Quattro vs winter tyres?

[Timo]

OK I'm currently looking for a new daily and would appreciate peoples opinions on which is the best way to go for the winter weather, either a quattro (early shape A3 or A4) or a cheaper 2WD and fit snow tyres for the winter?
The reason I ask is that we are expecting the arrival of our first child mid february, we live on quite a steep lane which does not get gritted and for the last 3 years I have been pretty much snowed in for several days before I can even contemplate attempting to dig my car out and travel anywhere. Therefore I'd like to ensure I can get out reasonably quickly if I do need to make an emergency journey to the hospital during the snowy weather.

I have driven a quattro A6 fitted with snow tyres in v bad snow and it was amazing to be fair, and I've driven a quattro coupe 20V in the wet which was also pretty good but I've never driven a 2wd with winters or a quattro on regular tyres in the snow, so which is better? or do I just go the whole hog and go for quattro with snow tyres aswell?

[missfire]

Front wheel drive with winter tyres beats quattro on summer tyres any day, I've got and tried both. Also ended up in exactly the same position as you two years ago. In a rural location 100 miles from the nearest/designated hospital, son was born in mid February, 2WD 1991 100 on winter tyres saved the day, she sat all night in labour and didn't wake me up! Bloody fool, 8cm dialated when we got there, 100 mph all the way, buy a quattro with winter tyres.

[missfire]

Ground clearance is the main problem in snow any deeper than a foot, I've found. Landy territory. Or buy an old tractor.

[Eddy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHk2nU1cjMk


Quattro with good soft compound ALL season tyres and run them all year

[missfire]

That's bone dry powder, not UK snow, and that is definitely not on all season tyres.

My wee bro lives in sweden, drives in snow for six months of the year, in a honda civic and neither volvo or saab ever built a 4x4 car for about the first 40 years of production. It's all about the tyres. If you are preparing for snow, not slush, you need winter tyres, unless you want the baby to be born in the back of an RAC van.

[msh]

All season tyres are rubbish for people who has nowhere to store unneeded set of wheels - I would also buy a set of all season tyres if I would drive with my car to western europe in winter, so that I wouldn't have to use outlawed stud tyres or summer tyres all the way. All season tyres are compromise - they are softer and with more aggressive thread than summer tyres but harder and with less aggressive thread than winter tyres, so in summer you got more tyre wear and less fuel mileage than with summer tyres, while in winter you got less grip.

Originally Posted by missfire

Front wheel drive with winter tyres beats quattro on summer tyres any day, I've got and tried both. Also ended up in exactly the same position as you two years ago. In a rural location 100 miles from the nearest/designated hospital, son was born in mid February, 2WD 1991 100 on winter tyres saved the day, she sat all night in labour and didn't wake me up! Bloody fool, 8cm dialated when we got there, 100 mph all the way, buy a quattro with winter tyres.

Since I ended up with car not usable when the first snow came last year, I also had a chance to test it and I found it to be exactly opposite - my mothers mk3 golf with winter tyres was way less usable than my A90q with summer tyres. Of course, because both cars had quite old tyres - golf would have beaten my A90 with new winter tyres.

[msh]

Originally Posted by Timo

OK I'm currently looking for a new daily and would appreciate peoples opinions on which is the best way to go for the winter weather, either a quattro (early shape A3 or A4) or a cheaper 2WD and fit snow tyres for the winter?
The reason I ask is that we are expecting the arrival of our first child mid february, we live on quite a steep lane which does not get gritted and for the last 3 years I have been pretty much snowed in for several days before I can even contemplate attempting to dig my car out and travel anywhere. Therefore I'd like to ensure I can get out reasonably quickly if I do need to make an emergency journey to the hospital during the snowy weather.

I have driven a quattro A6 fitted with snow tyres in v bad snow and it was amazing to be fair, and I've driven a quattro coupe 20V in the wet which was also pretty good but I've never driven a 2wd with winters or a quattro on regular tyres in the snow, so which is better? or do I just go the whole hog and go for quattro with snow tyres aswell?

The thing is simple - you're going to drive in winter, so you need winter tyres. Are you going to buy FWD or quattro, that is your choice - but quattro isn't winter tyre replacement in any way - because quattro will help only with acceleration and stability while breaking will still happen just like with any car with summer tyres.

It's quite funny to read such questions and finds of people from countries where winter tyres aren't mandatory.

[missfire]

I think Timo is talking about buying an audi a3/a4. The golf doesn't have the engine slung out in front of the front axle like an audi. Any 2wd audi on winter tyres would beat a golf on the same tyres.

[20vcqdriver]

As mentioned, best option is quattro plus winter tyres . My black Bess a4 on winter tyres is much better than on summer treads but quattro still has an advantage, especially the early series 2's with lockable diffs. My 3tdi quattro avant was unstoppable last year on narrower winter tyres even in deep snow upto the sills...����

[pimpdriver]

my 2p.

2WD onwinter tyres (note, not "snow tyres") will beat a 4wd on summer tyres.End of.

4WD is good for getting going, but braking on a 2WD car uses all 4 wheels, as does going round a corner.

Vredestein Quatrac3 (all season) is what I am buying for my Brother in Law's Golf Mk4.

Nearly as good as winter tyres, and not "clunky......"

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur...ed=0CDIQ9QEwBA

Als,watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l2cMlNRX_A