New tires
 

Hey,

I have 2000 miles left on my tires so I need to replace them soon. I'm driving the car up to Canada at the end of the summer and thought it would be a good time to do it then (stuff is just so much cheaper in the US esp with exchange).

My dealer suggested I get Michelin all seasons.

Can anyone suggest what tires I should get?
Thanks!

Re: New tires
 

First off try using the search button at the top for your topic. There has been a lot of discussion on tires.

most of the members here recommend seasonal tires as oposed to all season. Michelin PS2 are a good tire if you want to stick with Michelin.

Re: New tires
 

And the Michelin Pilot Super Sport is supposedly even better for the same money!

I can't compare it to the PS2, which I never owned, I've put about 4000km on the Super Sports, and they are awesome tires.

Talon Tire in montreal sold them to me, and their prices were really good.

Re: New tires
 

Exchange is running 2 - 4 %, US$1.00 = CDN1.04 so not much difference there, Alberta has no sales tax, BC has 15%. Looking at Goodyears Asymmetric 255-35-19, local was CDN$1950, Tire Rack was US$1150. I think I would get mine in the USA. You might find an overstocked sale but that would be a fluke. Find the deal before you commit to no options left. Keep us posted, would be glad to hear how to achieve that - saving money in Canada. Thanks for posting.

Re: New tires
 

Hmm... Yeah, almost 1/2 price. Sounds like buying in the US is a good idea. Too bad I know nothing at all about tires.

I'm moving to BC so I think I want to get all seasons. Any recommendations?

I was actually thinking about buying and having them put on at Costco in washington state. No point burning all that rubber driving up the coast.

Re: New tires
 

Spleen - how much did they run you? I'm looking at:

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus (Ultra High Performance All-Season) on your recommendation.

Looks like $700 + install. Is that a solid price/choice?

Re: New tires
 

I know nothing about those tires, sorry. And I learned from my experience with Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S that just because they have a similar name doesn't mean that they are at all similar...

Some of the Pirelli Pzero line are really good tires. The Neros were GARBAGE. In fact they were about the worst tire I've ever driven on...and they are labelled an Ultra High Performance All Season, too.

So I am in no way endorsing ANYTHING made by Michelin except the Super Sports. Though that said from the million and one reviews out there, the PS2 is a pretty ssafe bet too...

All seasons don't really offer any advantage, though. Basically you're just accepting a compromise all year round. Just use summer tires until the average temperature when you do most of your driving gets below 7C and then put on the winters until it gets back above that! And a high performance summer tire will be WAY better in the rain most of the year than any all season tire. And Vancouver gets a LOT of rain, lol.

You have to be very careful buying tires, price wise. Shop to shop variation in pricing is HUGE. For the Michelin PSSs, taxes in and installed, I paid about $1280. I just checked on tirerack.com, and the same tires (well, 235/40/18s) would cost $1172, shipped and duty paid. However, once they arrived, I'd have to have them installed and balanced, so it's pretty much the same price. And given the same price, I'll always buy from a local business...

Re: New tires
 

Hello Tweev.
Where are you going to be spending your time in BC? The weather varies immencely across the province. What size tires are on the car now? Are you thinking of going down a size for winters? That typically gives narrower face and therefore better ground pressure for better traction but requires a second set of rims. It is common to have two sets of rims and then you don't have mount and balance each change.
I have a spare set of tires that I could surplus if they were the right size for you. Achtuning is in Redmond WA if that works for you and they have an associate in Vancouver area. Lots of options for sure. Keep us posted.

Re: New tires
 

OK, this is going to be a very silly question for many of you.

I currently have Continental 225/45 R17 94H on my car. I saw a set of michelin pilot sport ps2 96Y 235/50zr17 on craigslist. Would they fit my rims? I'm guessing not.

Sorry, I see the diameters and width are different, I just don't have a good handle on how hard those measurements are for rims. Sounds like a pretty good tire.

Re: New tires
 

This is very useful:
Tire size calculator

So the tires will fit but my speedometer will be wrong. Good to know. I think I will stick with 225/45 tires. Now I just need to find some!

Re: New tires
 

According to the calculator, you could get away with a 205-55-16 diameter-wize if you wanted to go narrower for winters. Not sure about clearances for the 16" wheel on the A3 though. You would need to research the use of 16" wheels on your A3, Tire Rack is a good site to check out that kind of info.

Re: New tires
 

Thanks for the direct!

Re: New tires
 

oK, So I think I'm going to buy a set from tire rack. Because I'm moving to Victoria I'm going to get Summer tires ONLY. Hopefully I can pick up some rims off craigslist and if the winter's start to get messy, pick up a set of winters and swap the, when necessary. Sound like a good idea?

These are the the two tires I'm thinking of for 2009 Audi A3 2.0T FWD Base Model:


225/45ZR17 XL Michelin Pilot Super Sport Blackwall
$169.00 $676.00 for 4

225/45ZR17 Continental ExtremeContact DW Blackwall
$132.00 $528.00 for 4

It's simply based on reviews (and some price). What do you guys think?

Re: New tires
 

Have you considered these?

Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110

I just got them myself and they're excellent summer only tires for a superb price. Read up on the reviews. Nothing but good stuff about them.

As for the earlier comment about brands having some crap tires, I totally agree. Just cause one brand's top of the line tire might be excellent, doesn't mean their entire line is good too. I bought my S4 used and the previous owner had some Michelin Pilot all-seasons on them and they were so bad, I threw them out before they were totally worn down. I considered them dangerous. My sport winter tires have better grip, handling, stopping, everything than these POS Michelin all-seasons.

When buying tires, read a lot of reviews and parse out the dumb comments (such as reading reviews on Max Performance Summer tires and seeing people comment "They suck! I can't drive in the snow with them!". No **** Sherlock.

Re: New tires
 

I just spoke with a work college and he said I should just get all seasons and not worry about it. He has a point. Then I don't need to source additional wheels and maybe juts throw on the winter tires for a month a year.

Based on that, these look pretty good (based on price/reviews):
Continental ExtremeContact DWS

Looks like on tire rack that you can order the tires, have them delivered to a shop and have them installed there. Sounds pretty sweet and something I can get done at the end of my road trip up the coast.

Re: New tires
 

I guess if you're going to be living in Vancouver, snow isn't as big of a concern. Furthermore, if you're not an aggressive driver, then high performance summer tires may be overkill so all-seasons may be best for you indeed. In Toronto, it snows enough that I wanted dedicated snow tires (albeit performance ones) and dedicated summer tires (I tend to drive fairly aggressively).

As for the Continentals you pointed out, I can't comment as I've never tried them myself. Good luck!

Re: New tires
 

I have the Continentals now extremes, traction is good but I got them used and the camber must have been out on the car they came off of because they are cupped. That causes them to be excessivly noisy at low speeds. I am going to put up with them for this season because my employment is on strike but next season, I am replacing them. I've had several Michelins over the years and I always loose one part way through the wear and end up having to by two to keep a match going and can never get rid of them. I have that going now on the Lexus winters and ended up finding a used tire that got me by. It gets Nokians next winter, took them off the Audi and am buying wheels through the summer.
Keep us posted on the experience. Thanks.
Len.

Re: New tires
 

It's difficult to price compare between US and canada because many sites scan your IP to know if you are in Canada or the US and it can be difficult to get pricing.

Anyway, looking at:
1010tires.com
Continental ExtremeContact DWS Tires - 245/45ZR17 245/45ZR17
540-A-A W 95 BW $149.99 + tax and GST (15%?) looking at $690 after tax plus install and shipping; and not in stock)

--- > Got ths US dollar price including tax & shipping: $838.48 (USD)

Tirerack
225/45ZR17 Continental ExtremeContact DWS Blackwall
$126.00 $504.00: There is no tax and shipping is about $$57.72. Total $560

Looks like this way I'll save ~ $300. Yup, that's worth the hassle!

Re: New tires
 

a 235/40 tire is very close in outer diameter, only 1.5% larger than stock. this translates to 1.5% higher actual speed than what you get now. Since my A3 speedo read about 3 or 4% high on the stock tires, I figure I'm just making my speedo MORE accurate. If you find yours reads a bit lower than actual speed too, you'd be fine with a 235/40.

235s run fine on the stock 17x7.5" wheel, I ran them for about two months before I got 17x8" wheels with no problems. That said, I might have been a little concerend if I'd tracked the car hard or done any autocross in it while they were onb the stock wheel.

Aspect ratio (40,45, 50 etc.) doesn't matter for fitting to the wheel, just rim diamter (17) and width (7.5, 8, etc.)

A 235/50 tire has about 2inches larger diameter than a 235/40 tire. That's one less inch between tire and fender... I would seriously worry about rubbing with that tire, especially if you have a sport suspension or lowered aftermarket suspension! Plus that's just a fat looking tire for a sporty car - I think it would look a bit silly.

Re: New tires
 

In the 1010 tire quote, you listed a size of 245/45. Was that just a typo? If you used that to get your price from them, it's not a fair comparison to a 225/45 at tirerack. With tires, more rubber usually means higher price.

If you did mean a 245/45/17 from 1010tires, you should know that 245/45 is too big for a car that comes stock with 225/45s. If you want a 245 wide tire, you should be running a 245/40 to keep the same sidewall height.

Re: New tires
 

Spleen: I get all my tires and refer my friends to "Pneus et Bois St. Pierre" in Lachine. They have great prices and very trustworthy place. Actually one of Quebec's largest tire distributors. Ask for Antoine.... he'll take good care of you. You can get a quote from him over the phone, just give him your tire info, car year, model and ask him for a few recommendations. Just tell him that Kevin from Toronto sent you.

Re: New tires
 

I have the Michelin PS2 on my car since the spring - the same size as your tires. They have been great so far. I only drive on windy highways so they are pretty fun. If I were to buy tires today I would get the Michelin Super Sport because they are supposed to be better and maybe even cheaper.

I got mine from Discount Tire in Seattle. I ordered the tires online, made an appointment and was in and out in under 30 minutes. Great service and they didn't try to sell me any additional 'insurance or coverage'.

If you're driving up the coast, you could buy tires from Oregon because they have no sales tax. I agree with you, stuff is cheaper in the US. I saved over $100 per tire - even after paying tax in WA and Canada and I factored in my gas cost to do the trip.

Re: New tires
 

Here I am resurrecting an old thread.

I decided to get 4 225/45ZR -17 Continental ExtremeContact DWS

The all in price I got in Canada was $1119.

I got them through tire rack for $565 shipped and something like $125 install.

Saved $400. Suck it Canada.

Re: New tires
 

Where did you have them shipped?

Re: New tires
 

To seattle. I figured it would be fun to head down for St.Paddy's day weekend.

Got a 4* hotel for $70 a night so the cheaper tires, gas, and booze make it seem like I'm making money this coming weekend.

Re: New tires
 

Nice :)

Re: New tires
 

These tires are pretty awesome.