Snow

[theenemywithin]

As a first time owner os a 4 wheel drive car I was wondering what an A4 Quattro was really like in the snow.
I've bought some Snow Chains for my Girlfriends Scenic (worst car ever in the snow) as we live in the sticks but not bothered with mine as I'm expecting great things from the Quattro.
Am I going to be let down or surprised???

[white.akita]

first time for me aswell with a quattro, i normally buy imprezas for the snow which are brilliant with 15" wheels on.
my quattro has 18" alloys on so it wont be as good as a impreza but will stiill climb icy hills no bother.

[Getaway_Driver]

It depends on the wheel size and tyres. Quattro will help to get moving but stopping on snow/ice is a challenge without the right tyres.

Enjoy the car!

[Monkey117SE]

I bought my a4 quattro last october, a month before all that snow came, and to be honest if i didnt have the car i would have lost at least 2 weeks wages as i would not of been able to get to work, 44 miles each way over high ground with significant snow and ice with blizzards to boot. Dont get me wrong, its not a range rover competitor, but its good. Only thing that does slightly let it down is ground clearance, when a large amount of snow turns to solid ice it can scrape. Enjoy!

[white.akita]

It depends on the wheel size and tyres. Quattro will help to get moving but stopping on snow/ice is a challenge without the right tyres.

Enjoy the car!

i have never had a problem stopping on the snow and ice even with cheap tyres, i drive very sensibly and think well ahead and that includes watching out for idiots who drive too fast for the conditions.
no doubt winter tyres would be better but i find not worth spending £400 on them when i have 4wd with no traction problems.
would be worth getting them for 2wd cars.
as monkey said the only problem i can see with my sport is ground clearance but time will tell, the impreza sports i used to buy for the snow and ice were fantastic with lots of ground clearance and being petrol engines they warmed up nice and fast to get the heaters going.

[rhencullen1989]

The quattro system used on the A4 is a permanent 4 wheel drive 50/50 split, not like the A3 or TT which use the haldex gearbox which is basically front wheel drive until the wheels start to spin up then the rears start to drive.

We went to wales last year over xmas just as we had the big dump of snow, my 1.8T quattro 190 s-line was sure footed in the snow and ice, i did not provoke it and it drove really well, remember though, that when you come to steer around a corner or brake, you are still like a 2 w/d.

one strange thing i encountered was going up a steep driveway kind of sideways, the front left and rear right wheel were off the ground and i was stuck, the diffs were letting the wheels spin and i was going nowhere, my old coupe quattro had diff locks so it was a lock solid 4 w/d, the a4 uses traction control so is a bit different.

To summarise, great grip on acceleration on the flat or hill, watch out when braking and going around corners and take it easy on steep driveways on an angle, if you gey my drift!!!!!!!!!

Also i am in the process of replacing my goodyear F1 GSD3's for the very well opinionated Vredestein ultrac sessanta's, so should be even better come the snowy weather.

[spartacus 68]

Having a quattro is great for winter... however a decent set of tyres transforms the grip and traction. I can't afford winter tyres but rate all-round Dunlop Sport 2 on 16" rims. We had temperatures as low as -18 last year and they performed well. At one point I had to chisel off the ice inside the wheel arches that had frozen solid. Just remember braking distances... as it's easy to forget that it takes as long to brake as other 2wd cars.

[the bodgemeister]

I've not got the quattro, but the FWD multitronic. Decided to invest in some Snow Socks just incase I need them.

[Embisix]

Agree with all, Quattro is fantastic in the snow/ice/cold/wet, but don't take the mick on summer tyres, it's not a miracle cure without winters!

On winters, they're almost un-stoppable (assuming you have sufficient ground clearance). Having driven down to The Alps several times with winters, I wouldn't be without my trusty black steelies with winter rubber. That reminds me, must get a new set, 2 winters is about all a they can take when you're doing those sort of miles....

[philfingers]

A4 1.9 quattro sport avant:-
Awesome on snow tyres. On regular tyres so-so, not much better than 2wd. Whilst it may help traction off the line when you brake they’re no better than a 2wd really. It’s the tyres that make such a difference; they’re your contact with the road
I have a pair of Avons and a pair of Vredsteins, 235/45 x 17s on 5 spoke sport rims. Really these tyres are too wide, a snow tyre should be narrower to bite into the snow.
That said last winter there wasn’t anywhere I couldn’t go. There’s a 1in5/6 by us and it was polished hardpacked snow. 2000rpm in 2nd and the traction control light never came on, only hazard was that people were sledging down it at the time!
Snow tyres will transform it, but as others have said once the snow in the road turn to blocks of ice I have to be cautious with the under belly.
Don’t be fooled by all the snow tyres being offered on ebay at the moment. Ask yourself where they’ve all come from. From Europe where snow tyres are required by law in the winter, where they’re effectiveness diminishes remarkably below 4mm. And guess what tread depth remains on most of those on ebay.
Having stuffed my previous A6 2.5 FWD into a hedge the previous winter I see the £450 my snow tyres have got me as cheap insurance. They always have a value and used snow tyres on rims would fetch £500 even with 4mm remaining. I paid £260 for my tyres with 6.8 and 7.2mm on and £150 for the wheels (nigh on mint 5 spoke sport rims) and £40 to have them fitted and balanced.
Once the first snow comes they’ll go back on the car and stay on until March probably.