Totti808

Hi,

I just got a 2013 A6 3.0 Prestige with 20" wheels. I have read many threads here about the road noise made by the Pirelli p zero tires and I agree with them. The noise it makes is simply unbearable. So could you please guide me to purchase a better set of tires for the car? My top priorities for the tires are quietness and better ride quality. I do not care much about sporty feeling or grip.

atlanta A6

There are some threads here on this topic. One recent one talks about the 20" wheels and many members have provided input on the conti DWS and Michelin AS tires. I'm in the same place as you and will look at one of those options next year. It seems like no tire in the low profile range will give a super quiet ride due to the sidewall and performance ratings.

keithl

SO my observation is any high performance oriented tire, regardless whether summer of AS will have a more aggressive pattern which inherently introduces noise. The stock AS 19's that came on my A6 were extremely quiet, but the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 I installed make more noise, although I find it tolerable. My M37S was not as quiet a car and the UHP A/S tires I had on it the car let more noise in. Performance and handling come with trade offs, one of them is some increased noise.

king12sky

I think for the price of it, the Hankook V12 is a pretty decent set of tires. Though not the quietest but still its better than the P-Zero. I'm still running P-Zero *** its still so new. Or get Michelin PSS.=D

Totti808

Thanks for the answers guys. I know that uhp 20" tires produce more noise than smaller tires, but how would you describe the reduction in tire noise of tires other than the Pirelli p zero? For example, do other tires have 50% less road noise than the Pirelli? or is the improvement minimal?

I also found this list of 20" A6 tires on tirerack http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...ting=S&tab=All

AudiTex

I have a 2012 Prestige with the 19" Sport Package and recently replaced a set of Pirelli P Zeros at 12,000 miles because the noise was unbearable. Instead of the UHP summer tires, I went with a grand touring, all season tire, the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus, and the noise reduction was significant. Much less noise and the noise that is there isn't as abrasive and annoying. I bought the car CPO, however, so I can't say how the noise compares to the Pirelli's when they were new... except that there are several threads on here about the Pirellis being bad from the start. The ride also improved, but not by a huge amount... as there is only so much ride compliance available with big rims, big tires, and a sport suspension. Although I know I gave up some handling and braking capability, the car still feels extremely well planted even in aggressive driving.

dolmstead

Goto this web site link, it is the car and drivers summer tire test. In the middle of the page under downloads click the link. On that PDF it has their test results. They will list the decibel level of each tire a 50 MPH so you can compare. I can tell you however, that some tires like the P-Zero's a lot of us have on our cars also are a lot louder at slower speeds and produce and even louder growl then than they do a 50MPH. So take their results with a grain of salt.

The quietest most comfortable and longest lasting tires I have personally ever had on my car were Continental Extremecontact DWS. I had these on my 2006 A6 4.2 Sline which I had prior to getting my 2012 A6 Prestige that I have now and although I think the pzero's have a little better dry grip everything else i would say about the DWS is better and the noise difference is night and day.

Here is the link:

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...va-ad08-page-8

hotlips

With 5500 miles so far I'm pleased with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 2's that I had changed out when the car was delivered. Always had Michelins, like their tread life and they are quiet still. The A/S 3's weren't available but believe I would have opted for them. I drove a couple of dealer cars with both new and older (11,000mi) Pirelli's and decided I had to make a change.

Conti's are supposed to be good but the longer tread life of the Michelins made a difference to me. Never wanted UHP tires for the noise reason.

Totti808

Thanks all for your feedback. I went with Michelin Pilot Super Sport (255/35ZR20). It is quieter than the Pirelli P Zero. However, the Michelin still produces road noise, in both city and highway driving. The noise is not that bad and not very loud, but it is still there. As you all said, there will always be noise with these kind of tires (performance, large sizes). I guess I got used to the quietness of my old Cadillac with its 18" touring tires .

on another note, what is the expected tread life of these tires?

dolmstead

totti808 how much quieter would you say the PSS tires are than the pzero's? Those are the tires i was thinking about getting also, they seem to be the consensus best tires reviewed by the experts as well as consumers on tire rack. I just don't want another set of really loud tires like the zeros. They don't need to be completely silent but tolerable. I had the extreme contact dws on my last a6 and i did really like those but i don't really need an all season tire just dry and wet as i live in south florida.