[bry]

Don't know whether any of you Sline owners have noticed but there seems to be a very limited and therefore expensive choice of tyres for the standard fit 235/55/19 tyres. I have a bit of bee in my bonnet with tyres as i have had an SUV before with factory fit summer tyres and for all its 4 wheel drive ESP etc it was bloody useless in the snow or anything slippery. I currently run a front wheel drive A6 and in the winter swap over to a set of winter wheels with Dunlop M3 winter tyres. They are excellent and my front wheel drive A6 can cope with a good 3in plus of snow without any drama. Some of you in the south probably can't warrant winter tyres, but it actually doesn't cost you anymore in the long run, just a set of second wheels.
My Q5 arrives next month and come November i will want to get it on a set of winter tyres. I am going to stick with the 19in size wheel but go for a slightly different tyre size. A 255/50/19 tyre has virtually the same rolling circumference and there is a much wider range of tyres available both summer and winter types.

Check out http://www.mytyres.co.uk/

 

[copernicus]

I think I will get the Pirelli Scorpion Snow and Ice winter tires. They come in the 235/55R19 size.

My wife had Scorpion winter tires on her last car (RAV4), and I was really happy with them.

 

[Timd]

ANYONE FITTED WINTER TIRES ON 19 INCH WHEELS?

 

[guyguyke]

A 255/50/19 tyre has virtually the same rolling circumference and there is a much wider range of tyres available both summer and winter types.

the (only) authorizes tyres are quoted in the homologation certificate
with even wider tyres you will not solve the problem
I guess all Audi dealers are now proposing wintersets that perfectly suit your car
In Belgium, these are 235/65/17 and cost +- 1500 euros (4 standard alloy wheels + 4 premium tyres) ans they store the summerset at no cost

 

[KyuGo]

Those are the ones that I decided for - Nokian Hakkapelitta R SUV on five spoke 17" Audi original rims. This set was part of an autumn campaign and listed at roughly ?1600. At first I felt a bit miffed at the prospect of having to go from those nice 19" wheels to 17" "standard" wheels but I had a hard time justifying the extra cost of ?1000.
I had the wheels mounted Tuesday and they look much better IRL than I had expected from looking at the catalogue pictures. I'm happy and have no regrets.

 

[guyguyke]

I negociated a winterset at 1350 euros when I bought my car, because I was not sure the 19" rims would be enough comfortable, so I eventually could switch to 17" summer tyres at a later moment. The dealer alternatively promised to take the 19" back for 17 " within the first 1000km, but I found it not advantageous)
I experienced no ride problems, and decided to cancel the winterset because I did not need one even once during the last 10 years (I live near the sea border and we have there a very soft climate) I'm retired and therefore easily can avoid bad roads...

 

[alski]

About to order and can't decide between SE and S-Line. We have an apt in French alps so are intending to use to drive down couple times a year. Would prob get a set of winter tyres but as previously mentioned whilst there are loads (cheapish) options for the 18" rims, I can only find 1 winter tyre in exact size for the 19's.

As per post above is it OK / legal to fit slightly different profile 19" tyres ?

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Alski,

It has been posted previously that it is not ok or legal to put a slightly different profile tyre on to any wheel, other than those stated in the manual / specification. The reason is it affects the cars type approval, and will give incorrect readings for speedo and mileometer. If Mr Plod caught you (and it is unlikely to be fair) you would be in all sorts of problems, and may have issues with you insurance as well.

Best to stick to the correct tyre / wheel ratio. One option, if you need a set of Winter tyres is to purchase some 17" Alloys and put the winter tyres on those. The tyre choice is much better with 17" wheels, and reasonable set of 17" Alloys can be sourced for about ?350 GBP.

Rgds
Squirrel.

 

[alski]

Alski,

It has been posted previously that it is not ok or legal to put a slightly different profile tyre on to any wheel, other than those stated in the manual / specification. The reason is it affects the cars type approval, and will give incorrect readings for speedo and mileometer. If Mr Plod caught you (and it is unlikely to be fair) you would be in all sorts of problems, and may have issues with you insurance as well.

Best to stick to the correct tyre / wheel ratio. One option, if you need a set of Winter tyres is to purchase some 17" Alloys and put the winter tyres on those. The tyre choice is much better with 17" wheels, and reasonable set of 17" Alloys can be sourced for about ?350 GBP.

Rgds
Squirrel.

Squirrel, where would be best place to source 17" alloys - ebay presumably ?. Also would anyone know if wheel nuts for 17" and 19" are same. Previously had an ML - bought some larger alloys, took them to tyre place to get fitted only to find the nuts were too short. Quick visit to Mercedes dealer and ?150 lighter in wallet finally managed to get them fitted !!!

So am wondering whether better to have 2 sets tyres for same alloys or completely spare set. I guess it's cheaper to swap whole wheels than paying to have tyres taken on and off.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Aski,

I found this place:

http://www.wheel-base.co.uk

Seems reputable, I wouldn't buy wheels off e-bay, unless is was a recognised trader. As to wheel nut sizes I can't help, but the trader should be able to help.

As the Q5 isn't shown at wheel-base I used the A6 model, never got round to phoning them as the snow disappeared

Good Luck
Squirrel

 

[bry]

I would be very careful ordering aftermarket wheels for a Q5. Some sites I have seen list the same wheels for an A6 as suitable for the Q5. They are not - whilst stud centres and offsets may be the same the centre hub hole dia is different. It?s much larger on a Q5. I know as I had an A6 before the Q5 and the winter wheels I had don't fit.
I have been running a set of 17" winter wheels supplied by the factory through my local dealer. They cost ?1200, but ?600 of that are the tyres so ?600 for a set of genuine Audi wheels is pretty good. I had concerns about the look of 17" wheels on an SLine model but in fact they look great. The chunkier tyres actually look the part and I think sometimes this big wheel obsession we seem to have is all a bit silly on a 4x4. I have attached a picture
View attachment 269

 

[Guest]

Although I have not got my car yet (being built in two weeks

) I think I will be ordering a winter set of those 17's you have got with winter tyres, what tyres were fitted by Audi and is there any speed restrictions?
Not every day in the winter is snowy and we often have to travel on the peage's (motorways) Is 90mph OK on those tyres?
Does it affect the speedo reading and mpg?
Also it will save my 20's being kerbed

kc

 

[q5s]

235/65 17R are the same diameter as 255/45 20R so speedo will be the same.
mpg should be improved on the smaller tyres in theory. Skinnier tyres offer less aerodynamic resistance and less rolling resistance as well. The smaller rims should be lighter lowering unsprung weight. Unsprung weight is the worst enemy of performance, handling & economy. As a rough way of calculating this (someone correct me if I'm wrong) consider your new alloy plus tyre weight together 10kg less than the ones on the car. You multiply this by 4 (due to centrifugal forces) and by 4 again for all wheels. The total weight (160kg) is that of carrying two average sized occupants.
Then again winter tyres should have higher rolling resistance due to design & stickier rubber so this is all academic.
At that size you won't find rubber rated lower than H, that's 130mph and although a far cry from the W rated 170mph tyres the car comes as standard, the winter tyres won't give you any problems.

 

[bry]

Although I have not got my car yet (being built in two weeks

) I think I will be ordering a winter set of those 17's you have got with winter tyres, what tyres were fitted by Audi and is there any speed restrictions?
Not every day in the winter is snowy and we often have to travel on the peage's (motorways) Is 90mph OK on those tyres?
Does it affect the speedo reading and mpg?
Also it will save my 20's being kerbed

kc

They are Dunlop winter sport 3D tyres and are H rated (130 miles per hour or 210 Kph) so no problem. There is no real extra road noise and the extra grip in snow and ice is well worth it. its not so much about traction its the extra steering grip and braking that makes the biggest difference.