niray99

Looking for replacement to the Pirelli OEMs. It's just 29K miles but 2 of the tires-front need to be replaced(4/32,5/32). The other 2 - rears are OK(6/32), but I should replace all 4? 1 of the tire is a newer tire @1 year newer.

Anybody made a comparison between Performance(CR categorization)/Grand_Touring vs Ultra High Performance Tires(UHP)?

For e.g. between Michelin Pilot Sport AS4/Conti DW06/Goodyear Exhilarate to say PirelliCinturato/ContinentalPurecontact LS.

The roads in Bay Area are not particularly good and hence trying to make a good decision.

superswiss

These are pretty much all all-season tires you are listing here. Unless you drive to Tahoe in the winter for example, you don't need all-season tires here. Also in terms of road quality, the roads are pretty good around here. I drive a firmly sprung C63 with ultra high performance summer tires (Pilot Sport 4S) all year long on 19" front and 20" rear wheels. The ride is excellent with proper tire pressure (normal load), but I do also have adaptive suspension. Essentially grand touring tires are quieter and softer than (ultra) high performance summer tires. They are designed for long distance driving and certainly a good choice for an A4 if that's what you have. I run Michelin CrossClimate 2 on my wife's car. They are Grand Touring All-Season tires. I mainly do that, because we take her car for the few times we go to Tahoe, and I've been disappointed with previous all-season tires in the snow. Most of them really don't do well in the snow, so they are kinda pointless here in the Bay Area. The CrossClimate is an exception as it's actually rated for snow complete with the mountain peak logo on the sidewall. But even in the dry I'm impressed with them. They handle quite well and are quiet. It's the perfect tire for her car. Unfortunately with the pandemic we haven't been to Tahoe in the winter since I put them on, so haven't really had a chance to experience them in the snow.

niray99

Good points. My research online mirrors what you have said. Yes, I have an A4, however with non adaptive suspension.All season will never be close to summer tire in terms of handling. Agreed, unless I don't take it to ice Summer tires might work for Bay Area.

I was trying to feel/understand in my head what the difference would be between these 2 classes of all season tires.

I also have a Tesla model 3 LR and went from a Continental ExtremeContact DW06 to the Conti PureContact LS. With the new tire, while there was "some/little" loss of agility and nimbleness on corners, the car performed much better on the same broken road where earlier the car would have shuddered a bit a little harshly but now it has a single solid but well damped movement.

superswiss

You will also find significant difference among tires within the same category. For example my C63 came with Pilot Super Sport from the factory. They were disappointing. Having put the PS4S on my previous car, the PSS felt like a noticeable step backwards. They crashed over bumps in the road. The PS4S on the other hand not only handles, communicates and feels better, it also drives over those same bumps much more smoothly. They seem to complement the suspension much better and I'm surprised AMG didn't fit them from the factory since mine is the facelift model. I'm guessing their existing contract with Michelin forced them to stick with the PSS.

lowjdml

Grand touring vs UHP comes down to two questions.
1) How aggressively do you “really” drive?
2) How much are you willing to spend?

I really don’t drive that aggressively but my A4 has Michelin PS AS4 (before that PS AS3+). Prior cars had Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 (sometimes the DWS 06 are cheaper than some Continental touring / performance tires).

I’ll likely get Michelin Cross Climate 2 on the A4 in the future. It’s priced close to the PS AS4 and I’d prefer the snow handling. The Cross Climate wasn’t available in my size when I needed the AS4 tires.

niray99

• I drive "aggressively" only when on winding mountain roads.
• Freeways I prefer the tires which are sportier in the Grand touring category, so that there is enough insulation on the "bad" parts of the roads.
• Snow driving is not a priority for me because of where I live, but nice to have on those couple of occasions a year when I drive on the snow.

Currently leaning towards Grand Touring because of the above reasons.

lowjdml

When I lived in the bay area, I just planned my trips around the weather and the all-season tires were ok when snow was encountered. Having 18" wheels makes pothole damage less likely along with a smoother ride. Lots of good tires to choose from.

ShinyB

As you didn't mention the size its a little hard to recommend something that'll fit. Look at the Conti ExtremeContact DWS06 (all season), or other recommendations on TireRack will give you a few ideas. Also recommend DiscountTire for purchasing. They have free balance and rotations if you buy the tires from them. They also price match TireRack, Costco, etc.

niray99

On my last service at the dealership they sent me a video showing the car on a lift and small portions of the tire rubber broken out in the tread areas however not on the sidewall. My guess would be they were 2/3mm in depth and half to 1 inch in diameter. These broken areas were random and not in a regular pattern. My guess would be these might be from hitting potholes and stuff? I cannot see these areas when the car is on the ground at home with a flashlight(as only a small area is visible and most areas are covered even if I duck close to the ground).

Should I replace my tires?

niray99

Took it to a tire shop. They didn't put it on a lift but got down on their knees to look at the tires and couldn't see anything.