I hit a pothole in Brooklyn a week ago, and one of the OEM tires gave it's life in service. The tire exploded. The wheel was not damaged. The spare had a sidewall bubble. Time to replace at least two tires, and the OEM Pirelli P6s have pretty poor ratings at tirerack.com.

So I decided it was time to try some different rubber. While these tires are not rated for snow at all, I gambled with them on a trial basis that they would be good enough for the type of snow we most often get here now, which is usually a dusting.

I also had the alignment tidied up, as I drive fast and like to run a tight ship in order to reduce the points of failure, as well as reduce tire wear.

So with the new rubber shod on the front, the first thing I noticed was not only a slightly more comfortable ride, but also that it tracked a lot smoother and straight. Steering corrections are instantaneous. Braking response seems better. Cornering is exponentially better, turn in is more predictable, and tracking through corners is much more linear. Feedback from road irregularities has increased, so there is some discomfort associated with that.

Overall, after about 200 miles, I am very impressed with this rubber. I can't wait to see how they will be once the weather turns warm. Also looking forward to replacing the rear tires within the next month or so with these. I've seen some reviews that mention flat spotting, but I haven't noticed anything in that regard as of yet. My guess is that tire inflation pressure is the most significant factor in that. The correct pressure for an A4 with 18 inch wheels is 38 PSI cold, *NOT* the 36 you'll find on the door panel.

 

Got some big snow yesterday. These tires have absolutely no snow rating at all, but they were as good as the OEM Pirelli P6's with 21k + change that are still on the rear end.

 

Okay, I got stuck in some slush yesterday. The P6s were as useless as the RE760s. I had to rock her back and forth to get out of the spot.

So, my conclusion is that these tires, with no snow or ice rating, are equal to P6s, an all season tire, with 21k miles on them. Surely not a scientific result, but they may be good enough for places with occasional snow. With the climate changing, that might be a little hard to pin down ATM.