Tyres

I recently made the brave move to Vredestein Ultrac Vorti on all 4 corners. Haven't used them in the wet yet, but the dry grip is phenomenal. They're probably the best dry tyre I've had to date and that includes F1, PS3, RE050, P Zero and plenty of others. Cost me £83 each from Camskill and £10 each to fit.
 
veeeight said:
Just got the back end round again - this time in the dry !!!

Around this particular roundabout, I normally have to provoke a car to get it to step out, this time, just lifted off !!


****** grip-less Contis :(
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This is exactly why new tyres should always be fitted to the rear.
 
Don76 said:
This is exactly why new tyres should always be fitted to the rear.
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This is always the advice given, because they are trying to prevent accidents by people who are unable to drive sensibly in the snow or ice. Since I'm careful in these conditions, and since I don't take the car to the edge of its grip in normal driving, I'd much rather have the better tyres on my driven wheels, and also the wheels where most of the braking force is concentrated. Putting your better tyres on the back is all well and good for the odd idiot who likes to go screaming round corners testing the limits of grip, not for most people though.
 
I think the Conti's on my car are total pants. I had Michelins on my TTS and they were stunning. However I did have the F1's on a Prodrive STi and wet grip was bordering on unbelievable, just stunning. So when I come to change my tyres it will be a close thing between Michelins and Goodyear.
But at the small amount of mileage I've done in six weeks of ownership (500 miles!) I think they'll out last me.
 
cemerson said:
This is always the advice given, because they are trying to prevent accidents by people who are unable to drive sensibly in the snow or ice. Since I'm careful in these conditions, and since I don't take the car to the edge of its grip in normal driving, I'd much rather have the better tyres on my driven wheels, and also the wheels where most of the braking force is concentrated. Putting your better tyres on the back is all well and good for the odd idiot who likes to go screaming round corners testing the limits of grip, not for most people though.
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Each to their own. But having been in the tyre trade for 12 years and having bought and sold many millions of tyres, I can assure you there is good reason behind this advice.

Basically new tyres on front = oversteer.
New tyres on rear = understeer.

For 99% of drivers on UK roads, understeer is far easier to control than oversteer.

We're car guys on here, so a little oversteer is fun. But for your average Joe coming towards your lovely S3 in the wet - I'd hope he had 'em on the rear.
 
Had a lecture from the Michelin Boffins (they were a major supplier) some years ago they said that new tyres should always go on the back (if just replacing two) as Don says that oversteer is much more difficult to control than understeer and inherently safer. They also said that cornering speeds would be higher too. So not only safer but faster too.
 
I'll be going to mich pilot super sports, when test driving the S3 the difference in corner grip was night and day from my PSS wearing m135i I really do think they are key to some of the lap times it puts in for sure
 
I'm looking around for some new tyres shortly, and noticed that all the AO tyres which are "specifically" tested for audis all have some of the worst rolling resistance figures! All are F or E according to the tyre sites, and yet you can get the same brand/size/speed rating of tyre and its far better...
 
I noticed this when pricing up some tyres on Blackcircles. The AO version of the Conti SportContact 5 had worse ratings than the 'regular' one and the MO (Mercedes, I think?) version was better than either of them.
 
Just had a look at Blackcircles and I was surprised at how much cheaper Michelin PS3's are than a year ago, under £100 plus delivery is good...
 
Are you requires to keep the same speed rating or abovw though? Mines fitted with Ys even though my car isnt capable of 190mph!(what it came with btw)
 
smk82 said:
Are you requires to keep the same speed rating or abovw though? Mines fitted with Ys even though my car isnt capable of 190mph!(what it came with btw)
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Tire ratings aren't just about top speed. Even econo boxes are fitted with V rated 149 mph tires. Higher speed ratings generally also mean stiffer sidewalls, so better handling and braking. Technically the load rating determines stiffness but higher speed ratings tend to go hand in hand. So you don't HAVE to use Y rated tires if you don't drive that fast but your suspension performance will change on a lower-rated tire. There is also a marketing aspect to having that "Y" on the sidewall, just like the speedo dial that goes to 180 mph
 
audi upgrades
I have contis myself on the car (fitted from new), and I'm not rating them, noisy and grip isn't as good. Weird considering I had 2 sets of contis back to back on my old TT and those were great. They were their older conti 3's I think though, so maybe they have changed something in the formulation of the rubber/design? Considering what to move to - liking the look of the Dunlops Sport Maxx's RT's as I've had good experiences with Dunlops in the past. Apparently quieter too..
 
I've done a bit of looking around, and I got Dunlop Sportmaxx RT by default. They did seem relatively quiet (a lot quieter than my old Seat Ibiza!), but I thought I'd shop around for quieter ones using the db rating as a guide, and discovered that Dunlops are reportedly the quietest that I can choose from!

Also smk82, I should mention that my local Audi dealership are offering Dunlop Sportmaxx for £83.58 fully fitted. Audi really do price-match on tyres.
 
Karl Alesbury said:
Also smk82, I should mention that my local Audi dealership are offering Dunlop Sportmaxx for £83.58 fully fitted. Audi really do price-match on tyres.
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Yes but do we know who dealers are using to fit them? In the past I have seen franchised dealers subcontract their tyre work to Kwik Fit. I personally wouldn't let Kwik Fit anywhere near my car, and I suspect most people on here will have similar views.
 
driver_tim said:
Yes but do we know who dealers are using to fit them? In the past I have seen franchised dealers subcontract their tyre work to Kwik Fit. I personally wouldn't let Kwik Fit anywhere near my car, and I suspect most people on here will have similar views.
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My local audi dealership fit them. I know this for a fact, as my missus' cousin works there :)
 
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