[V8] Snow tires/etc
Scott Justusson
qshipq at aol.com
Tue Dec 3 08:12:17 PST 2013
Generals are good bang for buck tires, when they came out a couple years back, there were plenty using them in the ice racing series I was doing with my 4ktq (blizzacks) and they performed very well. That said, I would likely go to a wider 225/60 Michelin on the v8. IME, the Blizzacks and the Generals have much more flexible sidewalls, which combined with an "under size' 15in wheel on a 4000lb car, makes for a really wallowy ride. So much so, I put innertubes in Blizzacks to increase the stiffness, a problem not found in the Michelins.
"comparisons' of ice tires is really moot, they alll use the silicate compound, and IME/O at Steamboat and Georgetown Ice Events, driver skill is a larger variable than 'brand'. There the Generals have the value point very well situated to get their toe hold in the crowded market. Alas, at the end of the day, with the heavy v8/urs and small tire diameters, the Michelins have a better road feel than any of the others I've run over the years (Though I do really love the Pirelli winter 210, but not an ice tire).
HTH and my .02
Scott J
Eventmaster Steamboat Ice Driving Experience 1999-present
87 4kq20vt Blizzacks with inner tubes
94 Landcruiser Blizzies DMV1
92 v8 Pirelli wnter 210
91 200tq Blizzack WS60 (Steamboat beater)
-----Original Message-----
From: D Morralee <superdaveski at hotmail.com>
Cc: audi fan <v8 at audifans.com>
Sent: Mon, Dec 2, 2013 8:49 pm
Subject: Re: [V8] Snow tires/etc
I just bought the German Made General Altimax Arctic for my 2OO5 Audi allroad
last week. I did a lot of research before buying them through different sites,
customer Survey etc. With the surveys on tire rack I looked at what was
important to me out of the ten or so survey items. My three picks was light and
deep snow traction and ice performance. I chose these three as they were what I
need for the conditions I drive to get me to the ski hill. The survey items are
from 1 to 1O , 1O being excellent. ( I used an excel spreadsheet to compile the
different tire selections and survey numbers) Last Monday put the tires on and
got hit with a snowstorm the next morning. The tires are excellent in 1 foot of
snow,very grippy. These tires also are rated extremely high on wet surfaces.
Tire noise is not the best, fuel economy is not that good either but hey I own a
Audi V8 :-). Safety is my goal, price point was excellent on these tires cheers
Superdave
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
-----Original Message-----
From: Mendezwerks <mendezwerks at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2013 23:58:50
To: <toml99 at todomundo.com>
Cc: <v8 at audifans.com>
Subject: Re: [V8] Snow tires/etc
I just bought a set of the General Altimax Arctic for my 2004 VW Passat 4motion
wagon. I've put about 1500 miles on them an they took some getting used to. The
sidewalls are thin and flexible and cause the vehicle to follow the road (crown
and irregularities) a bit more than what I'm used to. They get good ratings
according to tirerack.com and they were very affordable. Here in the
Chicagoland, we have not received any good snow yet, so I can not give input on
how they handle in snow. In the dry that tend to be a little noisy, but not
horrible. I've had blizzaks on my old 4000q and were great tires, LM22's on my
old 944 and those too were good. I also had a set of Dunlop winter tires on my
former V8, used them for about two seasons and performed just fine.
MendezWerks
On Nov 30, 2013, at 3:38 AM, "toml99 at todomundo.com" <toml99 at todomundo.com>
wrote:
> Hey, well I pulled the snows out today to install and couldn't do it. I
bought those Michelin X-ice tires in 04 and they were the smoothest/grippiest/longest
lasting snow tire I've ever owned. They've got an amazing 50K on them and could
possibly squeak another season, but hell, they're 9 yo. I checked today, and
they don't make a 215/60/15 anymore since the world has gone bigger, but can
still get them in a 205/65/15.....but, they're about $125/each. Heard good
things about the General Altimax Arctic(never had them), but they're more like
$70/each and am leaning that direction, as I don't drive all over the Rocky Mtn
West like I used to, and am fine with a softer tire, just don't want a
noisy/rough tire. Wondering if anyone's got an opinion.
>
> I also replaced the snapped drivers door lock cable today, and my box labled
"V8 Door" was missing a drivers cable. I went to remove the one from parts car,
and realized it was also snapped. I used a cable from passenger side which was
same length, and "works", but is a bit sticky so if anyone's got a drivers door
lock cable, let me know. I also replaced the 2 broken tail lights from the
idiot(s) that smashed a pumpkin on my car after halloween.....Hope everyone had
a nice Thanksgiving...Sincerely, Tom
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