[bobs-sts-v]

Cliff,
A second set of snow tires is a MUST for winter driving. Purchase a set of 4 18" rims (4 fronts) and mount Blizzak or Advan S4 tires on them to get around in the snow. The Pirelli run flats flat out suck in the snow - ZERO traction as Kadonny said. A 3 degree hill will bog you down. You can turn off traction control, switch to manual shifting and try starting in 2nd or 3rd gear, but that gets old real fast. And when the car automatically downshifts for you, you have to completely stop to reset to a higher gear.

Kadonny,
Speaking of the GS D3s, you mentioned earlier that they were getting loud. Since I drive my V daily, I hadn't noticed any real difference. Until my wife rode in the car with me yesterday and commented that the car sounded louder than normal. Definitely wheel/tire noise. What tire pressure do you run yours at - lower or higher than recommended. I have mine set at 30 lbs. cold, but it can get up to 33 lbs. on a hot day after driving a while. Not sure if changing the air pressure will make any difference, but I do definitely notice a noisier ride now that the tires have a few thousand miles on them (compared to when new).

Bob