Wheel's + Coilover's + Winter = BAD IDEA

[S5S5S5]

Gent's

I spend 1 hour each night prowling through this site admiring everyone's wheel + suspension set ups...and then another hour talking to the angel on my right shoulder and the devil on my left?

How bad of an idea is it for me to invest in new coil over's and HRE's/DPE's with the Winter season approaching. I just moved to Washington D.C. after leaving my beloved Miami... FML : ( - I probably should have done this while I could still enjoy the roads in South FL. D.C SUCKS. So many potholes, cracks, etc + they are only bound to get worse as it gets colder. AND of course, snow = salt + sand + Chemicals = RUST. What should I do???

I really plan on doing a lot of driving, skiing, winter activities and have already begun prepping the vehicle (Rubber Mats, Roofrack, Mudflaps, Downpipes + Exhaust. The only thing left for my car is Wheel + Tire's

Am I correct to assume that it would be a wiser decision to let the winter pass and purchase in Spring? I guess these are my options. Any feedback is always greatly appreciated

1. Hold out till spring?

2. Get coil overs, but do not drop car significantly?

3. Get both wheels and coil overs - it doesn't matter?

[Turbo Nerd]

Smh...

[Greedo]

Doesn't it snow in DC like once a year? I think you'll be fine.

[5TAK]

just go with a winter wheel/tire setup..and roll on the fancy stuff during spring summer fall...i run 19s, slammed on coilovers at Lake Tahoe, ca all winter long...yea the wheels do get beat up, as far as suspension havnt really experienced any problems when driving on the snowy roads.

[seph]

you wont see much snow there and if you do it wont stick for more than a day. i wouldn't worry about snow setups.

[SinCityA6]

You will find that most people who live in winter climates will run a set of summer tires and a set of winter tires. Regardless of when you purchase the coil overs, you will want to raise and lower it depending on the season and the tire setup you are running.

[CALL AAA]

Are you from an area that gets snow, or are you from Miami? I have some advice, but if you're familiar with snowy driving, you don't really need it.

If you are worried about driving it in the winter, new suspension or not, just get a little POS beater. Get a WRX or something. Keep the S5 wrapped up. Or, find a no-touch carwash that does a good undercarriage wash. Run it through there every few days to rinse all the crap off the bottom. If it's the type that pushes your car through between the rails, check the clearance first. Lots of people get their wheels suined in carwashes. Or get a winter wheel set-up, and worry a little less about what might happen.
Every time I come back from Tahoe, I spend a lot of time spraying off the underside of my car. It really helps.

Let me know if you want to hear my other advice.

[S5S5S5]

Smh...

Would love to know why your shaking your head...

1. you were bullied as a child, ugly, etc
2. The closest you get to a women is the one in your avatar - frustration?
3. My curiosity as to whether or not I will experience noticeable differences with larger wheels and lower suspension in D.C winter driving conditions was completely worth shrugging off!

Let me know!

Doesn't it snow in DC like once a year? I think you'll be fine.

No, It snow's more than once, nothing like driving from Denver - Vail! in December. It's more the combination of moderations of Snow, Ice, and overall road surface quality that I am worried about. I spent 21 Years in D.C. - Miami for 4, Ive been back here for 3 months and have really come to appreciate the difference in surface conditions.

However, I have never had coil overs, or 20 inch wheels before on a vehicle. Of course I will be fine, and Im sure the car as well... Just want to know if it would make more sense to wait considering what other people might have experienced after going through a Winter with this type of setup, b/c it will be my first

just go with a winter wheel/tire setup..and roll on the fancy stuff during spring summer fall...i run 19s, slammed on coilovers at Lake Tahoe, ca all winter long...yea the wheels do get beat up, as far as suspension havnt really experienced any problems when driving on the snowy roads.

Thanks, yeah, I think I might do the coil overs on the stock 19's maybe change the tires and wait until spring to order the 20's

You will find that most people who live in winter climates will run a set of summer tires and a set of winter tires. Regardless of when you purchase the coil overs, you will want to raise and lower it depending on the season and the tire setup you are running.

Please explicate? winter tires on a dedicated set of winter wheels solely to be put on when our meteorologist's scream SNOW? Summer tires on 20's when conditions are fine. And what type of adjustments would I want to make to the coil overs in the Winter season, do you have a particular recommendation in mind? Thanks for your input guys

[S5S5S5]

Are you from an area that gets snow, or are you from Miami? I have some advice, but if you're familiar with snowy driving, you don't really need it.

If you are worried about driving it in the winter, new suspension or not, just get a little POS beater. Get a WRX or something. Keep the S5 wrapped up. Or, find a no-touch carwash that does a good undercarriage wash. Run it through there every few days to rinse all the crap off the bottom. If it's the type that pushes your car through between the rails, check the clearance first. Lots of people get their wheels suined in carwashes. Or get a winter wheel set-up, and worry a little less about what might happen.
Every time I come back from Tahoe, I spend a lot of time spraying off the underside of my car. It really helps.

Let me know if you want to hear my other advice.

I am very familiar with Winter Driving, haha actually my first car was an 04 WRX, man was that thing fun in the snow! - I don't think Ill be doing the POS. as much as I would love to. I really want to drive the S5 through the Winter, just am having a hard time justifying 20" wheels w/ coil overs... I truly do enjoy hearing advice, so please??

[CALL AAA]

This is all pretty general, maybe more for someone who searches for snow related stuff later on.
Get a set of used wheels, throw on some snow tires (keep them narrow) and raise the car if you are sitting really low. No matter how high your car sits, you could always run into deeper snow, so stick to plowed roads. Don't try to drive over any piled snow. I high-centered my wagon on on less than a 1' pile from when a plow went by my parking spot.
And if you're not from someplace with snow, find an empty snowy parking lot and learn what your car will do. Try to drift it with ESP on. Then try with it off. Brake hard, figure out the stopping distances from various speeds. Basically, do your own winter driving school. If you learn exactly what the car will do in a controlled situation, you'll be much less surprised when it happens on a snowy freeway.

[mihixson]

Please explicate? winter tires on a dedicated set of winter wheels solely to be put on when our meteorologist's scream SNOW? Summer tires on 20's when conditions are fine.

I think the point of the winter tires is more the temperature than the snow. The rubber on the summer tires gets hard and brittle in cold temperatures, and thus you don't get much grip even on a clear roadway. I think you're best bet is to switch to winter tires once the temperature starts consistently dropping below 40º F or so.

[motivated]

I will sum this up for you.

1. It does snow here. Just not to many major storms, usually three or four winter storms between 3 & 6 inches, usually get freezing rain more than anything else. Every other year we get a significant (for the mid atlantic) snow storm dropping a ft plus.

2. The roads turn to shit, see its not the weather thats going to mess up those pretty wheels. Its that DC roads, just like every other mid atlantic - northeastern city turns to crap over the winter due to all the freezing and expanding of the asphalt here. So you might drive down a road one week and have a few small dents in the road, within two weeks they become craters and no way to avoid them.

3. They drop chemicals and salt on the road here at the hint of inclement weather, salt and brine are the most common but all of it is nasty and it last well into spring before its all washed away.

So my high recommendation as others have said, leave your stock wheels on for winter or get a another set that you don't care about because between the potholes and road chemicals they are going to take a lot of abuse. This won't be like Miami where you can just wash your car every week, during winter you might have a stretch where you just can't wash the car for 6 - 8 weeks at a time and those wheels are going to look super nasty. Feel free to get your coil overs put on but being in this area, make sure you get the stainless steel ones (Think KW V1's or V2's) but leave them up high. Depending on what wheels your getting your going to end up waiting 2-3 months for them to arrive anyway so just order them and put them in the garage when they arrive.

I will be taking my car in around mid october to go back to stock wheels and winter tires and raise my coil overs, summer wheels will be thoroughly cleaned and stormed in the garage for the next few months.

Hope that helps, any other questions feel free to ask.

Would love to know why your shaking your head...

1. you were bullied as a child, ugly, etc
2. The closest you get to a women is the one in your avatar - frustration?
3. My curiosity as to whether or not I will experience noticeable differences with larger wheels and lower suspension in D.C winter driving conditions was completely worth shrugging off!

Let me know!



No, It snow's more than once, nothing like driving from Denver - Vail! in December. It's more the combination of moderations of Snow, Ice, and overall road surface quality that I am worried about. I spent 21 Years in D.C. - Miami for 4, Ive been back here for 3 months and have really come to appreciate the difference in surface conditions.

However, I have never had coil overs, or 20 inch wheels before on a vehicle. Of course I will be fine, and Im sure the car as well... Just want to know if it would make more sense to wait considering what other people might have experienced after going through a Winter with this type of setup, b/c it will be my first



Thanks, yeah, I think I might do the coil overs on the stock 19's maybe change the tires and wait until spring to order the 20's



Please explicate? winter tires on a dedicated set of winter wheels solely to be put on when our meteorologist's scream SNOW? Summer tires on 20's when conditions are fine. And what type of adjustments would I want to make to the coil overs in the Winter season, do you have a particular recommendation in mind? Thanks for your input guys

[mxrz]

Keep the stock setup till the spring... That's what I'm doing anyway, putting quality winter rubber on the stock 19" Y spokes, and with a rather moderate drop on H&R springs, I'm ready for winter. When spring rolls around, KW adjustable springs (don't want to lose ADS and Servotronic) will go on, with a nice set of lightweight forged 20" wheels.

[tdn]

I'd recommend putting on some snow tires on your stock wheels, buying a nice set of wheels with summer tires. Put the nice set on now if you'd like, then come November, throw on your winter wheels. You can do this around November with the winter tires, then take your time during the winter finding new wheels/tires also. You can get coilovers whenever, with moderate drop you can run that way all year. Or just lower/raise them according to the season.

I'd also recommend buying coilover protectant film (there's a better name for this stuff that I can't recall). It protects your coilovers from the elements, so it's not a bitch to adjust after a while.

[2Rude]

Its very simple...WAIT FOR THE SPRING TIME!

[seph]

i run wheels and coils and i usually just swap the stock wheels back on in the winter. I don't adjust my suspension. I would def not run 20s in the winter but the coils should be ok. either way there is no point in buying something right before winter.

[S5S5S5]

Thanks guys, your input is much appreciated and has definitely brought me to what seems like the "logical" solution.

I will order the KW's and get ahold of some protective film. In addition, look for a set of Winter tires to put on my stock 19's and simply wait until Spring to put the 20's on

My last question... What are the best "winter" tires to purchase for stock 19's to be driven throughout the entire winter season? Is there a difference between the title "snow tire" and "winter tire" or is this interchangeable when purchasing? Also, I am aware that riding on 19's on these shitty roads makes bumps, potholes, craters so damn noticeable. Will winter tires help alleviate some of the ruggedness, especially as it gets colder? Thanks

[S5xy]

Would love to know why your shaking your head...

1. you were bullied as a child, ugly, etc
2. The closest you get to a women is the one in your avatar - frustration?
3. My curiosity as to whether or not I will experience noticeable differences with larger wheels and lower suspension in D.C winter driving conditions was completely worth shrugging off!

Let me know!

LOLZ

[S5S5S5]

LOLZ

I mean c'mon! What a D-Bag. LOL - I'm not a "complete" noob haha

[Audiforumuser]

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D would be my vote.

[S5S5S5]

Thanks, looking at them now

Don't want to move off topic but I just plugged in my Vagcom and accessed Charisma in the hidden MMI to enable Dynamic mode or whatever, and WOW, throttle response is much better and steering tightened up... MUST have for those without this option

[AlmostS50]

Do the coilovers now and get a dedicated winter / tire set up for the winter and when summer rolls around put the DPE's on and then BOB'S YOUR UNCLE!

[crisp74]

blizzaks for the tires. my car drives better than the wife's mdx in the snow.

[S5S5S5]

blizzaks for the tires. my car drives better than the wife's mdx in the snow.

Haha! Which wheels are they on, oem 19's? And when you put them on for the winter, what changes do u experience in both dry and wet conditions w/o snow? How is the ride compared to whatever spring/summer setup u have?

[simpleS5]

I live in the DC metro area and drive my car all over the place. With all the major beltway and subway expansion construction going on, the roads are now in bad condition. I've hit some nasty potholes and bumps but withstood them. My setup is I have Drive Select, 1" drop with H&R OE springs, 19" +20 offset 9.5 width wheels on 275/30/19 "Performance All-Season" tires. The key is get "all-season tires" so that you can drive the car all year round. The 1" drop I think is more than enough to give the car a good stance. Anything lower than that, you be in trouble. hope this helps.

[AofC_RR]

Doesn't it snow in DC like once a year? I think you'll be fine.

DC got crushed last year with snow....The capital shut down. We're talking feet here not a measley few inches.
I agree with the buy a beater or get a propper winter set up and save your nice rims for spring/summer.

[S5S5S5]

Hey guys, yeah - not doing the POS! - Ordered the KW V1's and Dunlop Winter Sport's for the 19' stock wheels. When spring rolls around, I will put the HRE's on and store the 19' OEM's as my dedicated winter set.

Thanks for all the advice - If anyone ever needs VAG-COM in the DC area, PM me.

Cheers

[mxrz]

The key is get "all-season tires" so that you can drive the car all year round.

There is a reason people call them "no season tires" because they're mediocre in all seasons. An S5 doesn't deserve that, especially in the summer... No brand or model will ever change that because there is no way to create a compound that is soft enough for good summer grip but doesn't get hard and slippery in the winter cold. And 275 is way too wide for getting grip in snow or slush... In winter, narrower is better.

[simpleS5]

There is a reason people call them "no season tires" because they're mediocre in all seasons. An S5 doesn't deserve that, especially in the summer... No brand or model will ever change that because there is no way to create a compound that is soft enough for good summer grip but doesn't get hard and slippery in the winter cold. And 275 is way too wide for getting grip in snow or slush... In winter, narrower is better.

Good point. Agreed that they are mediocre in the summer. If you haven't been to the DC area, you can't drive spirited here anyways because of so much cars on the road and cops handing out tickets for county revenue. :-) My car is a daily commuter too, 110 miles a day. In wet and in snow, my all seasons are great. I Have no problems with snow grip even if they are too wide. I'm rockin my aftermarket wheels all year round.

[S5S5S5]

There is a reason people call them "no season tires" because they're mediocre in all seasons. An S5 doesn't deserve that, especially in the summer... No brand or model will ever change that because there is no way to create a compound that is soft enough for good summer grip but doesn't get hard and slippery in the winter cold. And 275 is way too wide for getting grip in snow or slush... In winter, narrower is better.

+1

[ADV.1 Matt]

Opt for a powdercoated or clear coated finish on the entire wheel. Don't go for anything raw or polished aluminum/chrome. Should be fine but i'd keep cleaning them on a regular basis throughout the winter. Salt buildup on anything is bad.

If you have any questions or if I can bring you over to the dark side let me know! ;)

[VMRWheels]

I would suggest keeping your stock setup and throwing some good snow tires on. Wait until Spring to get your wheel setup!