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Audi A3 Tire/Wheel Questions
What the expected lifetime in mileage is for the all season tires vs. the performance tires on the A3? It's a no cost option to get the sport package with all seasons.... instead of performance tires. Are we talking 30 K vs. 40K miles, or more of a difference?
'15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
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Even with the difference in the life of the tires, and even though Performance tires would mean a set of winter tires for me, I'd still opt for the Performance tires.
Best Regards,
Shipo
DL
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Best Regards,
Shipo
I can't rotate my staggered unidirectionals, so 13K is about where the rubber stops. It's worth every stinkin' penny, says I.
The first one 2006 - 6 speed red/black cloth,
I loved the car, but after 8,000 miles I thought I heard wheel bearing growl. At 13,000 miles I paid for a alignment, at 16,000 miles the tires were replaced, I split the cost of them with the dealer. The tires had been rotated at 5,000which is when they got really bad then at 8,000, again at 13,000.
The tires sounded as though there were four snow tires on the car and vibration that reverberated throughout.
The dealer recomended Michelin Pilots the second go-round. After 4000 miles the tire noise was back, at 6000 miles they were at 50%, the dealer recomends replacing them with a set of Continentals, as the service mgrs just back from Audi school, this issue having been a topic of discussion.
The dealer would pro rate my second set towards the third set. There was only 22,000 miles on the car. I never had any other problems with this car.
The dealer had no resolve to the problem.
So I traded it on a used 2007 A3 6 speed S-line with the open sky system,with 10,600 miles, I noticed irregular wear on the front tires, on the lot, the car is in the dealer now, waiting on the verdict.
My courtesy loaner is an 2008 A3, automatic, that has 1700 miles on it and I heard the same familar tire sound, they have the same feathering/scolloping wear.
Am I nuts????? Am I the only one that has or notices this problem?????
This is an expensive car anyway, toss in a set or two of tires once a year. That's crazy.
If this is a common issue SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!
There is obviously an issue with the suspension system and I hope that Audi figures it out soon or better yet at least responds to my e-mails sent to Audi Customer Care. I do believe that they are getting enough complaints about this issue now since the car is in its third year. Who wants to spend $700.00 every 7,500miles or so on tires.............anyone?
Report the tire issue if you have not done so already.
We got to act to claim our right.. (what am I?)
So please call the audi from Audi.com
But tires are such a small part of a car purchase, and replaceable, and a wear a tear item..... however, having to get them more often than every 20K miles either means your racing a lot or you have a problem in my book.
I was told about needing new tires every 5k miles so I signed up for, at the insistence of the Audi sales person, their "tires for life" program offered by Millennium Protection Group. I was going to take my car in today for it's rotation and balance when Audi service called me to tell me they were filing for bankruptcy and I would have to pay for it.
Has anybody else heard this? I cannot seem to get a hold of Millennium on the phone and I have emailed them too. :mad: Now Audi, who sold this to me, won't help me out and are shoving me off on Millennium. Any ideas??
Just say no to all the extra fees and costs they try to sell you at the dealer level. If it isn't backed by Audi of America, then it probably isn't worth buying at an Audi dealer.
Haven't you read CR that tells you all those add on warranties and programs are a complete and utter waste of money? Why pay now to some company that may or may not pay you back later?
The Mrs got a left-over 2008 Audi A3 this past summer and in the fall, we went through the routine of putting dedicated snow tires on it.
Two interesting items came to light:
Car came with its OEM default 17" wheels, but for snows, smaller is better and we had a set of existing 16" Audi rims from our prior 2000 A4.
To put them on the car, there were two basic questions:
1) would they fit?
2) how to refit for the Audi TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System)?
For the first, my online research had found that the UK version of the A3 comes standard with 16" wheels, so I suspected that the 16's would fit. In asking our local (USA) dealer, they claimed that 16's would NOT fit. So I had my local independent (and knowledgable) speed shop/garage try. They fit just fine.
Next up was the TPMS, as we would need to add a set of sensors onto these "old" rims. Long story short: Audi and VW don't use the same idential TPMS system ... and the A3 doesn't use the Audi TPMS, but instead, uses the VW TPMS.
So in conclusion, if you're looking to put snows on a 2008 A3, expect that 16" rims will fit and that for the TPMS, you'll need to pick up the VW version, not the Audi version.
-hh
I love the car, also a Summer 2008 model 2.0 T fwd manual trans. My only complaint is tire noise on any kind of rough pavement. Dealer says its normal for this car, I don't like it but overall the car is great.
You are not crazy. They have filed for bankruptcy and I am also very mad. Audi, who also sold this to me, won't help at all. Now I am out $$ for a program that I purchase in 2006!!!
Does anybody know if a class action lawsuit has been filed against Millennium yet? I would be interested in participating. I know in fact they have filed for bankruptcy because I got a letter from the lawyer handling their case.
amandabenford@sbcglobal.net
The first trip to the dealer resulted in them blaming the factory Pirelli P6's saying that it just happens around 20k miles. It seems a lot of people get this reaction. They did offer to pay for one of the new tires offered (Continentals) at a charge to me of approx $600. I declined. I wasn't impressed with their factory tire, why would I take their suggestion now? I got a full set elsewhere for $450. This did not help. It only got louder and louder.
I brought it back to the dealer yesterday and the tech questioned the quality of the new tires. After I then questioned the quality of the factory tire (P6), he replied "fair enough." Turns out it was the left rear wheel bearing. I thought for sure it was the suspension or weight dispersement due to the sound but that was it. Too bad that wasn't the diagnosis the first time around. I could have saved $450. The P6's still had plenty of life too, they said they were feathered.
At least I can hear myself think now.
Got a great deal last month on Tire Rack-Michelin Pilots under a 100 a piece! Awesome sound deadening, excellent traction.
Change out the stock Pirelli's and you will be enjoying our A3 in a whole different way.
I am having a similar problem. My A3 S-line came with Perrelli tires. They were noisy from the start. But I persevered, hoping they would quite down with time. At the 15K service they rotated the tires as part of the service. They were even noiser now. I love this car with a passion, but I hates these tires. Do you or anyone on the forum, recommend a quite, but a high performance all-season tire. These tires only have 20 k on them, I cannot stand them anymore. Thanks in advance.
Tony
aattard
do you still have the phone No. you called ? Thanks.
aattard
Which Bridgestone were they. I am looking at bridgestones to replace the OEM perrellis on my 2008 A3 S-line. Thanks.
aattard
Thanks
Not to mention speed rating. V and higher speed rated tires are designed for grip and not for wear.
- AND - Unless you are willing to pay extra, you will not be able to select the tires that come on the vehicle. So if you want something other than what it comes with, be prepared to "pony up".
I shopped around and read a lot on this forum and a couple others and went with 4 new Dunlop SP Sport Signature 225/45ZR17 94W's:
http://tinyurl.com/29yqtam
I live in Northern Virginia, so I'm only in the snow maybe 10 times a year, and only on wet roads maybe 20% of the time, so the Dunlops seemed like good all-around tires for the place I live.
The tires with installation ran me about $525 and the labor another $80, so I got out of there around $600 poorer, but my A3 was immediately smoother, quieter, and cornered better, so I'm happy.
The car has Pirelli P6 Four Season, they are BAD. Leo
1) Do the tires have irregular wear?
Irregular wear can generate a considerable amount of noise. This is usually caused by mis-alignment - and by mis-alignment I mean alignment settings that aren't good for tire wear - which is common on many European vehicles (especially German vehicles!) In particular, any camber over 1° tends to develop irregular wear.
If you have such a vehicle, then you need to find an alignment shop who is willing and knowledgable enough to be able to dial out the camber that the vehicle manufacturer put in. They did this for handling purposes and one of the unfortunate side affects is irregular tire wear - which isn't a concern for European motorists.
While some tires are more prone to irregular wear than others, you can really cut the risk by getting the alignment set for good tire wear, rather than handling.
2) If the problem is the tread pattern, then you need to be aware that road surface texture plays a role in tire noise. Since road surfaces vary widely through the US, you should consult with a local tire dealer. He will know what works in your area - and it will be different from place to place.
So your first step is to find an alignment shop who will work with you to get the camber under a degree. Your second step is to talk to a local tire dealer. Sometimes these are the same person.
Tirerack has survey results posted for each tire, and tire noise is one of the many ratings. I prefer a quiet ride, but wet traction and comfort are at the top of my list, at least for an all-season.
Is there a recommended alignment setup to reduce the tire wear? Factory settings seem to chew right through them, especially Nexen all-seasons - they were brand new on the car when I bought it and I can't recommend them.
Regarding winter tires, anyone run a taller, more narrow tire on their stock 17"s?
And toe is a multiplier for tire wear problems. The toe needs to be as close to the target value as possible.
Really one of the better upgrades I've done that made a noticeable difference and improvement with the way the car drove thank to the loss of 10lbs of unsprung weight per corner.
I'm all about having good handling, so I wouldn't want to change my camber or toe settings for more tire mileage, just find a tire that can handle the A3's demands.
I'd imagine you'd want to run taller tires in the winter to give you more ground clearance, though where I live, there is no such thing as Winter.
What is the correct response to that argument?