[Dave57]

Hopefully I am driving to Germany in December, and I wish to purchase a set of winter wheels and tyres.
Can anyone recommend a set?
I have used Michelin All Season before on fresh snow in a different car and they were impressive.

thanks Dave

 

[ormesome]

I have my 19inch rotors with winter tires here in Switzerland. Never understood the need to change alloys, snow amount is rarely the amount that warrants a thinner wheel, even here in the alps. My advice would be using current alloys with Continental Winter Contact tyres. They have got me through 2 winters with snow like the photo below. Amazing tyres combined with Quattro. I would NEVER recommend an All Season tire if you are thinking of changing the tires back to summer tires later on. No point, an all season tire is an OK summer tire and an OK winter tyre. It's just OK! But a proper summer & winter tyre set up gives you the best of both. There is no logic in having a separate set of alloys with All Season & the others with Summers. I had an A3 before my Q2 and i fitted it with All Seasons, Pirelli's, super tyre, would 100% fit it in the UK, but no use here in Switzerland, just too much snow for the tyre to handle. It all depends on a few factors:
1: Where you are going and depth of snow.
2: The condition of your current summer tyres, if they are bad, then get All Season on them and use them all yr round. If you summer tyres are good, then just get a winter tyre set up and change tyres, not alloys.

 

[Dave57]

I have my 19inch rotors with winter tires here in Switzerland. Never understood the need to change alloys, snow amount is rarely the amount that warrants a thinner wheel, even here in the alps. My advice would be using current alloys with Continental Winter Contact tyres. They have got me through 2 winters with snow like the photo below. Amazing tyres combined with Quattro. I would NEVER recommend an All Season tire if you are thinking of changing the tires back to summer tires later on. No point, an all season tire is an OK summer tire and an OK winter tyre. It's just OK! But a proper summer & winter tyre set up gives you the best of both. There is no logic in having a separate set of alloys with All Season & the others with Summers. I had an A3 before my Q2 and i fitted it with All Seasons, Pirelli's, super tyre, would 100% fit it in the UK, but no use here in Switzerland, just too much snow for the tyre to handle. It all depends on a few factors:
1: Where you are going and depth of snow.
2: The condition of your current summer tyres, if they are bad, then get All Season on them and use them all yr round. If you summer tyres are good, then just get a winter tyre set up and change tyres, not alloys.

IMG_3615.jpg

Thank you for your feedback.
Valid points indeed.

 

[pauluk]

I have Michelin Alpins on a set of 17" alloys for the winter. Contrary to above i would recommend a separate set of wheels/tyres for two reasons. One, it's much easier to swap a set of complete wheels than it is to swap a set of tyres, and two if you do find yourself in snow deep enough for chains the arch clearance will be problematic with big wheels (and you risk damaging them). I do live in a place where its both compulsory and necessary to have winter tyres though, so you might want to think how often you're likely to use them and how much you want to spend on them.

I do agree all season tyres will not be sufficient in thick snow. The difference to true snow tyres is quite surprising.

 

[VinceS]

In Scotland all weather tyres used all year are a good compromise, doesn't often get warm enough for summer tyres!