New owner: '16 Q5 3.0T Prestige CPO. A few questions.
 

Greetings!

A few days ago I traded in a Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 5.7 V8 for a '16 Q5 Prestige S-Line CPO in Atlanta with 24k miles. My timing was perfect: the car arrived on the lot 4 days prior and was certified the day before my purchase. The 4-hour drive back home yesterday was awesome! The taut ride, handling, and engine performance were great. I'm also amazed by the V6's fuel efficiency (it's all relative; the Hemi V8 in my old Jeep was a gas guzzler).

So I have 2 questions:
1. Tires. The Q5 currently has 20" Goodyear Excellence tires with good tread life remaining. They are incredibly smooth and handle well. However, I take a lot of long road trips and like soft, quiet tires. I'm wondering if it's worth changing to Michelin Premier LTX (I like Michelin tires) or something else . . . .
2. Waxing. I currently have a garage but will soon become garage-less for about a year. Is it worth waxing the car? At present the paint is perfect.

Thanks in advance!

Congrats on the new Q5. A protective coat of wax, sealant or coating is always a good idea no matter where the car is kept. Plus, it looks better too!

Tire pattern and material can impact the ride quality/comfort in general however sidewall thickness has a direct impact on ride comfort.

​​​​​​e.g. 235 60 R18 vs 235 55 R19

​​​​​​In the example 235 60 R18 (60x235mm is one sidewall) gives more comfortable ride (more area in the cross section or volume of air = more elasticity) than 235 55 R19.

Regarding tire pattern and material one has to be an expert to debate between two different brands or models which in this case I am not.
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I've never heard anyone ask if waxing a car is worth it. If you want it to look better and give some additional protection then yes it is. Most car owners never wax their cars so it's definitely not mandatory. For the small % of people that truly car about the appearance we go above and beyond and clay bar, polish, seal, wax, and lots of other things. Wax wont prevent rock chips or door dings but helps protect against other environmental factors.

That's a great idea. Next year I'll spend a bit of time in the snowy Great Lakes so I'll need to think about an all-season tire.

I am also using all season tires with my stock OE 19" rims same as S-Line. Good overall ride comfort but not happy when I drive offroad but many debate that Q5 was not design for offroading conditions. Yes 19" is much better than 20" rims in terms of ride comfort with or wihout all season tyres M+S.

255 45 R 20 has 114 mm sidewall
235 55 R 19 has 130 mm sidewall
235 60 R 18 has 142 mm sidewall




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I like the 20" rims . . . I think they look really nice on the Q5.

I know that less sidewall means a harsher ride. I guess the question is whether there's a big difference in ride quality between tire brands for a given tire size. Some say yes; some say no. I was just curious what Q5 owners have experienced.

irishbrahm tires are one of the most subjective subjects on the net.Stick with the quality brands and if you deal with a good shop many of them will allow you a trial period wherein you can swap them out if you're dissatisfied with the initial experience.

I understand the question however I dont think there is an objective answer. Tyres are only rated for fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise levels. Low Noise level could be correlated to softer ride but I am not sure.