I just spent $800 on a set of Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires. So far in 100 miles, I can tell no noticeable difference over the OEM Continentals. I drove another A3 last week that the dealer loaned me (while they road force balanced the Contis) and it drove the same with the same tires. So I thought the tires were the common issue and went for the Michelins. Unless some miles on the tires can improve the ride, I am very displeased with the ride quality. The A3 just isn't as good of a ride as my Jetta was. It's a constant shake on my butt and I can't take it anymore. Does anyone else feel the same?

 

Under the heading of, "The A3 and the GTI are twins in many ways", I have to say I don't feel the same way. We have a new 2012 GTI that is as amazingly comfortable (and sporting at the same time) on the OEM (Pirelli) 225/40 R18s as it is on the replacement (Yokohama) 225/45 R17s that I put on to save the rims and tires from pot-hole damage up here in New England.

In contrast to your feeling about your A3, we love our GTI.

 

That's what I can't figure out--why I seem to be the only one.

 

replacing one all season tire with another is not going to make that drastic a difference. Get some serious high, ultra high or max performance summer rubbers to make a big difference.

 

I disagree; lumping all "All-Season" tires into one category is like saying Korbel and Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame are both Champagne. The fact is that the Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires are a very fine tire which should provide a good ride, good handling and long tread life. Will they handle as well as a set of gummy summer tires? No, will they last four to five times as long and provide a better ride? Yes.

FWIW, I put a set of Yokohama AVID ENVigor tires on our new GTI and they provide just about the perfect blend of ride, handling, tread life, and tire noise of any tire I've ever driven. As for "serious high, ultra high, or max performance tires", most of us in the real world have little or no use for tires of that ilk, they're expensive, typically fast (if not extremely fast) wearing, and are typically become very loud after only a few thousand miles.

 

Well when I got in the position to do so, I checked my pressures the shop did and they were perhaps high. I lowered them to 38/32 per the manual and the ride is improved. I hope a little more break in can improve the ride further. I dunno, it's weird-it was like every single road imperfection was being transmitted to my butt. Better so far.

 

Unless you stay with tires that are 45's or above, and go with the none sport suspension (UN-lowered and no xtra performance parts) then it will be a little bumpy.

We got our 2012 Premium Plus with 225 45 17" Conti's and it was pretty smooth on the 9 mi drive to the Tune Shop where put on 225 40 18" Pirelli P-Zero's, and had lowered w/sport springs.

Yes, it is a little bumpier on un-even roads, pot holes etc... but that is the sacrifice for better performance.

A pretty good tire for a softer ride is the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo k110, just dont expect them to last long at 280 tread ware rating.

Also, in general (does not mean it applies to all) the higher the tread wear, the harder the tire. 280 is about middle ground, and 400 is probably not going to be smooth.

 

Funny thing; if you went back to 225/45 R17 tires you might very well find that your lap times are actually lower than they are with the 18" setup.

Ummm, I have no idea where the correlation between lower treadwear ratings and improved ride smoothness comes from; in my experience tires with a treadwear rating of 100 are way-WAY more harsh than an identical sized tire with a treadwear rating of 600. Why? Because tires with a 100 treadwear rating are typically ultra high performance tires with really stiff carcasses, while tires with ratings on the far side of 400 typically have softer carcasses.

 

neither grape soda nor Dom Perignon would be compliment a beefy steak, thus a different catagory of booze comes into play. Same with tires.

 

The point I was trying to make is that, if anything, your advice of putting expensive, rough riding, short lived, and loud high performance on the OP's A3 will likely produce the exact opposite result from what he is looking to achieve. From the perspective of many, myself included, summer tires belong on cars which see frequent track use, using them for any other purpose is a waste of money and resources.