Winter tyres NOW on

45bvtc

45bvtc

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November 25th 2012 and the forecast is for a seriously cold winter...

Now I know that there are guys out there who want there RS3 to go faster, sound louder, etc, but I beg you to consider your safety and that of your RS3 first: on that cold, dark, frosty, snowy winters night when temperatures are around freezing an below, then you'll have one of two faces: 1) smiley because you've spent your hard earned on a set of grippy winter tyres, or 2) sad because you're still using your 'summer' tyres and failed to stop or grip on the slippy stuff.

Your choice is as shown:

P1010641

Oh, and I've done exactly the same with my wife's TT, I just can't afford the accident/damage/time/etc!

PS: These round rubber things are your only contact with the road! Think about it (PLEASE).
 
45bvtc said:
November 25th 2012 and the forecast is for a seriously cold winter...

Now I know that there are guys out there who want there RS3 to go faster, sound louder, etc, but I beg you to consider your safety and that of your RS3 first: on that cold, dark, frosty, snowy winters night when temperatures are around freezing an below, then you'll have one of two faces: 1) smiley because you've spent your hard earned on a set of grippy winter tyres, or 2) sad because you're still using your 'summer' tyres and failed to stop or grip on the slippy stuff.

Your choice is as shown:

View attachment 8575

Oh, and I've done exactly the same with my wife's TT, I just can't afford the accident/damage/time/etc!

PS: These round rubber things are your only contact with the road! Think about it (PLEASE).
Click to expand...

good advice - we are the sort of people who understand an appreciate this stuff but......
It will be someone who hits US I bet if involved in an accident.
good luck out there.
 
It's always good to think of safety first, a winter tyre is an essential investment once the temperatures drop below 7C.
 
Good advise guys. I asked a few tyre shops about winter tyres for my RS3 and they have told me they dont make them any bigger than 18inch. Are you using smaller wheels during the winter? If not where did you get the 19inch tyres and what sort of price are they??
 
jamseyd24 said:
Good advise guys. I asked a few tyre shops about winter tyres for my RS3 and they have told me they dont make them any bigger than 18inch. Are you using smaller wheels during the winter? If not where did you get the 19inch tyres and what sort of price are they??
Click to expand...

I purchased these wheels and tyres last November from alloywheelsdirect.

The wheels are original RS3 19-inch x 8J ET50: #8P0601025CP

The tyres being are VREDESTEIN Wintrac xtreme: 235 x 35 x 19 91W XL: and the same size front and rear.

The cost was £3013, expensive I know, but this is the second year of use and they are showing little or no wear at this time.

Consider: 1) using winter tyres is safer anyway, 2) they save wear on summer tyres, 3) a spare set of original alloys is a bonus should you need to get a kerbed one repaired, and 4) should you ever sell your RS3 then there will be a ready market to sell the spare set, really!

BUT this car is a keeper for me; I have no interest in changing it for anything else.

See: Audi RS3 8P Sportback alloys | Alloy Wheels Direct Ltd

P1010645x
 
I just got my cheap winter rims, they are what a lot of the German rs3 owners use for snow tyres, tuv approved, 2 year warranty £400 and cheaper rubber as they are 18s, I can get a set of top conti's for £600

Look good as well IMO

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1354097509289404
 
Dave Hedgehog said:
I just got my cheap winter rims, they are what a lot of the German rs3 owners use for snow tyres, tuv approved, 2 year warranty £400 and cheaper rubber as they are 18s, I can get a set of top conti's for £600

Look good as well IMO

View attachment 8626
Click to expand...

I agree 100%.

If a correct offset alternative wheel had been available for the RS3 when I purchased my RS3 (late October 2011) then I wouldn't have paid what I did for original RS3 wheels (November 2011).

Well-done DAVE...
 
Got the conti's from cam skills for 145 each

They seam to do well in the recent group tests and are a C rating in the wet when most of the others are an E
 
All good info cheers Guys!

Quick question; Do the 18" Rotas fit over the brakes on the RS3??
 
Hi all,

I've been looking into getting winter tyres for my RS3 (standard 235/35s front, 225/35s rear) but my local dealer (Southampton Audi) tells me that there are no suitable sizes of tyre that they can recommend.

??????????

There must be some truth in what they're saying, if they're choosing not to take a lot of money off me for some expensive tyres, but I can't believe that there are no suitable winter tyres and/or wheels at all.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.....
 
SGJ said:
Hi all,

I've been looking into getting winter tyres for my RS3 (standard 235/35s front, 225/35s rear) but my local dealer (Southampton Audi) tells me that there are no suitable sizes of tyre that they can recommend.

??????????

There must be some truth in what they're saying, if they're choosing not to take a lot of money off me for some expensive tyres, but I can't believe that there are no suitable winter tyres and/or wheels at all.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.....
Click to expand...


The stock contis are ****e in cold weather, like driving on solid rubber covered in oil!


you can put a 225/35 on the front

Winter - Snow - Cold Weather - Car/MPV Tyres - 19" R19" - 225/35/19, 225/35R19

However I sourced a great looking set of rims for £440 which a lot of the german RS3 owner use, TUV approved, 2 year warranty (pic aquired from this site :p)

RS3 winter wheels

My winter wheels

which take the audi recommended winter tyre size 225/4018 92v xl

cam skills have continentals (which do well in snow tests) for £145 each ! They are C wet weather rated (most snows are E) and rated to 149mph

Winter - Snow - Cold Weather - Car/MPV Tyres - 18" R18" - 225/40/18, 225/40R18

and if i clip a curb from a little slide its not the end of the world



my contis arrived yesterday so getting them fitted is this mornings job
 
Last edited:
Hi Dave,

Thanks very much - I contacted Camskill this morning and they've been far more helpful and proactive than Southampton Audi, although the tyres I need aren't in stock right now. Next thing is to check that my warranty won't be affected by fitting them ....... :uhm:
 
Will all 18" wheels fit over the front brakes OK assuming the ET offset is correct ? (and all other dimensions of course )
 
Hey Dave,

Re: JonnyG's question: I've just checked my 19 x 8J ET50 standard wheel to brake-caliper clearance and find: 1) that the clearance between the brake-caliper and the rim is 12mm and 2) between the brake-caliper and the spoke 10mm.

Now your wheels are 18 x 8J ET42, blimey that's going to be close. I calculate that to be 12mm less on the radius (you'll need to be very careful where they put the balance weight) and 8mm closer to the brake-caliper.

Question: have you actually fitted a bare rim onto the front hub and checked the clearance?

I sincerely hope it works for you David, truly.

PS: I have 235x35's front and rear without problem; 235's are generally much cheaper/popular than 225's anyway - check out mytyres.com for prices (£141.60 inclusive for a 235 x 35 VREDESTEIN Wintrac 4xtreme delivered).
 
Last edited:
The 18s are the size audi recommend for winter tyres

Seam to fit OK

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1354376577043480
 
Dave

Is that 440 for all 4 rims I presume?

How long did they take to arrive- tempted to get a set as off to Switzerland in 3 weeks
 
audi upgrades
Yes you do need them in Switzerland.

Look so good I have ordered a set. Hopefully don't take too long to arrive?

Have gone for Goodyear ultra grip 8 performance tyres as come highly rated. Should look good on the newly acquired Daytona grey RS3. Thanks for pointing them out!
 
something a bit odd here the winter tyres feel like they have more grip than the OEM contis ????
 
I normally get abused for these things, but I don't see the point of winter tyres in the UK, and certainly not on any 'good' car or P&J (pride and joy)

I understand how good the tyres are - I'm in Stockholm at the moment, with a Volvo running them - but it's the law here and everyone has them on their cars...

in the UK it's not law, we are not set up for it, and people are trying to make a lot of money from this 'safety' (money always comes first, right?!?!?) so even with the best will in the world, you are always going to have dodgy Dave running about in winter on slicks...

sods law says he'll slide into my P&J wrecking it... and we all know they just don't feel the same once they've been hit :(

the solution for me, park up the good cars, and bring out the beast.... I bought a Grand Cherokee 5 years ago for buttons, it is perfect for winter use, and costs less than full winter wheels and tyres... and when someone hits it... it's doesn't really matter... :lol:

IMG_5374.jpg


I may well be a bit mental though.... :lol:

:thumb:
 
In the cold they will have more grip than the continentals. Ran winter tyres on my S3 for years and definately more grip in winter. Just don't go hooning around corners on the winter tyres! I was running 50 profile on the S3 and that was like driving the blomange mobile in the corners.
 
Dave Hedgehog said:
something a bit odd here the winter tyres feel like they have more grip than the OEM contis ????
Click to expand...

P_G says the same.
Looking forward to trying something other than the Contis.

the_cueball - I agree never bought winter tyres and always tuck my cars away and use other transport if weather gets too bad. Guess it depends if you have the option to use other vehicles and how far you need to travel. ETTO.
 
the_cueball said:
I normally get abused for these things, but I don't see the point of winter tyres in the UK, and certainly not on any 'good' car or P&J (pride and joy)

I understand how good the tyres are - I'm in Stockholm at the moment, with a Volvo running them - but it's the law here and everyone has them on their cars...

in the UK it's not law, we are not set up for it, and people are trying to make a lot of money from this 'safety' (money always comes first, right?!?!?) so even with the best will in the world, you are always going to have dodgy Dave running about in winter on slicks...

sods law says he'll slide into my P&J wrecking it... and we all know they just don't feel the same once they've been hit :(

the solution for me, park up the good cars, and bring out the beast.... I bought a Grand Cherokee 5 years ago for buttons, it is perfect for winter use, and costs less than full winter wheels and tyres... and when someone hits it... it's doesn't really matter... :lol:

IMG_5374.jpg


I may well be a bit mental though.... :lol:

:thumb:
Click to expand...

How are people making a lot of money from it? once you have spent the initial sum for the Tyres, and had them fitted all you pay is the cost of swapping them back and forth. while you are using your winter tyres you are saving the cost of summer tyres, In fact as winter tyres in the winter will cost far less, (they are cheaper if you look around for the right ones) you could be saving money. over the long term. I have had Winter tyres fitted to my rear wheel sports van for nearly 3 years summer and winter just left them on after about 30k so far, still got a few k to go.

Even on my S3 My winter tyres are a few years old, and now on their 3rd year and only 25% worn, standard Tyre Size for my S3 too on the standard Rims. I might add as well there is a large difference in the best winter tyres and cheap ones, hence speed rating, wear, and grip.
 
i bought some cheap £150 ebay alloys, then some winter tyres

mm for mm the winters cost less than the summers so i save money!

and i can allways sell the alloys for the same amount......

so there is no way i can loose!
 
Winter rims and tires on ready for Scandinavian winter ImageUploadedByTapatalk1355783761040072
 
While I'm sure winter tyres are wonderful and all, we don't get the hard winters that they have in Scandinavia or on the continent that justify shelling out £4-500 for the two weeks of ice and snow that we get a year.

I've always run my Clio on yokohama paradas come rain, shine or 2 foot of snow. Even managed to climb a white over 1 in 7 last year. If I can manage something like that on summer tyres, for me, there isn't reason to go squandering money on special tyres that are meant to allow me to do what I can on summer tyres.
 
Winter tyres as I have found out are just not about heavy snow, the main advantage is the compound is sticky when its cold.

Performance tyres give poor grip when cold and the oem contis are ****** terrible, when its cold they are like driving on oil. Some of the blurb I have read suggests that below 8c the winters are more "sticky"

I locked the conti's up on an apparent dry road when it was -2, when it was -6 last week the winters where like driving on a dry summer road

probably not so much of an issue for normal tyres thou
 
Dave. said:
While I'm sure winter tyres are wonderful and all, we don't get the hard winters that they have in Scandinavia or on the continent that justify shelling out £4-500 for the two weeks of ice and snow that we get a year.

I've always run my Clio on yokohama paradas come rain, shine or 2 foot of snow. Even managed to climb a white over 1 in 7 last year. If I can manage something like that on summer tyres, for me, there isn't reason to go squandering money on special tyres that are meant to allow me to do what I can on summer tyres.
Click to expand...

I used Yokohama Parada 2s on my A2, but NOT on winter snow/ice thank you.

For a laugh, check out: ► BMW X3 Winter Tyres 2011 - YouTube

OK, I know they're BMW's but then they do tend to suffer worse, but this is a good demonstration of winter against summer tyres on snow.

A2 Parada
 
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Reactions: Brett Butler and DrM
Nice little video, if slightly biased towards the winter tyres. Each example shows the BMW on summer tyres being driven poorly in the conditions. Hill start, it's merrily spinning away when we all know you pick a high gear and low revs, other two tests, it's being driven marginally more aggressive than the car on winter tyres.

I'm not doubting winter tyres effectiveness at all, all I'm saying is that if you drive to the conditions and use a bit of common sense, there's no need to shell out hundreds of pounds on tyres in the winter in this country.
 
Dave. said:
I'm not doubting winter tyres effectiveness at all, all I'm saying is that if you drive to the conditions and use a bit of common sense, there's no need to shell out hundreds of pounds on tyres in the winter in this country.
Click to expand...

but i'm not gonna loose any money??? and i can still drive like a nutter in any conditions :)
 
Until you have driven with Winter tyres in Snow/Ice anything un 7c you cannot really comment, all I know is I have seen my car slide down on sheet ice with no one in it and hand brake on just the weight making it move.

When you are driving down hill on sheet ice/compact snow and the only way to stop before you hit something is to kerb it, you will appeciate winter tyres then.

Good quality Winter tyres just work and are far better, you can kid yourself all you want, but the one time you may need them they will save you a lot more than you can imagine. They are cheaper. I save enough to even pay for the swap over of a tenner a wheel.
Mercedes even gave me a 5% discount on my insurance for using Winter tyres.
 
45bvtc said:
November 25th 2012 and the forecast is for a seriously cold winter...

Now I know that there are guys out there who want there RS3 to go faster, sound louder, etc, but I beg you to consider your safety and that of your RS3 first: on that cold, dark, frosty, snowy winters night when temperatures are around freezing an below, then you'll have one of two faces: 1) smiley because you've spent your hard earned on a set of grippy winter tyres, or 2) sad because you're still using your 'summer' tyres and failed to stop or grip on the slippy stuff.

Your choice is as shown:

View attachment 8575

Oh, and I've done exactly the same with my wife's TT, I just can't afford the accident/damage/time/etc!

PS: These round rubber things are your only contact with the road! Think about it (PLEASE).
Click to expand...

I'm trying to source some winter tyres but am having some issues sourcing correct spec tyres. As I understand it, the front takes 235/35/19/Z and the rear takes 225/35/19/Z - taken off the actual tyres. However, RSR Tyres in Coulsdon/Croydon tells me that they cannot supply matching tyres and that the rear tyres should not more narrow than the front. I've also noticed that there is reference on this forum to people running 235 front and rear... I've had Coulsdon Audi offering me a set for £1500.00 excl. VAT i.e. £375.00/tyre, which is more expensive than anything I can find listed. Any advice appreciated!
 
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