S3 Continentals

[the_lecht_rocks]

i noticed today thatthe suspension and the spring rate is on the slightly / just soft side. aslightly stiffer spring mated to the same damper setting would help a wee bit with feel and bite on turn in.

the stiffer spring and 19" wheel on a 35 section Yokohama would transform the ride in warm conditions. i think the standard set up is great for damp and winter conditions, but for warmer weather a wee modification would transform the S3.

fwiw, as it stands as a daily driver, its compliant and comfortable. but if you want a wee improvement, i'd start with springs and a 19" wheel upgrade onto some great 35 section yokos.

 

[rams_s3]

I haven't really pushed mine round twisty stuff yet but not noticed anything ridiculously bad. Surely if they were as bad as people say audi would have used another brand/model, I'm pretty sure extensive testing will have been done?

 

[the_lecht_rocks]

Don't forget the tyres are OEM. Probably not as effective as an aftermarket compound..... Economies of scale, etc......

 

[PilotAudi]

I've had a bit of fun today and no real complaints with Contis. Agree a 19in upgrade would be good but even coming from 21s the standard set up is pretty good!

 

[driver_tim]

Don't forget the tyres are OEM. Probably not as effective as an aftermarket compound..... Economies of scale, etc......

Interesting, I understood that OE tyres were the best of each batch. Is that not the case?

 

[nervus]

contis are totally crap!!! especially when tramping on! so vague with no feedback as to where the grip is. Upping the tyre pressure by 2 psi over reccomended pressure helped but are still crap.

now on Yokahama Parada Spec II's which gave transformed the feedback and steering feel on turn in! recon the contis are responsible for the poor steering feedback reviews!

 

[the_lecht_rocks]

Interesting, I understood that OE tyres were the best of each batch. Is that not the case?

certainly not !! cheapest silica compound and materials - economy of scale remember.....

michelins for me moving into summer.

 

[pat15312]

I had a moment at the weekend where the rear axle broke away through a fast bend on a greasy road whilst travelling at speed; it did so smoothly, predictably and with no snap back after correction. Yes the car lost traction but not due to lack of tyre performance.

So personally I think that the stock Continental tyres are good and you can't really complain at £95+VAT sourced, fitted and balanced. That said come summer I will be going back to Michelin PS3s purely because I'm brand loyal.

I would definitely have preferred at 19" version of the 10-spoke wheel though...

 

[d-9]

What are the standard contis on the s3? I really liked the sportcontact 5's on my m3, fantastic grip, wet or dry. Pressing on across Cornwall in driving rain there was never a hint the car was going to break away. The only issue was the 6000mile tyre life, £600/year on tyres hurts!

 

[Battlekrapz]

What are the standard contis on the s3? I really liked the sportcontact 5's on my m3, fantastic grip, wet or dry. Pressing on across Cornwall in driving rain there was never a hint the car was going to break away. The only issue was the 6000mile tyre life, £600/year on tyres hurts!

ContiSportContact5 AO 225/40R18 Y

 

[Gahan]

Are the contis the reason that my esp pops constantly in when i am driving fast on a bad road but in dry conditions??
Very irritating because when the esp comes in it feels like not going fast anymore.
Anyonelse with this experience?

 

[Flibble]

Not had that myself. On a bad road it could well be suspension bounce causing wheels to lose grip and so the traction control intervenes. You might also want to check your tyre pressures.

Have you tried putting it in sport mode?

 

[Dylock]

Are the contis the reason that my esp pops constantly in when i am driving fast on a bad road but in dry conditions??
Very irritating because when the esp comes in it feels like not going fast anymore.
Anyonelse with this experience?

I've had my esp come on at strange times too, strangely not when going fast! At the same place near home I go over a speed bump (15mph ish) then gently accelerate away in a 30mph zone and esp light comes on. Doesn't feel any different and certainly is not losing traction.

 

[Gahan]

Not had that myself. On a bad road it could well be suspension bounce causing wheels to lose grip and so the traction control intervenes. You might also want to check your tyre pressures.

Have you tried putting it in sport mode?

Yep put the tirepressures today now on 2.2
The car does it in sportmode,especially when I reaccelerate when the s tronic put a gear down(example when I am driving slowly in let's say 3rd gear and then I push the pedal to the bottom,the s tronic changes into 2nd gear and at that moment the car cannot away with the power so the esp pops in ,but for a quattro i think that's not normal)

 

[Flibble]

Just to clarify, ESP in sport mode, or gearbox?

 

[Gahan]

Just to clarify, ESP in sport mode, or gearbox?

Esp is on,gearbox in S mode
What do you mean with esp in sportmode?esp(traktioncontrol has just an on/off button I guess?)

 

[Flibble]

ESP has 3 modes, on, sport and off. If you press the button it toggles between on and sport. If you hold the button for 3 seconds it switches it off. Sport mode is meant to intervene less and disables traction control.

 

[ivicyrusivi]

ESP has 3 modes, on, sport and off. If you press the button it toggles between on and sport. If you hold the button for 3 seconds it switches it off. Sport mode is meant to intervene less and disables traction control.

Oh nooooo wish I didn't read that

 

[veeeight]

at that moment the car cannot away with the power so the esp pops in ,but for a quattro i think that's not normal)

The only time I have lost traction is when using Launch Control in the wet.
Or deliberately provoking the car around a corner, lifting off so that the back comes round.

I have not lost traction in a straight line in the dry, not seen ESP come on in the dry in a straight line.

I think your Quattro/Haldex has a problem, you should visit someone with VCDS to do a scan.

 

[Gahan]

Thanks for the feedback,
Made an appointment with the dealer next wednesday...

 

[honda ctr]

Which tyres your s3 get from new?

 

[jaypers777]

Continentals

 

[thedooker]

Conti Sport contact 5s - not a great tyre. Never liked any Contis tbh


Will be switching to Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S2 soon. That is a great tyre and not badly priced either.

 

[honda ctr]

But have you seen Goodyear efficent grip performance b and a rating

 

[Gazwould]

Conti Sport contact 5s - not a great tyre. Never liked any Contis tbh


Will be switching to Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S2 soon. That is a great tyre and not badly priced either.

So why have they won loads of tyre tests ?


Tyre Test Results:

• 1st: 2014 EVO Max Performance Summer Tyre Test (225/45 R17)
• 1st: 2014 Auto Zeitung Summer Tyre Test (225/50 R17)
• 1st: 2014 ACE Summer Tyre Test (225/45 R17)
• 1st: 2013 European Summer Sports Tyre Test (225/45 R17)
• 1st: 2013 Auto Bild Performance Summer Tyre Test (225/35 R18)
• 1st: 2013 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test (225/45 R17)

 

[Pulp84]

I have a friend who owns an independent tyre dealer and he was quite surprised when I told him I didn't like the Conti Sport Contact 5's. He reckons they are one of the best all rounders on the market for the ££.

For whatever reason the combo doesn't seem to work on the S3. Heard lots of good feedback on the Goodyears and I'll probably be getting them next

 

[thedooker]

Those tyre tests were often done on a track in Italy. I live in the north east of Scotland. I can only go by experience but on my 2006 Focus ST, 2009 Focus RS and on my current S3 I have found the various conti sport contact tyres lacking. Each car I have run Goodyears on (the 2006 ST, 2009 RS a 2013 Focus ST and Porsche Cayman S) have performed brilliantly.

Testing on a track is a useful guide but there won't be a wide range of weather conditions (mainly simulated), varied range of road surfaces (ie different types of tar etc) or even as varied a range of driving styles (I imagine that professional testers have a much different style to your average Joe Bloggs).

 

[Cymru09]

I can't fault the continentals to be honest.

 

[steeve]

I'm surprised how good the Continentals are........I haven't had any issues at all. I usually prefer Michelins. But they do test the tyres in dry and wet conditions and they come out very well.

I'm very picky about tyres. I refused to accept my TTS with Toyo's fitted.

 

[0B1001001]

But have you seen Goodyear efficent grip performance b and a rating

I used to have the Conti Sport Contact 5 and now have Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 on my S3 and the wet grip is much improved. Dry grip was never a problem with the Conti so can't say I've noticed any difference there.

One other point is that the Goodyear has better rim protection (still not fab due to alloy shape) than the Conti, so less chance of an annoying incident... at £650/corner, kind of makes the tyre price irrelevant.

Plus Halfords(!) are doing them for £106/corner fitted, which your local Audi dealer will match.

 

[S32B]

For those of us that live in the 'wet' UK this is reassuring:

1st: Continental Sport Contact 5
Overall: The new ContiSportContact 5 scored an overall first place, by a small margin. During wet braking, the Conti was class leading, with the nearest rival requiring on average more than 3 metres to stop, and it repeated its strength in dry braking, winning the test. Scoring only sixth on both the wet and dry handling circuits, the Conti might not be the sportiest tyre on test, but a strong aquaplaning result and third in rolling resistance means a well deserved overall test win for Continental.

Stops more than 3 metres quicker...that's a big margin and could save a life or the front of your car!

 

[veeeight]

Note that the Continental ContactSport 5 as tested by magazines is different to that supplied by Audi from the factory.

Your car will come with AO Specific tyres from Audi AG, and not the retail version as tested by the magazine.

 

[veeeight]

Previous 8V comments and observations about the Conti's (compromised):

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/s3-continentals.210363/

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/s3-understeering-in-wet.223943/

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/s3-sb-undertyred-motor-mag-review.231092/

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/tyres.216222/


My next purchase will either be the GY Eagle F1 Assy2, or Michelin PS3's.
The GY's are edging it at the moment because of the generous edge protector.

 

[0B1001001]

For those of us that live in the 'wet' UK this is reassuring:

1st: Continental Sport Contact 5
Overall: The new ContiSportContact 5 scored an overall first place, by a small margin. During wet braking, the Conti was class leading, with the nearest rival requiring on average more than 3 metres to stop, and it repeated its strength in dry braking, winning the test. Scoring only sixth on both the wet and dry handling circuits, the Conti might not be the sportiest tyre on test, but a strong aquaplaning result and third in rolling resistance means a well deserved overall test win for Continental.

Stops more than 3 metres quicker...that's a big margin and could save a life or the front of your car!

I beg to differ (real world experience with both tyres on my S3) - the Contis were crap. Goodyears are a marked improvement - safer and more sure footed in the wet.

 

[veeeight]

I beg to differ (real world experience with both tyres on my S3) - the Contis were ****. Goodyears are a marked improvement - safer and more sure footed in the wet.

This is my experience too, having had both Conti 5's and GY Assy2's on my S3 8P. Totally changed the wet grip limits on the car.

 

[Blackwhite]

Previous 8V comments and observations about the Conti's (compromised):

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/s3-continentals.210363/

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/s3-understeering-in-wet.223943/

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/s3-sb-undertyred-motor-mag-review.231092/

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/tyres.216222/


My next purchase will either be the GY Eagle F1 Assy2, or Michelin PS3's.
The GY's are edging it at the moment because of the generous edge protector.

I had Michelin on my Volkswagen Jetta, the car I had before the A3 Saloon. My favorite tire.

After the Continentals wear out on the saloon, even though I like them I will probably go back to Michelin.

 

[A3_Rider]

Reviews are one thing, what you experience is another.

On my 8P A3s I had P Zero's (terrible) changed to FK 492's, was ok but alignment meant I never received the full benefit of them. Once I had the wheels aligned and fitted Goodyear F1s performance was insanely different, almost a different car.

Now have Conti's on the S3, don't like them at all but they aren't a bad tyre. F1s in the wet are good.

 

[AudiBoy1976]

I have Continental Contact 3's on my S3 Saloon & I've found them to give good Grip & very little road noise so far!

 

[Bristle Hound]

@honda ctr - Moved here

 

[cilurnum]

Contis have been shocking in whatever construction I have found them in on any car.

The compound is generally overly hard, lack of traction, lack of feel under braking and in corners especially in the wet and with a harder compound you'd expect them to have a longer life. Not so. I've had sidewall damage with Contis I've not had with any other tyre. In my last car I changed to Goodyears from them. Different car. Guess what? The Contis on the A3 have the same feel and are following the same pattern.

Sorry, but I just cannot recommend Contis to anyone. I've had different Bridgestones, Michelins, Goodyears et al in many constructions and I've had no real complaints about any of them nor any gripes that really stood out. The Contis have always stuck out for all the wrong reasons.