mdwcreative

Just wondering if anyone has gone through purchasing a new set of tires for the 19" sport rims (summer performance tires, I believe they are Hankook). I noticed yesterday there was a bubble in the sidewall of one of mine, which I'm not sure if that should be a major concern or not. The dealership recently told me when I came in for an early 20k service that I should be watching the tread on my right front tire but the others are fine.

I think I'd prefer something with a slightly thicker sidewall if that's even possible. These things are brutal.

Flyin' SV

I was just talking with a buddy about tires this week. I'm at 28k, and something to the replace my Hankooks is not far off. He replaced his with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, and says "they handle just as well and they have a smoother ride." I know I'm looking for something a little less jittery. Having had good luck with Michelins in the past, I'm going to give these a shot. They're a Tire Rack best seller with a bit higher treadwear (300) than my OE Hankooks.

up-n-coming

I installed the 4S about 3k miles ago. Jittery sums up the Hankooks perfectly The 4S aren't jittery like the Hankooks were. The Michelin track perfectly straight on all roads. Early on I installed a 034 strut bar thinking that maybe my car was hunting on broken pavement because of the chassis flexing. It was the Hankooks not the car. To the hankooks and Audi's credit they we ok in the rain and I never lost grip on dry roads but the Michelin exceed the Hankook in every catagory. I've had worse tires on brand new Lexus and Infinity's.

I run 36F/33R. The car rides and handles great at those pressure. I tried running a couple psi higher and the ride becomes noticeably harsher and turn in becomes noticeably slower due to a smaller contact patch with the road.

Another thing worth mentioning to people viewing this post is that if your replacing your 19"s (summer tires) and are really concerned about ride comfort Conti's are probably a better choice. I find the 4s ride fine but they are performance tires, not marshmallows. Best way to describe this is that they communicate the type of road your on, not mask it., If you drive on a road with a rough texture vs a smooth freshly paved road you'll notice the difference.

mdwcreative

Thanks for the advice guys!

Yeah honestly, after reading through a bunch of the reviews on tires I was sort of leaning towards the P-Zero Nero set for price/performance. But I found a decent deal on Costco for the 4S, and they have the best ratings by a long shot over the other tires, especially in dry performance vs treadwear.

I'm also seriously considering doing a 255/35 setup instead of the 245/35. I'm assuming that this wont void any warranties I have on the vehicle since it's a lease, but I might want to double check with Audi to make sure. I went over the idea in detail with one of the Tire Rack CS associates and they have the size listed as a recommended size, with no noted concerns for rubbing.

Hopefully the added width and more importantly sidewall height will yield slightly better ride quality on the 19's. It still falls under the general 3% rule.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=235-35r19-255-35r19

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...earDiameter=17

https://tires.costco.com/Product?ItemNo=1248703&SearchID=255%7C%7C%7C35%7C% 7C%7C19%7C%7C%7C3%7C%7C%7Cen-us

up-n-coming

Load rating of 255/35 is 96. 245/35 is 93. This difference will most likely negate any ride comfort difference you'd gain in side wall height. Basically a sideways move. Plus optimal wheel width for 255's is 9". Audi won't accept 255/35 at lease end as load rating and size is not what came on the car originally.

SchwarzS6

DizzyA4

mdwcreative

Why would that negate the ride quality difference form the tire wall height?

The larger tire 255/35, interestingly enough weighs slightly less than the 245/35

https://www.michelinman.com/upload/m...t-sport-4s.pdf

up-n-coming

The sidewalls are slightly stiffer to support higher loads.

tadd