I have bought an A6 4.2 2005 in Oklahoma with the Sports Package (yes, including very slick high performance 18" summer tires) and have moved to Minneapolis... needless to say that I must change the tires for the winter. Which tires do you think are the best (thinking of getting some 17" wheels for winter...)

 

try looking at tirerack.com
they sell winter only tires, also tire/rim combos
with the quatro you may not need winter only tires
blizzak are good, only if temp is below 40 deg F

 

Temperatures here in Minnesota reach -40F during the winter... dealer said that summer high performance tires could "freeze", especially being 18" wheels. I assume they know what they are talking since they are the largest Audi dealer in the country - just don't know which tires are the very best.

 

Glad to see that you are jumping on the bandwagon and getting a second set of tires/rims for the winter. Because you have a 4.2, you might not be able to run 17's because of the size of the brake calipers etc. In which case you might want to just get the tire and swap them out between seasons. …etc…etc..

Again, tirerack.com has a great website for tire options. Personally, I run Blizzaks on my 2001 A6 but, I've heard a lot of good things about Nokian's. The Nokian's are a bit more expensive, but they tend to last longer. For instance, my Blazzaks were $100/tire from the tirerack 2 years ago..and I'll get a 3rd season out of them. Your mileage may vary….

See the C6 A6 forum on audiworld.com for future questions.

Good luck!

PS: I'm jealous of your C6. I test drove a 4.2 when they hit the dealers…what a well packaged car; power, luxury and functionality…all for $55K.

 

Yo,
Yes you will need differnt tires. Do not even mess around on this topic. Once the temp hits 20 degrees those sport tires will be has hard as rocks and even with only wet roads you will be in trouble, and the quatro doesn't mean jack.
As far as tire rack, I do not think steel rims will fit on that car, unless they are specifically designed. My advice, find the smallest size aftermarket alloy rims that will fit on that car, then buy Cooper Lifeliners or Goodyear Assurance tires. You can go with the blizzaks or similar, but I drive a 1998 A6 in Cleveland, we get more snow then Minn/St Paul, and I drive Coopers all year long. So that way if it is 25 degrees and dry your car still will drive better than with the snow tires.
And with the alloy rims the car still looks good and your expensive good rims don't get beat up due to road salt and cinders.

 

Dunlop Wintersport M3s. As narrow as you can run them on your 4.2. Winter tires want to cut through the snow; not ride on top.