What's the best way to swap noisy Continental tyres for Michelin Tyres?

ahfh1

ahfh1

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Hi,

Like many of you out there I'm not too pleased with the standard Continental ContiSportContact 5 tyres that came with the car. I find them really noisy and quite a harsh drive.

I still have plenty of tread left on them so it would be a shame to throw them away, but would like to swap them for the Michelin Pro Sport 3 tyres most people here have been raving about.

What have people done with their old ContiSport after swapping with the Michelin PS3s? Have you sold them on ebay, or are there tyre garages that will part exchange them?

Thanks in advance.
 
Would think ebay is probably your best bet as long as you have room to store them or try the classifieds section on here.

What sort of mileage have they done ?
 
They have done 20,000 miles on them.

The car has just been in for its first Audi service and I was hoping they would tell me I need new tyres but they said there was plenty of tread left on them (at least 4.5mm)!
 
Just noticed this thread, what sort of noise are you getting from the SC5's? My S4 came with SC3's and after 4000 miles I think they are responsible for a droning noise. Currently in the process of positively confirming they are responsible for the noise but fairly sure that will be proven to be the case. I wouldn't mind so much if they'd done 20k miles but after 4k is a bit of a poor show. Didn't have this problem with much higher mileage Michelin PS3's on previous 8P S3 and mk5 GTI.
 
Some tyre dealers might take them off your hands, but don't expect too much for them.
 
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audi upgrades
The noise I'm getting is like I'm going over a cobbled road. I notice the noise a lot more if I'm on a motorway where the tarmac is not smooth.

On a smooth motorway, for example the M6 toll road, the tyres are perfect and I don't hear any noise at all.

At first I thought the car just had really bad sound insulation, but having read through some of the forums it seems that it's more likely to be a fault of the ContiSport5 tyres.
 
I recently changed the Contis for Michelin Pilot Sport 3 18-inch on my S-Line.

Did not change early - waited till all 4 were virtually worn out and feeling a bit splashy.

Comparing worn out tyres to new is not a like for like comparison. That said:

The PS3s aren't noticeably quieter. There is a bit less drone but that could be a feature of a new tyre with greater tread depth.

Turn in is better but would expect that with new ones.
 
If they aren't noticeably quieter with the PS3s, then maybe the cabin just isn't great at sound proofing. This was my original suspicion. Anyone else think this about the A3?

When I test drove the car I did notice a lot of cabin noise, but dismissed it because everything else about the car was perfect.

Having owned the car now for 18 months I think cabin noise is its biggest let down.
 
My cabin noise is at a very low level as expected really even at 100mph (of course on a private road!).

What pressures are you running and does is match your most used luggage/passenger scenario ?
 
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Road noise is prevalent in the S3 with Conti tyres.

It's not a particularly quiet car.
 
I think the A3 is a very refined car, however road noise isn't great on certain road surfaces that we get in the UK. Take your car to France and Germany and it's much much better.

Tyres can help slightly but don't go thinking you'll get a massive improvement by changing. I've tried Pirellis, Dunlops, Contis and Nokians. The Nokians are the best but there isn't a huge difference between them.

I've never tried Michelins but I recommend experiencing a car with them fitted before ditching tyres which have so much life left.
 
When I changed from the Conti SC5 to GY F1 Assy2 on my S3 8P the noise difference was night and day, especially on brushed concrete.
 
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Rob2k68 said:
My cabin noise is at a very low level as expected really even at 100mph (of course on a private road!).

What pressures are you running and does is match your most used luggage/passenger scenario ?
Click to expand...

Totally agree with you Rob (no change there!).

Cabin is phenomenally quiet and I can't say I've noticed any tyre noise either, and no I'm not always blaring the B&O either ;)
 
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The type of tarmac has a huge influence - some are much quieter than others.

Compared to other cars, the 8V controls engine noise extremely well but is less successful controlling road/tyre noise.

The ultimate insult: being told by the voice activated control system to close windows and air vents to reduce background noise when they were closed already........
 
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^ :lmfao:

I am grateful to you, for posting about your experiences with the PS3.

I was swaying between the PS3 and GY F1 Assy2, and I know those do make a (quieter) difference to road noise, so I am going to go for the Assy2's, on the basis that they have a larger rim protector and are quieter.I need a new set now, the Conti SC5's have only lasted 12k miles on my car.

Always been impressed at the wet handling of the Assy2's.
 
ahfh1 said:
What have people done with their old ContiSport after swapping with the Michelin PS3s? Have you sold them on ebay, or are there tyre garages that will part exchange them?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I hated them so much, I got Audi to swap them at about 7,000 miles, what they did with the "perfectly good" Contis I have no idea nor do I care!

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymm 2 since then. Remember that Audi will price-match tyres:

http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/tyres/goodyear-eagle-f1-asymmetric-2-fp-xl-225-40-r18-92y-2014
 
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Bloomin 'eck - that's a good price !!!!
 
Took mine off after less than 400 miles. Michelin PSS all the way. Much quieter, much more planted on the road. Lovely stuff.
 
Just tried the price match at Audi can't get closer than +£100 from the Halfords price due to the buying power of Halfords compared to a 5 branch Audi franchise. Going to try Southam tyres tomorrow.
 
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@S3inSE21 Any signs of where the original balance weights were at all ? Seen these being scrapped off with a screwdriver at less reputable tyre fitters thinking it may be worth the extra to have Audi do it.
 
Rob2k68 said:
@S3inSE21 Any signs of where the original balance weights were at all ? Seen these being scrapped off with a screwdriver at less reputable tyre fitters thinking it may be worth the extra to have Audi do it.
Click to expand...

Nothing obvious, and to be honest I'm not bothered enough to look that closely. I wouldn't imagine that going to Audi guarantees any improvement of workmanship when it come to removing the balance weights. However, it would guarantee that you'll pay more for the same service.
 
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ahfh1 said:
They have done 20,000 miles on them.

The car has just been in for its first Audi service and I was hoping they would tell me I need new tyres but they said there was plenty of tread left on them (at least 4.5mm)!
Click to expand...
They can't be that bad if you've done 20,000 miles with them?
 
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Hi, I’m not an Audi owner but a Suzuki swift sport owner and I came upon this thread by searching for excessive tyre noise on Conti contact sport 3.
I’m running on 195/45/17 and the noise generated by these tyres is high. The tyres are great and stick to the road really well but yes I agree the noise from them is just horrendous, what I have done to reduce the noise is have my tracking checked of which was slightly out and I’ve reduced the tyre pressure from 31 to 28 psi and in my opinion it’s knocked the noise level down by approx 15%.
The noise is a horrible drone and almost sounds like a wheel bearing is on its early stages of going out. I’ve got another swift sport and swapped the wheels so I know it’s not actually a wheel bearing but is actually the tyres.
 
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You can get a free decibel meter app on the iPhone, and it can be left running and automatically records the peaks and troughs (I know we won't fiddle with phones whilst driving). It may not be accurate, but at least it would give you a measurable reference with current tyres so you can check when changing what difference the new ones have made.
I personally find my A3 better than my previous Golf GTD for the same size wheel/tyre combo, which I had assumed was down to better sound insulation from Audi, but could of course be the Pirelli tyre on the S3 versus the Bridgestone on the Golf.
Sounds like the Conti's should be avoided when I change...
 
Paul Turvey said:
Hi, I’m not an Audi owner but a Suzuki swift sport owner and I came upon this thread by searching for excessive tyre noise on Conti contact sport 3.
I’m running on 195/45/17 and the noise generated by these tyres is high. The tyres are great and stick to the road really well but yes I agree the noise from them is just horrendous, what I have done to reduce the noise is have my tracking checked of which was slightly out and I’ve reduced the tyre pressure from 31 to 28 psi and in my opinion it’s knocked the noise level down by approx 15%.
The noise is a horrible drone and almost sounds like a wheel bearing is on its early stages of going out. I’ve got another swift sport and swapped the wheels so I know it’s not actually a wheel bearing but is actually the tyres.
Click to expand...
Surely a lower than recommended PSI will just wear your tyres our faster?

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
 
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