Facelift S3 All season tyres

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ed meers

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Have done 28,000 miles on the factory fitted Hankook evo2 s1. Now needing replacing soon.

Has anybody any experience of them on the S3?
I was thinking of getting the Michelin crossclimate+.
 
Hmm, you state for S3...I believe they are only available up to 17" rims and they are a touring all season tyre and that tread pattern looks noisy. I have Pirelli Pzero ultra high performance all season plus 235/35/19 on my car and they would be well suited for UK weather. They may not be available in the UK. Another tyre if it is available in the UK is the Continental DWS-06 high performance all season.
 
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No experience of the Michelins although I have heard they are excellent. I did want them fitted instead of the Pirellis I got but I was in Italy at the time and they only had Pirellis. So, I have just fitted Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus to my 1.6tdi. I know its not an S3 but for what its worth I think they are the most versatile tire I have used so far. its been -20 here is Switzerland with snow everywhere and I haven't got stuck once. Its now +12 and sunny and I seem to have loads of grip. I had Pirelli P7 Summer Tire's on before and these All Season ones are way way quieter and I swear the ride is better too. I seriously don't understand why people in the UK don't fit these kind of tires. I know there are people who want max grip etc... but for the majority of people these would be excellent.
 
Just fitted crossclimate on my new A3 which has 18" wheels, ok It's only a 1.5 TFSI but in the snow it gave me no problems, and now the milder weather is here is the grip levels are fine, but I've got a lot less power so don't know how long the tread would last with double the BHP.

I've got a full set of Hankook evo2 s1 for sale if you want the same tyres, I removed these from my A3 last week http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/thread...2-delivery-miles-9miles-225-40-18-92y.365524/
 
Many thanks for all your replies.

The alloys are 18" and the crossclimates+ are available in that size. The Pirelli's and contintental dw06 don't seem to bet available in UK.
Continental have just brought out a Continental AllSeasonContact, but that seems to be a winter tyre adapted for the summer and has a high wear rate. The Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons G2 has very good reviews and is my other choice.
The Michelin are supposed to be a summer tyre and hence good wear rates and grip but good enough for british winters.

The basis of my views are the following articles.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2017-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2017-Auto-Express-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

Many thanks for the offer B5NUT, but I think iwill order the Crossclimates.
 
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I have had 18" CrossClimate+ on my S3 for a year and 6000 miles now and they are an excellent tyre that suits the car very well.

Recommended without reservation.

Two other benefits are they are a lot quieter than 19" Conti summer tyres and the 40 profile makes for a slightly less harsh ride compared to 35.
 
I'd never use them on a performance car. They're a compromise and, for the sake of better winter performance, you're sacrificing performance in good weather for the rest of the year. I'd want the best performing tyres possible on an S3.

I'm looking into a set of winters to swap with each year but I'd never get cross-climate tyres.
 
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They're a real game changer that some find hard to accept this magical tyre .

It's summer biased , dry performance , they'll be a fraction in it !
 
Vertigo1 said:
I'd never use them on a performance car. They're a compromise and, for the sake of better winter performance, you're sacrificing performance in good weather for the rest of the year. I'd want the best performing tyres possible on an S3.

I'm looking into a set of winters to swap with each year but I'd never get cross-climate tyres.
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Not sure performance comes into it when getting 28,000 miles from a set.
 
Vertigo1 said:
I'd never use them on a performance car. They're a compromise and, for the sake of better winter performance, you're sacrificing performance in good weather for the rest of the year. I'd want the best performing tyres possible on an S3.

I'm looking into a set of winters to swap with each year but I'd never get cross-climate tyres.
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^^^^ This.

It's a performance car, which comes as standard with performance tyres. Buy a set of cheap winter tyres for the winter months, and stick to performance tyres through the summer.

Tyres are the one thing that keeps you on the road pointing the way you want to go. Never compromise on tyres, and always buy the best you can afford.
 
wab172uk said:
^^^^ This.

It's a performance car, which comes as standard with performance tyres. Buy a set of cheap winter tyres for the winter months, and stick to performance tyres through the summer.

Tyres are the one thing that keeps you on the road pointing the way you want to go. Never compromise on tyres, and always buy the best you can afford.
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You kill your own argument with "Buy a set of cheap winter tyres for the winter months". Surely you meant 'the best' not 'cheap'.

There is nothing cheap about a set of CrossClimates. OK they are higher profile being 40 on 18" compared to 35 on the 19" so there will be some sidewall flex which might for some be detectable in a change in handling. But for the rest of us who are not 10/10ths drivers, not that there are many places left for that on UK roads, I would suggest, based on my experience as a 9/10th driver when I can, they are a pretty good compromise that Michelin have done a good job creating.

They have so many more gripping edges than a summer tyre but no longitudinal grooves. So they may not be as good in heavily flooded roads but on cool/cold, damp, greasy roads, all year round they will leave a summer tyre in the ditch. On an S3 they are perfect as the 4x4 will spread the wear rather than on a 2WD concentrate it in the front.
 
JohninMK said:
You kill your own argument with "Buy a set of cheap winter tyres for the winter months". Surely you meant 'the best' not 'cheap'.

There is nothing cheap about a set of CrossClimates. OK they are higher profile being 40 on 18" compared to 35 on the 19" so there will be some sidewall flex which might for some be detectable in a change in handling. But for the rest of us who are not 10/10ths drivers, not that there are many places left for that on UK roads, I would suggest, based on my experience as a 9/10th driver when I can, they are a pretty good compromise that Michelin have done a good job creating.

They have so many more gripping edges than a summer tyre but no longitudinal grooves. So they may not be as good in heavily flooded roads but on cool/cold, damp, greasy roads, all year round they will leave a summer tyre in the ditch. On an S3 they are perfect as the 4x4 will spread the wear rather than on a 2WD concentrate it in the front.
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Yes, I was going to write cheap second set of wheels with winter tyres, but changed my mind to just tyres, and left the `Cheap` in there by mistake.

For me the Cross Climate tyres are a compromise, neither great in the summer compared to summer tyres, and again not great compared to a proper set of winters. Personally, for the odd bit of snow we do get, I think winters are a waste of time, unless you have RWD. Driven sensibly, summer tyres are perfectly fine for the snow, unless it's particularly deep, or you life in the sticks.

For me, Cross Climate tyres belong on a Ford Focus 1.6 Titanium driven by someone who just gets from A to B slowly. Performance cars should wear performance tyres. But that just my opinion.

Try selling your S3 privately to a car enthusiast, and the first think they'll say is it need new tyres. I would.
 
JohninMK said:
On an S3 they are perfect as the 4x4 will spread the wear rather than on a 2WD concentrate it in the front.
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That might be true if a Haldex system directed power to all four wheels all the time (like a proper quattro with a Torsen system does), but it doesn't.

Most of the time it's just two wheel drive.

.
 
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wab172uk said:
Yes, I was going to write cheap second set of wheels with winter tyres, but changed my mind to just tyres, and left the `Cheap` in there by mistake.

For me the Cross Climate tyres are a compromise, neither great in the summer compared to summer tyres, and again not great compared to a proper set of winters. Personally, for the odd bit of snow we do get, I think winters are a waste of time, unless you have RWD. Driven sensibly, summer tyres are perfectly fine for the snow, unless it's particularly deep, or you life in the sticks.

For me, Cross Climate tyres belong on a Ford Focus 1.6 Titanium driven by someone who just gets from A to B slowly. Performance cars should wear performance tyres. But that just my opinion.

Try selling your S3 privately to a car enthusiast, and the first think they'll say is it need new tyres. I would.
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Fair enough, that's your view. My experience actually using the tyres for a year is, given the weather here, that they are a suitable tyre for the S3 and whilst I don't drive like a nutter the car does get well used. I do live in the roundabout capital of the UK and the pesky Audi and VW HQ staff that are here sometimes need to be reminded that just because their car is new it doesn't necessarily go faster than the previous generation. Dual carriageway roundabouts are particularly hard on tyres.

When I sell the car the original 19" with summer tyres will go back on.
 
Phutters said:
That might be true if a Haldex system directed power to all four wheels all the time (like a proper quattro with a Torsen system does), but it doesn't.

Most of the time it's just two wheel drive.

.
Click to expand...
Yes, I understand that but my experience with the S3 and my Calibre Turbo with a similar 4x4 is that they are definitely kinder on the front tyres than even my lower power 2WD and lighter Cavaliers.
 
JohninMK said:
Yes, I understand that but my experience with the S3 and my Calibre Turbo with a similar 4x4 is that they are definitely kinder on the front tyres than even my lower power 2WD and lighter Cavaliers.
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In that case I must bow to the superior knowledge of someone with a Vauxhall history I could only dream of.

I'm being devoured by a green-eyed monster.

No, really... :couple inlove:

.
 
Vertigo1 said:
So you'll put lower performing tyres on your car just because they last longer?
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No,was questioning the ops need for performance tyres when getting 28k from a set of factory fitted Hankooks.
 
Phutters said:
In that case I must bow to the superior knowledge of someone with a Vauxhall history I could only dream of.

I'm being devoured by a green-eyed monster.

No, really... :couple inlove:

.
Click to expand...
Love it, but I have now clearly seen the light. :)

But my S3 is almost invisible out there, its the Cavalier SRi130 that gets the attention.
 
wab172uk said:
Yes, I was going to write cheap second set of wheels with winter tyres, but changed my mind to just tyres, and left the `Cheap` in there by mistake.

For me the Cross Climate tyres are a compromise, neither great in the summer compared to summer tyres, and again not great compared to a proper set of winters. Personally, for the odd bit of snow we do get, I think winters are a waste of time, unless you have RWD. Driven sensibly, summer tyres are perfectly fine for the snow, unless it's particularly deep, or you life in the sticks.

For me, Cross Climate tyres belong on a Ford Focus 1.6 Titanium driven by someone who just gets from A to B slowly. Performance cars should wear performance tyres. But that just my opinion.

Try selling your S3 privately to a car enthusiast, and the first think they'll say is it need new tyres. I would.
Click to expand...

Opinion noted: I have used all season, high performance summer tyres and winter tyres. I live in Vancouver Canada and the climate is similar to Scotland in the winter with more snow in higher terrain. High performance summer tyres are not suitable for snow and temperatures below 6 Celsius. In fact Pirreli P Zero's have no warranty for use in temperatures below 6 Celsius. All seasons are a compromise but as in any tyre there are differences in performance ratings for each brand and type of all season.
North Americans have a huge choice of all season tyres from touring type to ultra high performance all season. The majority of high performance cars driven in my neck of the woods are driven on either Pirelli P Zero all season plus ultra high performance or Contintental DWS-06 high performance all season tyres year round for those who do not change to all winter tyres. Both of those will outperform any summer tyre in snow/cold/damp/ice conditions. Yes the Michelin/Pirli and other high performance summer tyres will offer more grip on dry summer roads but that is it. Those tyre are not available in the UK for reasons I do not know. I use the Pirelli tyre mentioned and as an aside it is more expensive than the Pirelli P Zero summer tyre
If we have a real dump of snow, 3-4" or more. I park my car and wait for the roads to be treated and cleared and believe me we are way better prepared to deal with those conditions than UK city councils and not to mention the lack of experience of most UK drivers in true winter conditions. I use to change my summers to winter, as I had to travel long distances over mountainous conditions for my work. I am retired now and the Pirelli tyres I previously mentioned suit my S3 and spirited driving style year round and have better wear life.
 
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I'm glad I've started some discussion!

I managed the 28000 miles by doing about 400 miles a week on the motorway and about 100 a week on more interesting country roads. I drive this all the year around. The problem is the unpredictability of the weather and you could be on the wrong tyre if I had a summer and winter tyres

The Hankooks have been brilliant in dry and wet but not so good in the cold or snow.
I accept that the crossclimates will be a compromise, but the issue is whether it is a compromise I can live with. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

Will get them fitted next week and will report back

Many thanks for all the comments.
 
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Flying Scotsman said:
Opinion noted: I have used all season, high performance summer tyres and winter tyres. I live in Vancouver Canada and the climate is similar to Scotland in the winter with more snow in higher terrain. High performance summer tyres are not suitable for snow and temperatures below 6 Celsius. In fact Pirreli P Zero's have no warranty for use in temperatures below 6 Celsius. All seasons are a compromise but as in any tyre there are differences in performance ratings for each brand and type of all season.
North Americans have a huge choice of all season tyres from touring type to ultra high performance all season. The majority of high performance cars driven in my neck of the woods are driven on either Pirelli P Zero all season plus ultra high performance or Contintental DWS-06 high performance all season tyres year round for those who do not change to all winter tyres. Both of those will outperform any summer tyre in snow/cold/damp/ice conditions. Yes the Michelin/Pirli and other high performance summer tyres will offer more grip on dry summer roads but that is it. Those tyre are not available in the UK for reasons I do not know. I use the Pirelli tyre mentioned and as an aside it is more expensive than the Pirelli P Zero summer tyre
If we have a real dump of snow, 3-4" or more. I park my car and wait for the roads to be treated and cleared and believe me we are way better prepared to deal with those conditions than UK city councils and not to mention the lack of experience of most UK drivers in true winter conditions. I use to change my summers to winter, as I had to travel long distances over mountainous conditions for my work. I am retired now and the Pirelli tyres I previously mentioned suit my S3 and spirited driving style year round and have better wear life.
Click to expand...

Right. Now you've mentioned Canada, and all those different Cross Climate tyres that are available, that does change things significantly. I was unaware that Pirelli made a P-Zero all season ultra high performance tyre. Or that you could get Conti DWS-06 high performance all season tyre.

Here, we seem to only get one or 2 brands (that I'm aware of) and nothing like you can obviously buy over there. I guess in climates different to Britain's where there is demand for a `high performance` cross climate tyre, the manufacturers are willing to develop and sell such products. While here, the one or 2 options available to us, seem more aimed at Mr Average in his humbrum Ford Focus.
 
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You should go for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s they are a very good tire on the dry and will last ok.
 
Jesus:wtf:

Most tyres from reputable manufacturers are easily adequate for the mass produced production cars that we all drive, there really isn’t much in it at all. And yes, I’m including every engine range.

I often read posts from people saying that they’ve spent £xxx on brake pads and special vented discs.....why? What they came with are perfectly adequate for the car. Does make me chuckle.

Now, if we all drove McLaren F1’s I’d agree that perhaps some homework on tyres and brakes might be needed......but we don’t.

Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Continental, Dunlop etc are all adequate for the cars we drive.

I wish I had these worries:whistle2:
 
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