nktanoli789

Hi All,
I bought an Audi in December 07. It had winter tires on it when i bought it and the tires are pretty much worn out and i need to replace them. I was just wondering if some of the senior members here can suggest whether i should go for all season tires or have a separate set of winter and summer tires and also where is a good place to get deals on tires.

With summer approaching i am sure some of the other members will be in same situation as i am and will really appreciate help/guidance from the senior members..

Thanks a lot in advance.

1move

iTrader: (1)

I ran winter and summer tires, and got free P6 Pirelli all seasons with my summer rims so decided to try those out. Took off the winter ones and am runing the all seasons. They are crap the handeling sucks vs my summer tires, cant take corners as fast the rubber just tears away, and squeling happens all the time if you drive it a bit harder. So the tire wear is a lot vs my summer tires. I would defenetly suggest of going with a Summer/Winter tire setup as all seasons are meant for you to get by not to perform. As for the difference in all seasons vs summer vs winter is NIGHT and DAY! Do yourself a favour and get summer/ winter setup. Best place and awesome customer service is in my opinion the tirerack.com great deals all the time and I ended up saving $800 on one set of tires vs paying locally. I am not the kind of person that will cheap out on something your *** depends on everyday thats My 2Cents

sonic

i completely agree with 1move.

I just ordered a set of kumo esteza's(sp) from tirerack, 235/35ZR19's and got each one for $149. Cant get that around here even remotly close.

nktanoli789

Thanks to both of you for the replies
sonic: how long did it take you to get your tires, were there any problems with customs? paperwork etc..
1move: I thought Pirelli is the best brand when it comes to Audi but not sure ? which brand would you suggest, my budget is 700-800$

1move

iTrader: (1)

You are going to have to raise your budget to about a $1000, mine cost $1040 shipped with customs and everything to my doorstep. I agree pirelli's are really good but stay away from their all-seasons, they tend to wear down a lot with my experiance, for summer I would defenetly go with Toyo or something along those lines check the speed rating as well the higher the speed rating the tougher the rubber, the better the grip IMO. The softer the rubber the more it sticks to the pavement the more it gets used up. I would go with a high speed rating tire, and high performance, as for winter tires hands down to Pirelli they are "God" in this category. My tires took about 2 weeks to get to my house they were lost in the process and I called tire rack and the customer service personel took care of everything and said that if they do not show up in the next few days that a new set of tires will be sent out without any further redue. In my personnal experiance I am going for tirerack all the time now and never changing I would also suggest that you upgrade your rotors and brake pads as shipping will be less with a bigger purchase. scrounge up another $300-$400 for some great pads and slotted rotors and man you will love your car even that much more it is a very small investment with a big difference. I belive my winter tires cost around the $850 mark and then shipping and import fees and brokerage so it was about $190 for import, so all in all I ended up paying $1200 installed balanced etc. Dealer wanted $1900 for a lower class of tire installed

1move

iTrader: (1)

Oh yeah not that this is a good idea but my car with the Pirelli winter tires, is pretty much a snow plow! Beats them anyday!

nktanoli789

I am going to use tirerack and get a set for summer.. i just have to decide on the brand i want now.. also once i get the tire i will have to go to the dealer to get them on .. or should i get this done by non-audi shop?

regarding upgrading the rotors and brakepads: i do not know a lot (as much as you do) about these things and i am little confused, what value would they add in terms of performance or wear etc

thanks for your help..much appreciated

1move

iTrader: (1)

Greater gripp= better stoping distances
less break dust on the rims, better gripp in wet weather (if you havent experianced the no break when I wash my car experiance...LOL) Less noise and squeling, but overall better stopping power, I will check out the brands and recommend as well as break pads and rotors for you, what I would buy. Non audi dealer = same thing as long as it is a reputable shop, dont take it to like wallmart or Canadian tire etc..... Gimme a sec I will check right now for the tires etc.....

1move

iTrader: (1)

17" or 16"?

1move

iTrader: (1)

Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport
Dunlop SP Sport 9090
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
Sumitomo HTR Z III
Yokohama S.drive

The higher the rating in like the 300AA(lasts longer) or 180AA(lasts shorter) and so on the longer the tire will last and the less wear you get. The higher the load rating is always good, and look for a high or ultra high performance.