Recommended Tyres for Allroad?

[Mudplugger]

My 2003 Allroad is at the point where it needs new tyres, so I'd appreciate some advice if possible.

The current double-spoke wheels are standard size and will be staying. The current tyres are also standard size (225/55R17) and I'll be sticking with that size.

The car spends most of its life on motorways, so quietness and fuel economy are important to me. However I do occasionally travel down country lanes with enthusiasm, carry heavy loads, tow heavy things and venture off tarmac.

The car left the factory with Pirelli Allroad, I know, but when I bought it had budget tyres fitted which (unfortunately?) have lasted well.

But it's now time to buy another pair of tyres, at least, so what would the panel recommend?

 

[adamss24]

If you were happy with the Pirelli's why change ? I have a set of cheappo accelera budget tyres on my spare 17" alloys for winter and Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta on my fat 5 alloys for summer...

 

[Mudplugger]

I don't know if I would be happy with the Pirellis or not, hence...

The car left the factory with Pirelli Allroad, I know, but when I bought it had budget tyres fitted which (unfortunately?) have lasted well.

The question is, now that the time has come to remove the worn-out budget tyres that were newly fitted when I bought the car, what should I be getting?

Ideally I'd like something with a hard outer edge, as that seems to wear first.

 

[ms1083]

Just the same problem. Mine came with almost worn out fronts and half worn accelera on the back. Had it 18months, bought pirelli allroads (225/55/17W) for the front and they only lasted 10,000 miles. accelera no visible wear compared to when I bought it!!
Then swapped the accelera to the front to try to wear them out to get some better tyres, and got another set of pirelli allroads on the back - thats how it is now and the pirelli are half worn since Feb and the accelera still not wearing down!

Prefer the pirelli as definately better grip in wet mud/snow (mainly driven on rural roads with some off roading so I do need the all condition tyres). But I am not liking their lifespan at all especially when considering their price compared to the budget tyre.

Not sure why this is. Are the pirelli made of soft rubber to enable them to be all season/road or is it just that the load rating on the pirelli is 97 and on the accelera is 101?

Plan to try the Continental Premium contact 2 next. Reason is that they are still a good quality tyre, I THINK they are allroad/all season (although not advertised as such on kwik fit website) but they have load index of 101 - will be interesting so see if it is that that makes the difference.

Any suggestions very very welcome.

 

[Mudplugger]

Ouch, just 10k miles from the Pirelli Allroads. At 30k+ miles/annum, I can't afford to run them!

Just taken a look at a review of the Continental you mentioned - Continental Premium Contact 2 - tyre reviews, the online tyre guide - which describes it as "a Premium Touring Summer tyre..." Are you sure that's what you want?

That same website - Audi ALLROAD 2.5 TDI Tyres - tyre reviews, the online tyre guide - suggests looking at:
- Nokian WRG2
- General Grabber UHP
... so I'll read those reviews in due course.

Looks like we're not the first on this forum to have this discussion either:
http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/handling/51358-allroad-tyres-ones-safe-use-non-allroad-tyres.html
from which we get:
- Goodyear Eagle F1
- Uniroyal Rainsport 1

There are some more ideas here too:
Allroad Tyre Excessive Wear - Audi Forums

More research needed, I think...

 

[Mudplugger]

General Grabber UHP are looking looking pretty good in the reviews e.g. General Grabber UHP - tyre reviews, the online tyre guide albeit not that many people have commented, but definitely worth a further look.

My only concern, having previously tried General Grabber MTs on a Land Rover, is that the side walls were very weak compared with other comparable tyres I tried (Cooper Discoverer STT and Yokohama Y812 I think) and I ripped through them on various trackside debris long before the tread wore out.

Given the comments elsewhere as to the Allroad's preference for stiff sidewalls, does anybody have any experience of these General Grabber UHP tyres on an Allroad?

 

[Fraser]

i will be putting some of the uniroyal rainsport2's on mine very shortly, still got the OEM tyres on, the contis are what audi recommend last time I check, the load index thing is a confusing space also, RS6 does not have the same requirement for the higher load rating as specified for the allroad

 

[Mudplugger]

Fraser,

Thanks for your comments. Do you have Allroad or RS6? If Allroad I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Uniroyals after you have been running them for a while.

 

[reggieroo]

I'm also looking for new tyres to fit the the S6 & wondering what to fit. I did have some crap wanli budget tyres fitted to my old allroad when I bought it & couldn't complain, it was still amazing in the snow etc but didn't have the car long enough to see what problems they would bring. I think with the quattro system grip isn't so much of an issue for us as a non quattro owners, probably more the wear rates of tyres if cash is a concern.

Now I have spent a considerable amount of time reading reviews of mid range tyres & came out with one tyre at the top, Kumho KU39. I won't fit budget, cheapo tyres myself as I've had no end of problems with them I the past, uneven wear, cracking etc, just found they were false economy so only mid range for me like Avon, falken, kumho etc.

I looked into allseaon tyres & found them hard to find in my size of 255/35/19 & also found a lot of info on winter tyres. With winter tyres they are actually a very soft compound so they don't harden up at cold temperatures still giving you good grip at cold temps. The problem is they also wear out fast, especially if you keep them on all year round. Most low profile tyres you look at are summer tyres but like I said with the quattro system it should still be good all year round. From what I read the tyres with the V tread where great in the rain but not much good in the snow. So it all depends on what you want from a tyre with regards to cost, grip etc.

 

[Fraser]

Fraser,

Thanks for your comments. Do you have Allroad or RS6? If Allroad I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Uniroyals after you have been running them for a while.

allroad 2001, will let you know for sure

in terms of the uniroyals I put them on the wifes A4, good in the snow and we are happy with them in the rain and overall so far - they were put on in January 2011. seem to wear well, some noise when turning due to tread pattern but this lessens as they break in

they are quieter than the goodyears eagles they replaced

 

[Mudplugger]

Just checked out the reviews on Uniroyal Rainsport 2 - tyre reviews, the online tyre guide and they look pretty good, albeit based on smaller and lighter cars than we have, the only real criticisms being:

• grip in snow
• sidewall stiffness & strength

The former limitation I can live with because we don't get that much snow in the South East, and when we do the Quattro system will ensure that I can keep moving long after a FWD has stopped.

The sidewall remarks concern me though because IIRC the Pirelli Allroads were designed with especially stiff sidewalls to suit the heavy Allroad, and I routinely encounter a lot of pot-holes due to the poorly-surfaced track I live at the end of. Like the reviewer with the Subaru Legacy, I can't afford to rupture 5 tyre sidewalls in as many weeks.

I'm looking forward to reading your feedback after you've had a chance to test them for a while.

 

[Fraser]

not sure about the sidewall thing, how would i tell?

the load index is 101 so should all be good for the weight of the car

i say go for the grabbers, be interesting to hear how you get on.

 

[liquids3]

I dont have a allroad but work in a tyre depo!,id recomend the new bridgestone allroads!,got some memos through about them they sound good and in its tyre tests!,look good as wel!,for driving in england allround tyre great!,plus best to have branded tyres if you drive on the motorway alot false ecconamy otherwise!

 

[Fraser]

I dont have a allroad but work in a tyre depo!,id recomend the new bridgestone allroads!,got some memos through about them they sound good and in its tyre tests!,look good as wel!,for driving in england allround tyre great!,plus best to have branded tyres if you drive on the motorway alot false ecconamy otherwise!

what are these called? no mention of a dedicated allroad tyre on the bridgestone website

 

[liquids3]

Sorry mate they are a001 weather control tryes!,they are new though!

 

[toadusmodus]

Can't find out for certain, but doesn't look like they do them in the correct size.

Bridgestone A001 Tyres | Tyre Searcher