I can recommend the tires that I use and have been happy with for a while now, the Continental DWS. It's the best all season tire I've used so far, and the one that has work best in the snow
you don't need studs, continental extreme contact dws are the best tires for chasing snow around colorado in an awd car.
I've been running 18" Conti Pure Contacts for about 8k miles now. Initially, I didn't love the tire but they handled good so I decided to keep them. Recently had them rebalanced and rotated which that made a difference. Ride is firmer than Michelin's or OEM Contis but this is one of the best handling tire I've owned on any of my cars. Hydroplaning resistance and snow traction for an all season tire is excellent.
I have had Conti DW performance summer tires on my TDI for over a year, now, and run them between 40 - 41 psi. For me, that is a good compromise between handling and comfort, and gives the added benefits of longer tire life and better fuel economy. Note, however, that the standard sport suspension on the US TDI, while about equal in handling to the GTI on real roads, is a bit softer and more forgiving on bad roads. Also, 16" wheels help and are better suited to the chassis than 17" wheels.
four tires (Continental DW)
I did go with the Conti DWS initially. Hated the noise they made (see my post earlier). I like the P-Zero much better.
As for tires, I'd absolutely recommend against getting Conti DW's. I got them to replace Michelin PSS' mainly because they were cheaper and I thought the drop off in performance wouldn't be as significant as the price difference but it is...Very significant. For a chill family car, DW's are great..for any kind of performance driving, they just aren't good enough. Traction is ok but the sidewalls are very soft and I could feel them rolling and giving away at the track.
After a week with the DWS, I've decided to replace them with the OEM version of Pirelli all seasons. The DWS on my car aren't "loud", but the noise they do give off (high pitched whine) drives me nuts at highway speed.
I know the OP has already purchased tires, but I figured I'd share my experience with the Conti DWS's. The (soon to be) wife had them on her MKIV Jetta (225/45/R17) and they were SUPER soft. Really caused a lot of bounce in the car.
If its the tires its time to invest in some Continental DWS
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