Tire Problems
 

I have not had any problems with my stock Continentals yet (just over 8k mileson the odometer), but have read numerous threads about people that did have prob's with their stock tires. If you had (or are having) problems with your stock tires did you have the Conti's or the Pirelli's? How many miles did you have on them before you started noticing that something wasn't quite right? The reason I am asking this is because I have several friends with early model 350z's and so many of the z's were having tire feathering probs that Nissan finally ended up figuring out that it was caused by the way the suspension was designed and set up. Wondering if the A3 may have something similar to this.

RE: Tire Problems
 

My Pirelli PZero Rosso's did 20k miles before I replaced them and they wore perfectly. I now have Toyo Proxes T1-R's and I love them with no problems at all.

Cheers!

RE: Tire Problems
 

I have a 2006 A3 with Pirelli tires and started noticing problems with my tires at 13,000 miles. Took it to the dealer, they noticed feathering on the tires and recommended a rotation. Paid for the rotation and the problem continued to get worse (could hear the problem). Took the car in at 19,000 miles and told them that the problem was getting worse. They checked the alignment and 3 of 4 wheels were out of alignment. They paid for the alignment, but now I have set of severely worn tires that need to be replaced.

RE: Tire Problems
 

i haven't had any problems with my conti's but then i've only driven my baby for 300 miles!!

it's actually a bit worrisome to see all the emails about tire, alignment problems.

any good feedback on the conti's on 07 models yet?

RE: Tire Problems
 

This is interesting because if you read my posts in the "Strange noise..." thread you'll see what I've gone through recently with my '06 A3. My stock Continentals stared feathering and making a horrible noise after only about 6,000 miles. The dealer said it was out of alignment and I paid for that, a rotation and balance but it didn't work. I did finally get the dealer to replace the tires (after a severe twisting of the arm) with Pirellis. I really hope it was a problem with the Continentals and won't carry it over to the Pirellis. Guess I'll know later this summer.

But man does it ride great now. Didn't realize how much noise it was making.

RE: Tire Problems
 

Got my 25k svc next week, think I will ask them to check my alignment and if it needs adjusting, hopefully I can talk them into do it under warranty. I replaced my P-Sucks at 20k, coulld take the howling no longer. The BS RE960's are great so far and would really want them to last at least 2 years. I probably will pay for the alignment if they don't warranty it, it has to be cheaper than replacing tires every year.[>:]

RE: Tire Problems
 

My 06 came with conti's and have about 13000 mi., no problems and plenty of wear left.

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I'm in Maryland and am considering an A3. Are these tire complaints mainly about high performance tires on the sports suspension? A dealer's service dept I called indicated most of these types of tires are shot at 20,000 miles..

RE: Tire Problems
 

When I got my A3 there were a bunch of comments about tire reliability concerning the Perelli versus the Continentals in this forum. I asked two senior sales staff at my Audi dealer who said the Perelli's (what I got) wore pretty well and it helped to keep them overinflated (normally 40 PSI) so you don't wear the edges. Possibly a stiffer suspension would increase wear on the tires...I wonder how much?

RE: Tire Problems
 

Is that 40 front and rear?

I have replaced my P Sucks with BS re960's a much better tire, but maybe tire pressure was the answer. Makes you wonder why 35f32r was oem[sm=bicker.gif]

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I have the ContiProContacts and they are driving me crazy with noise and shaking.33000 on them. I have had them rotated numerous times. Last time the noise subsided for a while and then started up after a few K. Is it the alignment? Who knows? What kind of tires would you all suggest putting on?

Cheers

RE: Tire Problems
 

Yes on the 40 PSI front and rear. I always had better mileage because of that also.

RE: Tire Problems
 

I also always ran my Pirellis at 40psi as well. Definitely helps with everything except wheel spin at launch.

Cheers!

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I probably go with Yokohama YK520's, they are very popular for HR rated tires and ride quiet.

RE: Tire Problems
 

Hey JohnS - the service manager at the dealership also said that about the pressure on my Pirellis. It' really interesting that they seem to know about that issue. For my 5K, since they had the wheels off to check the brakes and etc - he said the check the balance on them. Really cool service department there.

Charlie Whitten - I wouldn't worry about hearing things about tire wear on these cars - most guys that have these cars (including myself) tend to drive them hard. It's a car that presents the temptation just a little too easily - hard acceleration + hard cornering = big smiles. I'm sure if we all drove them like a Buick - we wouldn't be seeing issues with the tires until we're upwards of 25K on them.
BTW- Which dealerships have you been to? And have you had a chance to take one out?

RE: Tire Problems
 

Hey L7
We test drove a 07 base manual out of the Rockville Maryland Porsche Audi dealership.We were very impressed with the power and handling ; running it quite hard on back road switchbacks leaving it in 2nd and generally stomping it. My wife's office leased her an A6 some years back and this is the car she wants when her lease expires in 4 months. We've driven Mini's and Speed3's and this looks like where we will end up. We want a driver for the long term and the tire thing and oil consumption have me a little concerned. The base model suspension and tires felt fine to me although I am going to test drive the sports package next. The Corvette and Z28 I had were very stiff riding with lousy tire wear and the stiff ride got old in daily driving so maybe the base suspension is the way to go. Any further thoughts from anybody would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

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In regards to the A3 as anall around car, I will never drive anything else. Drove one in Germany in05 and couldn't wait to get one when they came to the states.Sold my big GMC truck and have never been happier with performance and gas mileage. Themileage would be better, butI have a Thule roof rack and carrya bike to work 3 days a week. With the roof rack it gets 27mpg and without around 30mpg onhwy. This is thefirst foreign car I have ever bought and can't seem to drive it enough. I havethe 06 base model and put 85 miles a day on it with a lot of two lane, hwy and city driving.Itnow has 33k.Yes, it does use some oil, but that is expected with the turbo.I do drive it hard and like L7 said above, andthat would contribute to the tire wear and noise. The tires didn't start to get loud until sometime after my 25k maintenance. Buddies have told me to stay away from the Contis, but the dealer says I was lucky to have them instead of the Pirellis. Who knows? Don't let those things keep you from buying this car. My dealer let me keep a car for a full weekend to see if I liked it. Good luck

RE: Tire Problems
 

Personally, I haven't seen any of these issues with my own car and I drive it like I stole it, and mine is fairly modified. Oil consumption on mine has been less than a quart every 5k miles which I consider just fine.

I have the sports suspension and it rides just fine for the most part. Unfortunately, living in the LA area, the highways get choppy at times and the car sends a little too much of that to the cockpit. I personally would rather have that annoyance with the tighter feel around corners, but that's my preference. Still, it won't be nearly as tight as the vette. These are great cars. Every car has some flaws but this one tends to be rock solid on most everything in my opinion.

Cheers!

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L7,Chef and Country Grammer- Thanks. Your input is invaluable to me and this forum is outstanding. If only I could get the dealer to let me have one for the weekend!

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Wow what a nice dealer! [sm=bounceybounce.gif]

About the tires you get with your A3, it depends on what's being put on the A3 at the time on the assy line. I seen them come in with both Continental ContiProContact and Pirelli P6 Four Seasons. Sometimes the dealer can request a specific tire preference with the order. Although neither tire is that great as far as wear, the Continental ContiProContact stick out a little bit more on the side, and protect you from scratching your rim's when parking next to the curb.

Online I find it totally amusing the disparity between reviews against the same tire type between Discount Tire/America's Tires (low scores on reviews) and The Tire Rack (high scores on reviews).

BTW if you are going by user reviews the Continental ContiProContact beat Pirelli P6 Four Seasons easily.

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Parktown in St. Louis, Mo let me have a red one for a weekend. That pretty much sold it to me and my wife. I then had them order the exact color I wanted. I think they did that because it was August 05 and the A3was new here in the US and wanted to get some more exposure. I still have only seen 5 or so here in STL. Does 33k on a tire seem reasonable? I have always put 70k plus on other tires. They were not low profile.

Cheers

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Rockville Porsche and Audi in Maryland just lent me one for the weekend andwe're enjoying it !

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NICE!! I have bought 5 newvehicles and dealing with Audi was the easiest.Stick to the TMV from Edmunds. They came a couple K off on mine. Hope you have some nice weather up there. For what it is worth, I alsofailed to mention that I have two small children that I take to daycare and school everyday. Both car seats fit easily and the hatch is very handy. It is light and easy to shut and all of our bags,groceries, etc.fit fine. Good luck.

Cheers

RE: Tire Problems
 

Grammar,

You will NEVER get 70k miles out of the tires on the A3. Mostly because they are performance tires and not economy tires. If you get 40k miles out of a set, then consider yourself lucky. But, I never quite drive the last 10% off of my tires since I usually can't stand the performance at that point.

Cheers!

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Thanks Chef. Just wanted to make sure the dealer was being honest. I noticed you have Toyo and assume those are the best. Which Toyo would be good for me to look for similar to the ContiProContact. I believe the Contis fall under touring all weather. I race bikes andContinentals are considered the best racing tire, but I was not overly impressed withthem on myA3.Any advice on any ther brands would be appreciated.

Cheers

RE: Tire Problems
 

I'm not a great person to answer tire questions. I wavered back and forth a lot on the purchase and I only really studied the high performance tires since I live in LA. I'm incredibly happy with the T1-R's, but the only downfall anyone expressed is that they wear out quickly. I expect to be replacing the tires every 20k miles.

I would personally have a set of Toyo Proxes T1-R's for the summer, and Blizzacks for the winter if I lived in a region that had seasons. Maybe someone else has a better suggestion if you are looking for an all-season tire.

Cheers!

RE: Tire Problems
 

Bought some Bridgestone es950s today at a local shop here in the STL. Looked at all kinds, but couldn't pass up the deal the shop gave me. Got all four installed with free rotation every 6K and flat fix for $480. I believe they are the older version of the Bridgestone 960s. I hope these will work out. I have the Bridgestones on my Outback and my brother has the the run flats on his 5 series as well. What do you all know about the 950s?

Cheers

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How did the A3 treat you over the weekend? Are you an Audi owner?

Cheers

RE: Tire Problems
 

Charlie;
Which package and options did you have with the loaner? As far as the sport suspension goes - if you are going to be going into DC and those areas- you will be beaten up. I have very rarely driven mine into DC because of the roads - I prefer the wifes 'suburban assault vehicle'. If your wife is also going to be the primary driver - you may want to see exactly which suspension she likes better.
As far as the oil and tire issues you've been hearing about. I have a hair over 9K and check the oil fairly regularly and have not noticed a drop in level. The tire wear has been perfect with the Pirelli's and they've maintained pressure well. I am not a road racer and just tend to drive a little hard when opportunities arise - but, she does get her workouts at times. But, since the weather is getting nicer - I'll be getting my speed fix another way. Good luck and keep us posted.

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L7 and Country Grammer!
The weekend loaner was utterly basic with sunroof and manual shift. We had a ball on back roads near Poolsville in northen Montgomery county, Maryland.Quick hills that normally have me nearly airborne on my motorcyle and rutts and irregular bumps were just soaked up like we were in a far larger luxury vehicle. We aren't owners yet but we will be. My wife had a leased A6 through her company that she loved, so this will be the next one. Now it'll be on to finding a good deal. I've got the consumer reports printout on the invoice cost of the car and all the additional packages and they claim I should be able to get it within 4 - 8% over invoice. We haven't found the exact car ( color,options etc) yet and I wish there was a database I could tap into, to find out where that car actually is. I guess we'll be trying some internet quotes as well but I don't hold out much hope on those. Any ideas? I've been meaning to ask, can you get away with running 91 octane in these cars?Also, on the Audiusa.com website, they have a build your own section that increases and decreases in price as you adjust what you want with the car. What is the point of this? My car came to 28,500 well optioned. I won't get a car that cheaply, so what's up?

RE: Tire Problems
 

Charlie;
I wish you well on your quest. As far as the difference between the website pricing with the 'build your own' thing: if you have the patience and know exactly what you want and can compromise a little on the color - you should be able to get a better price on one that is sitting on a dealers lot. In fact since you are not in a hurry - you may want to wait until late August into September, as the 2008 models are starting to come in and the dealerships want to get rid of the 2007's. I picked mine up last August and got a pretty good deal, got one of the colors I wanted and got all the options I had wanted. The only thing on the car that I was not looking for at the time was the open-sky option. But, the wife and the kids love it and it's grown on me. Good luck, good hunting.

RE: Tire Problems
 

I get away from a LOT of people running 91 in my car!;)

No problem at all.

RE: Tire Problems
 

Charlie,

I got my 06 A3 for $24,750 at 3.9% for 5 yrs. It is a black base model, straight shift. I ordered it that wayas I felt it had everything I needed. It obviously kept the price down. Go to edmunds.com and build the one you are wanting and go to the dealer sticking to the TMV price. Perhaps waiting til the 08 model comes out would give you a better deal on an 07. Don't be too picky though.
I generally fill up with midgrade and when the price falls somewhat, I put in the high octane. A buddy of mine has an 04 A4 and has always ran with the cheapest gas he could buy and has so far not had any problems. Factoring in max fill up at 14 gal at 20 cents more per gal is only costing you an extra $2.80 per tank to use high octane fuel. After trading in my 4x4 truck for the A3, I am saving roughly $200 a month in fuel costs, so the extra couple of bucks every time I refuel is no big deal.
Good luck.

Cheers

CG

RE: Tire Problems
 

You can run lower than 91 octane, but I wouldn't. The car retards the timing when it has a lot of early detonation and it is designed to run on 95 octane. The minimum recommendation is 91, but you CAN run 87. You're definitely not getting the performance out of your engine, and I'm not sure what the long term challenges might be.

Cheers!

RE: Tire Problems
 

Chef and CG!
Thanks for all the information. If anyone knows if there is a way to access dealers inventories online that would be great. Many dealers in the Maryland area only show used cars because ,they claim, their stock rolls over so frequently..

RE: Tire Problems
 

I race autocross and so have an unhealthy amount of exposure to different tires ;). My A3 Sport DSG has Conti Sport 2 summer tires, which grip well enough in the dry and wet, but God help you if it snows or freezes. My only real complaint at 10K is that they are kinda noisy on everything but fresh asphalt.

Next time I'll be looking at some Bridgestone RE-01Rs or Goodyear F1 DS3s in a 245/40-17 - same height as the 225/25s, but more meat on the street.

For most people, a high-end all season tire Like a Pirelli PZero Nerois the best choice unless you drive in snow, then just pony up for some cheap wheels and a set of Blizzaks. The $1200 or so for some winter driving control is less than a trip to the body shop.

If you get a treadware 140 or 200 street tire, no, it's not going to last 30 let alone 40 or 50 or 60K. On the other hand a treadware 400 rated tire will take one or two car-lengths longer to stop, and will respond a lot less quickly to an emergency maneuver, so think about that next time you're on a crowded freeway doing Blue Angels precision driving at 75 MPH with some guy in a 150K Taurus with the original shocks who's ranting to his ex on the cell phone.

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Just be aware that the 245/40-17 tire is too wide for the stock A3 rim. The stock rim is a 17x7.5

Cheers!

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Well I'm starting yr2 with my A3 ( 2.0T prem and sport pkg) Love the car but got on line on two issues. The first is this post Tires. First set got cup and choppy at 10k. Told it was my fault for not rotating them soon enough.. Now on my 2nd set yokies, and have chopping and cupping with only 5k on them . Aliment was done with the new set. I'm now working with the dealer and the tire dealer on a solution. from the post I think its going to be a lot of finger pointing . I love the car but if this is how AUDI designs and toons a suspension and how they seem to duck the issue this will be my last AUDI.

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I have had my A3 for almost a year now andI am going to have to replace all four Pirelli's ( P6 four seasons ) only after 17000 Km it looks like all of them are defective ( Capping ) I thing that's what you call it , according to the tire dealer ,wainting for an awnser from Pirelli my Audidealer said that Audi doesn't deal with tires , By the way they were factory tires.

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oem air pressure is too low, in my opinion, on my second set, I have raised my tire pressure to 38F35R, and just rotated at 6k. No cupping as of yet, but I did not experience the cupping until after about 12k on the P6's and I did not rotate the tires like they should have been.