Are performance winter tires really that good?

[wordsworth03]

I have been deciding which tires to get for my RS7 and cannot decide. I initially was thinking of flipping between a summer and winter set, but as I have read more reviews of the Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds, there are several reviews stating that they are barely better than a good all-season tire and nowhere near a true winter tire such as Blizzaks. The Dunlops are really the only tires that come in a size that seem appropriate for the car. I live in the PNW, so the majority of the winter is wet and cold with a handful of light snow days (if that). Having said that, I do like to go up to the mountains a few times/year but the roads are generally well plowed.

I wish there was more head-to-head testing, but the only objective data I have found comparing performance winters to all-seasons and true winter tires is this article from 2009:

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...mparison-tests

It shows that a UHP AS is better in the dry and wet, even in freezing temps, than the performance winter tire. Yes, the performance winter has it beat in braking on snow but the majority of driving for me will be in the rain (and I can increase my following distance in the snow). I am considering the DWS 06 which I know will be a compromise, but I don't mind sacrificing a bit of extreme summer performance because I don't take it to the bleeding edge in cornering...just in straight lines.

Any thoughts?

[StewHill123321]

Pick up some smaller wheels (if you plan on driving this into any deep snow) and slap some Michelin Alpine's or Blizzaks.

[BMcD-RS4]

I can offer some input here - I have had the Dunlop 3Ds on my previous RS4 and up until this summer I had a GL550 with Blizzaks as the winter tire. Your assessment of the 3Ds is about right - it will never be as good as a Blizzak in snow but it sounds like you will not be going down unplowed road with deep snow. I am in the Chicago area and deal mostly with plowed and salted roads with the occasional blizzard-type of driving. The 3D will be fine for that type of driving. The Blizzaks are even better but will slide around in the dry a bit more. (yes - you can get a GL550 to drift!) I had the original DWS on my A7 and they did just fine all year. You just can't be as aggressive with those compared the Blizzaks in terms of acceleration and braking in snow. Steady and easy will get you through 95% of the time. I am debating on what to do with the S7 - I may just get a beater but if I was doing wheel/tire combo I would do a 20" with the DWS 06. Good luck.

[AnTarbh]

I have been deciding which tires to get for my RS7 and cannot decide. I initially was thinking of flipping between a summer and winter set, but as I have read more reviews of the Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds, there are several reviews stating that they are barely better than a good all-season tire and nowhere near a true winter tire such as Blizzaks. The Dunlops are really the only tires that come in a size that seem appropriate for the car. I live in the PNW, so the majority of the winter is wet and cold with a handful of light snow days (if that). Having said that, I do like to go up to the mountains a few times/year but the roads are generally well plowed.

I wish there was more head-to-head testing, but the only objective data I have found comparing performance winters to all-seasons and true winter tires is this article from 2009:

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...mparison-tests

It shows that a UHP AS is better in the dry and wet, even in freezing temps, than the performance winter tire. Yes, the performance winter has it beat in braking on snow but the majority of driving for me will be in the rain (and I can increase my following distance in the snow). I am considering the DWS 06 which I know will be a compromise, but I don't mind sacrificing a bit of extreme summer performance because I don't take it to the bleeding edge in cornering...just in straight lines.

Any thoughts?

I ran Blizzaks during the winter on my A6 loved them, they worked beautifully over here in the MN/ND winter weather. However I was recently turned on to Nokian WRG3 all weather tires and fitted them on my Q7. So far they are fantastic and cheaper than running two sets, and with no compromise from my point of view. Not sure what size your RS7 wheels are, but maybe these are another option.

http://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-wrg3/
http://www.nokiantires.com/all-weath...kian-wrg3-suv/

[Skyler@Achtuning]

Typically in conditions near or below freezing a winter specific tire will outperform even a good all season, and a good winter tire even more so. We've seen a lot of 3Ds go throughthe shop with no negative feedback that I can recall. I had a set of somewhat skinny Nokians on my car for a while and did things that shouldn't be possible on Seattle hills with over 10" of snow on them. Just remember that even the best tires and Quattro is no guarantee of protection from the idiot in the Camry with crappy bald tires.

[AnTarbh]

Typically in conditions near or below freezing a winter specific tire will outperform even a good all season, and a good winter tire even more so. We've seen a lot of 3Ds go throughthe shop with no negative feedback that I can recall. I had a set of somewhat skinny Nokians on my car for a while and did things that shouldn't be possible on Seattle hills with over 10" of snow on them. Just remember that even the best tires and Quattro is no guarantee of protection from the idiot in the Camry with crappy bald tires.

+1

[///M Traitor]

Running a dedicated winter tire on warm (above freezing) or wet roads will take serious life out of the tire. Winter tires are designed to be very soft at cold temperatures, so they can grip the snow and ice by conforming to slight irregularities in the surface. This increases mechanical grip. Take that same super soft tire, and warm it up, and run it on asphalt, and you take a significant amount of life out of it, and it will always feel squirrely on dry roads because of how soft the tire is.

An all season or performance-winter tire is more suitable for use in dry and moderate temperature conditions. This means the rubber will not wear as quickly, but certainly will not grip as well in icy conditions.

You can either prepare for the worst with dedicated winters, and change the tires every 8k miles. Or you can pick a tire that will last longer, but you will have to be very careful on the bad days or stay home...

I personally have the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 on my car. I work from home though, so it's a garage queen on the bad winter days here in Northern NJ. I would take the car out in the snow with this setup if I HAD to though :-)

[wordsworth03]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I guess the surprising thing in the Car and Driver testing was that the all-seasons did better when it was 23oF dry and wet than the performance winters which I find odd since the performance winter should have softer, more compliant rubber. I'm sure it would be different when it is below 0oF, but that never really happens where I live.

As far as Nokians, they are definitely the best of the best but don't really come in ideal sizes for the car.

[GolfGL]

I picked up a set of Pirelli Sottozero 3 in 19" for my car, haven't installed them yet. Have gone through a few over the years including Viking, Gislaved, Dunlops and Michelin. The only disappointment I ever felt was with the Michelin Xi2 - it was pretty bad in slushy snow, but quiet and responsive on dry pavement.

[MileMan402]

I'm happy with the Dunlop Wintersports on my car. I put 4k miles on them last season, a lot of which was dry, and they're definitely not down to 50%.

Now that I live 43 miles from my office I kind of wish I had a set of all seasons, but I'm just going to run the Wintersports again this year despite the extra mileage.

[VVG]

There are two aspects to consider with winter driving:

1. Temperature
2. Precipitation

The biggest benefit of proper performance winter tires is actually with regards to temperature as the number of times that you are actually driving in significant precipitation is likely to be limited even in very wintery climates. Usually these regions have very good snow removal capabilities anyway.

As such, you want a winter tire that will still allow your high performance car to perform decently on dry pavement, albeit in cold temperatures. Factor in that in an Audi, you have the best AWD system in existence, and you will be fine with tires like a Dunlop Winter Sport which sacrifice a little traction for improved dry road performance.

I have run the Winter Sports on assorted Audis and Porsches for 18 years and have had zero issues. I live in Western Massachusetts and am an avid skier, so I have dealt with serious snow conditions as well.

Winter Sport 3D easily handled over 12 inches.......

[RAF_S7]

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accesso...ts-by-category

Although this is a UK review, you may find it useful reading.

[zcd2.7t]

Another happy WinterSport 3D user here. I've run them for 4 seasons, and to me, they're perfect for Chicago weather. I've never even gotten CLOSE to getting stuck, and they really give up very little in dry-road handling. They're certainly capable of doing anything you SHOULD be doing on dry, cold, winter roads!

Blizzaks are severely compromised in damp/dry-road handling, and since that's what we mostly drive in during winter here in Chicago, I find the WinterSports to be the better choice.

[gk1]

Wintersport 3D is a great tires. I had them for many years on a B5 S4, B7 A4, C6 A6 always made the car feel very secure in the snow and worked well in wet and dry as well. The only downside was they are directional and you can only rotate front to back and they get noisy as they wear.
I also had Michelin pilot alpin PA4 on my B8 S4 but they had poor ride quality even though they performed ok in the snow.
However I have been most pleased so far with the Continentals which I have on both my C7 S6 and SQ5. Best combination of traction, ride comfort and ability to fully rotate for more even wear.

[Kem]

The dunlops are the best winter tire if you live in warmer climate but go to the snow often. During winter when I was home in warmer weather (san francisco) they didn't get all mushy, but performed wonderfully in the snow. When Blizzak released the LM-60's they claimed they finally had a high performance winter tire. I bought a set and they sucked at home, super mushy. In the snow they're fine.

From my experience if you experience long dry spells and dont want to give up too much handling the dunlops are better. If you're snowed in all season then the blizzaks might be better.

[achan]

FWIW I've used Continental DWS in the snow and they seem to be the best of the all-seasons in that regard. I've driven in 6-8 inches of snow, so no comment on how they perform in deep snow. A dedicated snow tire will always be better, but really depends on local climatology.

I've run my R8 in snow as well on Pirelli Sottozeros but it's nowhere near as good in the snow as S7 with DWS. My guess is that has more to do with the tire stagger in the R8 and how the weight is distributed though

[redrocker55]

I ran a set of 18" Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3's on my 2010 B8 S4. They were awesome. I named that car the "snow cat" in the winters. In my part of the country I can drive in 6-8 inches of snow, ice, sleet. But at the same time it can be 10 degrees one day and then 60 the next. I loved the PA3's for their ability to greatly increase my winter weather capabilities. No-one around me could out accelerate me or out stop me in the winter weather. SUV's on their all season tires are ssslllooowww compared to me riding on those tires. Plus they were low rolling resistance so that was a nice bonus. I also got 35,000 miles out of them and I bet they had another 5,000 remaining.

For the S6 I picked up a set of the updated version...the PA4's. I have not installed them yet but will in another 5-6 weeks. I expect nothing less that a spectacular experience.

IMO...unless you live in Canada or near the Canadian border (or in the mountains) then a performance winter tire is an excellent choice. Michelin has never disappointed me. Modern winter tires are nothing like the snow tires from the 70's.

[Kevin1]

I have been very happy with my Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 tires. They are great tires

[Serpent]

I ran Conti DWS on my S4 last winter, no complaints. Not sure what I will run on the S6 yet, I have another month or so to figure it out.

Conti DWS also performed really well in the slushy/watery/rainy weather. I thought there was some added road noise with the conti's but that maybe just me.

[Bonovox09]

Hi, just picked up a 2016 RS7 and am checking out winter tires. FYI, I ran Michelin Alpin PA4 on my M4 and M5 before that and they are truly amazing tires.
http://www.tirerack.com/videos/index...227&tab=Winter
Tire Rack ran a comparison testing on the performance winter tires including the Alpin, Sottozero 3, Dunlap 3D and I believe Blizzak and or Nokian. You can read it here: http://www.tirerack.com/videos/index...227&tab=Winter.

The Michelins came in first with the Pirrellis right behind. Then the Dunlap and Blizzak.

Here's my problem. It appears that neither Micheliin or Dunlap make their tires in 275 35-20. Only Pirelli. And the Pirelli Sottozerro 3's are not available. So I'm looking at the Pirrelli Sottozero Series II, which is their last generation tire. Tire Rack says they score out well on consumer tests but that they were improved for betting stopping on ice in the Series3. Any thoughts???

[Kevin1]

Buy new rims and drop down to 19s for your winter tires

[ljnaum26]

I went from all seasons to wintersports and it was night and day difference

[Bonovox09]

does anyone know, can you drop down to 19" wheels on c7.5?

I have a set of Michelin Alpin PA3 255 35/19 and was wondering if I could pick up a winter set of wheels to go with them.

[zcd2.7t]

I'd think that you could probably find 19s that would fit. Check with Tire Rack or Discount Tire or Hartmann Wheel to be certain.

You also might want to check the maximum load rating on those tires - C7s are heavy beasts!