Sean Curry

I have a 2017 A4 Prestige, and the original 18" Pirelli's will need replacing in another 5K miles or so - they currently have around 35K miles on them. I'm considering Michelins as replacements, as I've had good luck with them in the past. The problem is that I live in rural Southern Oregon without a lot of tire purchase/installation options. My Audi dealer is 300 miles away in Portland. Would you take a chance and order the tires and try to find someone locally to install them, or have the dealer do it and pay the cost premium? The dealer has been very good and I trust them. I'm not sure I trust any of the local installers with my Audi.

Thanks for any opinions.

Sean

Eric@BDWheels

At the end of the day, a wheel is just a wheel and tire is just a tire. If you have any shops near you, I would trust that they can perform the most basic task within their business model. Always do your research on the shop before allowing them to do any work and check out the shop in person. If it looks dirty and beat up, chances are that it will translate into their work. Just my 2 cents.

tomk

Try the TireRack. They work with qualified installers and can ship the tires directly to them.

HyperS4

I ordered tires and brought them to Costco to have them installed. They did a great job and only like $18/tire to mount and balance. No issues and they use Nitrogen in the tires which Ive always made fun of, but they actually hold consistent pressure over temperature swings. I am impressed.

uberwgn

My top priority: Are they going to damage my wheels?

vkamnyev

^ this + usage of torque wrenches + road force balancing equipment.

StKnowhere

👍

lowjdml

Same year and model. Replaced 18” Pirelli’s at 40k miles w/ Michelin AS3+ at Costco. My second choice would be TireRack, hopefully there’s a TireRack certified installer near by.

PghRich

I've used Tire Rack for 30 years - now that tires can be shipped directly to my nearby installer, it's even easier. The online reviews, ratings, and comparison tests are very useful.

black.cat

I just used tirebuyer for new 18” Mich Pilot 3+ a/s. They ship free to your local install shop and guarantee installation price. Mine was $75 installed. Ordered on Saturday mounted on Tuesday. The shop manager said next time call the shop directly and they would match or beat their price. All in all, very positive experience and very reasonable cost.