new winter shoes - 4.6is

[fiber46is]

Looks great but needs a lot of work to keep them clean on winter.
I chose 18" wheels with 255/55 tires as I think they are safer on a road with lots of snow or slush.

Don't use spacers for front wheels.
I had 18x8 wheels with 20mm offset and that was clearly too little, the tire threw a lot of slush, dirt and sand to doors and so I chose to replace the wheels with new ones with 40mm offset, otherwise, in time the paint would have been damaged.
But I think that it's safe to use spacers in rear.

[c4racer]

So I was driving yesterday on the freeway when it was raining hard and there was a lot of standing water. These summer only Advans are pretty scary - car was drifting all over the place - hyrdoplane city. My S4 does really well in any amount of water with summer tires - Quattro is part of that, and smaller tires 235-40-18's probably help too.

I guess I may as well run the winters all winter after-all. I sure wouldn't want the wife to drive the X in heavy rain with those wide summers on there.

[fiber46is]

Originally Posted by c4racer

So I was driving yesterday on the freeway when it was raining hard and there was a lot of standing water. These summer only Advans are pretty scary - car was drifting all over the place - hyrdoplane city. My S4 does really well in any amount of water with summer tires - Quattro is part of that, and smaller tires 235-40-18's probably help too.

I guess I may as well run the winters all winter after-all. I sure wouldn't want the wife to drive the X in heavy rain with those wide summers on there.

Been there with the 275 & 315 wide summer tires
Happens also when there is a lot of slush with the winter tires I have.
Would be safer to use 235/60-18 size.
Next time I need to replace winter tires, I probably buy those.

[c4racer]

My wife was saying it is crazy for anyone in CA to need to run different tires for winter. But trust me - it's not crazy. If these wide summers are this bad in the rain, they would be completely useless up in the mountains in the snow zone. It would be crazy not to have winters on a car like this for my snow driving during ski season. It may be a bit over the top that I own winter tires for both the X5 and S4, but I figure once you have the wheels the tires are a wear item and makes little difference cost-wise if you are wearing out summer tires or snow tires - they cost about the same. Actually, the snows are at least 30% cheaper than summer tires for the 4.6is, but about the same on the S4 since I run stock sizes in both case. And I paid about $600 each for the 2 winter wheel sets, so that is not much money in the grand scheme of things either.

[papasmurf]

Originally Posted by c4racer

So I was driving yesterday on the freeway when it was raining hard and there was a lot of standing water. These summer only Advans are pretty scary - car was drifting all over the place - hyrdoplane city. My S4 does really well in any amount of water with summer tires - Quattro is part of that, and smaller tires 235-40-18's probably help too.

I guess I may as well run the winters all winter after-all. I sure wouldn't want the wife to drive the X in heavy rain with those wide summers on there.

I have the Advans as well, and they SUCK in the rain. I bought the truck with these (they were about a week old when I got the truck), so I have no idea how they compare to the Dimaris. They handle really well in dry conditions though.

[LPMM]

Originally Posted by c4racer

It may be a bit over the top that I own winter tires for both the X5 and S4.

Not really, safety first and foremost. Winter tires are the way to go, too many people do not run them and feel invincible because their vehicle says "AWD" or "4x4". Those same folks tend to make the evening news, but for the wrong reasons.

I also have dedicated winter setups but I went with 18s on the X5 and 17s on the S4.

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by papasmurf

I have the Advans as well, and they SUCK in the rain. I bought the truck with these (they were about a week old when I got the truck), so I have no idea how they compare to the Dimaris. They handle really well in dry conditions though.

Good - so it's not just me then!! haha....

[034.6]

I just ran the diamaris through heavy rain in my 4.8is, was not very happy...My 4.6is had toyos and never had the rain issue...I think my michelins are coming off for some toyos...Looking at some snows right now and appreciate the forum for the thoughts of 18 and 19's...The 19's are tempting but will order some 18" for function...Thanks

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by 034.6

I just ran the diamaris through heavy rain in my 4.8is, was not very happy...My 4.6is had toyos and never had the rain issue...I think my michelins are coming off for some toyos...Looking at some snows right now and appreciate the forum for the thoughts of 18 and 19's...The 19's are tempting but will order some 18" for function...Thanks

honestly there is very little difference between a 255-55-18 tire and 255-50-19. Tread width is essentially identical. And there is not much difference between a 50 and 55 series sidewall. I opted for a 265-50 which is maybe .1-.2" wider than the 255 and also .5" taller. I can't imagine that is going to make one bit of difference in snow performance vs. a 255-19 or 255-18.

What the 19's buy you is caliper clearance. I suppose some rims will have more clearance than others, but the ones that I fitted had all of 1-2mm. The 19's have a good 1/2" or more which makes me a lot more comfortable with ice and snow build-up in there.

[ECS Tuning]

Looking good!