I just purchased a 2017 Golf Alltrack, no Alltrack model forum on here yet, so I'm posting in the closest to it. I will be heading to Mammoth Mtn, CA next week and there is lots of snow up there. My question is: How is the snow-handling on the 4Motion with all-season tires on our models? Any insight would be appreciated. PS: I will have chains with me just in case they are required, but not anticipating using them. Thanks in advance
Alltrack snow performance?
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surfcheck
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I just purchased a 2017 Golf Alltrack, no Alltrack model forum on here yet, so I'm posting in the closest to it. I will be heading to Mammoth Mtn, CA next week and there is lots of snow up there. My question is: How is the snow-handling on the 4Motion with all-season tires on our models? Any insight would be appreciated. PS: I will have chains with me just in case they are required, but not anticipating using them. Thanks in advance
The Alltrack is the best vehicle ever made when it comes to snow. When you put snows on it, there's literally nothing that's any better. I know this because when I bought mine and stuck on snows, we've got a total of 5" of snow this year. It's been in the 40's to the 60's. The Alltrack literally changes the weather patterns and melts the snow before you ever get there.
If you are like any of the old Audi Quattro owners who never ran snows and could get around in a foot of snow with half wore out regular tires, then the Alltrack with what it comes with, is no problem. I think I would have had to driven one of my old Quattros in a ditch with slicks on it, just to get it stuck.
If you are like any of the old Audi Quattro owners who never ran snows and could get around in a foot of snow with half wore out regular tires, then the Alltrack with what it comes with, is no problem. I think I would have had to driven one of my old Quattros in a ditch with slicks on it, just to get it stuck.
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Tires make more of a differnce than any amount of "wheel drive".The first thing I did when I got home with our Alltrack was to put winter tires on him so I don't know..or care how it did with the stock tires. We have had quite a bit of snow here in Tahoe this winer and of all of the all wheel drive cars I have owned, 17 of them, this one is very well the best I have ever driven.
That's good to know! If 90% of my 6hr drive up there weren't summer-condition highways, I would have a dedicated set of winter tires, that being said, it's reassuring that my new ride will do as-well as, if not better than my Audi always did.
Thanks again for the input! I'm excited to road trip this new car.
Thanks again for the input! I'm excited to road trip this new car.
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I agree you'll survive fine. You have chains if ya get stuck.
Anecdote:
We have a '17 GSW front wheel drive with a five speed manual, and studded Nokian Hakkapelitta 8 (sp?) snow tires. I also have a '17 GSW with 4motion and a six speed manual.
On the steepest snowiest & iciest section of my road, the FWD with snows can not get going from a dead stop. Moving, it makes it up fine, but cannot get going from a dead stop (on the very steepest part). The 4motion with all seasons can.
That said, once moving the FWD with studded snows turns with less sliding, and stops WAY, WAY BETTER, than the 4motion does even with (admittedly worn) Nokian Nordman 4 snow tires.
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Anecdote:
We have a '17 GSW front wheel drive with a five speed manual, and studded Nokian Hakkapelitta 8 (sp?) snow tires. I also have a '17 GSW with 4motion and a six speed manual.
On the steepest snowiest & iciest section of my road, the FWD with snows can not get going from a dead stop. Moving, it makes it up fine, but cannot get going from a dead stop (on the very steepest part). The 4motion with all seasons can.
That said, once moving the FWD with studded snows turns with less sliding, and stops WAY, WAY BETTER, than the 4motion does even with (admittedly worn) Nokian Nordman 4 snow tires.
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Old thread resurrection - I know.
2017 Alltrack with stock 17 Falken tires drove fine in the snow, but stopped terrible. Anti-locks were on at the slightest tap and the car was sliding.
Anybody do any comparisons, before and after with snows?
I was going to try to not put snows on the car, but it seems like a no go.
2017 Alltrack with stock 17 Falken tires drove fine in the snow, but stopped terrible. Anti-locks were on at the slightest tap and the car was sliding.
Anybody do any comparisons, before and after with snows?
I was going to try to not put snows on the car, but it seems like a no go.
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Not all snow is the same. Wet and slushy vs cold and dry get different handling and levels of grip. If you don't care for the current dynamics, get the winter tires. Be careful not to get "performance" winter tires , get studless winter. Those provide the best winter performance and winter driving fun.
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Absolutely true. 4WD will get you going, but stopping and cornering are no better with 4WD than with 2WD. If you have never had dedicated snows, and install them, the 1st time you drive with them in snowy or icy conditions you will wonder how you ever got along without them before. I have Blizzak WS80's on our GSW, and they're great. I've used WS50's (great on snow or ice, but poor in dry or wet), WS60's (much better in dry or wet), and the WS80's are great in all conditions.
Driving along with other cars that have all-seasons, it's like you have the ability to do anything you need in snow or on ice while the cars around you are sliding off even though they're driving at 10 mph.
That is especially true if your normal tires are high-performance rated.
FWIW, I use dedicated summer and winter wheels along with the different summer and winter tires.
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I've run blizzak's WS70 on a Chevy cavalier the last few years. The car was rock solid. However, I wanted to avoid the swap on and off every winter, so I thought I would give the falkens a try. I based this on having K02's on a tahoe that were fine in the snow/ winter. Truck and cavalier were sold and I bought the alltrack.
I ordered 17 WS80's. My plan is to mount them on the stock 17s and go to to Michelin pilot super sports on 18s for summer tires.
I ordered 17 WS80's. My plan is to mount them on the stock 17s and go to to Michelin pilot super sports on 18s for summer tires.
But you are stuck with the nasty winter tires even when you don't need them. Better to have A/S unless you have snow/ice constantly.
This is the reason why the original Audi Quattros were getting totaled all of the time. If you bought a 4000 or 5000 Quattro back in the 80's, there was a 99% chance you didn't have snows because the internet didn't exist back then. Thus, the ability to get snows was pretty much of a challenge. Thus, people were loving it when they could lock the rear and middle diff. They would take off like you wouldn't believe but when it came to stopping, they were a disaster. What even made it worse was the first 5000 TQ's had ABS bout it would be disabled if you locked the diffs. So, take off like gangbusters and when you'd hit the brake, you'd go for a nice trip into the car in front of you or into a ditch. Lots of those cars met their maker because of that.
For today, an AT is not different than if you were drifting a 4wd Ford Escape or any other 4wd SUV. Even a full blown Ford Crew Cab Dually with 4wd will go through the snow without a problem. I know the pusists that are into some sort of mumbo jumbo as to what system is the ultimate but in the end, people just want to not get stuck or lose control. In the end, as we learned with the original Quattros, having a kick butt system is a waste of money if you got garbage tires. That's why my 4800 lb Eurovan loaded down with my family and skis can do just fine in the snow. It just won't take off like it's dry like my AT will when it snows.
Owned a 4000q and a 90q in northern Ohio and never had an issue. Winters hard to get before the internet? :screwy:
https://youtu.be/EC1E2eDt1JY
This video sums up why you need winter tires with AWD
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This video sums up why you need winter tires with AWD
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Performance winter are considered to be studless. Performance winter provide fun when the road is cold and dry and sacrifice snow and ice traction for more stable tread blocks
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True, but, IMHO, if you are going to use dedicated winter tires, the time you really need them is in extreme ice or packed snow conditions. Using performance winters gives away some grip in the conditions when they are most needed.
I understand why you are saying what you did, but I use dedicated winters for the few times a year when they are really needed. So I want them to be as effective as they can be.
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