Which tires give you the smoothest ride and the longest thread life without giving up too much performance??? Performance is about 3rd on my priority. The sport package on my A4 is a little harsher than I thought so I want to go to 17" but not give up too much harshenss in the process. Any specific tires? Pirrelli's? Potenzas? Goodyears? Continentals? <p>Help???<p>I am a first time writer so please do not tell me to look in the archives. A very simple answer will suffice. If you think this subject has been repeated, you can skip my post. <p>I just found your site today after purchasing my 99 A4 2.8QMS one week ago. <p>Sincerely, <p>Wayne Sheppard

Gosh....you sound like were gonna pounce on you. Were here to help. :-)<p>To answer your question, if you feel that the 16" sports package is harsher than you<br>thought, I would not go to 17" wheels/tires if I were you. Just being honest here. It<br>will be "more" harsh. Best bet is to get together with a local A4 owner and take a<br>ride with them to see for yourself. There are alot of A4 owners that visit here....and<br>alot of local clubs. Let people know the your general locale, and they most likely<br>can help.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM<br>NorCal A4 Owners Club<br>http://www.ns.net/~seang<ul><li><a href="http://www.ns.net/~seang">Sean's A4 Page / NorCal A4 Owners Club</a></li></ul>

Well the guys at UP's stopped by and delivered my tires the night before Turkey day. I decided to buy the Pirellie P7000 Summer tire beacuse according to Tire Rack they are Softer in ride and quiet. They offer both a summer tire and a All season tire. The all season tire is about 15% less sticky as the summer tire and last about 40% longer. All my info came from the guys at Tire Rack any way.... I got my 18" tires and i though that it would be a very very harsh ride. My brother has 17 inch BBS RK wheels and S1 Yokohama Tires and that car is very stiff. The tires are a bit noisyer than mine and it feels stiffer.<p>I noticed that the P7000 Summer tire is very forgiving. i am runing 225/40/18 and when i go over those buttons on the road they are very smooth and not too harsh. on my brothers Si tires you can feel it and it will let you knwo that the buttons are there. I would give the P7000 a try first i think you will be very very happy!<p>one thing that you might not like is when you for from 16" to 17" that mild float you get during highway speeds gets amplified. i have alot more float on my car than i did with my 16" wheels.<p>Give the guys at Tire Rack a Call and talk to them about ride and comfort. you can also see some stats on their web site.<p>www.tirerack.com<p>Take care!<br>JC M. (ABT StageII, on 18"R's)<br>

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will look into the Pirrelli P7000 at the local tire dealer and will probably give Gary@Ronal a call or e-mail and see if he can get together a nice 17" Ronal set with those Pirrelli's or maybe he can suggest even some softer tires.<p>I really appreciate the replies.<p>Sincerely,<p>Wayne S.

Thanks for the tip.

Currently I have Goodyear Eagle GA 205/55-16 (came with the car) They have been on for 2 years. Quiet, very good grip treadwear is 260 and at 58,000KM they are in dire need of replacement.<p>I'm very satisfied with them, I'll get 225/50-16 for my next set of tires. I just need to find a brand and model... Any suggestions??<br>

The reason why you might be getting float is that with the increased tire diameter you need to stiffen up your suspension a complimentary amount - the bigger wheels result in an increased responsiveness to road changes that your suspension isn't used to dealing with, hence, the increased float. Performance-wise, it's been found (from a good consensus on this board) that it's definently a good idea to upgrade the suspension to something stiffer when you go with lower-profile tires. On stock suspension your upgraded wheel/tire package might actually feel darty and unconfident; definently two adjetives that you don't wanna use to describe your car's handling!!!! So upgrade it! =)<p>HTH, <p>Edmund Louie<br>98 A4Q 30V - 23,500 happy miles (so far)<br>18" Brabus V's, S-02, H&R Coilovers, super-powerful factory engine (all 190hp and maybe a little bit more haha)