Hey all,

First off, Audi really needs to dump Pirelli as their tire dealer. The P6's that come on the A3 are horrible tires. The road noise ruins the pleasure I get from driving the car. Anyway, I was able to squeeze 25K miles out of the tires, but after my recent service, the dealer said it was time for new ones. My question to anyone out there is: Which tire should I consider. I have read many positive reviews of the Yokohama YK520's and they are not only reasonably priced, but they are avery reputable tire company. I am most likely going to purchase as set of these unless some of you tell me otherwise. Thanks for any info in advance!

Parrish
"Audi ist die zutreffende entscheidende treibende Maschine"!

 

The Yoko's are the ones I'm looking at as well. Need something for snow days around MN and they seem to do the job. My P6's might last 22K.... if I'm lucky!!
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PS2... expensive but I love em. Summer only though. And yes, those P6s are possibly the worst tires I have driven.

 

Well,
Thanks for the replies. I went ahead and got the YK520's and so far all I can say is that they drive like a dream. They are totally quiet and while they stick the corners, it feels like you are floating around them. My car is so much fun to drive again and I can hear the radio I also got a good price I think...Discount Tire $ 697 out the doorwhich includedcoverage of thereplacements should something happen to the tires.

 

I can't really comment on compact FWD vehicles since this is my first, but back in the Z06 days the Goodyear GSD3 was hands down the best tire I've ever driven on. They are probably a little more tire than the A3 needs, but the tackiness is only the beginning. Wet performance is fantastic, noise is non-existent, comfort and handling are first class. I bet it would soften out the ride comparitvely to the P6s easily. They are on par with the Michelin sport lines, but for not quite so much $$$(still a nice chunk of change). They were responsive, and predictable which made driving nice and easy.

If high dollar isn't your fancy, Firestone WOs are great cost effective directional tread. Stay away from Kuhmo, those work well for the first 10K or so, but tend to harden up, thecompoundisn't consistent with wear. The General Exclaim is another super cost effective choice. The tire performs well enough, not the best, but for the cost, you won't care. Wife had those on the GTO before we sold it.

I have had many different shoes on a multitude of high HP V8 cars, but honestly the GSD3s were my absolute favorite. I don't know much about Yokos as they never had a good model for high levels of power but I had a buddy who was into imports and alot of his pals seemed to like the Yoko AVS ES100.

Peruse through tirerack.com, TONS of consumer reviews and ratings on just about every tire out there!

 

2nd on both the GS-D3s and tirerack.com . Hated the Yokos.

 

I got a set of YK520's for another car and they are really good tires. Immediate grip the road, and the ride is very quiet

 

Just an update... I am stationed inan Army base in Arizona and had to go to Tucson the other day. I took this really windy/hilly road and these tires were great on it. Great grip at high speeds and felt in control at all times. I recommend the YK520's to anyone.

 

Both the speed rating and the load rating on the Yokohama YK520 are too low - 91H?

I have just ordered Continental SportContact3 (94Y). I have read some reviews which say that they should be an improvement over the OEM Continental SportContact2 (94W), which were pretty good, and lasted me over 17K miles with some spirited driving. (They would have lasted longer if either the dealer or I had bothered to rotate them. I don't think they were rotated after the 5K service.

In terms of ultimate stickiness, go with Falken Azenis RT-615. I would have if I did not mind my tires lasting only 10K miles.