Hey, well I'm new to the world of Audi and I have a 98 A4 1.8T Quattro and I put four new winterforce tires on it and they do a great job on the snow, however for some reason as soon as i get on ice the rear end of the car starts to sway back and forth. Its really strange no matter if i'm coasting, accelerating, or just goin down the road normally as soon as it gets on ice it seems to instantly loose traction. I currently have a ABS and brake light on, and also a check engine, the check engine was an 02 sensor, the abs and brake light came on after i tried to replace the drivers side rear wheel bearing. However i couldn't get the main bolt off that's in the center of the hub. So after i put the caliper and everything else back on i had the light, I did have a shop change both rear wheel bearings. Does anyone have any idea's on why I would lose traction immediately? Also would the abs and brake light affect my cruise control at all? Thanks a lot guys for any help you might be able to give !!

 

Only tires with those diamond studs help on ice bro.
is it your e-brake light right?

 

is it an automatic, because in straight up neutral with no brake is the only time your wheels are rolling free in an automatic.

As for the lights in the dash, I believe you either fouled up that abs sensor when trying to remove the rotor and hub, or you just got the abs ring put back in improperly... I think youre cruise control problem is another common issue that most b5er's endure and use the DIY to fix.

 

Hey thanks for the replies, it is the e-brake light that is flashing, and its a manual, and I was just thinking that its kind of weird that as soon as the car get on any small amount of ice it starts to sway, I have driving a lot vehicles for many winters and never had one want to lose it as bad as this one does. I didn't know if it was a common occurance or if maybe a brake or something might be sticking. Thanks for any input you guys have!

 

ok, now i believe your handbrake cable might have gotten crimped or somehow is causing the brake on one side to rub... i would take the same wheel off as before and check it out... Maybe have a friend help if you are not sure whats goin on.

 

I have already taken that wheel off and checked if the pad was hung up at all but everything looks good, i'll double check it though just in case.

 

My car sways too. Try putting some weight in the trunk to help with that. Also check out Green Diamond tires. ImtheDevil (previously UpstateNYA4) posted about them in a previous thread.

 

lisen to airguard 350 i put 100pounds on tube sand in the back of mine cause i live on a very steep dirt road and dont run studs it help to not let it coast

 

or you can get 2x12" woofers in a giant box in the trunk so you can have awesome bass while having grip hehehe. at least that's how i do it

 

abs/e-brake light flashing is your abs module on the fritz. and unless you're rompin on it the *** end isn't going to kick out on you. something in your rear brakes is dragging, or you've got one heck of an alignment problem back there.