Uneven tire wear
Thread Starter
Audiworld Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
Uneven tire wear
I took off the left side tires on my S-line quattro this weekend and noticed severe and uneven tire wear on the rears. I have taken my car in for service at the dealer and they never mentioned anything about it (they dont even include rotation at the 15k service). I just hit 17k today and the rears are pretty much shot. Im taking it in for the dealer to look at it, what are the chances that AOA will pay to replace the 2 tires that are worn out due to the dealer never looking at them? Sorry for the long winded post, I just dont think I should have to buy new tires bec the stealer was negligent.
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13,834
Likes: 2
Sucks then. If they dont include rotation than it seems you are expected to take care of it...
and 10K is probably too long to go between rotation on these anyways. Sorry about that. FWIW, 17K miles on a set of max performane tires isnt the worst ive ever seen 
Next time rotate/flip every 5K or less depending on your driving style. If you do a lot of straight ahead freeway driving you may have to rotate more.
Next time rotate/flip every 5K or less depending on your driving style. If you do a lot of straight ahead freeway driving you may have to rotate more.
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 598
Likes: 13
I thought we did not need to rotate on a quattro car
I did not on my B5 or B6 and got about 28,000 miles...or did I rotate them...I guess I don't really remember, because in the old days they would rotate under warranty.
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
Don't wait for the dealer, 15k is prob too long to go w/o rotating, and it's so easy to DIY.
Autozone, hydraulic jack and 2 jack stands = $30. 2 more jack stands are just $15.
buy 5 hockey pucks too, and you are now ready to do some real service to your car.
Rotating your own tires is as easy as it sounds. I own a tread wear guage and take measurements every 5k to make sure ware is even ACROSS each tire (and adjust PSI accordingly), and to note the front to back delta.
I just rotated my tires at 11k by swapping the tire with the most wear for the least ware, and then swapping the remaining two.
Front tires will wear out more becaues they also do your turning, so quattro or not, there is no reason not to rotate to get the most mileage out of your tires.
Also worth mentioning is that less than 3mm of tread, while not minimum tread a tire says you can run on, will drastically increase your stopping in the rain. (there was a 5th gear eppisode on that, but the show sorta sucks now).
buy 5 hockey pucks too, and you are now ready to do some real service to your car.
Rotating your own tires is as easy as it sounds. I own a tread wear guage and take measurements every 5k to make sure ware is even ACROSS each tire (and adjust PSI accordingly), and to note the front to back delta.
I just rotated my tires at 11k by swapping the tire with the most wear for the least ware, and then swapping the remaining two.
Front tires will wear out more becaues they also do your turning, so quattro or not, there is no reason not to rotate to get the most mileage out of your tires.
Also worth mentioning is that less than 3mm of tread, while not minimum tread a tire says you can run on, will drastically increase your stopping in the rain. (there was a 5th gear eppisode on that, but the show sorta sucks now).
Trending Topics
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 537
Likes: 0
Re: I thought we did not need to rotate on a quattro car
You certainly do have to rotate. The front tires always do more work, as they hold up 60+% of the weight, and get the majority of the side load from turning the car. I do mine every 7500 miles, but you could just as easily do it every 5k around the time of your oil change, especially with high performance tires that wear faster.
Develop a relationship with your local tire shop (Discount / America's Tire, Belle Tire, etc.) They will be cheaper than the dealership, usually quicker, and once you know the guys, they will often throw services in for free or discount (flat repair, balance, good deal on replacements). Consider it advance work for when you buy the next set of tires. It should only cost you about $20-30 per rotation, including balance.
Be sure to have them re-balanced when you rotate, especially if you are cross rotating with non-directional tires. Even with directionals, at half-life, I will have them dismounted and turned around so they can go on the opposite side. Just to help even out the wear.
I can be a sphincter about my tires, but it is the only part of the car that touches the road.
Develop a relationship with your local tire shop (Discount / America's Tire, Belle Tire, etc.) They will be cheaper than the dealership, usually quicker, and once you know the guys, they will often throw services in for free or discount (flat repair, balance, good deal on replacements). Consider it advance work for when you buy the next set of tires. It should only cost you about $20-30 per rotation, including balance.
Be sure to have them re-balanced when you rotate, especially if you are cross rotating with non-directional tires. Even with directionals, at half-life, I will have them dismounted and turned around so they can go on the opposite side. Just to help even out the wear.
I can be a sphincter about my tires, but it is the only part of the car that touches the road.
AudiWorld Stories
Bringing Audi to Life for Audi Fans
Top 10 Most Expensive Audis Ever Sold on Bring-A-Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Audi Features & Options We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
Audi Recreates Crazy-Looking Speed Record Breaker From 1935
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilder Recreates the 1995 Audi TTS Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Every Audi V10 Car Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
9 Audi Designs That Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
2026 Audi Q5 Buyer's Guide (Every Model Explained)
Brett Foote
Ranking Every Current Audi 'S' Model From Worst to First!
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Audis That are FINALLY LEGAL to Import to the U.S.!
Joe Kucinski
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
ALR
A4 (B5 Platform) Discussion
8
Jul 23, 2002 09:25 AM
