Hi Everyone! I'm looking for some advice choosing the right tires and I would greatly appreciate some guidance.

I currently have the stock Continental ContiProContact 245/40r 18" and these are by far the noisiest tires I've ever seen. There's so much noise in the cabin that it sounds like I'm driving with my windows cracked open and it's so frustrating. It's not the luxurious, smooth ride that this car deserves!

I've looked through a bunch of threads and I noticed that the Continental Extreme Contact DWS 245/40r 18" come highly recommended. However, I'm hesitant to go with continental again because of how poorly the ContiProContact tires performed.

My main goal is to get a new set of tires that are extremely quiet and offer a smooth ride. I drive about 20k miles per year in Southern California.

Any recommendations besides the Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires? Or am I not giving the DWS tires a fair shot?

On tire rack, the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position come highly recommended. Which other tires should I consider to give me the most quiet and smooth ride as possible?

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

I have the Conti DW, not the DWS, and have been very happy with them.

 

I've been so pleased with the Yokohama AVID ENVigors that I now have them on our Audi, our VW and our Mazda. They're so quiet it is almost like driving a different car.

 

Jonathan-A6,
I have Michelin Pilot Super Sport 245/40R18 97Y. These came stock on A6 4.2 S-Line. There super quiet great handling. They are pricey but well worth it as long as your rotate them 5k or depends on your type of driving.

Another thing all this tires shop over look the tire index. Exp. Michelin Pilot Super Sport 245/40R18 97Y. The index for 4.2 is 97y. A tire shop was pushing CC 245/40R18 93W and they told me that it not like I'm going to be carrying a full car load and hitting 160mpg. a 93w for my A6 will handle poorly and pushing for a blow-out. You'll feel the car is to much for the tires too and your safety out the wind too.(I rather have my Index go over then under). So check the gas lid to see your index cause I know V6 is lower.

But Michelin Pilot Super Sport(AA A 300) are the top of line, the best of the best tires and Bridgestone(AA A 460) too. Bridgestone has some nice tire treads.

It all come down to the amount you want to spend.

 

I run oem Pirelli P6 Four Seasons in the winter and ContiExtreme Contact on a set of 18" rims for the summer. I don't notice any significant difference in noise between them, and both are good handling tires for what I demand of them. I had terrible luck with a prior set of Coopers. Some tires don't work well with the quattro system that puts a lot of stress on the tires. I suggest you stick with oems and talk to your tire shop about a quieter version. At the end of the day,, I'd pick performance and tread life over a little noise -- you'll never notice it if you open your sunroof or turn up the radio.

 

I love the AVID ENVigors on my car too. They have reduced the road noise by at least 70-80% and they also will increase mileage 1-3% per gallon. This doesn't sound like a lot but can add up to 25miles extra out of a tank...

Yokohama AVID ENVigor (W)

 

Yeah, the AVID ENVIgors are every bit as sporting as the Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss they replaced, but they're significantly less expensive, quieter, and have a longer tread life. What's not to like.

 

I just got a set of Michelin Primacy's and they are awesome so far.
Very quiet, good ride, great tread wear. I think they are gonna stay on the car from now on.

 

I have the Bridgestone RE970 on our 2008 A6 3.2 and like them very much. They are all season tires but have great performance and are quiet.

 

Wow, thank you all for the great feedback and recommendations! I was not expecting so many responses but I sure was hoping for them

I'm leaning towards the AVID ENVigors but I'll keep you all updated to my decision and hopefully some good feedback once they're setup on the A6.