MK7 GTI DSG in the snow (Winter Set up)

[deejaysmiff]

I recently had the pleasure of trying and i mean trying to drive my MK7 GTI DSG APR stage 1 in the snow and the car transformed it's self into a snow ornament, It was useless with no power control or grip with traction control switched off didn’t improve the driveability.
Has any fitted wheels and winter tyres to make the car more driveable in the white stuff and if so what set up and results did you get?

 

[INSMk7GTI]

MK7 GTI DSG stage 1 APR with 16 " steel rims and 205/55/16 General Altimax Arctic tires. No problem here. Better than my old Mk6 GTI with same setup. All season tires are useless in certain type of snow.

 

[c0de]

I have a DSG, not tuned, on stock rubber.. it's doing just fine in the snow.. we had about 6" today. To be honest even with a tune, I find it hard to believe that traction is that drastically reduced.

You CAN go the snow wheel route (that's the better route) but first I would look at driving technique, it really shouldn't be as bad as you're describing.

 

[the bruce]

How mad is it to drive summer tyres in the snow and then wonder why it feels weired?
It takes the IQ of sliced bread to know it couldn't work.

Both winter tyres and GTI winter ability topics have been already debated before.

Do a search. Or even better don't drive, just walk.

No, it's not what you wanted to read. But it's the truth and I think it's best for you to
learn it right now instead of killing others on an accident.

 

[everlast556]

With the APR tune, can't you just do the cruise control tune selection and go back to a stock-like map while in the snow? Seems like it would help with the traction issue.

 

[SpeedieGTI]

It's dangerous to use summer tires below 40 deg. F

 

[artystamk7]

I recently had the pleasure of trying and i mean trying to drive my MK7 GTI DSG APR stage 1 in the snow and the car transformed it's self into a snow ornament, It was useless with no power control or grip with traction control switched off didn’t improve the driveability.
Has any fitted wheels and winter tyres to make the car more driveable in the white stuff and if so what set up and results did you get?

winter tires. /thread

 

[deejaysmiff]

How mad is it to drive summer tyres in the snow and then wonder why it feels weired?
It takes the IQ of sliced bread to know it couldn't work.

Both winter tyres and GTI winter ability topics have been already debated before.

Do a search. Or even better don't drive, just walk.

No, it's not what you wanted to read. But it's the truth and I think it's best for you to
learn it right now instead of killing others on an accident.

Wow before you get insulting about IQ's i was asking about the best set up for winter tyres, that's the point of a forum. There was never any harm or potential to kill anyone. Here's a tip if you've got nothing intelligent to say don't say anything.

 

[blueste]

I was actually surprised at how well the OEM A/S Pirellis did in 5" of snow we had a few weeks ago. However, they have such a low profile, I went ahead and bought a dedicated set of winters anyway. Plus, it gives me a good reason to get summers once the OEM wear out. I went with Anzio Vision wheels and Michelin X-Ice Xi3 215/55/16 from Tire Rack. Love them so far.

 

[cs2014]

I found the same problem with my Golf GT Mk6 and A3 S-Line before that. Both had 18" wheels with ordinary 'summer' tyres, and were useless in snow. No grip or control at all. I changed the Golf to Dunlop Winter Sport tyres (but on 17" wheels), and the car was transformed. Suddenly I could steer and stop again !

I have the same set of wheels/tyres fitted to my current Golf GT Mk7.

 

[thunderstruck1]

I was actually surprised at how well the OEM A/S Pirellis did in 5" of snow we had a few weeks ago. However, they have such a low profile, I went ahead and bought a dedicated set of winters anyway. Plus, it gives me a good reason to get summers once the OEM wear out. I went with Anzio Vision wheels and Michelin X-Ice Xi3 215/55/16 from Tire Rack. Love them so far.

Can you give details on price and stock numbers for what you bought? I just got my car last Saturday, and with 19 inches of snow Sunday I haven't had the time to investigate snow tires. I did make it to the store Sunday afternoon, driving very carefully. Dealer was kind enough to recommend a rather expensive solution, but I bet I can do better.

 

[pjr]

My previous A3 really struggled in the snow with the standard Pirelli P-Zero Rosso 225/45x17 wheels - on the flat it was ok, but the slightest hill and traction was lost regardless of throttle position or traction control on/off.

I ran the Audi for the next 3 winters on a set of 16" alloys with 205/55x16 Dunlop Wintersport 3D tyres - never had any traction issues after that point, even in deep snow, although ice could still be a problem -i.e. they aren't a miracle cure for all road conditions.

Luckily the Audi wheels fitted my GTI and I've been running them since November - we've had a few days of reasonable snow this winter, along with quite a few frosty mornings and they work almost as well on the GTI as they did on the Audi - I say almost as well, because my GTI has more than double the power of the diesel Audi I had before, so it is easier to break traction by being a bit aggressive on the throttle.

I would have preferred 17" wheels for my GTI, as the 16" ones look a little small, but I saw no real need to change them since there was still plenty life left in the tyres.

 

[blueste]

Can you give details on price and stock numbers for what you bought? I just got my car last Saturday, and with 19 inches of snow Sunday I haven't had the time to investigate snow tires. I did make it to the store Sunday afternoon, driving very carefully. Dealer was kind enough to recommend a rather expensive solution, but I bet I can do better.

Sure, I went with the Michelin because SW OH winters aren't always that bad and I felt the tread on these would be good for dry and icy/snowy roads. I don't know if that's true or not, just my uneducated opinion. I hear good things on bang for the buck for General Altimax Arctic, people also like Blizzak WS80. There are a ton of wheel options. Main reason I went with these is they weren't too expensive, but not too cheap either. Also, another member posted a pic of his and I thought they looked good for just a winter wheel, so I copied. If we could get the MSW 77 in the US at a reasonable cost I would've purchased those. I love the look and it's considered a winter wheel.

Heck, depending on where in Chi town you are, you could drive a couple hours to Tire Rack in South Bend, IN and either pick them up with no shipping, or schedule an appt and have them mounted there. I'm always looking for a reason to road trip. However, I think it only took me a day or two to receive via UPS Ground in SW OH once they actually shipped.

 

[blueste]

Here's a pic from the other forum member with the Anzio. I believe he told me he has the same size I bought- 215/55/16. Another popular size is 205/55/16, but some say your handling will suffer going from OEM 225. Although, I'm not sure how much handling is really important in the snowy winter. I might consider the 205/55/16 next time as it will give a little more room in the wheel well for all the snow. Although, 55% of 205 is probably not much different than 55% of 215.

http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?p=73936#post73936

 

[blueste]

It's dangerous to use summer tires below 40 deg. F

Yes, I've heard that's the cut off. I've also heard summers could crack at 20 deg. F, even in storage.