Howard Delman

99 A6Q 2.8. My front tires are showing excessive wear on the outside
edges of the tread. In fact, I feel the need to replace them, even
though the center of the tire still has about one-third of the useable
tread left. Air pressure, cold, is ~32 psi. The dealer says this wear
is "normal". I can't help but feel that something is wrong in the front
end.

Any thoughts or comments?

Howard Delman

Ron

"Howard Delman" <delman@blueneptune.com> wrote in message
news:vit89lln5g83e6@corp.supernews.com...
> 99 A6Q 2.8. My front tires are showing excessive wear on the outside
> edges of the tread. In fact, I feel the need to replace them, even
> though the center of the tire still has about one-third of the useable
> tread left. Air pressure, cold, is ~32 psi. The dealer says this wear
> is "normal". I can't help but feel that something is wrong in the front
> end.
>
> Any thoughts or comments?
>
> Howard Delman
>
Power steering

Its the byproduct of being able to turn your wheel while stopped, try and
get into the habit of pulling away or at least start moving before you turn
the wheel, this will elliminate most of the tyre wear

hth

Ron

Howard Delman

Chris Bartram wrote:

> Ron wrote:
>
>>"Howard Delman" <delman@blueneptune.com> wrote in message
>>news:vit89lln5g83e6@corp.supernews.com...
>>
>>
>>>99 A6Q 2.8. My front tires are showing excessive wear on the outside
>>>edges of the tread. In fact, I feel the need to replace them, even
>>>though the center of the tire still has about one-third of the useable
>>>tread left. Air pressure, cold, is ~32 psi. The dealer says this wear
>>>is "normal". I can't help but feel that something is wrong in the front
>>>end.
>>>
>>>Any thoughts or comments?
>>>
>>>Howard Delman
>>>
>>
>>Power steering
>>
>>Its the byproduct of being able to turn your wheel while stopped, try and
>>get into the habit of pulling away or at least start moving before you turn
>>the wheel, this will elliminate most of the tyre wear
>>
>>hth
>>
>>Ron
>>
>>
>
> It's also a symptom of hard cornering. Feel accross the tread: If it
> doesn't feel 'feathered', then it's tyre scrub (as desbribed above- both
> cases). If it feels feathered, then get the tracking (toe-in) checked.
>

It isn't "feathered" or "scalloped". It is quite smooth and even. So I
don't think it is an alignment issue. I don't drive the car
aggressively. I have a Porsche for that. The Audi is our family car.
Also, I am skeptical of the suggestion that it is due to turning the
wheels with the car stopped. Neither of my other two cars have similar
symptoms, and I'm sure I start to drive them all the same. (In fact, I
have the same tires, Pirelli P6000, on my Porsche, and they seem,
overall, to be wearing much slower than the ones on the Audi.)

Howard

Tom Amundsen

> It isn't "feathered" or "scalloped". It is quite smooth and even.
So I
> don't think it is an alignment issue. I don't drive the car
> aggressively. I have a Porsche for that. The Audi is our family
car.
> Also, I am skeptical of the suggestion that it is due to turning
the
> wheels with the car stopped. Neither of my other two cars have
similar
> symptoms, and I'm sure I start to drive them all the same. (In
fact, I
> have the same tires, Pirelli P6000, on my Porsche, and they seem,
> overall, to be wearing much slower than the ones on the Audi.)
>
> Howard
>
Drive the Porsche more often and harder ! The Audi tires will then
look normal.

Howard Delman

The dealer insists that Quattro front tires wear out the outer edges
much faster than the center of the tread. Can other Audi owners confirm
this?

Howard Delman

Howard Delman wrote:

> 99 A6Q 2.8. My front tires are showing excessive wear on the outside
> edges of the tread. In fact, I feel the need to replace them, even
> though the center of the tire still has about one-third of the useable
> tread left. Air pressure, cold, is ~32 psi. The dealer says this wear
> is "normal". I can't help but feel that something is wrong in the front
> end.
>
> Any thoughts or comments?
>
> Howard Delman
>

--
Delman Design
Digital design from conception to production
http://www.blueneptune.com/~delman

Doug Ramage

"Howard Delman" <delman@blueneptune.com> wrote in message
news:vit89lln5g83e6@corp.supernews.com...
> 99 A6Q 2.8. My front tires are showing excessive wear on the outside
> edges of the tread. In fact, I feel the need to replace them, even
> though the center of the tire still has about one-third of the useable
> tread left. Air pressure, cold, is ~32 psi. The dealer says this wear
> is "normal". I can't help but feel that something is wrong in the front
> end.
>
> Any thoughts or comments?
>
> Howard Delman
>

How many miles have they done?
--
Doug Ramage

Robert Brown

Rune Skigelstrand wrote:

> "Howard Delman" wrote in message
> > 99 A6Q 2.8. My front tires are showing excessive wear on the outside
> > edges of the tread. In fact, I feel the need to replace them, even
> > though the center of the tire still has about one-third of the useable
> > tread left. Air pressure, cold, is ~32 psi. The dealer says this wear
> > is "normal". I can't help but feel that something is wrong in the front
> > end.
> >
> > Any thoughts or comments?
>
> I'd say increase air pressure. On my 98 A6Q 2.8 Avant 36-44 psi is
> recommended w/standard tires, depending on load (sticker on inside of gas
> filler hatch). I usually use approx. 38 psi w/225/50-16 tires. (I believe
> "standard" tires are 205/60-15).

Absolutely. The OP's pressures of 32 psi (approx 2,3 kPa) are similar to what
I
used earlier on, and I got same problem. Handling also had that distinctly
squishy North American feel, too.

On 205/55-16 tyres (for an A4 weighing about 1500 kg), I've used 2,9 kPa
(just over 40 psi) and found it too harsh, but tread wear was nice and even.
On this car I now have the tyres to 2,7 kPa (38 psi) and it's a good
compromise.

Make the appropriate translation for your tyre dimensions, car weight, and
load,
and you'll probably still find that you need to increase your air pressure by
about
20% compared with what you have today, to get even tyre wear (and good
handling).

Robert

Doug Ramage

"Peter Bell" <peter@bellfamily.org.uk> wrote in message
news:989f271d4c.peter@iyonix.earley.fourcom.com...
> In message <3F2F668D.67A3D83E@tripxxxnet.se>
> Robert Brown <robxxxert.broxxxwn@tripxxxnet.se> wrote:
> > Make the appropriate translation for your tyre dimensions, car weight,
> > and load, and you'll probably still find that you need to increase your
> > air pressure by about 20% compared with what you have today, to get even
> > tyre wear (and good handling).
>
> Be aware that increasing pressures by 20% will reduce the amount of
> rubber on the road by 20%!
>
> --
> Peter Bell - peter@bellfamily.org.uk

I am sure the decrease in contact area is not linear.

Otherwise, increasing by 100% would mean the car is suspended in mid-air?
--
Doug Ramage

Peter Bell

In message <bgnvgi$qgla7$1@ID-34015.news.uni-berlin.de>
"Doug Ramage" <doug-ramage@lineone.net> wrote:

>
> "Peter Bell" <peter@bellfamily.org.uk> wrote in message
> news:989f271d4c.peter@iyonix.earley.fourcom.com...
> > Be aware that increasing pressures by 20% will reduce the amount of
> > rubber on the road by 20%!
>
> I am sure the decrease in contact area is not linear.
>
> Otherwise, increasing by 100% would mean the car is suspended in mid-air?

Fair point! Doubling the pressure halves the contact area, so
a 20% increase in pressure reduces the contact patch by 16.66667%!

--
Peter Bell - peter@bellfamily.org.uk

Robert Brown

Peter Bell wrote:

> In message <3F2F668D.67A3D83E@tripxxxnet.se>
> Robert Brown <robxxxert.broxxxwn@tripxxxnet.se> wrote:
> > Make the appropriate translation for your tyre dimensions, car weight,
> > and load, and you'll probably still find that you need to increase your
> > air pressure by about 20% compared with what you have today, to get even
> > tyre wear (and good handling).
>
> Be aware that increasing pressures by 20% will reduce the amount of
> rubber on the road by 20%!

Your statement is complete rubbish. That's not the way radial tyres work.
If what you said were true then one would expect much more wear in the
middle of the tread, compared with the edges, once values over ca.
2,5 kPa are used. You have to go *way* over that to get any symptoms
like the ones you describe.

Very doubtful you've ever tested your theory.

Robert