[s-cars] Snow Tire sizes/options

[Robin Stoddard]

Hi Jim,

I laugh only because this topic comes up every year around this time and you are lucky in that it hasn’t renewed this continuous debate.  As in the past there has been quite the debate over which combination is better; narrow vs. wide, studded vs. non-studded, or winter vs. all-season.  And that’s not even getting into which brand/model is better.  haha

I just finished picking up some new winters for some of my cars.  I ended up buying the Continental WinterContact Si in 245/40R18 for the S6, and 235/45R17 for the A6.  Why did I pick these you may ask?  It came down to the tread pattern, cost, availability and that I have used Conti’s in the past and have been happy enough with them.

So far, they are just fine in that they are not too noisy (for me), and have nice siping and a good tread pattern.  I am planning on switching the wheels between the S6 & A6 a bit of driving to see if there is any noticeable difference.  However, I haven’t hit any snowy or icy conditions in either car, but when I do have some experience with both sizes I will send you an update.  

Cheers,
Robin


> On Nov 10, 2016, at 5:31 AM, Lee Levitt <lee at levitts.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Jim,
> 
> If you're doing a good amount of winter driving on snow covered roads, including unplowed roads, I'd go with the taller, narrower tire. Overall circumference won't be much different.
> 
> On the other hand, if you're only seeing occasional slush and ice, I'd go with the wider tire. 
> 
> Either way I'd suggest taking a look at the latest Nokians. I'm running the R2s on three of my cars and it's a wonderful tire!
> 
> Best,
> 
> Lee
> 
>> On Nov 9, 2016, at 7:21 PM, <jim at almgt.com> <jim at almgt.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Hey all,
>> 
>> The time has come to retire my current set of Hankook Winter iPike studded snows in a 225/50-16 and unfortunately that same tire, which was unbelievable as far as traction and longevity goes (I’ve got at least 5 solid winters out of them!), seems to be few and far between.  I am finding very few choices in the 225/50-16 size actually, and was wondering if it would be that big a deal to go with a 225/55-16, as that seems to give me several more options available.  I’m sure the 215/55-16 option is out there as well.  Thoughts and suggestions?  Hoping to find something around $100 per tire…..thanks!
>> 
>> Best regards,
>> 
>> Jim Fleischer
>> ’95 urS6 avant
>> 
> 
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