slpat

I have read several posts about changing tire size so you have more options. From reading the comments many people seem to like the Continental DWS 06 tire in the 275/40 R20 size versus the 265/40 R20 that are currently on the car. My question is how does it impact the speedometer reading? Does it have a significant change in speed shown? I was planning on getting new tires but my time frame just got moved up as I picked up a couple nails and it doesn't make sense trying to repair the tire and I am going to get new tires this week.

Any other issues that may come up? Thanks

landjb4u

With the conti dws 06 275/40/20, the speedometer is perfectly correct when checked against GPS (Waze actually)

dwboston

Agreed. Only real difference between 265/40-20 and 275/40-20 is the width of the tire. Speedometer is spot on for me with 275/40-20.

I had the Conti DWS 06 - they were fine initially then got louder and louder as they aged, and they were done by 30k miles on the tires. I have the N-Spec Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 and they are really good tires so far (5 months and 7500 miles on them). Way better than the DWS 06.

aeggroup

Use this link, enter both sizes and you'll see the difference : Custom wheels, rim tire packages

MP4.2+6.0

I run both Conti DWS and DW (their recent gen summer tire) at 275/40-20 and both are essentially dead on accurate with the speedo--as personally tested with GPS speed apps. It is really the typical factory size at 265/40-20 that is inaccurate and optimistic. Manufacturers get fined big time for speedos that read too low, but not for ones that are optimistic. Thus, when in doubt, they always trend to the optimistic side. In this case, 275/40 cures it. As/more importantly, there are a lot more choices of good tires in 275 than the Audi orphan 265 size, and pricing is typically better.

A bit of the conspiracy sort of thinking side: honestly it concerns me when a manufacturer goes with a one off essentially orphan size like Audi did here. Similar behavior by Audi with the 265/35 20 found on prior D3 S8 and C7 A7/S7. Too easy for them to cut a cheap supply deal for car manufacturing/purchase decisions with the various typical OE suppliers. For Audi those are Conti, Pirelli, Dunlop maybe Bridgestone most commonly; sometime others. But then in the wink wink exchange that can give the same tire companies a lot more control over pricing competitively when they are in a niche size market--and can also state they were an OE spec tire. I don't view that stuff as in my interest as a consumer, and here it is so easy to just skip over to 275's.

In 265's as an exception case, when dealing with winters I would look at the Dunlop performance winter (M3/D3) as a strong player and also decently priced, but then that isn't an OE specific tire fitment and i happen to have a lot of positive experience with those and their predecessors going back almost 20 years now. There the Pirelli SottoZero's are a competitive tire, but in the 275's they happen to be a lot more $$. Having used dedicated winters for a lot of years on performance Audis, for my less severe realistic use than in some parts of the USA, the DWS's so far (275/40) have worked out as I hoped.

Cirrusaudi

Based on your informative posts, I changed to Michelin Sport 275/40/20. Great, quiet, well-priced tires. One year of trouble free performance so far.

Thank you.

slpat

Interesting idea on why the strange tire size. Normally when something doesn't make sense the answer is money, so there has to be a financial benefit to someone.

Puzz1

I'm running the Michelin Pilot Sport N spec as well in the 275 size. Very happy with them. Great ride and very quiet.

OhNoMrBill

I went the Conti route just last month. I do not see any difference with the speedo reading. I have looked at GPS on Waze and a neighborhood speed radar sign at 40mp and a highway speed radar sign at 70mph. Swapping the PZeros dropped the sound level from 68-70dB down to 64-66dB at 75mph.

theanimala