jmgard58

When I had my '13 A6q 3.0 sport package in for the 15,000 mile service I asked the tech if they had rotated the tires....his response:
"No, we don't recommend rotating tires. The alignment setup is dramatically different from front to back and once the tires ride at one end of the car they get worn in such a manner that they would act up if they were rotated."

? ? ?

Any idea if he's correct?

jmgard58

Of course I've "R'd TFM" and it says to rotate based on the tire manufacturers recommendations... (no help there.)

tenspeed

He may be correct but I'm not buying it.

I've always rotated tires to get the most wear out of the set. I also put the best tires on the right side since I take left hand turns faster. I guess it's a feeling of safety since trees have to travel further to get to me... Here's a rotation chart.

snagitseven

Rotating tires is necessary to get the most out of the tread life. The fronts wear differently than the rears due to the stress of cornering, the car's front weight bias and the tire shoulders will wear out faster than the rears. With quattro and high performance radial tires, over the years I've learned it's best to rotate fronts with rears on the same sides. Otherwise, if crossed side to side, the tires will be traveling in opposite directions assuming the tires need to be same side out. This can potentially place stress on the tire belts causing vibrations, premature wear or even failure.

newmoon

The dealer I go to actually has it as a $30 up-sell on their service price list because it is not included in the maintenance schedule or AudiCare. Other items on that list that they push include things such as fuel injector cleaning, engine oil flush, and air induction service.

Since my car is front wheel drive, I have been getting the rotation, and the tread has been wearing evenly.

dicktahoe

Michelin will not cover the full tire-wear warantee if you fail to rotate tires.

keithl

Huh? My dealer was going to rotate my tires and told up them not to because I only let discount tires touch the wheels and tires.

PJRed2008

My dealer does this for free, whether or not I have the car in for something else, and I rotate every 5000 miles. Used to go 3000, but don't think that's necessary for modern tires.

Another benefit of rotating, the lug nuts and wheels are broken free and cleaned on a regular basis.

jmgard58

Thanks guys.... I think I'll just go back to rotating my tires myself like I did with my A4. I don't want to have to fuss at the service writer when I ask him again!

An interesting find when I was R'ingTFM...the recommended air pressures are crazy lower than the door post. For the 19" sport package, summer tires is F36/R33 which is a lot lower in the rear than the F39/R42 (from the post) I had been running. The 9# change in the rears is crazy weird...

NVThs1

Perfect timing on this thread. I am changing into my summers as soon as I have the chance. I was debating doing a rotation, but I thought AWD you leave alone. I am going to rotate this time and moving forward during the change out process.