Mike911A8

Follow up on Advan Sport A/S: round trip to NYC last weekend, dry weather, about 350 miles, a lot of crappy roads, and the Advan's were great. Quiet and good "feel", even at 80 plus. 40 front, 38 rear for trip.

onthebeam

Sounds promising. Have you had experiences with other environments and weather since? Thinking about getting them this week.

Mike911A8

A couple of rainy days and tires seem fine. But I haven't experienced standing water yet. I'm glad the decision is behind me--the down side of all this information availability seems to be overthinking.

onthebeam

I'm likely getting these installed this week. How are they doing for you one month in? Any feedback re wet handling, traction, hydroplaning, etc?

Mike911A8

I like them even more now that I have about 700 miles on them. Dry and wet, although I haven't experienced serious torrential rain.

tomhorn

I just picked up a set of the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2's for my 2009 A5 (255/35/19). So far I like them a lot and the price was right. I moved south, so I won't be able to try them in the snow (knock on wood), but the wet and dry traction has been great.

greginfinity

I have had my Advan A/S on for a few hundred miles or so and they seem great so far. We have not really had any rain or snow yet so no comment there. I did have Conti Pro Contacts on that were wearing unevenly on before, and I had both steering wheel shake and bad noises. New tires and alignment cured all of that. I drive the A8 like an old man for the most part, not a rally car, so I have no idea about fast cornering etc. But like someone else said in another thread, I think just pulling the trigger on new tires will give you peace of mind, there are so many options! I would say don't buy the cheapest, or most expensive, and you will be happy!

onthebeam

With some reluctance, I'm going to be returning the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2's this week to Discount Tire to swap out for the Yokohama Advan Sport A/S.

For handling, I can't fault the Hankook's at all. Very satisfied wet and dry. However, the noise and to lesser degree road comfort is frustrating. On a smooth road, as most reviews agree, they are quiet. However, on any road with some surface or even slight groove, including interstates, they roar very loudly. It's annoying and even with the stereo cranked up, very noticeable. As soon as I'm back to super smooth pavement, they are again quiet.

For ride comfort, some complain about jarring impacts such as going over expansion joints. They are firm, yes, but for me reasonable for a high performance UHP tire and not hard to get used to compared to noise issue.

After about 800 miles on the Hankooks, I've decided that, for me, the considerable pros don't outweigh the annoying noise factor.

I'll report back on the Yokos soon, too.

TFT

What causes that type of wear? I have experienced that on my 2002 A6 and my 2001 A8L.
I did not notice the wear because I tend to look at the outside of the tires and did not take a close look at the inside. Though on the A6 this wear took place in less than 6 months
In both cases I had new tires installed and then had the Audi dealership do the alignment.

onthebeam

OK, made the swap today. Initial impressions are that the Yokos are far quieter and also grip and corner well. No driving in the wet, yet.

The Yokos are also much smoother over bumps and expansion joints. The Hankook's were a bit jarring over the same areas, and far louder on less than pristine roads.

I'll be posting again soon with more detailed impressions after I've put some miles on them.