SimianSpeedster

Hey Dave -- did your also car come with Potenza S001 tires or something else like Hankooks?

SD_Dave

Hankooks... Venus S1 evo2

SimianSpeedster

Thanks for the info. It seems like it's luck of the draw whether the cars come with Bridestones or Hankooks. It's also hard to know which to wish for because both tires fitted to the TTS are OEM products so there's not a lot of good review info from Tire Rack or elsewhere as there is for regular tires. In any event, I expect to replace the first set at around 20,000 miles and I can't imagine fitting anything other than Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

Huey52

A man after my own heart. Great choice!!

SimianSpeedster

IMO, they're clearly the best choice for anyone who doesn't have to deal with real winter weather or sustained cold temperatures. Though a bit pricey, they offer excellent wet and dry grip, good ride quality, and a more than decent (for a performance tire, anyhow) treadwear rating of 300. They're also track-worthy provided you don't go nuts. I've participated in 2 track days at Streets of Willow on my current set (a very curvy track), and while that clearly took a significant amount of life out of the tires, I just passed 20,000 miles and they're still viable. It helps that, like the TT/TTS, I have a square setup so I can still rotate my tires, which is becoming increasingly rare on performance-oriented cars. The ability to rotate tires is another "cooler than it sounds" selling point of the TT/TTS for me, along with the blessed compact spare tire. By way of counter-example, I'd expect most Boxster/Cayman drivers to get a maximum of 10,000-15,000 miles out of their rear tires given the staggered tire setup, RWD and mid-engine. I think 20,000 is possible on the TTS with AWD and tire rotations, maybe more for tame drivers.

adg44

Careful when comparing reviews of a tire that has the same name but isn't the OEM tire. These will be marked AO or R01 on the sidewall which are Audi original tires. They can look identical to the regular tire, but will be built to Audi specifications for tread wear, noise, compound, grip, etc.

SimianSpeedster

Right, and that's why I'm trying to gather more info from actual owners to see if I want to keep the stock tires or swap them right off the bat. I detest BMW's heavy and harsh riding OEM runflats so much that I replaced them right after buying my current car, and it was completely worth it.

Tire Rack, for example, doesn't even stock the Potenza S001 in the TTS 19" size, so that suggests that they're not even available outside of new car purchases or maybe (?) through the dealer network. Similarly, they don't seem to carry the Hankooks that come on the TTS. I understand the OEM relationship, but it's strange for the consumer IMO because even if a TTS car buyer likes their OEM tires, they may not easily be able to obtain a replacement set, let alone a replacement tire.

Both vendors offer other tires that seem similar to the OEM fitment, but to your point, similar does not mean the same. Or am I missing something?

adg44

Correct, similar does not mean the same. The tread will look the same, but that's it. As for which tire is better? I wouldn't give it any thought. They both have to meet Audi's specification.

This 19" tire is -10mm compared to the last generation TT, and the tire size isn't as common. All dealerships carry OEM tire (that goes for almost all premium Euro auto makers that have specific tires) as they source them through other channels and not TireRack.

BEM-S4

+1 running I'm them now, best choice for sure.

aaronz

Potenzas here as well, all ready have my PSS in the garage but since the Chicago winter is around the corner I will wait till spring to put them on.


....waiting for mods and parts to start coming out.