[nadiafstr]

Hi Guys,
Hoping someone can shed some light as to why the Q3 Quattro is RUBBISH IN THE SNOW!
Just had a minor crash as car seemed to skid on ice and could not get it to stop no matter what i did and slid into car in front (waiting for whiplash claim despite no damage to either car)
first time l have driven it in the snow and feeldisappointedwith its performance. My golf handled the weather better!

 

[mark3988]

I went out in the snow this morning, don't have Quattro and got stuck on a small incline dropping the kids off at School. Had to rely on the mums waiting at the gate to push me. Very embarrassing

. Still I saved £1,500 by the sounds of it going for front wheel drive...

 

[SemiQ]

How about winter tires?

When the first snow arrived I drove for a while with the summer tires.. I was prepared for slipperiness but I was actually surprised how well the car managed on a snowy road. However, when there were no snow at all – just icy road - the situation was totally different.

I think it has very little to do with the car itself but the tires.. Now, I have proper winter tires and I have not experienced challenges at all so far (my Q3 is also fwd). But, I must say that I still wait for the real winter to arrive..

It's barely below –18 Celsius degrees and only thin – perhaps 10 cm thick - snow blanket..

 

[reilsab]

Unless you have winter tyres you'll struggle on snow no matter what you're driving. As for ice, well hit a patch of that and even winters won't be of much help

The quatrro system for me anyway is for better traction and stability in the wet, i would always be adjusting my driving style in the snow even if I was in a big old land rover. A few weeks ago with all the wet weather the majority of people stuck and getting into trouble were owners of 4x4's thinking they were indestructible...

 

[audidriver4ever]

I do not drive a Q3 quattro yet, but for eight years a A4 quattro 3.0 TDI with 260HP and 530Nm. And, of course I chance the summer-wheels just before the winter-period to winter-tire-wheels and had never problems with traction on snow. But, when it's slippery (because of ice) I also adjust my driving-style.
For all those with problems as mentioned above, I can recommend you (did it myself too) take part in a drivers-course like quattro experience or any other course with fwd cars. You will be amazed what your Audi is capable of if you have the correct tyres mounted

 

[SeaBox]

Winter tyres are the way forward, we had them on our golf mk6 before we got the Q3 and they literally ran rings around 4x4 tackle with summer tyres fitted last winter, they are not just for snow as the deeper grooves and softer compound give incredible grip and water clearance so less likely to aquaplane in water/slush. A mate of mine has a porsche cayman and had winter tyres in the snow last year and it was amazing - passing cars and 4x4s on hills - it was really funny to see it happen but they do make that much difference.

 

[audidriver4ever]

Winter tyres are the way forward, we had them on our golf mk6 before we got the Q3 and they literally ran rings around 4x4 tackle with summer tyres fitted last winter, they are not just for snow as the deeper grooves and softer compound give incredible grip and water clearance so less likely to aquaplane in water/slush. A mate of mine has a porsche cayman and had winter tyres in the snow last year and it was amazing - passing cars and 4x4s on hills - it was really funny to see it happen but they do make that much difference.

100% agree

 

[JayN]

Remember that even if 4x4 helps a lot wrt. traction, acceleration and steering, it does *nil* for braking! Haven't noticed any problems with the Q3 on snow/ice myself, but it has been an easy winter so far. Looking forward to the forecast snowing every day from Sunday on, though!

 

[audidriver4ever]

To be honest, every year I'm looking forward driving in the snow. But for my body, I hate the winter season

 

[Craig_d1]

Nadiafstr, What wheel/tyre combo have you got?Edited by: Craig_d1

 

[prince4142]

Hi all

Had a Tiguan last year and bought 16 inch VW/Audi OEM winter alloys and
tyres. Amazing difference in handling and stopping distances when
temperature under 7*centigrade,as per advice all over the net. These fit the Q3 also. 215/65 16 6.5J Offset Et33

It
was great driving into a car park with fresh snow and putting to the
test when no one else would dare to go there!!! Link below from the many
websites on the benefits of winter tyres in the UK.

http://etyres.co.uk/winter-tyres

 

[Sandy379]

Wife got stuck last night on M66 in bad snow and she wasn't reassured by the Quattro. I have just driven this morning, lots of snow but melting, and I have struggled to get up my lane, much to the amusement of my neighbours. Having run an XC60 4x4 for the last 2 years, the Q3's performance in wintry conditions can only be described as poor. But having run 17 inch wheels on the Volvo compared to the 19 inch 'surfers' on the Audi, I am convinced that these, pretty wide wheels provide a reduced grip in snow and ice conditions. Disappointed but not entirely surprised.
Edited by: Sandy379

 

[KEW]

I have had no problems at all with snow or ice but reading the above I expect it is due to my winter tyres

 

[DBQ3]

I had winter tyres fitted to a set of suitable alloys that I already had onWednesday and glad I did, size 215/60/17/7Jthe offset on alloys is ET38 and is perfectly fine. They dont look as good as the 18" ones but they do the job. Even a quattro on standard summer tyre will struggle on snow and slush etc, also the wider the tyre the more chance of slipping in these conditions.

 

[SemiQ]

Interesting to hear..

I'm having a FWD version with proper winter tires (Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic 225/55/17) and I haven't experienced no problems at all..

I'm not living in UK and winter tires are mandatory during wintertime. It would be interesting to see/test how much snow it would be required to get into troubles.

 

[Patrizio72]

Quattro cars are better than your standard 2 wheel drive cars in snow etc when it comes to acceleration and handling but it doesnt make a blind bit of difference to stopping distance, when stopping you need to also take into account the bigger and heavier the car the longer it will take to stop. Wheels and tyres also have a major role to play.

 

[SemiQ]

Quattro cars are better than your standard 2 wheel drive cars in snow etc when it comes to acceleration and handling..

Yes, for sure =) My point was that if FWD works well on snow with proper tires, the Quatro must be even better..

But, I totally agree with you..

 

[audidriver4ever]

Want to see what quattro is capable off? Check my AudiBlog VIDEO inside

 

[Patrizio72]

? no video...

 

[Jules]

For what it's worth, I haven't got the cash to splash on a set of Winter Tyres, so have had to make do with the standard fit tyres - but touch wood -so far my FWD Q3 hasn't got stuck anywhere on the public roads - I firmly believe driving technique has a big part to play for any vehicle!
4x4s (especially mummy ones on the school runs) are just as vulnerable if treated without respect - all-wheel drive counts for nothing when 2-tons of Range-Rover has enough momentum...