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Picked up our new A5 S-Line Sportback with 19" wheels a couple of weeks ago. Came with
Potenza S001 - Size: 255/35R19
Hard to find ratings on them in the Audi size, but a lot of Miata owners don't seem to like them in their size. Poor in the wet and terrible mileage. And a Miata weighs much less than an Audi
As the car is my wife's and she doesn't drive aggressively we will be getting Ultra High Performance All-Season when these wear out. Most likely Michelin Pilot AS-3 Plus ($233) as I have had them on my SAABs and like them.
They show the Bridgestones as OEM but the price is crazy.... $420-449. Other similar Bridgestones and other major manufacturers are more like $300 for Ultra High Performance Summer.
Seems like a money grab by Audi. Bridgestone gives Audi a price break to choose them and then price them crazy in the aftermarket so the unsuspecting buy them as OEM replacements. My dealer tried to talk me into the tire service package saying to replace these tires was $1800.
The same S001 tires came on my S5 sportback, I ran them all last summer and had no issues in the rain and mileage seemed fine, no real complaints. I then switched to the Michelin Pilot AS 3+ for the winter and will run them from here on out. Overall feel very little difference in the handling and millage. I do notice a bit more road noise with the AS tires.
Picked up our new A5 S-Line Sportback with 19" wheels a couple of weeks ago. Came with
Potenza S001 - Size: 255/35R19
Hard to find ratings on them in the Audi size, but a lot of Miata owners don't seem to like them in their size. Poor in the wet and terrible mileage. And a Miata weighs much less than an Audi
As the car is my wife's and she doesn't drive aggressively we will be getting Ultra High Performance All-Season when these wear out. Most likely Michelin Pilot AS-3 Plus ($233) as I have had them on my SAABs and like them.
They show the Bridgestones as OEM but the price is crazy.... $420-449. Other similar Bridgestones and other major manufacturers are more like $300 for Ultra High Performance Summer.
Seems like a money grab by Audi. Bridgestone gives Audi a price break to choose them and then price them crazy in the aftermarket so the unsuspecting buy them as OEM replacements. My dealer tried to talk me into the tire service package saying to replace these tires was $1800.
What am I missing?
Plenty.
Audi aren't in the business of selling tyres, so no they aren't making a money grab.
There are numerous reviews of the Potenza S001 out there, on vehicles and in a size more appropriate than a Mazda MX-5. It is not the best choice in its category for wet roads from what I have read. See link below for reviews.
There are two other Audi AO certified summer high performance tyres for the A5 in that size, an unusually wide choice. TireRack happen to be selling both of these at the moment, one is around $225 a tyre, the other is $185. Why they are selling the Potenza S001 at such a huge price is down to TireRack and probably the amount of rebate Bridgestone is, or is not giving them. In Europe, all these tyres sell for around the same price - including the BMW and Mercedes homologated versions, and the generic versions. There is no mark up. But then in Europe these car brands have much higher market shares, and the tyre retailing industry is not dominated as it is in the US by a couple of high volume mail order businesses to whom managing inventory and minimising operating costs is crucial.
The Michelin AS-3 Plus is only made in the US. As is the Continental DWS. No matter how good they may seem to be, and no matter what description they are given, in dry conditions with a temperature over 45°F, they will have lower performance than any of the three AO performance summer tyres that Audi AG fit at the factory. Whilst your wife may not drive aggressively, and have no need for better traction off the line or higher cornering forces, there is typically a substantial difference in emergency braking distances between and all-season and a summer tyre in dry conditions with a temperature over 45°F or so. In favour of the summer tyre. But no tyre is perfect, they all have some compromises, and the all-season tyre will be much better in wet conditions.
The Michelin AS3+ has been discussed many times in these forums. Seems like a good tyre for its genre. Also seems, IIRC, to be quite noisy on a B9's 19" wheel. So I'd be reading up on that a bit more myself.
There is a fundamental difference between European and US tyre manufacturing - US made tyres typically have harder compounds for better tread wear. European made tyres have softer compounds for better grip. You have to make a decision as to which attribute is more important. You cannot have both.
Picked up our new A5 S-Line Sportback with 19" wheels a couple of weeks ago. Came with
Potenza S001 - Size: 255/35R19
Hard to find ratings on them in the Audi size, but a lot of Miata owners don't seem to like them in their size. Poor in the wet and terrible mileage. And a Miata weighs much less than an Audi
As the car is my wife's and she doesn't drive aggressively we will be getting Ultra High Performance All-Season when these wear out. Most likely Michelin Pilot AS-3 Plus ($233) as I have had them on my SAABs and like them.
They show the Bridgestones as OEM but the price is crazy.... $420-449. Other similar Bridgestones and other major manufacturers are more like $300 for Ultra High Performance Summer.
Seems like a money grab by Audi. Bridgestone gives Audi a price break to choose them and then price them crazy in the aftermarket so the unsuspecting buy them as OEM replacements. My dealer tried to talk me into the tire service package saying to replace these tires was $1800.
What am I missing?
You have no interest for these tires so I don't know why you complain about their prices.
Yoshimura, I was making an observation. Even if I liked them I would not pay almost twice as much as similar tires from from Bridgestone. What is your explanation for their high price?
Glisse, sure Audi is in the tire business. They sell OE and other tires at their dealership, and wanted me to take a warranty out because the tires are so expensive. And my point is they probably get a big discount from Bridgestone by rigging the price with them. BTW, Discount Tire prices them the same as Tire Rack. Do you have an explanation for their high price?
I also would use different words when you say US tires are a harder compound. Maybe Americans prefer a harder tire but the same tire made in the same factory would be the same hardness. And our roads are generally in poor condition and we drive more.
Lastly, I think quality standards for major tire companies are worldwide these days. And these Bridgestones were made in that country noted for their history of excellent tire manufacturing, Poland! ( the homeland of my ancestors)
If you believe, as you have now stated twice, that Audi is in collusion with a tyre manufacturer to raise prices and rip off customers, how would you explain the current TireRack prices for the 3 homologated (AO) tyres being used with the A5 S/line 19" wheel option, 255/35R19 96Y XL :
Source: TireRack, 1 June 2019
Although, if I was price sensitive and wanted to use a homologated tyre for the B9 series, and was buying from TireRack, I would consider buying the R01 (RS5) Continental SportContact 6 instead. Given TireRack are selling these for $202 a tyre - less than the older 5P version.
The Potenza S001 is also made in homologated versions for Alfa Romeo, BMW, and Mercedes in this same tyre size, all RFT, all around the same price as each other. The new G20 BMW 330i M-Sport trim with 19" wheel option is being fitted with the Bridgestone Turanza T005 RFT - and this is just a touring level tyre, not high performance:
Source: TireRack, 1 June 2019
Perhaps you think this is a cartel, and Alfa Romeo, BMW and Mercedes have a similar level of collusion going on with Bridgestone? Or maybe you are just wrong in your accusations that this is an Audi rip-off scheme. Perhaps Bridgestone charge a lot for their tyres. If so, don't use them.
As for compound hardness / tread wear, you misunderstood the point I was making. Which was in reference to the Michelin AS3+ you are considering. This is a tyre that is designed for, and made in, the US. It has a treadwear rating of 500 - almost double the high performance summer tyres that Audi fit. Tread wear is not listed for winter tyres, but the homologated high performance winter tyre in that size (Pirelli Sottozero 3 AO, or Sottozero Series II R01), or any other high performance winter tyre such as the Michelin Pilot Alpin 4, will all have softer compounds than the homologated summer tires, and therefore lower tread wear numbers. Probably why they are not listed.
Whilst there are plenty on the forum that seem happy enough with the AS3+, their harder compound is going to limit their traction in winter, the tread pattern and siping is going to limit their traction in summer. This will be very evident in emergency braking performance - not just on a track. All tyres are compromised in one area or another. Depends on where you live, how you drive, and what is important to you. The link I provided contains tests where braking distances of various tyre types are compared. May be useful, you may not care.
I can understand why people throw away traction for the convenience of not having to change tyres for the seasons, and I can understand why people throw away traction to save money on having to replace tyres more frequently. I don't understand why people to whom traction is not a particularly important attribute buy an Audi, but perhaps that's just me.
05-29-2019, 04:33 PM
A5 S-Line 19" tires
