Worth getting winter tyres?

[jconrad]

I've been considering getting some winter tyres for my A4 B8 S Line, which has 18'' rims. Is it worth getting winter tyres fitted? If so, should I buy new rims too or just have the tyres replaced?
What would be the best make/model/size for a 2.0T ?

[OVI82]

If it usually snows a lot where you live than winter tyres it's a must.And it's a good ideea to buy a new set of alloys with winter tyres on them,preferably smaller than the 18' you have at the moment.I personally don't bother with winter tyres,as I live in London and I have yet to witness a proper winter.Untill we'll have winters similar to the ones in eastern europe than I'm not going to bother with winter tyres.And as long as you drive an Audi and not a BMW you should be fine.

[theskyfox]

JConrad, Ive just got a set of winter wheels/tyres and live down south where we dont usually get as much snow as the rest of the UK. I think theyre definately a good investment as grip/braking and traction are noticeably improved. Worth bearing in mind that its also the wet and frost that you benefit in, not just the snow. If you shop around, youll probably find it actually works out cheaper to buy a set of tyres and rims together than just tyres. (Bearing in mind you are going to need to pay someone to change the tyres over every time if you dont get rims). I paid around £1k for my rims and tyres as a kit from audi..thats 17" original OEM rims + dunlop sport 4d tyres. Normally the alloys alone would be around £300 each...then the tyres another £200 each on top. Its easy then just to keep the other set of wheels in your own shed, and swap them with a jack in the spring (about 30 min job..on your own driveway for free).

-Andrew

[Guest 2]

I always said I would never buy winter tyres but I think I might have to as my new A3 is only FWD and not the quattro I'm use to on the A6.

Audi do a winter tyre set for £868 for my A3 with 16" rims and 16" winter tyres. I know the Service manager very well, so a biggish discount may be had on that price.

[jconrad]

JConrad, Ive just got a set of winter wheels/tyres and live down south where we dont usually get as much snow as the rest of the UK. I think theyre definately a good investment as grip/braking and traction are noticeably improved. Worth bearing in mind that its also the wet and frost that you benefit in, not just the snow. If you shop around, youll probably find it actually works out cheaper to buy a set of tyres and rims together than just tyres. (Bearing in mind you are going to need to pay someone to change the tyres over every time if you dont get rims). I paid around £1k for my rims and tyres as a kit from audi..thats 17" original OEM rims + dunlop sport 4d tyres. Normally the alloys alone would be around £300 each...then the tyres another £200 each on top. Its easy then just to keep the other set of wheels in your own shed, and swap them with a jack in the spring (about 30 min job..on your own driveway for free).

-Andrew

How did you get it so cheap???

[theskyfox]

How did you get it so cheap???

By Haggling! Believe me Audi have big profit margins and you can get money knocked off. I bought my car from then less than a year ago...have spent a fortune on bits and pieces in there, and they made me wait a month for the tyres to arrive. After all the fuss and drama over it...I said to the manager that I wasnt prepared to pay full price for something Ive had to wait so long for. Hence..the lower price .

-Andrew