rating system.

This is why you should use Tire Rack's objective testing data like I suggested. Can't argue with their systematic testing.

[MDIRADS]

I have a set of four 17 in Dunlop Wintersport 3D tires and wheels for sale.

Tire size: 235/45/17. Wheel offset is 37 and center bore is 55 mm. Bolt pattern is 5 x 112. Center caps included.

Tires were purchased January 2010, used for 6,400 miles (January through March 2010 and December through March 2011)

Remaining tread depth is 19/64". Tread depth when new is 11/32" (see TireRack for reference), so I have used 3/64" (or 1.5/32") of the tread depth. The tires are basically new. New tire pricing from TireRack ranges from $212 to $256 per tire plus shipping.

The tires are mounted on ASA 7 spoke wheels, which were purchased in December 2005. wheels are very clean with only minor curb rash.

I am asking $700.00 for the set of four wheels and tires.

Local delivery preferred, but will ship if necessary. I live in southern NJ. You can reach me through email: [email protected]

Link to pics of the wheels and tires: (use the winter wheels album)

http://robss4.shutterfly.com/

[b00st]

i ran conti DWS last year....held up through some serious snow. pulled through like a champ on some seriously deep snow. will be rocking them again this winter.

[shredjunkie]

I have the hankook ice bears running on 17in motegi wheels on my b7 s4 and i could not ask for a better tire for winter. There is a little tire roll when pushing hard in the canyon but overall they are incredible for winter driving. Great traction in ice and snow. I snowboard about 40 days a season and constantly try to be up to the mountain for first chair on powder days and drive through up to a foot of snow. I highly recommend these tires!