fcd

As far as I know there are two versions - One with the "plus" and one without. As far as I can tell they have different speed ratings (the plus is a "V" and the other is an "H") and different treadwear (700 vs 500). Seems like the plus is better on paper...

Another thing to consider, the original OEM tires (contipros I believe) may have been an "H" as far as I can remember, so not sure if it matters if you put tires with a higher speed rating (V). Hopefully there won't be any adverse impact, I guess as long as the load rating is the same (100). This unfortunately I'm not sure as I'm no tire guru.

snagitseven

[QUOTE=Maverick61;24568445]Yea Snagit - I used to feel the same about Pirelli's but have come to realize that thinking was wrong.

FWIW - LOTS of people find the P7 great. It is ranked #1 in its class at Tirerack by owners:

Isn't the P7 listed as a "Grand Touring" A/S tire on TireRack? That's three levels below their Ultra High A/S performance category. I guess it depends on what you're looking for but I prefer to stay in the UHP A/S category for realizing the best handling potential of the A6, especially when considering the usual performance handicap of A/S vs. dedicated summer tires.

Maverick61

[QUOTE=snagitseven;24568483]Yes - they are in different classes. And I did note the P7 was tops in "its class."

The Op said "My driving skilles are Normal, i dont go for raceing or on Track.. Just a normal driver..." - in which case a grand touring tire is more than adequate for him.

Really, UHP is overkill for most folks. The differences between categories are not that great for most people - rather a lot of it is marketing driven. I have had UHP, HP, Grand Touring tires on a number of my vehicles and really detected little difference in day to day handling (and I tend to drive fast and corner hard - so I drive more aggressively than the average driver). Now if you track your car - that is different. Or if you were driving on the Autobahn at very high speeds, that is different. But for normal day to day driving in the US, any of those categories will do. It depends on your priorities.

The UHP will be a softer compound to give extra grip but have less of a treadlife.

The GT will provide less road noise and a more comfortable ride while still providing good handling for most circumstances.

Generally UHP tires may have a higher speed rating than GT tires, but not always. But again, the difference in the real world is minimal.

From Michelin:

Speed Ratings Refer to More Than Just Speed

Speed ratings make a difference not only in regards to speed, but in regards to ride comfort, wear and cornering ability. Typically, the higher the speed rating, the better the grip and stopping power, but the lower the tread life. You can always increase the speed rating of the tires on your vehicle for improved performance, but can never decrease it without reducing the vehicle top speed to that of the lower speed rating selected.

http://www.michelinman.com/tires-101...read-life.page



FWIW - here is how Tirerack describes the categories:

Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires - You want all-season versatility (including light snow traction) and are willing to trade some dry and wet traction and handling to get it. Branded with the M+S symbol, these ultra low profile tires are designed to provide year-round traction (even in light snow) through tread designs and compounds that remain more flexible in the cold weather to help blend all-season traction with very good handling and high-speed capabilities.

High Performance All-Season Tires - You want all-season versatility (including light snow traction) to drive your sports coupe or sedan in all weather conditions. Branded with the M+S symbol, these low profile tires are designed to provide year-round traction (even in light snow) through tread designs and compounds that remain flexible in the cold weather to help blend all-season traction with good handling.

Grand Touring All-Season Tires - You want all-season versatility (including light snow traction) and responsive handling along with noise and ride comfort. Branded with the M+S symbol and capable of providing year-round traction (even in light snow), these tires are designed to blend a performance tire's appearance with a passenger tire's smooth, quiet ride. Grand Touring All-Season tires are often used as Original Equipment and place more emphasis on handling and high-speed capabilities than Standard Touring tires



Bottom line - you need to look at a tires specs and not fall for the pure marketing of a certain category. For example here is your Bridgestone vs the P7:

Potenza RE970AS Pole Position - 100 Load Index, W speed rated, 400 Tread life, AA Traction, A temperature ratings - You should note that W speed rated tires are typically made for exotic sport cars with max speed capability of 168 mph

Pirelli PirelliCinturato P7 All Season Plus - 100 Load Index, V speed rated, 700 Tread life, A Traction, A temperature ratings - You should note that V speed rated tires are typically made for sport sedans, coupes and sport cars with max speed capability of 149 mph

So performance wise, their really is not that much difference for normal day to day driving. You can see the difference in the specs is minimal - the Bridgestone UHP tire is rated a little higher (AA vs A) on traction. The P7 GT tire is rated higher (700 vs 400) on treadlife wear. Either speed rating of V or W works well for the A6

snagitseven

That's all fine and well but there will still be no Pirelli in my future. Too much bad juju.

davidglt66

Thanks for the comments. For me the worst tire I had was a Bridgestone so for each of us our tire experiences are different. Glad there are choices to please everyone!!
I like Dunlop Wintersports, but the Michelin Xi3 are okay jsut not as good on dry pavement. Most of my rentals in Europe generally have the Wintersports on year round as they are required in Germany and Austria when the snow flies. Glad everyone is paying attention to tires, they make all the difference.

neunelf

That settles it then!

DB22

So "then" is the Michelin and "than" is the Pirelli? I'm still not sure which tires you prefer.

TVR1977

I, too, am a Michelin fan, and would not put Pirellis on any car.

However, if you are looking for an all season HP tire, and you get a moderate to high amount of snow where you live, I would consider the Continental DWS tire. They offer reasonable (good) performance in the dry, but in the snow, they are in a class of their own. I've had them on 2 previous Audi's and was pretty happy with them.

GoinAudiMyMind

Purchased 2012 A6 w/Pirelli P-zeros. Were great...at first...but after 5K plus miles they became unbearably loud, embarrassing actually for $55,000 vehicle. Replaced them with Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS w/o any depreciable change in handling or performance. They are still going strong (and quite) with 14,000 miles on them.

snagitseven

My experience exactly. Except I didn't wait for 5K miles as I dumped the P-Zeros after the first 500 miles on my 2013. My RE970AS now have almost 25K and handle the same as when new and as good as the P-Zeros w/o the noise. Also, there's still about 1/3 of useful tread to go. BTW, at the time, I chose the UHP RE970AS based on published reviews and road tests, not the specs.