Need tire help! 1 day vote!

[The Driver]

So I`m really back an forth on this here. These tires are for my brother and I`ve laid it down to two tires. Michelin Pilot A/s 3 or Michelin Premier A/s, the catch is this the A/s 3`s I can get in any size but the premier A/s only comes in 225. My brother isn`t a speedster but every once in a while he does enjoy the car a little. My worry is bad driving conditions, will the A/s 3 be able to handle winters in Rhode Island (New Port). He doesn`t really drive in bad weather (I always tell him to stay off the roads) but he does commute home sometimes from RI to here. Being that our cars (Brothers car is an Audi A6 2.7T) are of a similar platform, I figured the best input is here. I have to place the order by the end of the day, so please vote an state why!

Lamens...

Conditions
30-40% Cold Dry
30-40% Cold Wet
15-20% Slush Snow
0-5% Ice - Probably won`t be driving

Driving
90% Town/College campus 5 - 25 minute drives
10% Highway 2 - 3 Hours drives from RI to NY

Tires
Michelin Pilot sport A/s 3 (235/45/17)
Michelin Premier A/s (225/50/17)

[Accumulator]

I`d *absolutely* get the Pilot A/S 3!! I had the earlier A/S 2 and they were simply *GREAT*. FWIWm, that was on the heavily modified Crown Vic. From daily driving to autoX I had zero complaints and they were incredible in the wet (never drove `em in snow). I`ll be putting them on other cars in the future.

BUT...no, they`ll be awful in the snow. Eh, even Quattros oughta run snowtires in the winter anyhow IMO (and I`ve driven them since the `80s). Cheaper than an insurance deductible and being safe on snow/ice is priceless. (sorry to lecture, but I feel very strongly about this, even put snowtires on my 4WD truck.)

I don`t know enough about the Premiers to know how they`d be in the snow but I`m confident they won`t compare the rest of the time.

[The Driver]

Thats the thing, the premiers are better in the snow from I`ve been hearing. He`s a student so season tires isn`t an option for him atm.

Left is the premier, right A/s 3
Screen Shot 2015-06-03 at 12.45.03 PM by Joe Smith, on Flickr

[Stokdgs]

Im with Accumulator on Always using Snow Tires in Snow...
There are a lot of really good ones from people who live in snow most of the year...
Nothing out performs a good design snow tire on any vehicle..

I finally got away from the $$$ Michelin line this year, and put some really nice Yokohama HTX tires on my Grand Cherokee.
Drove it all the way back to CA just now and they brought me through some really bad rain in Texas safely..
Found them at Discount Tire, or you can also get them at Tire Rack dot com..

If I had to pick between your 2 choices, it would also be the proven Pilot A/S line..

The key (for me), is to see which tire has the most Sipes which will help in snow better than anything else..
Yes, you need grooves to help evacuate water, but the Sipes is what grips the surface better..

Good luck !
Dan F

[Ccrew]

Blizzaks in Snow

A different 3 season tire. Michelins are overpriced, there are a lot of good alternatives in the Continental/Yokohama/etc range that aren`t $$$$

[MooreImpressive]

not a speedster = narrow and tall. more of a speedster = wide and short.

not sure how else I can help out here.

[kbmag1]

From the numbers, the tire on the left. A/S 3 most likely dated technology compared to the Premier.

[LostHighway]

There are very few "All Season" that are worth a bucket of warm spit (I was struggling to come up with something family friendly) in the snow and many are downright dangerous. If it was my family member I`d recommend Continental Extreme Contact DWS or possibly Nokian WRG3 (not sure about size availability). I have not driven the Michelin Premier at all but I have driven the Pilot Sport A/S3 in snowy conditions and compared to the Conti or Nokian I would not trust it. The A/3 is fine in wet or dry but not snow IMO. None of them are any good on ice, for that you absolutely must have dedicated snow tires and be careful.

[The Driver]

There are very few "All Season" that are worth a bucket of warm spit (I was struggling to come up with something family friendly) in the snow and many are downright dangerous. If it was my family member I`d recommend Continental Extreme Contact DWS or possibly Nokian WRG3 (not sure about size availability). I have not driven the Michelin Premier at all but I have driven the Pilot Sport A/S3 in snowy conditions and compared to the Conti or Nokian I would not trust it. The A/3 is fine in wet or dry but not snow IMO. None of them are any good on ice, for that you absolutely must have dedicated snow tires and be careful.

Alright guys, so after speaking with tire rack, they confirmed the results. My main question was "Is it better then the conti DWS extreme?" Answer YES, in every way. I ordered the premiers today. 225/50/17! They beat out the DWS`s in every single category. I have driven the DWS extreme many times in the snow an feel comfortable so this was the deal breaker for me.

DWS Left | A/s Premier Right
Screen Shot 2015-06-03 at 10.23.08 PM by Joe Smith, on Flickr

[Accumulator]

The Driver- Hope those work out for him, nice of you to help.

[The Driver]

The Driver- Hope those work out for him, nice of you to help.

I hope so too, he`s is my bother and all! Sometime`s I do want to order some nankangs for him though

[Accumulator]

Heh heh heh...