jakematic

My 2012 has the 20" 10 spoke wheels and Eagle Asymetric F1 tires.
I despise the Eagle due to the road noise they make - especially on the grooved and rough surface concrete roads we tend to have in the South.
The ride is OK, handling is good.

The 5,000 mile service is due and my initial thought was to get them replaced at that time.
Now I'm not sure what to do because of the limited number of options in that size.

Essentially the only tire I'd get in that size is the ContiSportContact3.
BUT the surveys on TireRack aren't close to what I'd like to hear and I'm not sure they would be that much quieter/better.

The Conti DW that I had on the D3 were amazing and the Primacy MXV4 on my pre-Audi vehicles were fantastic.
Winter tires are not an issue here...

I really don't like the 19" 10 spoke wheel and would have ordered with the ones I have had this A8 not been on the lot optioned the way it was.
Looking at the options the 19" 15 spoke W12 wheel looks good to me and would allow me to put on the Michelin Pilot Super Sport which have fantastic reviews.
That would be a cost of around $4,000 with 4 new wheels - we'll ignore the spare for the moment.

Although the cost is not an issue, I'm just not sure it's worth it.
Should I consider it or just live with what I consider awful tires ?
Any advice and counsel is greatly appreciated here.

Thanks in advance - Jake


ps- It would take a hell of a lot of convincing for me to even think about considering anything Pirelli

tx170754

Jake,
I'm not so sure if your 20" wheel is the same as my 2008 S8 20" but I have the DWS's on my car and I'm extremely happy, I would strongly reccomend them.

jakematic

They are 265/40/20 according to the spec sheet.
I can't find a DW or DWS for that size

Unfortunately I've never been able to wrap my head around tire/wheel sizes and rely on sites like TireRack and people here to talk me through it...

tx170754

Mine are 265/35/20, ask Tire Rack if they fit your car.

jakematic

You may have just solved this, the Pilot Super Sports are available in that size.
Am checking with a friend at Goodyear to see what he thinks too.

Would the ride be much different from 40 to 35 ?

I'd go for the DWS but they are a little louder than I'd like - we have them on the A6.

tx170754

The ride would be the same. The DWS are extremely quiet, maybe because the S8 soundproofing. I also have them on our SL, I'm trying to imagine how quiet would the Michelin be.

subterFUSE

I have been running Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 and Pilot Super Sports on my BMW for the past 7 years. I will likely never buy another brand of tire again. They are awesome!

Great performance.
Great handling.
Very quiet.
Very smooth ride.

Audis or VWs 4Life

If you have a 20x9 wheel you should be able to fit 275 width tires no problem. 265 options tend to be limited and far more expensive. 275 opens up your tire options almost exponentially. Oh and yes to the Super Sports, probably the best tire Stay Puft Marshmallow man has ever made.

jakematic

Thanks guys !
This is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.

Misha also suggested the 275's.

Someday I'll figure all these numbers out - never took the time to understand what they mean but am learning.

jakematic

Crap.

The Pilot Super Sport doesn't come in 275/40/20 and I don't need the S in the DWS.

The search continues.