Lady in an S8

Well, she's down off the lift, and the only 'smells' emanating from her are the 'new' car smells of heated fluids that got spilled during top off. The engine is running beautifully, and all the idiot (check engine, over temp warning, low washer fluid) lights have been dimmed. It is time to turn my attention to her footwear.

The current tires are Dunlop SP 9000, purchased in October of 2008, and I've put 28'000 miles on them. They'd be good for a little bit longer, were it not for an alignment issue: the inner edges of the front tires were worn, so they have been rotated to the back, while I ponder this question. Of all the tires I've had on my '8's, these were the longest wearing. The Pirellis that came on my first A8 did not hold up to my mixed surface driving (Idaho ranch and unpaved roads, and highway). I tried some Coopers that wore better, but were just too noisy. Unfortunately, I do not remember what tires were on the S8 when I bought it because I changed them out to the Dunlops pretty quickly.

Bearing in mind that it is useless for me to put the kid-glove-stick-to-the-road tires on this car because of some of the rough surfaces it has to deal with, what tire brands and models have given you the best service on your '8's? I am looking for something that would be suitable for summer through fall in the north country (I don't drive the car in the snow), or year-round in southern climes.

Thanks in advance for any input.

2001 S8

Continental DWS is what I would recommend. I drive my S8 year-round in South Dakota, dealing with snow, rain, ice, slush, dry roads and temperatures ranging from -30 degrees to 100 degrees with no issues.

I had the DWS's installed on Setp. 2014 and still have the DWS traction indicators on the tires clearly visible. I've put a little over 12,000 miles on them and only drive on paved roads with mixed city/highway driving. I also rotate my tires every 5,000 miles.

Good luck.

audinutt

The original DWS is no longer made unfortunately.. have them on both of my d2's and love them.

The new DWS 06 is a bit different and I am hesitant due to complaints about soft sidewalls...

-Richard

Lady in an S8

Thank you, 2001 S8 and audinutt, for your prompt replies. The tread on those Continentals is very intriguing! (a bit of high speed, a bit of off-road, a bit of rain/sleet) and it was very useful to hear that they have performed well through 4 seasons in an area similar to where I live.

Can somebody weigh in who has tried the new DWS 06? Soft sidewalls would not last a week exposed to some of the sharper shards that emerge from my glacial rock driveway. If memory serves, the only flat that I had with the Pirellis was caused by just such a shard. (and, yes, I do maintain my driveway with grading, fresh crushed rock, compacting, etc. but winter winter and spring quickly return it to its 'native' state).

S8ilver

I run Pirelli Nero on stock 18s in the colder months and they have been great, but I only average around 3k/year so no idea if they're long lasting. They still look new on my S8, and have had them 3 years at least, maybe 4. I do rotate them in with 20" Conti DW though. The Conti's are fan-friggin-tastic in the dry, and I've even left them on over a winter for a few snowy drives. No problems.

I'm currently shopping for Continental for my Roadster. 90% I'll go with the DW again.