Before you mention it, the link in the newbie thread didn't really answer my questions!

I have a 2006 A3 3.2 Quattro. I won't need new tires until next year, but I want to get a better idea of what tires I'm going to buy. Tire size is 225/45/R17

1) How much difference will summer performance tires make when compared to performance all-seasons in the snow with Quattro? I had a rear-wheel drive 1998 Volvo s90 with bald Dunlop FM-901s and I was able to make it on flat ground and very slight hills. I need to be able to tackle big hills, and now I have four-wheel drive.

2) What would be the best performance all-season tires for under 150 a tire? I don't care about road noise or ride comfort. Handling is what matters. I have Kuhmo Extsa ASXs on my front wheel drive 2002 Volvo S40, and I attribute the excessive squeal and horrible handling to the shot suspension and the fact that its a front wheel drive Volvo. Other than that, the tires seems to be okay...

3) If I were to go with summer tires, what would be the best for under 150 a tire. Again, road noise and ride comfort don't matter. I only care about handling.

BTW, Tirerack.com lists tons of tires but I don't trust their ratings or customer reviews. I want the opinions of people who have had experience with plenty of tire types on four-wheel drive cars.

Thanks in advance,
Drew

 

Summer tires will not work well if you need to make it up/down a lot of hills. They will get way too hard when the temp drops and will not provide the traction you need. If you still have your orig wheels, keep your all seasons on there for now (put on winter tires when its time to replace) and put some good summer performance tires on your new wheels.

 

Summer tires are designed for higher temperatures, usually above 40 degrees F. I will refer your to http://www.tirerack.com they will be able to answer all your questions. Also, I believe "AManCalledE" has the best recommendation for you if you will be driving in snow in the winter months. I live in Florida so summer tires will work year round for me as long as I don't take a road trip up north during the winter.

 

Agreed on what's been said. I personally would have a set of true winter tires and a set of high performance tires. That way you get the best out of your car in both conditions. I'll argue that nothing is more important than tires when driving. It is the place in which all of the technology of the car is put to the test.

Having said that, I can only offer recommendations on summer tires. My favorites are still the F1's or the T1-R's. I'm sure you picked it up in the other threads, but I have around 9k miles on the T1-R's and they are still very quiet and sticky. They are wearing much better than the PZero's too.

Cheers!

 

Are there any summer performance tires that give at least some condiseration into winter driving?

I can't really afford to switch out my wheels every season, nor do I want to keep my other set of wheels (trying to sell them now).

I can live with performance all-seasons, I just want a recommendation about which performance all-season has the best handling.

 

I'm going to be seasonal when I upgrade my Wheel and tire package. Cost is nothing $50 for a floor jack $50-100 for a torque wrench and you are good to go for years to come. I have NEVER sold my stock wheels of any car. Its easier to sell your aftermarket wheels when you upgrade cars then your stock. Plus you never know when you end up taking a huge rock driving throu a canyon or a hidden deep pothole wen its raining and BAM! destroyed rim. instead of beeing out 400+ for a new rim you can swap back to stock and take the advantage of finding another style you like. Don't sell your stocks!

 

Hi, Audi noob here, but long-time and extremely satisfied Tire Rack customer.

Why would you distrust their ratings or customer reviews? They do both objective tests of like tires using their own track, and the customer opinions represent many, typically millions of miles, of individual experience. Did you know that you can filter the owner surveys for car brand and driving style? That would let you look at experiences from people with four-wheel drive cars.

I tend to think their own tests are more valuable for performance characteristics, but the customer opinions give a good idea of how those tires behave later in their life. Their sales people seem to be quite objective and knowledgeable, and I have never gotten the impression that they're just trying to sell the tire with the greatest profit margin. Only disadvantage is that you won't get Toyos in the comparisons, because they don't sell through mail-order.

My latest purchase, a set of Bridgestone RE960AS for my '93 BMW 325i, would be an excellent choice, although my criteria was noise first, handling and steering response second. I purchased these as "summer" tires for those priorities, and I usededicated winter tires here in the Pacific NW - love my Dunlop Wintersports. The current price for 225/45-17's is $133/tire.

A significantadvantage of "Ultra-Performance All-Season" tires like this Bridgestone is, as converted says, that they maintain much of their performance at lower temperatures, while summer tires usually lose performance then.

But if "handling is what matters" then you really should listen to the advice offered above to use dedicated summer and winter tires if you are likely to encounter any snow or low temperatures.

 

Thanks for the info so far.

I'll restate my question: what are the best handling performance all-season tires? Noise and ride comfort do not matter.

 

I beg to differ. Have you ever had super noisy tires??? It sucks!!!

Cheers!

 

I can't say that I have...

I just want to know what the best handling performance all-season tire is!