Winter tyre options for an S8?

Adrian E · #1 19th October 2011, 06:55 PM

Reffro had some cheap 18" wheels off an A8 that he had with him at ADI the other week - might be worth a PM if you wanted them? I'm led to believe the A8 Sport spoked rims will not fit over Brembos, but these were straight spokes and Reffro had test fitted over Brembos with no issues - think they were just surplus.

I'm still after some 18" Avus rims for mine to use for winter, but never quite manage to pin a set down

Singh · #2 19th October 2011, 08:10 PM

My S8 with 285 30 20 on summer tyres was unstoppable in the deepest of snow on the steepest of hills. Is it really worth the Benjamin with your fancy quattro system? I'm getting winters for my daily as although I reckon the RS 6 will be okay in the snow. I don't really want to take it out and have someone crash into the back of me.

Adrian E · #3 19th October 2011, 09:51 PM

Mine on 255/35R20s (Michelin PS2 with loads of tread) was bloody awful in snow/ice - ABS was going mental the whole time and I nearly wrote it off driving it home from the dealer!

My A6 is much better, probably due to extra weight and less panicky ABS!

I found the acceleration side of things no problem in the '8, but stopping was pretty scary stuff.

I'm just going to leave mine in the garage if it snows and take the Mrs to work in the A6 so I can use that if I have to. She hates driving in the snow anyway so it'll suit us both, apart from the silly early start to clear the car and get to her office....

Singh · #4 19th October 2011, 10:55 PM

Sounds like a good idea Adrian.

Night Train · #5 20th October 2011, 09:18 AM

Yes, I've found the S8 astonishingly efficient at putting the power down with almost unbelievable acceleration for the conditions......

However, stopping.... these cars have to obey the same laws of physics as any other car (F = Mu x N, and all that)
Other than the clever electronics, another huge factor is the contact/ weight ratio
ie when its slippery, the larger the tyre contact area (footprint) with the road surdace will start to work against you inasmuch as it will take less force to break traction for the given area of contact. Narrower tyres could well be a distinct advantage under certain conditions, as they 'cut through' the surface rather than 'gliding' on it (on snow & ice). Bigger may well look good, but its not always better.

daviesbike · #6 20th October 2011, 07:20 PM

i use 17" in the winter i had primacy's on a 55 profile never had any traction problems, i dont really commend the extra cost of changing to a winter tyre when i use the 17's every year in the snow they are fantastic and they cover up most of the breaks so less crap get's in at the wheels and disc's just drive with more caution, i agree that the traction is great but the breaking is hairy to say the least the abs dose tend to have a slight aneurysm when on a icy surface almost a shame it cant be turned off when needed, just my 2 pence worth

HPsauce · #7 23rd October 2011, 07:00 PM

Well I've now solved the problem for my S8!

Today I acquired (at maybe a bit over the odds) an "average" (few light scratches) full set of 5 17" * 7.5J Avus wheels that I'm told originated on a 2002 S4.

Just got to decide on tyres and how many (probably only 4) and get them ordered and fitted. Oh, and tidy up the wheels a bit first.

I'm going to TRY and see if I can get them on without SWMBO even noticing.
I suspect that the subtlety of 18" vs 17" of the same design with deeper tyres will pass her by....