Hi guys, I just purchased a 2004 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro and I'm from Vancouver BC. When I bought the vehicle it came with Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tires and since spring is coming up, I was wondering what is a good set of wet/dry tires should I purchase? Would somebody please recommend me tires good for wet and dry conditions? I don't mind buying online and picking them up from the border if it could save me some money.


I'm on a pretty tight budget and would like to spend around $400-500 on the tires. Would it be recommended that since I'm on a tight budget to just put the Nokian Hakkapeliitta's on steelies and buy a new set of summer's/all season's to put on my stock rims?


A friend recommended me Genereal Exclaim UHP and Yokohama AVID W4S, what do you guys think? Sorry if this came over too elementary, I'm not good with cars .


Thanks guys.

 

Most people are just going to recommend what they have on their cars, without knowing anything about tires. State what you're looking for in a tire and knowledgeable people can make a more suitable recommendation.

All-Season tires are compromised in every way and I would never run them on my car, let alone if I already had a set of Winters. Since you're on a budget, pull the Winters from your stock wheels and defer the expense of putting them on steelies until next Winter. Buy some Summer tires that suit your preference for wear, noise, and budget, and put them on your stock wheels. If you like to drive aggressively, high-end tires are the most performance-enhancing mod you can do to a vehicle.

 

Thanks for the reply, this makes a lot of sense to just swap the tires now and wait to put on the steelies. I was wondering what is the widest tires I can put on stock rims without any rub? I have a set of Pirelli P6 all seasons but are 245/45/17, would that fit on my 2004 A4 rims without any rub?

TIA!

 

That depends on how wide your wheels are, and your tolerance for safety. 245 will be a bit chunky on an 8" rim, but it will fit okay. Anything smaller than 8" and I wouldn't put a 245 tire on it. Maybe if you're saving the money by reusing the P6s, you can afford a set of wider Summer wheels to put them on; keep the Winters on the stockers and you're good to go. You should be okay running 245 tires if you're not lowered too much.

Keep in mind that increasing the width of the tire without changing the aspect ratio (the 45 number in the size you listed) will change the diameter of the tire. You can calculate the differences here: Miata Tire Size Calculator.

 

Personally not a fan of the P6's. I have run them and found that the sidewall is too soft and makes the handling vague and loose. I also found that they wear fast. I ended up pulling them and selling them. I currently have Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS on my summer rims, and I like them (they give excellent wet/dry traction, and the handling is above average) but I have had better tires on other cars in the past. I have really liked toyo proxes to name one. Cheeba is right though, high end tires go a long way. In other words, buy the best you can possibly afford, and you won't regret it!

 

Tire Details - Discount Tire Direct

I just picked a set of these up a few weeks ago on a recent trip to the USA, hav'nt driven on them yet but I had a set of Hankook Ventus tires on my old car and was extremely impressed. Most of the reviews of this tire were good and the price was right.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys, all the replies are very helpful and im going to take a few days to decide what is the best tire for me on my budget. You guys are great and helped a lot!

 

i just got the Yokohama Envigor's - all season. They are ok in snow, wicked in the rain and really sticky so far. I think that they are blowing them out right now for 150 for 18's

 

Okay, so I have come to the conclusion that I'm going to order off of tirerack.com and ship them to the border and bring them over myself, I know I will need to pay duty and taxes. These are my two options, which would you recommend me?

225/50ZR17 General Exclaim UHP $490 USD (the only size they have, I have the Nokian Hekkapeliitta in this size)

OR

235/45ZR17 XL Kumho Ecsta SPT $515 USD


Both prices include shipping but no conversion, taxes, or duties. Which one should I get?

 

Is it possible to get them installed in the States and drive back without paying duty?