theanimala

I have been living with my noisy as hell OEM Pirelli tires for the past 3 years in my 13 A8 4.0T. I have to give them credit for tread life, I've but on 40K Miles and I believe I could still put on another 10. But I am done with the noise and need to replace with something quieter.

I do not drive around like a crazy person, although I do like to take a few spirited turns once in a rare while. I live in an area where we do get some snow, but nothing too crazy and I often have the ability to work from home. I would like an all season tire that is quiet, will stay quiet, and has decent tread life. I have it down to these three, but I can look at others if they are better.

Michelin - Latitiude Tour HP - $295 each
Michelin - Pilot Sport A/S 3 - $291 each
BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S - $219 each

Any recommendations? I've been reading online reviews but each get some love and some hate. Would love to get some advice from people with the same car...

Thanks!

Puzz1

MP4.2+6.0

FWIW, not close to an inch IF wheel is the same diameter.. At most among all the sizes, it is 0.4" in diameter, or only 0.2 in radius/sidewall height. Range is about 28.3" to 28.7" IIRC. From 21 at 275/35-21, down to 275/40-20, then it is approx. an inch in tire height variance, but that is the basic nature of rim set ups and choices when changing wheel diameters. My own experience is it is really that shift from a 35 series on a 21" wheel to a 40 series on a 20" wheel that is most apparent. There is a marginal difference from 265 to 275 too in the sidewall bulge, but it is subtle. 275 is about as wide as the tire specs suggest for the underlying 9" rims in these aspect ratios, and thus a bit more bulge to be expected. On the other hand, it marginally also helps avoid rim curbing damage.

dwboston

+1 for the N-Spec Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. I had the Conti ExtremeContact DWS 06 prior to the Michelins and the difference is noticeable (and audible). The Michelins are very quiet and very stable on the highway and handle great. The Contis were fine at first, but became very loud and handling deteriorated rapidly as they approached 30k miles. The Michelins are great so far.

As an aside, we put the same Conti DWS 06 tires on my wife's GL550 (295 40/21 size) at around the same time two years ago. She just had to swap them out as the tires were literally falling apart. They were rotated every 7,500-10,000 miles (4 times total while she had the set on the car). We needed to get new tires so the vehicle would pass state inspection. The 295 40/21 size is tough as there aren't many A/S tires available. A little better selection than the oddball Audi 265 40/21 size on the A8, but not by much.

theanimala

Thanks for the replies guys, so it looks like I will spring for the PS A/S 3. Curious what the difference is with the N Spec? Is there a big difference from standard A/S 3? My local reseller (Costco) only has the standard ones...

dwboston

The N-spec is the OEM tire for the Porsche Panamera. It has a different tread pattern than the regular PS A/S 3 (and a different speed rating as well). The reviews on the N-spec tire here are virtually universally good. You can get the N-Spec tire from Tire Rack and have it shipped to a local installer.

Kelzo

I have the exact same question as the OP, but for an S8. So would the 21" variations be the same? Smooth and quiet?

OhNoMrBill

My local tire shop that I have been going to for years (probably the best in my local area) would not install the n-spec tire as the 275 size requires Y rating in their system on the 20in A8. I looked it up in the manual and it shows this as well for 275 size. The n-spec is only H rated. While it is not probably a big deal, they would not do the install. I went with the Conti DSW 06. I have had them for a short time and they are quieter by a lot. I went from sound levels 68-70dB on the Pzero to 62-65dB with Conti tires at 65mph on black top. There is a bit of tire buzz that I suspect is from the pattern, but tires are fresh, 1 week old. I assume with some scuffing, they may lose the buzz.

The Conti's were also $200 total less than n-spec. I would out the door for about $1400 with tires and alignment, including free rotations, balancing, and warranty.

dwboston

I'm not sure what you're talking about. The N-Spec Pilot sport A/S 3 in 275/40-20 is a V rated tire, not H.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...omCompare1=yes

stilrox

Folks- Good discussion on tires for the A8. The tire/road noise is my main complaint with my 2011 A8L I bought it with 30K miles last year. It had the OEM Pirelli's and they had a lot of road noise. I put on Conti Sport contact 3 tires based on a dealer recommendation and there was a slight improvement, but not a lot. I have 14K miles on the tires now and expect to have to replace in another 3-4K since tread is already down to 4/32. The Michelin's 275 sound like a good choice even if the size is slightly taller (mine are the 265/40/R20). I am amazed to see anybody is getting over 20K miles on these soft high speed tires. Is there some trick to getting better wear? Is the consensus to go with Michelin's? Many thanks