2001 S8

Hey Fellow D2 Owners,

I currently have a set of Nexen 3000 tires of my D2. (put on 2 month prior to me owning it) The Nexen's are a three-season tire. I live in the Great Plains of the US where we can have snow and ice for five months out of the year. Making the Nexen 3000 tires not the best tire for me.

My question is, what is a good four-season tire? I'm not an aggressive driver so I don't need a dedicated summer tire or dedicated winter tire. Nor do I want to deal with the cost and hassle of changing out tires every six months.

I put on around 10,000 mile a year so high mileage tread life is not a concern of my either.

Any input or personal tire testimonial would be great.

Thanks.

S8ilver

I run Pirelli Nero in the winter and quite like them. I've heard very good things about the Continental (my summer tire brand) all seasons as well. Pirelli's are a bit grippier (never too much snow on the ground in Denver so why I chose) but Conti's will probably last a bit longer.

I'm seeing the Nero's on Tirerack right now for $646 (with rebate) and the Conti DWS for $764.

silverd2

I've heard more positive comments from D2 owners about Conti DWS than any other tire...I haven't used em yet, but would.

I loved Pirelli Nero's for handling and quiet running, but would not buy them again. They wore even faster than their rated tire wear number and "tram-lined" worse than any tire I've ever used...following/steering the car down seams in the pavement. I had read about this before I purchased them, but assumed other owners were exaggerating...they weren't, with new tread and almost worn clean, their tendency for any tire in contact with a parallel seam (or patch) to tram-line down it was really irritating.

Canadagord

I have a 2003 A8L pre-facelift and recently changed to Conti DWS and could not be more pleased. I had high-end Goodyears (can't remember the model) and the difference is amazing (admittedly the Goodyears were getting old, but still). Quiet, grippy enough for the limited on and off ramp fun I do, totally pleased. Would buy again and recommend.

A8bil

There are a lot of good all season tires out there now, but the tire that consistently gets very good ratings is the Conti DWS. They have two different load ratings...make sure you get the higher ones.

I live in the SF Bay Area and take my car to the mountains. Have never had any problems getting up steep, snowy driveways. They're not snow tires, but they're pretty good for winter conditions. I've heard people complain about the sidewalls being too soft for spirited summer driving, and having a set of dedicated summer tires on I guess I can agree, but you have to be driving them pretty hard to expose this weakness.

silverd2

????

North American D2 A8 = 97-03 :

1997-1999 = Pre-facelift D2

2000-2003 = Facelift D2

D3 A8...not a facelift, but a different platform, different car completely:

2004-2010

nossisnave

I've heard excellent things about Green Diamond tires. If you don't know them, they have carbide granules woven throughout the tread and provide phenomenal grip on snow and ice. The manufacturer actually recommends you install them and drive about a thousand miles on clear roads to give the carbide pieces time to wear through so you probably could wear them year round. Since they aren't a studded tire de jure, I don't think there is a law demanding they be off by a certain day. I'm not sure what the treadwear is rated at though as I have yet to own a set.

Canadagord

Thanks silverd2, I seriously thought that I've seen Canadian 2003s that are the D3 body style but still called a 2003... so always thought that mine as a "pre-facelift" So guess I have a normal facelift D2... thanks!

gord

Razman

Admittedly I'm not qualified to offer much advice here as I've only had my D2 for four days, but mine came with Cooper Zeon RS3-A's (18-inchers). I'd be interested in hearing opinions on them; the short amount of time I looked them up online gave me positive reviews but no comparisons to the Conti's. Supposedly they are Cooper's premium all-season tire and speed rated far beyond the limiter in mine will allow me to go.

Alas, I can't provide any thoughts on road noise, grip, handling, ride quality, etc. as I haven't owned the car long enough yet. I DO know that I'm spoiled for life - totally ruined - by the car, that is. I thought I wanted a smaller, sporty convertible or something but this has everything I need (I still want a Viper one day).

Raz

Adjuster

I have used two sets of the Pilot Sport A/S tires on two different A8's.

The D2 was with the stock wheels, 17's I think, and they worked excellent, ran smooth, wore very well, did not track ruts, and were overall great tires with excellent grip in the dry for a "A/S" tire.

I put another set of the "second" generation ones on my 2004 A8L, on 20' rims with 275/30 20's tire size, and still have them. I used them a few summers, and into the first part of winter, but that wide, and on 20's, they really were marginal for snow, but fine for wet or ice.

For snow, I have a dedicated set of 255/45 18 Blizzak tires, that are excellent in bad weather, and I've run them an entire summer now, and they are pretty dang long wearing, speed rated, load rated and the price was right at 119.00 each on clearance from tire rack a few years ago. (Wait and buy your snow tires in the spring, when they are selling off what they have laying around.)

My other set of wheels, is another 20" deal, with Conti DW's the BEST summer tire I've ever run period. Smooth, do not track ruts at all, and for a very low profile sidewall, a ride that should not be possible, while you get the feel, and sharp cornering ability of a dedicated summer tire.

That said, I see there is a NEW Pilot sport A/S tread design, looks more like the Pilot Sport summer tires, and I've noticed that they ran the soft rubber edge in more, like they should have on the first and second designs. (They are dual compound tires, with a harder, longer wearing middle compound that's for ice/snow/water, and the same soft grip compound that's for the summer tire cornering ability on the outside edges for grip when you need/want it.) The new design is not directional, but it is side specific, so I think that's why they improved the tread compound layout, as now the same OUTSIDE tire edge can be wider, while they run harder, longer lasting compounds in the middle, and inside edge more for wear, and wet/ice/snow conditions.

If I was buying a new set of tires? I would be seriously tempted to get the new Pilot Sport A/S, just because they are dual compound, but the Conti DWS are a proven performer, and cheaper, but I don't like the tread design as much. (I know, picky, but hey it's why I drive a S8, not a Malibu or Accord...)