Downgrade tire and wheel size to stop harsh drive
12-04-2016, 08:22 AM
#21
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Sorry didn't post this sooner,
So, the results are mixed and for me it's a no bueno.
The road force machine tested the front left tire as off by a significant margin, however, the other three all tested below the road force approval number which was .026.
I requested that they attempt to align it so that the number could get as low as possible and the employee informed me that once the machine approves the road force number, meaning the number was below .026, the machine did not tell them where to line up the rim because there was no need for any changes.
I'm certain that this shop was not experienced at all with what they were doing in regards to a road force test, however, the car is not as bad as it was, meaning the vibration has seen a drastic improvement and I don't feel every imperfection in the road as hard as I used to, however, the car still vibrates and is a very rough uncomfortable ride when reach over 50 so I have an appointment with an audi dealership this Tuesday to check it out.
P.S. Irrelevant to this topic, I replaced the stock grill with a mesh RS grill and added 20 mm wheel spacers to the rear tires. Have yet to drive it but hoping the spacers won't make the ride any worse.
So, the results are mixed and for me it's a no bueno.
The road force machine tested the front left tire as off by a significant margin, however, the other three all tested below the road force approval number which was .026.
I requested that they attempt to align it so that the number could get as low as possible and the employee informed me that once the machine approves the road force number, meaning the number was below .026, the machine did not tell them where to line up the rim because there was no need for any changes.
I'm certain that this shop was not experienced at all with what they were doing in regards to a road force test, however, the car is not as bad as it was, meaning the vibration has seen a drastic improvement and I don't feel every imperfection in the road as hard as I used to, however, the car still vibrates and is a very rough uncomfortable ride when reach over 50 so I have an appointment with an audi dealership this Tuesday to check it out.
P.S. Irrelevant to this topic, I replaced the stock grill with a mesh RS grill and added 20 mm wheel spacers to the rear tires. Have yet to drive it but hoping the spacers won't make the ride any worse.
12-04-2016, 06:13 PM
#22
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Sorry didn't post this sooner,
So, the results are mixed and for me it's a no bueno.
The road force machine tested the front left tire as off by a significant margin, however, the other three all tested below the road force approval number which was .026.
I requested that they attempt to align it so that the number could get as low as possible and the employee informed me that once the machine approves the road force number, meaning the number was below .026, the machine did not tell them where to line up the rim because there was no need for any changes.
I'm certain that this shop was not experienced at all with what they were doing in regards to a road force test, however, the car is not as bad as it was, meaning the vibration has seen a drastic improvement and I don't feel every imperfection in the road as hard as I used to, however, the car still vibrates and is a very rough uncomfortable ride when reach over 50 so I have an appointment with an audi dealership this Tuesday to check it out.
P.S. Irrelevant to this topic, I replaced the stock grill with a mesh RS grill and added 20 mm wheel spacers to the rear tires. Have yet to drive it but hoping the spacers won't make the ride any worse.
So, the results are mixed and for me it's a no bueno.
The road force machine tested the front left tire as off by a significant margin, however, the other three all tested below the road force approval number which was .026.
I requested that they attempt to align it so that the number could get as low as possible and the employee informed me that once the machine approves the road force number, meaning the number was below .026, the machine did not tell them where to line up the rim because there was no need for any changes.
I'm certain that this shop was not experienced at all with what they were doing in regards to a road force test, however, the car is not as bad as it was, meaning the vibration has seen a drastic improvement and I don't feel every imperfection in the road as hard as I used to, however, the car still vibrates and is a very rough uncomfortable ride when reach over 50 so I have an appointment with an audi dealership this Tuesday to check it out.
P.S. Irrelevant to this topic, I replaced the stock grill with a mesh RS grill and added 20 mm wheel spacers to the rear tires. Have yet to drive it but hoping the spacers won't make the ride any worse.
OK let me tell you that .026 run out is pathetic and is equivalent to 26 lbs!!! That would really vibrate the car badly and shake terribly at 60 plus mph. That is the average and max run out for a really bad tire but not a slightly out of round tire that a sensitive customer could feel. Also its not audi spec but the average industrial standard. In reality an excellent tire is below 10 lbs, a good one is 10-15 lbs, a fair is 15 to 20, and a BAD tire is 20 to 26 lbs or (.020 to 0.026).
Each automaker has different max run out.Audi spec is below 10-12 lbs or 0.012 or 0.015 run out. Lexus is 0.010 run out, BMW is 0.015 run out etc. Thus I need to know where you got that road force reading done at? Some places like discount tire have 0.026 set and that is because they dont adhere to different automakers run out max spec. They probably saw your tires being beyond 0.010 runout but below their 0.026 run out and say that its fine and are totally clueless about this.Hence why I HATE discount and avoid them and go to a proper high end euro independent mechanic with Hunter recommended by tirereack or my Audi Dealer.
Now, whatever runout you get, you take the runout number and multiple it by 100 to get the number in pounds. 0.010 run out is equivalent to 10 lbs. Thus, I am concern that the harsh ride and vibration is from your front left tire which you will FEEL at all time when driving since your seat is just behind that wheel/tire/ Since this shop is NOT experience please avoid them and take your car to your Audi dealer and they will rematch the tire to rim. So, definitely tell your Audi dealer to make sure that the tires are BELOW 10 lbs road force especially the fronts and have them print out the spec. Tell them its not acceptable for any tire/wheel combo above 10 lbs and the tech will rematch the tire. The Audi techs are trained to rematch the tire to the rim to get road force lowest as possible.
I have trained myself in this method and I can do it also. When I spin the wheel/tire combo and see that my runout or road force is 0.015 or 0.015 respectively, I would select the button on the machine to quick match and the machine will tell me where to mark with a white chalk the high spot of the tire and the low spot of the rim and tell me the predicted end result road force number such as 8 lbs or so after I properly align both of them. Then I will take the wheel off the machine, deflate, and move the tire around the rim to match the two lines I placed on the rim and tire respective and reinflate. Then i put i on the machine and remeasure the road force and usually it gets around 8 lbs or so and I am happy.
I am telling you I had those same tires and my 2016 Audi A7 with sports package was GLASS smooth at all speed and my A7 was smooth at 50, 60 , 70 plus mph and I couldnt detect a hint of speed related vibration. Those Contis were too smooth and soft so I switched to Michelins Pilot Sport AS3 and had them road force properly. When 1 tire was at 13 lbs I was feeling vibration in the steering wheel at 70 mph and I was annoyed so they tried to road force it below 10 lbs but couldnt so I got a free replacement tire and got it to 5 lbs and the vibration stopped.
Last edited by Baloo588; 12-04-2016 at 06:22 PM.
12-04-2016, 06:15 PM
#23
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Hey also spacers shouldnt make it vibrate or worse but lets get to the bottom of all 4 wheel/tire road force spec. Since you bought it recently your Audi dealer is obligated to road force all 4 wheel/tire free of charge under the Audi tire/wheel vibration policy in the manual so they shouldnt object. Keep me posted!!
I had a 2011 BMW 5 and 2013 Mercedes Ml350 with defective tires from factory that would vibrate on highway or give a non smooth ride and once I had dealers road force properly under 10 lbs and replace the bad tires its all good and smooth!
I had a 2011 BMW 5 and 2013 Mercedes Ml350 with defective tires from factory that would vibrate on highway or give a non smooth ride and once I had dealers road force properly under 10 lbs and replace the bad tires its all good and smooth!
12-04-2016, 06:59 PM
#24
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Hey also spacers shouldnt make it vibrate or worse but lets get to the bottom of all 4 wheel/tire road force spec. Since you bought it recently your Audi dealer is obligated to road force all 4 wheel/tire free of charge under the Audi tire/wheel vibration policy in the manual so they shouldnt object. Keep me posted!!
I had a 2011 BMW 5 and 2013 Mercedes Ml350 with defective tires from factory that would vibrate on highway or give a non smooth ride and once I had dealers road force properly under 10 lbs and replace the bad tires its all good and smooth!
I had a 2011 BMW 5 and 2013 Mercedes Ml350 with defective tires from factory that would vibrate on highway or give a non smooth ride and once I had dealers road force properly under 10 lbs and replace the bad tires its all good and smooth!
Baloo,
You have no idea how greatly I appreciate your input, this vibration is causing me to have great doubts about my car and we all know how much a 2016 a7 with all the gadgets costs.
When I went to do the road shock test (at STS tire which is now Mavis), I knew they had no clue because they called a gentleman from the dealership across the street to come over and request for him to show them how to do it, which I knew from watching videos the night before.
I am going to call up and request a refund for such poor service. I was able to move my appointment with Audi to tomorrow and will absolutely request this service to be done and hopefully the tech there will know.
12-05-2016, 08:08 PM
#25
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Baloo,
You have no idea how greatly I appreciate your input, this vibration is causing me to have great doubts about my car and we all know how much a 2016 a7 with all the gadgets costs.
When I went to do the road shock test (at STS tire which is now Mavis), I knew they had no clue because they called a gentleman from the dealership across the street to come over and request for him to show them how to do it, which I knew from watching videos the night before.
I am going to call up and request a refund for such poor service. I was able to move my appointment with Audi to tomorrow and will absolutely request this service to be done and hopefully the tech there will know.
You have no idea how greatly I appreciate your input, this vibration is causing me to have great doubts about my car and we all know how much a 2016 a7 with all the gadgets costs.
When I went to do the road shock test (at STS tire which is now Mavis), I knew they had no clue because they called a gentleman from the dealership across the street to come over and request for him to show them how to do it, which I knew from watching videos the night before.
I am going to call up and request a refund for such poor service. I was able to move my appointment with Audi to tomorrow and will absolutely request this service to be done and hopefully the tech there will know.
12-10-2016, 06:09 PM
#27
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This is a great thread as I am about to replace tires on my 16 S6 20's (currently on P-zeroes from factory) and thanks to Baloo I'll know what to look for when they balance them, thanks for the very informative posts!
P-zeroes seem to be known for being pretty bad so I was planning to replace them anyway, even before purchasing the car. Now at 5k miles and I'm already hearing more road noise. However I never had any issues with vibrating, being bouncy or harsh, also when going fast. I can do triple digits and the car still feels like it's on rails, same on my previous C7 A6 (without air suspension). Good that you brought it in because this is not normal I can tell you for sure.
P-zeroes seem to be known for being pretty bad so I was planning to replace them anyway, even before purchasing the car. Now at 5k miles and I'm already hearing more road noise. However I never had any issues with vibrating, being bouncy or harsh, also when going fast. I can do triple digits and the car still feels like it's on rails, same on my previous C7 A6 (without air suspension). Good that you brought it in because this is not normal I can tell you for sure.
12-10-2016, 06:43 PM
#28
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This is a great thread as I am about to replace tires on my 16 S6 20's (currently on P-zeroes from factory) and thanks to Baloo I'll know what to look for when they balance them, thanks for the very informative posts!
P-zeroes seem to be known for being pretty bad so I was planning to replace them anyway, even before purchasing the car. Now at 5k miles and I'm already hearing more road noise. However I never had any issues with vibrating, being bouncy or harsh, also when going fast. I can do triple digits and the car still feels like it's on rails, same on my previous C7 A6 (without air suspension). Good that you brought it in because this is not normal I can tell you for sure.
P-zeroes seem to be known for being pretty bad so I was planning to replace them anyway, even before purchasing the car. Now at 5k miles and I'm already hearing more road noise. However I never had any issues with vibrating, being bouncy or harsh, also when going fast. I can do triple digits and the car still feels like it's on rails, same on my previous C7 A6 (without air suspension). Good that you brought it in because this is not normal I can tell you for sure.
12-10-2016, 08:15 PM
#29
AudiWorld Super User
I just purchased a 2016 A7 with 20 inch rims and I love the damn thing, however, and yes there is a however, I cannot stand that I can feel every damn aspect of the road, it's such a relief when I get out of the car which deeply saddens me as is not a cheap car.
My question to you all more experienced and knowledgeable owners is whether or not getting tires with smaller rims with more sidewall would help decrease getting to know and feel the road so much, and if so what tires and rims/rim size is recommended.
If there is another way to stop that incredible firm drive and feeling every bit of the road please let me know.
I have a 2016 Audi A7 TFSI Premium Plus, the bottom lining of the door says s-line however im not sure it's an s-line package or not but it did come with the 265/35/20 tires and 20" inch rims.
Any input at all would help, if i have to change the tires/suspension/etc. it doesn't matter, I would do whatever it takes to just make that stop, I have ZERO interest in any other car on the market, nothing is even a close second for me at this point, so switching cars just doesn't seem like an option.
HELP!
My question to you all more experienced and knowledgeable owners is whether or not getting tires with smaller rims with more sidewall would help decrease getting to know and feel the road so much, and if so what tires and rims/rim size is recommended.
If there is another way to stop that incredible firm drive and feeling every bit of the road please let me know.
I have a 2016 Audi A7 TFSI Premium Plus, the bottom lining of the door says s-line however im not sure it's an s-line package or not but it did come with the 265/35/20 tires and 20" inch rims.
Any input at all would help, if i have to change the tires/suspension/etc. it doesn't matter, I would do whatever it takes to just make that stop, I have ZERO interest in any other car on the market, nothing is even a close second for me at this point, so switching cars just doesn't seem like an option.
HELP!
My A6 also came shod with 20"s as stock and it had a similar ride quality too. I was on 18" (original Audi rims) winter tyres for the last one year (I know. Don't flame me. I was too lazy to change the winters out for the 20") and the ride quality was significantly much better with the 18s (as in, the car felt like a dream with the 18s). And the fool that I am, I sold the A6 with the 18s on (the 20s are lying in my garage). If only I could get the 18s back (would gladly give them the 20s).
So yes. I'm guessing 18"s will help improve ride quality.
12-10-2016, 09:35 PM
#30
AudiWorld Super User
Buy some 18's and sell the two sets of 20's. Early C7's had 18's and there was a 18" sport package option.