NYCS6

Hi all, new member here.

Someone talk me down. I'm about to trade in my 2014 S6 for a jeep. I live in Manhattan and I've bent three wheels on potholes and I'm at my wits end here. When you have a 3 year old in the back of the car, you kinda want security of not being stuck on the side of the road. I'm sick of it. I already blew out a suspension bag as well. Thank god for the warranty on that one.

I have the 20-inchers. Just had to buy an all new set of Pilot Super Sports.

Should I have bought a different kind of tire that might have been kinder with New York City streets? Should I keep the suspension setting on comfort all the time? Help.... losing my mind.

tmiele

replace your 20''s with 19" wheels would be the cheapest way (and keep the S6).

If you really like your Audi - why not a SQ5, Q5 or Q7?

hinckley

Over the years, I've started a few of these "talk me down" threads. For me, a little bit of time has always done the trick. Now that you've decided on an alternative vehicle, give it a few weeks. If your mind's still in the same place, you've got your decision. And don't worry about any particular car that you've set your heart on. There'll always be a car out there to buy - especially Jeeps and especially at this time of the year.

Silent Drone

I'm struggling to understand why you think this is a flaw of the vehicle. These cars are designed to function on smooth pavement, and when they are they perform beautifully.

djsiry

I am of two minds on this issue (and similarly frustrated, having had to re-bend wheels a total of 7 times and replace one entirely. Never had a tire go though.)

While its true that the 20" wheels and low profile tires on a big car are not well suited to an environment where the streets are generally in poor condition (NYC), these particular wheels on my Audi (20", not black-optic) are so soft they can't even handle suburban NJ. I consider it a design flaw.

Whoever was engineering this car made very specific design and engineering decisions around the wheels trading off weight, durability, cost, etc. And then they tested them for hundreds of thousands of miles in various conditions, typically including Belgian pave or other harsh surfaces. They had to have discovered along the way that these wheels were not durable.

So I wonder if when I return my lease Audi will say "Woah - these wheels are in bad shape. You owe us $4000" Hogwash!

If I were driving a Porsche GT3 or Ferrari I could accept that the car should not be driven on anything but smooth pavement, but this is a luxury sedan...

In the meantime - to the original poster I say buy aftermarket 19" wheels (the OEM ones are ugly) and set your "individual" mode to comfort suspension and dynamic everything else.

And finally - thank god for wheel & tire insurance! I actually feel bad for the insurance company...

Rcg412

I live in NYC. 4-5 rims and tires here on 20s. I use 19 audi wheels in winter, knock wood, but been fine. Recommend going to 19s...

subterFUSE

Different tires on the same 20" wheels won't make much difference. You either need smaller wheels, or to move somewhere with better weather (and hence better roads).

Island Maser

I traded a 2 door Jeep Rubicon 14 for the S6. Jeep was all set up and would go anywhere. 35's winch, lift etc. Ok in town but not great on the highway. Always fighting the wheel to keep it tracking straight. If you have big tires you deal with it. 4 door would be better but then they are big around town. 2 door is like a sorts car and parking is easy or make your own spot. I had it for two year and it was fun. Will miss it for off road only.

snagitseven

Jeep Rubicon and Audi S6. You don't often see those two mentioned in the same sentence.

MRANT212

Have 20's on my S6 as well. Banged up the passenger side front rim and passenger side rear rim. Front rim needed to be replaced also needed a tire since it had a nail in it. The rear rim was repaired. Another vote for tire and rim protection insurance! Total cost was zero to me and I'm way ahead from what I paid for it! 👍