I finally got around to replacing my POS Pirellis. I sufferedthru ~30k miles with them and finally had enough [:'(]! That and the tread was low enough to justify a new set.
I went with Bridgestone Potenza Pole Positionfrom Tire Rack. They seems to have high marks for the type of driving I do and weather conditions I'm in.
And buying them from Tire Rack saved me a good $50per tireover the local dealers in town.
Anyway, I'm in love all over again with the car. Can't believe my ears!

 

Congrats!

Good rubber on this car really makes a world of difference.

Cheers!

 

A3 guy: did you notice a big difference in lack of tread or sidewall squirm over the OEM tires? I have all of 1000 miles on mine and already want to rip them off!

 

I really didn't have any performance issues with thePirellis. Maybe I didn't push them hard enough. But then again, flat, straight,back country Ohio roads really aren't a challenge compared to twisty California canyon roads! [&o]
It was just the tire noise that drove me crazy. That and the fact that they were severely cupped. The car shook like crazy...[/align]

 

Why is it I've read about so many A3 tire's "cupping"? What exactly is this and what causes it? New one to me.

 

Try this...

http://www.motoringtv.com/tipoftheweek/tirenoise.php

Since the inside shoulder of each tire cupped, I suspect that the vehicle may come with a negitive camber bias.Any of you tech certified guys care to comment on this?

 

If you're referring to inside edge wear, yes, definitely a bit too much negative camber. On most cars, you wouldn't see that type of wear unless you were running -1.5 degree or more. Nice part is that with most tires, you can both correct the alignment and flip-rotate (flip the tires so that the worn edge is on the outside).

I was planning on a performance alignment in the next few weeks, so I'll see what mine came with from the factory.