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New tires for my A6

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Old 12-05-2002, 04:34 PM
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Default I'm enjoying my Firestone SZ50's on the 4.2

About 1500 miles and so far so good. Quiet, good traction in the rain, handle well, not harsh. Ultra-high performance instead of max performance, so I expect longer life and quieter wear. You might want to check them out.
Old 12-05-2002, 05:02 PM
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They are loud, but not as loud as the S-03s.
Old 12-05-2002, 05:10 PM
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Default I like my Toyo T1-S's

I upgraded to 17" wheels on my 2.7T this spring and put Toyo T1-S's on...
They've been geat so far. The noise doesn't seem any worse than any comparable tire I've had.
If you're not prepared to run a set of winter tires, though, don't buy these. If it even smells like snow, I'm afraid to drive with them. I did it once, never again.
I put Dunlop Winter Sport M2's on my factory 16" wheels last week just in time...
Old 12-05-2002, 05:13 PM
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Default True, but they don't sell Toyo...

I've been buying most of my tires there for years. Always highly satisfied. They know their tires, and the customer ratings on the Web site really help you get an idea about how a tire will perform.
Old 12-05-2002, 06:39 PM
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Default I'm not sure if that's a good price. I avoided the Toyo because my installer thought...

... they were better on lighter cars. The S-03s cost me $200 each at Tirerack, and are stiffer than the Toyos. I certainly have no complaints.

While some people agree with my installer, I'm not sure that the Toyos wouldn't be good on a heavy A6. I'm sure, however, that they are grippy as hell.<ul><li><a href="http://www.netwiz.net/~jds/files/a6_links.html#tires">http://www.netwiz.net/~jds/files/a6_links.html#tires</a</li></ul>
Old 12-05-2002, 08:09 PM
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Default Re: New tires for my A6

Thanks for all the good info (and links).

I have pleanty of info to pick new rubber, but now the question is... do I need new tires?

I have 20K on the current 9000's, and I have a new 9000 as my spare in the trunk. I assumed that I have probably used 2/3 of the tread on these tires, and that running the new tire would cause a problem due to differences in the diameter (especially with Quatro).

Does Audi really replace single tires on this car at 18,000?

I'll definately buy 4 new tires if that is the safe thing to do, but is it foolish?

Thanks again,

Jason

P.S. April, I wouldn't expect you to remember, but I actually bought my car from you! (I drove down from San Francisco to pick it up).
Old 12-05-2002, 10:27 PM
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Default My original tires lasted only 15k. Check your wear bars.

You probably know about the wear bars... a small raised area in the main tread groove. If you have worn down to near that bar, probably best to replace all 4.

At that mileage, I'd avoid putting on one new. If you don't replace all 4, perhaps you can find a matching used one?

I'd just buy new ones. Tires are the main safety item on your car. Older tires often do not perform as well as they should, even if there is tread left, especially regarding hydroplaning, I would think. Rubber ages, so if they get 4 years old, they need replacing, even if new (at least some types of tires, esp high silica rubber compounds... my MXV3 tires on my old Honda became hard and had fine cracks). They also get noisy.
Old 12-06-2002, 05:42 AM
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My S03s are the quietest tires I ever had on my Audi, including stocks.
Old 12-06-2002, 08:44 AM
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Default 35-40k on my SP9000's

I've got a 2000 2.7T with SP9000's with 47k on the odometer. Snows were on for probably 8-9000 miles of that. I'll probably replace them next spring (hopefully new wheels at the same time) but they still have usable tread left - not down to the wear bars.

I haven't tracked the car (yet) and probably drive relativley conservatively compared to others on this board. My point is you may have another 20k miles left on your tires and it might be worth just replacing the one. I'd suggest measuring the tread depth to see how much is really left. It was 10/32" new.
Old 12-06-2002, 08:50 AM
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Default We have both S-03s and Toyos on almost identical cars.

As well as Pilots, and Goodyear Eagles. The Pilots are super sticky but snap break-away and incredibly noisy. The Goodyears are smushy cruiser tires than can had cheaply as take-offs.

The S-03s and Toyos are with 1 sec of each other at the track on the same car. The S-03s have a stiffer sidewall which makes them feel sportier at low speeds as well as perhaps injecting more feel in heavy, feedback damped cars. They are one of the heavier tires out there, and very prone to tramliningas they age. They tend to thump and twang over surface imperfections.

The Toyo T1 S has a slightly softer sidewall which means a smoother ride, but a little longer transition on turn-in - not an autocross tire;-) Once commited, they communicate just as well as the S-03, but that moment of "dead" feel can unerve drivers who aren't familiar with it. They are one of the lightest tires you can buy. They have more of a constant hum compared to the S-03.

In rain the Toyo wins the feedback game. The S-03s seems to have too stiff a sidewall, which can filter out some of the message in their determination to provide straight ahead stability. You can feel the steering wheel squirm when hydro-planing in deeper water when driving the Toyo.

Both take hard driving very well with little fade and predictable break-aways. They seem to wear about the same.


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