A4 Quattro in the snow for the first time question

[doowopaudi]

I live in Los Angeles county and will be heading out to the snow in Big Bear this weekend. Living in So Cal has not prepared me for road conditions in snow climates. I drive an A4 Quattro and am lowered on ST Coilovers and running 19 inch A5 peelers. Should I be fine driving up to Big Bear if it starts to snow? Does driving a quattro automatically make my car snow proof and safer than non-quattro vehicles driving in the snow? Should I treat driving in the snow the same as driving in heavy rain?

[AWDLover]

No matter how good your car is, if you're trying to drive in snow on Hankook Ventus V12 summer tires, you will have issues.

I would start by getting at least all seasons to drive in snow.

[KMPRSSD]

How "low is low?

[S4Phantom]

lol "snow proof"

[LINDW4LL]

Driving in the snow is completely different than rain.

I'm not familiar with Big Bear, but around here you could make it a weekend on summer tires, just be prepared to go very slow and allow plenty of room for braking. Maybe pick up some tire chains?

[doowopaudi]

I'm low to where there is no fender gap.


I'm only gonna be there for two nights and the car will most likely be parked the entire time. I hear people talking about how driving a quattro in the snow makes such a difference that I thought it would be like driving on a freeway. I don't understand the difference a quattro makes versus a non-quattro in the snow.

[Limey]

I live in Canada and our winters are about 6 months long so lots of snow. I would not recommend driving on snow in summer tires at all. You won't get far and will have a Higher chance of having an accident as stopping and starting will be horrible. I'd say catch a ride with someone else or like others have said at least get some all seasons.

I drove 1 day here on snow with my summer tires and I was all over the place. Quattro won't make your car safer than non Quattro. In snow it all comes down to tire choices


Later ladies

[LINDW4LL]

....

[Wilbur]

I'm low to where there is no fender gap.


I'm only gonna be there for two nights and the car will most likely be parked the entire time. I hear people talking about how driving a quattro in the snow makes such a difference that I thought it would be like driving on a freeway. I don't understand the difference a quattro makes versus a non-quattro in the snow.

Canada here too. Low is no big deal really its the tires. You will not be able to stop or turn on those tires. I've been caught by surprise snow in th espring and the car is seriously dangerous on summer tires. I would not even consider travelling on snow on a highway on those tires. its all about the tires. You would be better off to rent a car with a/s tires. It would have a better chance of stopping than yours. I'm not exaggerating .

[LINDW4LL]

Quattro won't make your car safer than non Quattro.

False.

[AWDLover]

Read this:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...drive-15202862

[Limey]

False.

Tell me how it's false. Quattro has nothing to do with stopping the car, the tires and brakes do that. With Quattro you will only get of the line quicker and thats with good winter tires. I'd rather have a FWD car with 4 winter tires than a Quattro with all seasons for the winters. Trust me I've driven both


Later Gents

[TimNGobbles]

Summer tires and snow do not mix. Just because your car has AWD (quattro) does not make it a snow car. The quattro might allow increased traction to go but it has no effect on your ability to stop. As a matter of fact having the quattro might make you a worse snow driver because you do get better starting traction and it gives you a false sense of how slippery the roads might be.

If there is any chance you will be driving in snow get some all season or some winter tires. Your tires are what make your car unsafe to drive in the snow. If you don't want to spend the money on new all season tires, because this will be a one time event, have someone else take their car, borrow a friend's car or go rent a car with all season tires.

[Campblett]

You could have the best AWD/4WD system in the world, it would be pretty much useless in snow without winter tires.

Allseason tires are not meant for snow either, I hate how they are branded to seem like they are. Theres a reason why they are called winter tires and not kinda cold and wet outside tires.

[Comp4k]

I'm pretty sure Quattro just prevents you from getting stuck, and aids acceleration.

I agree with the above, get some A/S tires.

Cold summer tires = no stopping power regardless of Quattro or not.

[Mre2099]

How much snow are you talking? You live in Cali right? If your talking about just little flakes coming down, don't worry. If your going to be driving on a 1/2 inch of snow, rent a car with winters. In Montreal, we get all kinds of snow and its a MUST to have winters or your basically signing a death warrant. If it's that snow that falls but melts instantly, your A-Okay.

[LINDW4LL]

Tell me how it's false. Quattro has nothing to do with stopping the car, the tires and brakes do that. With Quattro you will only get of the line quicker and thats with good winter tires. I'd rather have a FWD car with 4 winter tires than a Quattro with all seasons for the winters. Trust me I've driven both

I'd take the FWD car too.

I never said that quattro has anything to do with stopping your car. I did say, with everything else being equal, that a car with quattro is safer than a car without it. That is true.

[Campblett]

I wish it was the law in Ontario like it is in Quebec that winter tires are mandatory, it would reduce so many accidents and keep more of the idiots off the roads.

The problem with summer tires isn't even just the snow, its the temperature. The compounds in the rubber get extremely hard below 5C (41F) and greatly increases your stopping distance.

[Comp4k]

Looks like no real snow in BigBear, just artificial snow. Roads should be fine.


http://www.bearmountain.com/snowboar...t-snow-report/

[name.goes.here]

Many people think that quattro is a silver-bullet for any sort of foul weather (read = snow) which a driver may encounter. Not so.

Quattro aids in traction whether it be snow, rain, asphalt, gravel, etc; however, there are a myriad of other factors which come into play as far as the efficacy of the system. Tires and driver skill are just a couple that come to mind.

[doowopaudi]

Got it. Summer tires are not good in the snow even if I have AWD.

Thanks gentlemen.

[dylannorton]

I live in New England and have all seasons, michelin pilot sport a/s 3's, they still don't perform well in the snow. Definitely would not try to drive on summer tires.

[Celiot29]

Tell me how it's false. Quattro has nothing to do with stopping the car, the tires and brakes do that. With Quattro you will only get of the line quicker and thats with good winter tires. I'd rather have a FWD car with 4 winter tires than a Quattro with all seasons for the winters. Trust me I've driven both


Later Gents

You come to any significant hills in the fwd car on a snowy slick surface and you will be wishing u had Quattro or AWD for that matter. I would say half the fwd cars in heavy snow get stuck on my hill during storms

[r6_11b8]

i dont even think theres snow on the roads dude you should be more than fine

[richardm0025]

I took my A4 out around the block to see exactly how bad it is to drive with summer tires during a light misting on the road. Getting up to speed isn't a problem (Quattro takes care of that), however braking is no such thing with summer tires haha.

I really want winter to end so I can take the Audi back out of the garage :(

[A4 Centaur]

I was out 2 days ago in snow here in Colorado. I have Hankook V12's. They suck in the snow, and the type of snow you will encounter in your area should be wetter and worse for driving in the snow.

I came home and put my Dunlop 3D's back on based on the lousy performance of summer tires in the winter. DO like others have suggested: Get either some All-Seasons or better yet Snow Specific Tires for your drive.

Your state is going through a pretty big drought, so you can probably count on zero precipitation while you go to Big Bear or Tahoe. So, All-Seasons should fit the bill.

Good luck!!

[gunsmoker]

I live in New England and have all seasons, michelin pilot sport a/s 3's, they still don't perform well in the snow. Definitely would not try to drive on summer tires.

These are hardly all-season tires if you look at the ratings and the reviews. Such a positioning more towards summer performance is not necessarily a bad thing. I basically need all-seasons to barely get by in the 5 days a year a get to drive on snow in Massachusetts. At the same time I want a decent summer performance from the all-seasons. I looked at the a/s 3's last year, but I went with Goodyear F1 Asymmetric A/S. $40 cheaper with better overall rating, noticeably better than the a/s 3's in winter conditions and as far as dry conditions, I'm blown away compared to the Conti DWS I had before.

As far as quattro in this type of car, I see it as a nice tool to get more g's while hard cornering on entry exit/ramps in dry conditions and that's about it. On snow stopping and cornering suck anyway. Easier take-off than FWD is the only advantage then.
Speaking of winter tires, there was an article where they compared winters with A/S and the winters did 0.30g on cornering where the a/s did 0.28g. Both suck enough to not justify to me the cost of having a second set of wheels.

OP, why don't you get a rental for these two days? You will hate yourself big time if you damage your lovely vehicle for saving 100 bucks.

[Limey]

You come to any significant hills in the fwd car on a snowy slick surface and you will be wishing u had Quattro or AWD for that matter. I would say half the fwd cars in heavy snow get stuck on my hill during storms

I've had both and my current Audi is Quattro. Never had a problem in front wheel drive cars or AWD. My old condo used to be on one of the biggest hills in my city and she went up like a champ. Like I said in my previous posts, it's all about tire choice


Later Gents

[dracolnyte]

good video

[timob]

The all seasons talk is bunk. You have money in summer tires, buy rims/tires but real snows from Tirerack, they balance them free as part of the deal, and switch off in november, April. That way you get your mileage in the long haul, never pay for mounting and balancing.. All seasons are a crummy compromise unless you are strapped for cash or get no snow or really cold weather. You have already bought the summer tires, makes no sense to buy bad compromise all seasons now. Summer tires become treacherous under 40 degrees, wet or snow, snow tires are uncomfortable in the summer. People say all seasons should be called no seasons. As to the quattro, it will do better on snow with the same tires, but summer tires on ice and snow are a menace quattro cannot fix,

[billyhelmsorig]

im digging that roof basket

[Spaghetti]

I'm low to where there is no fender gap.


I'm only gonna be there for two nights and the car will most likely be parked the entire time. I hear people talking about how driving a quattro in the snow makes such a difference that I thought it would be like driving on a freeway. I don't understand the difference a quattro makes versus a non-quattro in the snow.

I love when people come in to see me and re first thing out of their mouth is... "I need ground clearance and AWD."

What I can tell you is that if you live somewhere that gets regular snow accumulation you need AWD and proper tires.

I live in Colorado and run my Allroad pretty darn low. Lower than my technicians recommend for this time of year. I choose to run Blizzacks and the car feels like it has claws in the snow.

I took my car out one night just for a very short drive on my summers when it lightly snowed to see the difference. It's was night and day. I came to a stop on a tiny and had to back down it because I couldn't get moving again.

The rubber compound in a summer tire is harder than a rock when temperatures are below 40 degrees. Essentially winter tires stay summer sticky at freezing temperatures which works in tandem with special tread patterns.

Just my .02 cents

[avant-grd]

I'm low to where there is no fender gap.


I'm only gonna be there for two nights and the car will most likely be parked the entire time. I hear people talking about how driving a quattro in the snow makes such a difference that I thought it would be like driving on a freeway. I don't understand the difference a quattro makes versus a non-quattro in the snow.

Houston, YOU have a problem.

[amz]

We get some freak weather in the spring in Canada (surprise 2ft of snow in mid april after 2 weeks of 15C weather is not unheard of...), I've seen what happens when people run summer tires in the snow: tow trucks were very, very busy.

If it's a very thin dusting of snow (think frosting on a bundt cake), you could probably get away with being very careful on summer tires, increase your braking distance by 2x-3x and be gentle with the accelerator on inclines. However, if there's any chance of any accumulation (>0.5"), rent a car with proper all-seasons or snow tires. Snow tires don't just have a softer compound that sticks to the road, they have larger and deeper treads which gives the snow somewhere to go, otherwise you're going to compact the snow into ice.

[ChornsYYC]

You could have the best AWD/4WD system in the world, it would be pretty much useless in snow without winter tires.

Allseason tires are not meant for snow either, I hate how they are branded to seem like they are. Theres a reason why they are called winter tires and not kinda cold and wet outside tires.

+1. And look where I live. 'Nuff said.

[tae111]

Put a set of Blizzaks on your Audi. If you encounter conditions where that's not working it will be time to break out the tracked vehicles. http://trucktracks.com/en/. Lol

[Burrito]

Here is where Audis marketing comes into play.

No your vehicle isnt snow proof, there isnt a car out there I would drive much in snowy conditions. I would check the news and see what kind of conditions are out there and if theres been a lot of wrecks and how long road crews have been working.

If those answers dont meet my expectations then I dont drive anywhere.