What are your .:Rs like in the snow?

[golfdave]

The amount of proper 4WD (not mere Haldex) equipped cars I was seeing immobilised at the side of the road facing various directions every year during my 4 years living close to the French Alps is astonishing. Incidentally, like golfdave I was also in a MKII Fabia (a vRS), there might be something there

I had from new a very early 2001 MK1 Elegance, before the vRS was built...sold it in 2015, & still going ok.

Oh & yes amazing the amount of people who forget the importance of those four black rubber circles that a car has...

don't care how fancy the electronics are, the 4wd systems is, how big the engine, your dick, your ego is....if it can't get grip because of the wrong tyres it ain't going anywhere.....simples...

[BobbyT]

Better with both I guess, but for sure if your into dangerous winter sports and terrain ,  the R with nice winters would be fantastic fun.

When I was looking at geting my car in summer 2014 I knew about the R estate as saw the ring test pictures. Was going to hold off & get one.

Then I found out that it was DSG only (which I hate & yes I have driven several versions), then I found the even more restricted colour choice..Tungsten silver is N/A in R estate..& to top it all off to get the same spec for spec as a loaded GT (how I speced mine) would cost me £7K more so around the £36k mark....

Plus I hate the stupid four fake exhaust tips & the ring test car had just two, much better. So that's a job to sort right there.

I looked at costing a DSG to manual gearbox swap as can do wiring & coding easy (its my thing), but swapping a new DSG out & fitting a new costly manual or lightly used from a crashed car....insurance costs...even more £££...

I even looked at a crashed manual hatch R with undamaged powertrain & engine £6k....& swapping onto my estate...would still need new 4WD estate fuel tank from dealers...& a cheap run-around car whilst I did the swap....& again insurance.."any modifications to declare".....er 1.4lt 2wd to 2lt AWD swap...

So basically happy with my current choice....I'll be a manual guy until my left leg knackers, which it will do one day due to sciatica...

Anyway the car is on winters...Michelin Alpin A5 225/45R17 using TD ProRace "3", five spoke alloys...

If you get the FL R estate you get 4 real tips! Sadly no manual still but you do get the 7 speed DSG   

[golfdave]

If you get the FL R estate you get 4 real tips! Sadly no manual still but you do get the 7 speed DSG   

Still two too many in my book, it's not as if the car has a big V8 or V12......it's only a 4pot & inline...bloody marketing/fashion hype IMHO..

& still no Tungsten silver....so that's another £2K for a decent proper respray...

[Daz Auto]

Grip, which is the requirement in these cases (and not traction) is not affected by how many wheels are driven but by how much all four wheels stick to the road. I see... some still have a hard time getting their head round that even though it's pretty simple.

I'm also a member of an Audi forum. Some people over there just don't get it Though this year they don't seem as bad, maybe that is because of this weather.

They usually revert to saying something like, "the best option is both." Referring to quattro and winter tyres.

Perhaps someone here can enlighten me, as I do not understand this: If I have winter tyres on my car, why exactly would I need 4WD?

[fredgroves]

Isn't the ability of a 4WD system to be able to find a wheel that is gripping and use it to propel the vehicle out of a situation where the other wheels are bogged down?

Although I doubt if Quattro is actually that sort of 4WD system, unlike something like a true offroader.

[I wanted a GTi]

Grip, which is the requirement in these cases (and not traction) is not affected by how many wheels are driven but by how much all four wheels stick to the road. I see... some still have a hard time getting their head round that even though it's pretty simple.

I'm also a member of an Audi forum. Some people over there just don't get it Though this year they don't seem as bad, maybe that is because of this weather.

They usually revert to saying something like, "the best option is both." Referring to quattro and winter tyres.

Perhaps someone here can enlighten me, as I do not understand this: If I have winter tyres on my car, why exactly would I need 4WD?

You obviously think winter tyres are some sort of fantastic thing that can cope with anything.

Friend of mine couldn't get up his road on Sunday or Monday in his A4 with winter tyres. He jumped into his wife's 80 Quattro with summer tyres, locked the diff drove up road.

[dubber36]

Isn't the ability of a 4WD system to be able to find a wheel that is gripping and use it to propel the vehicle out of a situation where the other wheels are bogged down?

Although I doubt if Quattro is actually that sort of 4WD system, unlike something like a true offroader.

'quattro' in models based on front wheel drive cars uses the Haldex system, whereas cars with longitudinal drivetrain layouts are more like offroaders with torsen differentials

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/wvmekv7/

[Daz Auto]

You obviously think winter tyres are some sort of fantastic thing that can cope with anything.

Friend of mine couldn't get up his road on Sunday or Monday in his A4 with winter tyres. He jumped into his wife's 80 Quattro with summer tyres, locked the diff drove up road.

What winter tyre was he using? Are you sure they were winter tyres and not all season? My old boss used to think his all season tyres were winter tyres.

[I wanted a GTi]

You obviously think winter tyres are some sort of fantastic thing that can cope with anything.

Friend of mine couldn't get up his road on Sunday or Monday in his A4 with winter tyres. He jumped into his wife's 80 Quattro with summer tyres, locked the diff drove up road.

What winter tyre was he using? Are you sure they were winter tyres and not all season? My old boss used to think his all season tyres were winter tyres.

Michelin alpine's

[Guzzle]

This may give you an idea what an Audi S3 on summer tyres is like in the snow if driven in a jovial manner

https://youtu.be/xfGstJlr2uE