quattro & Tyres

[NineNails]

Evenin' people.
I got an advisory on my MOT for 2 new rear tyres. 1 has wear due to an under-inflation problem & the other has an 'egg' on the inner wall 8O Not cheap tyres either, Avon ZZ3's all round.
I believe on a quattro it is a good idea to replace tyres in pairs but do I need to buy Avon's again to match the front 2 or will any pair of the same make be ok.?
Secondly, should I fit the new ones to the back or the front or don't it matter?
Cheers
Si.

 

[AndyMac]

Always fit them in pairs, put the old ones on the back and new on the front (as braking is mainly front). They don't have to be the same make or though other opinions will differ.

 

[joost]

- I've got PZero Rossos on the back and ZZ3s on the front with a Conti spare! Have to say it doesn't feel as grippy with the ZZ3s as it did before I had them fitted. Rossos will need replacing soon, I'll either be getting them again, Contis or Toyo Proxes methinks...

 

[hiltoa]

I've had ZZ3's in the past on a passat, and in my opinion they were poor - grip was a lot less than my previous Falken 512s. Plus I also got a egg in my sidewall, got it replaced (eventually for free once it had been back to Avon). I'm therefore not an Avon fan.
Not noticed any badness with the Federals I've recently put on my quattro - Cheap as chips too!

 

[NineNails]

Thanks for the replies.
Did you find the Avons are quite noisey too?
Si.

 

[PaulJC84]

I have eagle F1's on mine. Great tyre.

I thought you were to put new tyres on the rear and the worn ones on the front?? Just as they should hav better grip in the wet and if you understeer its easier to correct than a oversteer. Am sure I saw it on a TV programme a few years ago.

 

[icenutter]

A front engined, front wheel drive car predominantly understeers - so you want more grip at the front to counteract that - so put new tyres on the front. However less grip at the rear does lead to lift-off and steady-state oversteer.

So in the namby-pamby poilitically correct world, where the majority of people have never driven a rear-drive car, the 'safest' thing to do is to put new tyres on the rear so people don't flip into the scenery on the way to the shops.

It's a little less clear for a 4wd car, but most audis have a front weight bias and a 50/50 or more front torque bias, so they still like to understeer.

 

[Phantom_A4]

You should rotate your tyres to try and keep them even (fronts to rears), more so on a 4wd, It's also an excuse to get your tracking done when you do, so you get a more even tyre wear. As someone said you should always replace your tyres in pairs, with the same tyre on each each i.e 2 rears or 2 fronts, last thing you want is your car pulling to one corner because one tyre has more grip than another

 

[Caesium]

I said rotate your tyres on another thread some time ago and got chastised as being an old school no-nothing as this wasn't necessary anymore.
I still do it, as on my quattro all tyres need changing at roughly the same time, so to get a bit more out of them I put the more worn fronts onto the back.
I did read somewhere however that you should have all 4 tyres as the same manufacturer as if grip levels differ then it can damage the haldex/torsen transfer box.

 

[Phantom_A4]

Who ever commented that before, obviously hasn't really looked into what they are doing. As you say it improves the overall life of the tyres!

If the makes were seriously different i.e. Federal and Michelin, than it could affect the box under a heavy foot. Normal driving it wont matter too much.