I ran over a nail the other day and caused a slow-leak, so I was riding on the tire and didn't realize it was flat. Now the sidewall is damaged and my Pirelli P4 is pretty much unrepairable.

So I've been shopping around for new tires and it's been suggested that I replace all four tires (even though the other 3 tires still have about 50-60% tred left). I've never owned an AWD vehicle before, so I don't know if they're telling me the truth or if they just want to sell me tires. So far, everything seems to indicate that I need to replace all four tires, but I do like second (or third... or 10th) opinions. Thanks

 

Audi requires tire diameter to be with-in a certian percentage for each tire. If I remember correctly your old tires would need to be almost bald before they fell out of the range compared to a new tire. I think that requirement was put in to keep people from putting different sized tires on and then complaining that their drivetrain exploded!

I change two tires at a time on my car with no issues. I replaced the fronts first and then a year later replaced the rears. There was a previous discussion if you needed to replace all four before. I couldn't find it, but it is here somewhere (around March 2013 I think).

 

agreed, my front tires have about half the tread left right now, and my rear are basically bald.. i have every intention of replacing the back with 2 new and driving it till they're both worn to nothing..

it might confuse it more when winter comes around though..

 

best case scenario would be replace them all.

You could go with just a pair, but that will put stress on your AWD system. Keep the tire with the least tread as a spare in case you loose another tire mid life.

Another option is to check with TireRack about their scrub down service. They will actually carve the tire down to the same diameter as your current tires. I forget the actual name of the service but find any post from Miles from TireRack and he'll get you hooked up with the best information.

 

The Tirerack service is called Tire Shaving. I believe you measure the tread depth of your good tires and they will then shave off rubber from new tires to be at the same depth. Tire rack normally recommends shaving if there is difference of 30% or greater between the old and new tire.

 

Buddy boy here swears by you, so, question of the day...
My 2015 A4 Quattro has 255/35 zr19 Michelin Pilots on it and they're all getting bald.
Identical replacements are ridiculously expensive.
Please tell me there are "useable" tires of ANY brand that cost less. (much less, please!)
Wife driven and performance is NOT a factor.
Thanks, anyone, with any tips.
(I'm in Canada but close to NY)