Wade(4.2-2.4)+T

When I visited Conti's website, I noticed that they did not list the exact ContiSportContact which I have and am so pleased with. They list lots of sizes, but not my OE with its treadwear and speed rating. Mine are 255/40-17, Y-rated, 280 treadwear. The only 255/40-17 they list is Z-rated and only 160 treadwear. If mine continue to perform so well, I'll want to get them again. I hope this OE size/rating will be available.

Also, these tires aren't directional but the tread is asymmetrical, so the outside must stay on the outside. I wonder if simply reversing the rotation will counter any "cupping."

Regarding tire pressures: In the 2001 owner's manual, page 240, Audi recommends increasing tire pressure by 5 p.s.i. if you do a lot of "expressway" driving.

Take note of Audi's tire speed rating list on page 244: It states that a "Z" rated tire is for "over 150 mph," "W" is for "up to 168 mph," and "Y" is "up to 185 mph." This listing makes it appear that the highest speed rating is "Y." Hmmmmm. I always thought "Z" was the fastest. Of course, this is somewhat irrelevant since most of our cars are limited to 130 mph.

Pete RD

also have "duration" ratings...how long at those speeds...that are not being shown. Some are for a "momentary" run up to their top-rated speed, while others are for "sustained speeds."

Also, some manufacturers produce OE tires that are different from the after-market versions. That may be the case here, or that particular tire, while on the car you bought, is not available (yet) to the after-market buyer.

Wade(4.2-2.4)+T

Good info, Peter. Thanks.

Stu B

I wonder if Continental is making a special OEM version for Audi? (And BMW? They use them on some of their sport packages) I had assumed that the tires you have were the same as those I have been looking at. Guess not. I assume the Z rated ones with the wear rating of 160-180 will handle better. Obviously they will not last as long. I also wonder if the carcass is the same and just the compound is different?

They still can be cross rotated. The pattern I prefer is moving the front left to the right rear and vice versa for the front right. Then the rears move straight forward. ie - right rear to right front. That will "flatten" the tread back out while it is in the rear. I have used this pattern for 20 years.

I always run higher tire pressures when on road trips or have a heavy load. I only run the recommended pressures around town. It helps that I have compressed air in my garage and changing pressures is easy.

Z rated are defined as "149 and above". The Z rating always is accompanied by the R rating for race track use. V is the same at 149, but not any higher. W and Y are numericaly higher than Z, but do not carry the R rating. Z was added after the other ratings had been in place for quite some time. It is a confusing standard for many. The Z rating is used for marketing anymore to be realistic.

Also, Audi in the 2000 manual says only to rotate tires on the same side. I "hang" with a lot of racing buddies who are engineers, and nobody I know can say why this is. Even my long trusted racing tire mechanic (I do a lot of vintage racing) says to rotate the way I do. If you any have info to the contrary, I would like to hear it.

Michelin has discontinued the SX-GT much to my dismay. The replacement wont be available until the spring. I could not find anything out about it unfortunately.

Wade(4.2-2.4)+T

....what summer tires you end up choosing and why. I almost never drive on snow or ice so I'll be sticking with the summer tires all the time. The ContiSports seem good in the wet, too.

Given the choice, I'll take a little more treadwear over a little more stickiness. I explore the handling capabilities of the car on occasion, but not often enough to give up treadwear for a softer compound.

OpusK551

How does the R (racing) relate to the 195/??/14 "HR" (130mph) std tires on my early 80s 528? I remember VR(>130) and ZR(>149) as being dramatically more expensive , and supposedly more "better". This along with the 93Y desig. on my current GY NCT3s (215/55/16) have me baffled as regards the TIRE RACK Max, Ultra Perf, High Perf categories. How can a "Y" rated tire be deemed so "deficient" as an overall perf tire? PS: With a possible Plus 1 upgrade, I'd like to be more knowledgable about the $100+ delta per tire in the various Tire Rack 235/45/17 offerings. Thanks!

Richard Solomon

was that radial tires (used to?) tend to "set" in one direction. The belts would supposedly shift slightly in one direction, and changing the direction of rotation would shift them in the opposite direction - potentially leading to premature failure.

Although I can't attest to the truth of the above, I've never had trouble with same-side rotation and felt it better to be safe than sorry. YMMV.

Pete RD

a lot of tires made today (especially the ultra-high or maximum performance tires) are directional, and to cross-rotate them would involve de-mounting and re-mounting tires on wheels. If your tires have a directional arrow or arrows on the side-wall, you have a directional tire. SP-9000s, Yoko AVS Sports, S-02s, Pilot Sports are some.

If you order a set of directional tires on wheels, check them when they arrive. Mine were mounted for the same side of the car! I've been told that a directional spare may be put on the "wrong" side of the car, but you should drive as though you have one of those funny "space-saver" spares...drive slow and directly to your tire store to get the damaged tire fixed/replaced.

HTH

SLLAW

1. The R means radial, not racing.

2. I had Michelin Pilot SX GT tires on my Subaru SVX and thought they were overpriced and not particularly good in the wet.

DWC_2.7T

If you can only rotate front to back, you can't get much use out of the spare. And, in my experience, by the time I'm ready to buy new tires in four years or so, the existing tires will be obsolete so I won't be able to use the spare with three matching new tires. Sounds like I've got a couple hundred bucks and fifty pounds worth of dead weight in the trunk. Since I've only had one flat in the past 15 yrs, a cheap emergency tire/steel rim seems like the better way to go. Is my logic wrong?