Yeah totally. They’re incredibly good. Hakkas vs regular winters = regular winters vs all seasons
I had hakka2 on my IS300 ironically
Yeah I was thoroughly impressed with mine this winter. Up to bout 65mph my golf felt completely connected to the road even in deep unplowed snow
Appreciate the recommendations. Unfortunately, studded tires are not permitted in Illinois - otherwise I would buy them.
sak - I like your idea about keeping the OEM wheels. They look fantastic. I like them even more than the peelers on my S4. I’ll just have the tires mounted every six months. Looks like a set of 19" winters will run me about $1200 - i.e., around the same as going 18" with a new set of wheels.
But if you like them that much why subject them to harsh Chicago winter conditions?
Guess I didn’t think of it that way. Then again, I am covered under warranty for tire and wheel damage for the foreseeable future 
The oem wheels are actually quite expensive even if I were to consider a second set - I believe they’re north of $500 apiece.
You can buy another set of oem for winters. Probably only 500 bucks or something since everyone wants their own giant 22" wheels with a chrome lip and 32 concave spokes
For those who’ve asked for impressions on the ISF, here’s what I think so far . . .
First and foremost is the engine. I will never get tired of the V8 sound in this car. Such a different animal than my S4. While I loved the exotic sound of the supercharger mixed with the Miltek non-res, I’d take the ISF any day. It’s pretty awesome in-cabin.
The dual clutch in the S4, however, is superior. While my 8-speed automatic shifts surprisingly quickly (think it’s one of the fastest slush boxes out there?), it cannot match the instantaneous shifts of the DSG. So in that regard, the S4 wins.
Steering wise, I really like the ISF. It’s a little more pure than the S4, if that makes sense. Hard to describe (probably because it’s very subjective and varies by individual preference), but I like the feel of the ISF better than the S4 (which I always drove in dynamic mode).
I’m still figuring out the electronics on the ISF, but hands down my S4 setup was better. That said, I actually stopped using the Audi navigation earlier this year - Google Maps is way better, and it streams through the speakers via Bluetooth. I have no intention of using the Nav in the ISF. Sound system wise, the Mark Levinson is comparable to the Bang & Olufsen setup in the S4. Neither are terribly great. Need the expensive A8 B&O to probably notice a difference.
Then there are the seats. Here, the ISF comes through handily. They really bolster you in and are quite comfortable to boot. I wouldn’t trade them for the silk nappa seats I had in the S4.
As far as road conditions, the S4 absorbed bumps in the road better than the ISF. My car is definitely a bit harsher ride than what I had before - not bad, but it is noticeable. Interestingly, Lexus apparently identified this issue and adjusted subsequent model years accordingly (mine is a 2009).
In the end, the 5.0 V8 sold me on this car a while ago. It’s really the main reason I bought it. I’ve had V8 envy for years, and other than the RS5 (which I didn’t feel like shelling out $50k+ for right now), there’s no other car that fit the category. I’ll never be a BMW guy. So I’m extremely happy with it, and I look forward to the next few years of no-cost maintenance 
Awesome, man!
Glad you’re digging the new car!
I think they actually have unstudded Hakkas now, and if not other options
^^ I checked the website yesterday and also called Discount Tire. All I could find for the size I need are studded. If you know of another dealer I could talk to, that would be great.
Edit: looks like the R2s are non-studded. Hard to find a price anywhere online - I’ll do some further digging.
BTW - did you part out your B8, or just sell/trade-in as is?
I traded it in as-is. Didn’t want the hassle of returning it to stock and trying to sell the mods.
You’ll probably not find a price online, they do distribution through small independents. I just spammed their distributor list with the same email and compared quotes.
Bet Saki is correct. OEM wheel deals can be had all over the place in the Audi world. Likely the same for the ISF. Folks love to swap out oem wheels. I personally gave away two sets of S4 wheels over the years just so they weren’t taking up space any more.
Glad you are enjoying the new ride.
I have a place I can get recon wheels for cheaper but chances are for the ISF they won’t have anything in stock. I’ll check today at work
^^ that would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you find anything.
Unfortunately my recon place doesn’t have anything. Their inventory is based on availability of used cores here locally and nothing for the ISF. Brand new they are still like $1500 each at the price I can get you.
No worries, man. I appreciate you inquiring.
$1500 each? :o :o
standard OEM price
just look for a set on the classifieds
They retail for over $2k each. I would look for a used set, or find a new set of summer wheels