Winter wheels/tires?

[kevinz]

Hello everybody, new Audi owner here. 2015 S4 6MT


There's lots of discussion about winter tires and wheels in other forums but we don't get the heavy snow and ice that a lot of other places do - just wanted to get some local opinions.

This is the first car I've had with 19s and I'm a little nervous about riding through a winter with them, mostly because of the potholes.

Do you guys run smaller wheels in the winter?

Also

The tires that came on my car are the Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 which have great reviews as all around high performance all season tires, which I think would be fine for me at least until I get used to this car. I've always had good results with all-season tires in the Denver area even on my old FWD VWs, and I kept a set of low-profile chains in the trunk if I get REALLY stuck - only needed to use them a couple of times in 10+ years.

Should I just run these tires out over the next few years and then get proper summer and winter tire sets? Or am I taking a big risk with the 19s even for this winter?

With the Quattro and All Season Tires do you think I need to get a set of chains?

Thanks for the input

[DOCEVG]

Probably depends on where you'll be driving this winter. I have a 2015 S4 6MT (Nogaro which is a better color in snow than sepang!) and if I lived in Denver and didn't ski, I'd stick with the DWS 06 on 19s. I have them on an A4 that lives in Denver and they're fine for 98% of the winter. B/C my S4 is my ski car, I'm dropping down to 18s with Dunlop wintersport 3ds.

[slowone11]

Im on 19s and lowered and have not had any problems. That said, I have a dedicated winter set with more of an all season tire for these snowy seasons just in case. You will be fine on 19s

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[CONative]

I have 19s for summer and the stock 17s for winter - buying snow tires may have been a bit overkill but wanted something to get me back and forth to the slopes without issue. I ran the 19s up to December last year and didn't experience any issues. Agree with slowone11 - you'll be fine.


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[phroenips]

A set of proper winter tires, even with quattro, will make a world of difference in cold weather traction. Note I didn't say snowy/icy traction. Even in dry, cold weather, winter tires will be way safer than any all-season tire, and could very conceivably prevent a collision. Not sure about everyone else, but a single set of winter tires is less than my insurance deductible. For me, it's a no brainer.

[papadelogan]

A set of proper winter tires, even with quattro, will make a world of difference in cold weather traction. Note I didn't say snowy/icy traction. Even in dry, cold weather, winter tires will be way safer than any all-season tire, and could very conceivably prevent a collision. Not sure about everyone else, but a single set of winter tires is less than my insurance deductible. For me, it's a no brainer.

I agree 100%. Winter weather means winter-specific tires for me, every year. Like many others, I have a full set (wheels & tires) that I can just swap on when the time comes, and I'm rockin' a 10yr old Avant. Even if the winter tires are twice what your insurance deductible would cost, I'd still spend the cash and at least get dedicated winter tires, if not a full winter setup (wheels & tires). "Power is nothing without control"

[snolvr]

I agree 100%. Winter weather means winter-specific tires for me, every year. Like many others, I have a full set (wheels & tires) that I can just swap on when the time comes, and I'm rockin' a 10yr old Avant. Even if the winter tires are twice what your insurance deductible would cost, I'd still spend the cash and at least get dedicated winter tires, if not a full winter setup (wheels & tires). "Power is nothing without control"

^^What BOTH of these last 2 guys have said^^! Been driving Quattro's for 30 years now, been an instructor for 20 of those. Dedicated winter tires, although not always necessary, are better for low temperature road surfaces and unrivaled when we do have snow and ice on the roads. Every year we prove to students and adults the benefits of a dedicated set of winter tires on the lake at Georgetown and the Winter Driving School at Steamboat. Who wants to just "get by" with no-season tires in the winter months with Quattro when you could be the one dominating the roads with confidence on a set of snows! Drop down to 18's for winter for skinnier footprint and additional sidewall protection.

[lnferno]

The experts are predicting a warm winter. Nothing like last year. Coming from someone who has both Conti DWS 06 and dedicated Michelin Alpin PA4 winters, you should do just fine running your DWS 06s this winter. Those tires hold their own in the snow.

[Jallen0]

I ran the DWS 06 tires my Q7 for the last part of last winter in the snow and had no issues with them. While I have been gone from Denver for the last 8 years I do know that if you get the heavy snow then you need the winter tires. However for the less than 10-15 days per season where the snow is really bad I would stay with the DWS 06 tires. That being said on my new Q5 I did have to buy a set or winter tires and rims for it because the only option I had were summer tires. However had the DWS 06 tires been available I would have used them. What is interesting to me is that I can now compare both the DWS 06 tires AND a set of winter tires this snow season :)

[4RCFED]

You'll be fine with the all-seasons. I run them and travel to Telluride to visit my parents often although dedicated winters would be better. I just don't need them for the few days it dumps here.

[AWDLover]

I ran a winter setup with cheap 18" alzor wheels and michelin pilot alpin pa4's. I chose high performance winters since most of the winter i was driving on cold dry pavement, but they did perform noticeably better in snow than the conti DWS I had been running. As others have said, if you don't go up to the mountains much in the winter, the tires you have should be fine. But...a winter setup gives you the option to change up the look of your car for part of the year (i chose black wheels for winter)