So I am up at my house in NH and last night we got a coating of snow. Maybe 1-2 inches. I recently had my winter wheel set up put on which is the stock 18in wheels on a set of Dunlop 4D 245-40-R18 and all I can say is WOW. The S4 is like a snowmobile. 
I had no problem going up some very steep hills.(actually having no spin) And the only time my anti lock brakes activated was if I really jammed on the brakes. Overall, I am very happy with these tires as I feel like I have a lot of control over the car. Now I’ll wait until we get a big snowstorm to really test them out. Only good results so far though.
haha great pics and looks like fun
the first winter I remember when I had an Audi with quattro was 2004 and I couldn’t believe how amazing the car was.
I have those same wheels with Michelin Pilot Alpins on my B8 A4 Avant. They look good.
Each wheel/tire weighed 51 lbs if anyone’s wondering.
http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/sakimano/20131115_223000_zpsa00a6765.jpg
http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/sakimano/00000000IMG-20131126-WA0000_zps153f2ab8.jpg
Yup I love it. The only thing I decided not to do for the winter was raise the height. I am still low with no more than a finger gap all the way around. Well see how that goes this winter :-\
Check your underbody panels in March to see how they survived. I had a couple get ripped off over the years, and I’ve always run at stock ride height.
Tires make a big difference!
I had Hankook I-Pike tires on my old B8 S4 and to be honest I was scared to take the car out in heavy snow… With the M I bought a used set of Michelin X-Ice and so far everything has been good, (fingers crossed)…
I’m running Graspic DS3 for the second Winter and they have been very capable as well. For snows, nothing has ever come close to the Hakkas I run on the touareg.
I too remember my first time with snow tires and AWD. It makes you really want snow to come.
i was really impressed in the small amount of snow we had last year with my pirelli sottozero’s
Great tire and of course quattro + snow tires + sport diff = winter cheat code!
lol you’ve had no snow (virtually none anyway)
I asked my friend who always drives an M3 what he does for winter
“Winter tires and rosary beads”
Lol, my underbody panel is already ripped underneath the engine part of the car. they were doing roadwork and had a huge metal bump going across the road. Their were cones so I couldnt turn around. I asked the cop if he could move the cones so I could turn around because my car is too low and he made me go because I was holding up traffic. Talk about a jerk >:( Good thing is that nothing was damaged besides the underbelly panel getting ripped. So i will probably replace that piece this spring. I wish they made a most durable replacement, like a metal one. The material it is made out of seems so flimsy.
Looks good!
I am also using my stocks 18’s wrapped in Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D, actually just plasidipped them black too and the car is indeed a tank. I’m driving up to Killington this weekend, hope to find some snow to play in. ;D
Yeah I haven’t tested them out much but two weekends ago we had some snow out east and the wife was freaking out about how fast I was driving (110-120km) compared to everyone else (80-90km) on the hwy… lol!
I wonder what setup your buddy has? Is it staggered? 19’s or 18’s? I know a lot of companies are pushing a staggered (245 and 265) setup for an M3. Not sure why when thinner is better when it comes to snow tires and BMW even recommends a squared setup with 235/40/18 all around.
The theory behind thinner snows it so that the vehicles weight is over a smaller area. More PSI = more traction as the tires dig into the snow better. It’s mainly for deeper snow. I have 245’s and I want 255 or 265 next time around as snows just dont grip the best in the dry.
Yup… I agree 100%! what I wasn’t sure of was why tire dealers are pushing a larger staggered setup for winter driving when it’s pretty well known that narrower tires are better… Yeah for you 265/40/18’s should work. I’d just be concerned of the performance in deeper snow.
Edit:
Bazinga! 400 posts and full member status! lol!
My 255 on my RS4 are like snowboards. Terrible. Car still does really well, but you can feel it is way worse than my B7 S4 with 235.40.18 all around.
A big factor that I think is usually not given enough importance is how often there is deep snow. Here in NNJ we get more than 6" just a handful of times a season.
Congrats bear, it’s about time! How the hell did I get up to 1000? Lol wait I remember…
I have 225s on 18" forgestars. Works really well. X-ice now.
I used to go all “performance winter”, I’ve used PA1/2/3, sottozeros, M3 sports. Now I worry more about ice and getting stuck. I have Hakkapelitas on another car, those are retarded with quattro on anything, sloped ice even.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/27/eva6age3.jpg
jspazz love your rims best looking rims for a audi I think I have ever seen. Where did you get them and do you have a link…
I just had to change over to my winters. I am amazed each time I do this. Its craxy how much of a difference tires make.
Thanks CK…CF-5 forgestars
Guy on kijiji selling them in MINT condition from his B7 for $1100. I gave my brother the tires they came with (225/45/18s) for his A3, and I had a bitchin set of light 18s.
Kijiji is so awesome for cheap bastards like me.