vicp

audi is giving me free snows but i have a bit of a dilemma.

they're giving me the same size tires as the ones that came with my A3 (225/40/1. i've asked them if i could get 17" (225/45/17) instead and they said yes. but they also told me since i'm getting the tires for free anyway, why don't i just go with 18"?

i've been told by many (though not one of them is an audi driver) to go with 17" for winters. not only will they be cheaper to replace in the long run, but the higher height will be more suitable for snow.

thoughts guys?


p.s. i should also add that i make weekly trips to collingwood during winter.

peanuthalo

How did you get free tires from Audi???

vicp

their sales programme for october is called the audi quattro event. you either get free snows or the maintenance package if you buy/lease a quattro.

cono_sur

I've got a 2008 A3 2.0T.

Is it wise to put 16" winter snow tires on them?

When I inquired about this during the summer, I was told by a few dealerships that 16" rims cannot be installed on the A3.

I called my dealer on the weekend, and they gave me 4 options for winter tires & rim packages, and 3 of them had 16" rims.

peanuthalo

My dealer gave me the option of 16" rims for my 2008 A3. Guess that is an option, unless they've got their calculations wrong.

Can anyone recommend winter tires for a reasonable price I can get for my A3? They all look the same to me, but I'm a winter tire virgin and there are so many out there. I want to fit 17" tires to my mags.

I've been quoted $1108 + taxes for Toyo Garit Kx, whatever that is. Sounds like cough medicine.

Nidzo

Your best bet for research is to go to TIRE RACK.com and check out the different tires and there reviews. You can even search the reviews by the car type in other words search for Audi's with quattro and see how they liked the tires.

If you don't care what type of rims you will have for winter then search for the tires and then the rims, but If you care about your style of rims then rims first and then match the tire sizes to them.

Jazz

ive got tires from tire rack....(summers and winters) they are very fast like 3 days to Barrie and more then half the price as a tire shop...

vicp

i've learned two things from my shopping around:

1. the size of the rims don't matter as long as they clear your calipers
2. when you go down in tire size, make sure the smaller tire has the same diametre as your big one. this prevents messing up your odometer.

that said, because audi recommends going down one size, i will go with the 17" (my a3 came with 18"). i can install 16" on mine but the 17" look better. i guess when you have multiple options, it all comes down to personal preference.

frob

In Montreal, there are 2 highly recommended tire stores/garages i've used many times over the last 25 years:
#1 Merson Automotive
#2 Gordon Goodyear Gordons Goodyear Select Dunlop, Montreal, Canada

Both are on St.Jacques near Cavendish a few 100M apart.

Merson's carries Nokian Tires (and just about every other brand), imho they are by far the best winter tires you can get:
Nokian Tyres North America
I think i paid about $130 /ea including factory square studs on my last set.

For the lowest cost tires with a lifetime warranty and free fall/spring tire changes, its hard to beat Costco, especially when you count the cost of valves, rim cleaning etc that others charge extra for. A few years back i had a nail thru the sidewall, they changed the whole set of tires on warranty for free. They carry a few major name and 'low-cost' brands, including Michelin last time i checked. On the down side, care and workmanship there is rarely good - over the years i have found greasy hand prints on the upholstery more often than not, as well as bolts over-tightened/stripped, coolant sensor left disconnected (connector damaged), and a cut brake line- though it's true it was pretty ripe to begin with.

PS for better traction on snow its common to reduce the tire pressure a bit - and with the usual minefield of potholes in late winter/early spring, its a good idea *not* to have low profile winter tires, unless you like replacing dented rims on a regular basis- so going down one size if you can is a good idea in your case.

RCYK

I have bought 2 sets of snows with wheels from Tirerack over the course of the last 2 years. Great service and price while the CDN$ was strong. You can price it out online inlcuding shipping and brokerage fees.

I find their prices are now less competitive with our weaker dollar. I am able to get better prices from Tiretrends. They are based out west and you save the pst if you have it shipped out east.

I am looking at 16 inch snows on steelies for my A3. $9xx all-in.