B7Night

What pressure do most of you keep your tires at? When I got my new Allroad from the dealer earlier this month, I was sorta disappointed in its handling. It turned out the problem was that the dealer had set the tire pressure way below the recommendations on the door sill sticker. Now the pressures are at the recommended pressures on the sticker. The car handles much better, though like my B7 A4, I can feel every road imperfection. It is kinda funny to think a wagon could handle as well this car does. I still remember the gigantic wagon ocean liners that floated down the road when I was a kid. The Allroad may not hold quite as much as those old beasts, but it's so much more fun to drive.

TREGinginCO

I run mine at 36psi

plat27265

Try dropping 2 PSI from what's posted on your car's door jamb (the sticker) and see how that feels. Those posted tire pressures are for when the car has a full load. If only 2 people are on board most of the time, you can decrease the tire pressure a bit.

superswiss

Your user manual lists the proper tire pressure. The problem with the door sticker in the US is that it only lists the full load tire pressure. For the normal load tire pressure you have to look in the user manual. Driving around with a practically empty car at full load tire pressure can cause premature wear in the center of the tires, because the car is too light for the tire pressure, so the tire is not making full contact with the road. Normal tire pressure can be 5-6 or more psi lower than what's on the door sticker.

If you want better handling, speak quicker steering response etc. you should look into performance tires with a stiffer side wall. It's all a trade off between tire wear, ride comfort and handling. You can play with the tire pressure and set it at normal, somewhere in between or at full load, depending on your preference.

B7Night

I found the tire pressure chart. Don't know how I missed it. I adjusted the pressure to 32 psi front and rear, like the chart showed, and now the wagon drives much better. The dealer had the tires set at 29 psi originally. The 3 psi made a big difference. The car no longer wonders all over, or plows in turns. My old A4 and Jetta were also really effected by low tire pressure.

snagitseven

Usually, dealer over inflate the tires at delivery. I would add that using the full load door sticker PSIs (full luggage, 4 people) for everyday use not only can cause uneven tread wear, it results in a harsh ride.

B7Night

When I test drove two Allroads at the dealer, both had very over inflated tires. I made comments about the ride to the dealer, and was told they were overinflated to prevent flat spotting due to sitting in one place for long periods.

snagitseven

Urban legend. Steel belted tires, no matter the tire pressure, will tend to flat spot if sutting for any length of time, especially in cold temps. A few lbs of PSI won't make much difference. The belts will return to their normal state after driving for a mile or so. One would think a dealer would be more interested in a potential buyer's impressions of ride comfort from a test drive.

B7Night

That actually happened once. I was in for service and a couple had just test drove an B8 A4. They complained about how harsh it road. I had already had experience driving a couple of the dealer B8 loaners and couldn't understand what they were talking about. The loaners drove softer than my B7 A4. I now understand what was going on. The dealer had over inflated the tires. It did backfire for the dealer as the couple chose not to buy due to the harsh ride.

snagitseven

You can frequently read about over-filled tires in the forums from new owners who recently picked up a new Audi and complains about the harsh ride. Inevitably, someone jumps on with a post and tells them to check the tire pressures. Sure enough, they were set to the max load door label PSIs. After they reduce the PSIs to the manual's recommendation, all is usually right with the world again.