How old is too old on stored tires?
#1
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How old is too old on stored tires?
Hello all. Bought my 2005 A6 a year ago with 50K miles on it. The spare tire is a brand new, never been used Continental Contipro Contact 245 40 18. It is mounted on a brand new matching premium wheel, so I put it on and have been running it around town for awhile. Going on a road trip next month and would appreciate any comments on trusting this tire. It looks like a brand new tire other than the DOT 4504 age. Continental website says their tires are good for 10 years. Thank you for any info you may have.
#2
The possible bigger issue is the diameter of the tire (and weight) in relation to the other tires.
If your A6 is a Quattro, you need all 4 tires to match. If its 2WD, fronts should match and rears should match.
If your A6 is a Quattro, you need all 4 tires to match. If its 2WD, fronts should match and rears should match.
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Thank you for the response. Both the Continental (1) and the Michelin (4) tires are 245 40 18's on my A6 Quattro. The Continental has a slightly higher tread wear rating and weight rating, so it may be slightly heavier? Both are premium tires and are identical in size. I slightly snagged a sidewall on piece of rebar from a parking block on one of the Michelin's. Would like to run the brand new (2004) Continental about 2 years, then replace all 4 at once. Any info will help, Thanks.
#4
They aren't identical in size (regardless of the size markings on the tire) unless they have been driven the same amount of miles.
If your car is a Quattro (all wheel drive) you need to replace all 4 tires soon. Alternatively contact Tirerack.com (or any reputable tire dealer) and purchase the same make/model/size as the damaged Michelin and have it 'shaved' to match the tread depth to match the remaining 3.
If your car is only 2 wheel drive, you could purchase a new Continental tire of the same make/model/size and have it installed on the opposite side of the existing Continental.
Check your owner's manual and/or contact your local Audi dealer. They will tell yo what the tread depth mismatch allowance is (its generally something like 3/16ths of an inch) for matching make/model/size tires.
Be wary of anyone who tells you 'it doesn't matter'
If your car is a Quattro (all wheel drive) you need to replace all 4 tires soon. Alternatively contact Tirerack.com (or any reputable tire dealer) and purchase the same make/model/size as the damaged Michelin and have it 'shaved' to match the tread depth to match the remaining 3.
If your car is only 2 wheel drive, you could purchase a new Continental tire of the same make/model/size and have it installed on the opposite side of the existing Continental.
Check your owner's manual and/or contact your local Audi dealer. They will tell yo what the tread depth mismatch allowance is (its generally something like 3/16ths of an inch) for matching make/model/size tires.
Be wary of anyone who tells you 'it doesn't matter'
#6
AudiWorld Expert
They aren't identical in size (regardless of the size markings on the tire) unless they have been driven the same amount of miles.
If your car is a Quattro (all wheel drive) you need to replace all 4 tires soon. Alternatively contact Tirerack.com (or any reputable tire dealer) and purchase the same make/model/size as the damaged Michelin and have it 'shaved' to match the tread depth to match the remaining 3.
If your car is only 2 wheel drive, you could purchase a new Continental tire of the same make/model/size and have it installed on the opposite side of the existing Continental.
Check your owner's manual and/or contact your local Audi dealer. They will tell yo what the tread depth mismatch allowance is (its generally something like 3/16ths of an inch) for matching make/model/size tires.
Be wary of anyone who tells you 'it doesn't matter'
If your car is a Quattro (all wheel drive) you need to replace all 4 tires soon. Alternatively contact Tirerack.com (or any reputable tire dealer) and purchase the same make/model/size as the damaged Michelin and have it 'shaved' to match the tread depth to match the remaining 3.
If your car is only 2 wheel drive, you could purchase a new Continental tire of the same make/model/size and have it installed on the opposite side of the existing Continental.
Check your owner's manual and/or contact your local Audi dealer. They will tell yo what the tread depth mismatch allowance is (its generally something like 3/16ths of an inch) for matching make/model/size tires.
Be wary of anyone who tells you 'it doesn't matter'
#7
10 years is the figure nearly all tire manufacturers use as a reference. The tire you have has been replaced by a newer model without the XL rating, so we would not have an exact match anyway. The (current) Audi OE tire sells for $ 215 each due to very small production runs, and for under $ 167 per tire you can get a much better tire in the Conti Pure Contact with the preferred XL rating (naturally getting a full set of 4).
Of course, there are several other options in your size !
Of course, there are several other options in your size !
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Thank you again for your responses. Learned some things I didn't know. A reputable tire shop repaired my sidewall (wasn't too bad ) and it is back on the car with the new Continental in the trunk. Not worth risking tranny wear or damage with an unmatched set of tires.
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