Chris from Cali

Guys, I apologize if this has been addressed before, but I am wondering if any of you have experience with winter tires in 295 size. I know the common move is to go with an 18" package with 265s, but I would like to put winters on my stock wheels and get some "cool" wheels for summer.

For those of you with first-hand experience, did you have any traction problems with the wide rears? My car is AWD, but I know that's not always a gimme. I had winters on my RS4, but those were "only" 255s...

Thanks in advance!

p-cardriver

Wide tires will be fine on packed snow, slush (not too deep) and ice (if anything is fine on ice). They will be worse in deep snow, although AWD may compensate somewhat for that. IMO the ground clearance is an issue before the traction due to tire width is, so I would go for it. YMMV of course.

Chris from Cali

Yeah it doesn't get too deep around here (last year was an anomaly). Mostly slush, with some wet snow accumulation up to about 2" at a time. I am sure the tires will perform, I'm just worried about the wide contact patch acting like a sled.

Jake951

I had 295/30/19 rear winter tires on the GT3 last winter. I limited my driving to dry roads, where it was perfectly fine in sub-freezing temperatures. I did go out once on packed snow to see how they coped, and the car seemed pretty stable, as long as you didn't do anything foolish.

mander

09 C4S ran Nokian's (295 in back) from the dealer last winter on spare stock 19s. Not as sure footed as the Blizzaks on my 01 S4 but they were excellent. Clearance was the issue not the tires at all. Go for it.

alexb76

If you got C4, right size from factory is 295. I however looked specifically for 265s in 18" for Winter and they did great (Michelin PA2).

Looked fine in Carrera 3 wheels (the 997.2 18" wheels look even better), and were great for the few months I had them on, great grip in shallow snow (all that I tried), and perfect for winter cold weather, and surprisingly handled quite well. Much cheaper than 295R19 tires as well, but I guess 295 should also work in packed snow... but I didn't take a chance, as I tell you, our AWD is NOT like S4/RS4 Quattro (what I had before).

PS. Side benefit is a GREAT ride on 18s!

zanwar

My winter wheel set is factory 18" Carrera IV wheels with Pirelli Sottozeros, rear tire width is 295. The rears do tend to float a little over deep snow. Otherwise it's a good setup, lots of grip in the cold and a smoother ride than 19s. I've driven the car through two Chicago winters and I've never been stuck. So you should be fine.

19_hole

If you main concern is looks, then go for the 295s. If however you want the best bad weather performance the 265s are the far better choice. Do the math, the wider tires provide less force per unit area on the road. In ice they will not be as good as the narrower tire.

p-cardriver

I think you may have this backwards. (or maybe I do and someone will correct me)

Bigger contact patch (wider tire) = more chance for grip on packed snow or ice. As if anything other than studded tires really helps much. Car wants to put the same force into either tire - larger contact patch means less chance of breaking loose especially at startup.

Narrower tire = more chance to go through snow instead of skiing on top of it. But the same force point above applies - the tire will break free on packed snow or ice earlier.

Hydroplaning or aquaplaning is worse with wider tires unless they can really pump a lot of water through (multiple deep grooves).

Conditions you typically experience should determine the tire choice. Lots of good info on these topics on TireRack's site.

Jake951

The selection of the specific winter tire is probably the most important thing. Some of them trade off some ultimate snow performance for better performance on dry surfaces. That's a trade I'm willing to make because I don't drive much in snow but I do want traction on very cold, dry roads where summer tires are useless (and potentially unsafe). The ultimate deep snow tires tend to give up some stability and grip on dry roads, so you have to decide what your intended use is and choose accordingly. For the record, I used Pirelli Sottozero 240 Serie II and was happy with them.

Chris from Cali

Thanks everyone for the comments. Yes, the narrower tire is better in snow/ice, but we don't get much accumulation (minus last year's anomaly!). The reason to keep 19s is primarily to use my stockers so I can get some sexy wheels for summer. Jake951 - I have the same priorities you do, so that Pirelli might be the best bet. Our winter is from about early December to early March (temp-wise). The snow is primarily in Jan-Feb. Thanks again for the input!!

mander

FYI. The tires supplied by Porsche thru a dealership for 19s, at least as of last fall, were Nokians or Pirellis.

WTFitsCarter

I have a set of lobster claws with winter tires for sale.

WTFitsCarter

Oh yah they are Sottozeros as well and have a ton of tread left