I have a 06 A4 Avant and live in the Gatineau Hills. I'm looking for a tire that will get me and my family to the ski slopes and back and still perform on the highway....(however I must admit snow and ice performance comes first!).....the local dealer is suggesting Michelin Pilots on 16" rims however from what I've read I'm leaning more to the X-ice. I would very much appreciate comments concerning either product. Thanks!

 

I picked up a set of the Pilots for this winter for the same reason. I was running the Hankook iPike for the last two winters and found the highway driving horrible though snow traction was good.

What have you read that makes you lean towards the x-ice instead?

 

I had Pilots on my last car (mazdaspeed 6) and they were awesome. Gripped the road really well and I never had a problem on snow or ice and even on an ice-filled-uphill. Unfortunately they were my first and only snow tires (for now) so I don't know how they compare to anything else.

I also need some new rims/tires so I'm still looking around but I'm liking the x-ice xi2. If you're set on the X-ice, go for the xi2; the originals wear out way too quickly apparently (from what I hear/read online).
Hope this helps!

 

The x-ice reviews on tirerack are average.. not that many people would buy them again.

I had the same choice and am going with the Toyo Garit KX, it seems a good compromise between pure winter performance and pure ice/snow tire.

 

I had a set of X-Ice's on my Jetta GLI.. They were absolutely amazing in the deep snow, but a definite comprimise in dry or sporty conditions. Just ordered a set a Pilot Alpin PA3's. Hoping they're much better in dry and sporty conditions, and based on tirerack's reviews, should handle great in the snow, but likely not as good as those in the "Studless Winter" category.

 

Thanks for the feedback all....right now it looks like it's down to the PA3s or Xi2s......seems to be a trade off as the xi2s seem to show better in snow and ice however the PA3s seem to sacrafice a little in the snow and ice for better high speed performance???...what to do??....I want my car to drive like an audi (even in winter) not like a chevy malibu!

PS.....any advice on rims??

 

...still learing the in's and out's of this site......see my reply below...thanks

 

I'll put my vote in for Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D. Excellent tires. Ranked #3 on Tire Rack with a robust sample of opinions (over 2 million miles reported by reviewers).

From Tirerack.com you can get them for US$112 each plus there is a $50 rebate for a set of 4 (not sure if eligible in Canada). You can get rims for US$100 each. I see you're in Chelsea, so it's an easy drive (1 hour) to Ogdensburg, NY to pick them up for cheap! Just pay taxes at the border as they're duty-free. Note this is completely legit as Tire Rack has authorized installers thorughout the US to which they'll ship your order.

This is what I did last year from Ottawa and saved a ton.
PM me if you'd like more details.

 

Tire rack didn't have the 3D in my size. and I was afraid of rim fitment issue so I ended up buying from TalonTire.com - Your One Stop Solution for All Your Tire Needs!

 

Audi must have changed something from 2006 to 2009 model - or maybe you're just referring to an out of stock situation. I've heard good things of 1010tires.com as well, which I believe is Canadian (site is down now so can't check).

The 16" 3D fit great on my '06 A4 with standard brakes, though there was not a ton of extra clearance for calipers. 17" certainly would have fit, but I understand the narrower tire of a 16 is preferable for winters.

I think any of the suggestions on tires in this thread would work great as they all seem to be solid choices.