pal joey

i just looked up tires for my 18 prem plus a5 sb
now im a bit confused. what is w/ao ?

for my a5 on tire rack the only ao tires listed are conti pro contact.
but also listed are the pirelli cinurato p7 which do not have ao designation, but were original equipment on my a5.

ronsal

When I contacted Michelin to ask about the AO designation, their answer was that the secret sauce ingredients was proprietary and they would not tell me the difference between the "standard" tire and the ones with the AO designation - just that Audi specifies something special....oh well. The AO designation is stamped on the sidewall along with the many other #'s and letters.
There is a Michelin w/AO designation in the 235/55 - 19 size in the Premier LTX.
By the way, all these remarks have to do with A/S tires - not summer performance.
As to the Conti's vs the Michelin, tire rack shows more customers satisfied with the M's in more categories than the C's. My experience would agree with their findings. However, tires are something personal and the arguments over which tire is best in which category is endless.
Good luck in your choice

Benzie

I think AO stands for Audi Original as in original equipment.

pal joey

yes both my a5 and q5 are all season tires, and im fine with a/s tires on them both .
i know summer or performance tire will s sometimes have issues with exposure to cold temps...
but is that accurate of just put in place to free up tire company from liability and warranty claims.

i live in nyc and never had summer tires. but ive known some who have them and live here and they just avoid snow and ice.
they say start out slow on a cold dry surface and they will heat up and stick better . any body have any experience with them in cold but dry conditions?
despite not being practical for much of the country they continue to be a growing segment of the tire industry.
i am not willing to get two sets of wheels or tires and change them out twice a year so i have avoided them.
just looking for some info for future use if i select a car with performance times.

Damon@tirerack.com

Agree.

shtaka

pal joey,
I had summer tires on my S5 and was visiting New England in the fall when the temperature dropped to around 40 degrees and the tires turned into hockey pucks. They squealed like a stuck pig and I could feel the loss of traction. Soon as I got back to Florida, I put a set of all seasons on. Just did the same for my SQ5 (difficult finding all seasons in 21's.) Considered moving to 20" wheels, but less expensive option was buying a larger (265/40/21) than OEM size that fits fine.

Heat00

agreed, before I sold the sq, I did replace the tires with the same 265/40/21's, that worked fine and were $200/tire. If I had a nail in one tire btw, after 3 months, there is NO way on earth I would replace all 4, AWD or now, Audi spec or not, that's ridiculous. replace that one and move on or plug it. I've driving tens of thousands of miles in high performance cars, with multiple plugs (that I did myself) in one tire with no issue. So long as the nail is not too close to the side, a plug or patch works fine. I don't agree or understand why anyone would buy 4 tires if one got a puncture, especially being so new.
I do agree that this size they use on the oem 21 is outrageous and silly....

shtaka

A couple of times in the past I have used www.utires.com to replace a bad tire on my wife's X1. You have to be sure and pick a tire that's worn close to your existing tires.

markcincinnati

It's almost all about cosmetics with the upgraded (usually 1") wheels they offer. This is what is troubling, since -- according to my dealer's sales team -- wheel/tire lifespan/damage/repair-costs are prime indicators of whether a customer will be a repeat buyer. They go ahead and have -- for instance -- an S4 with the +sized wheels with summer tires on the showroom floor but they seem to go to great lengths to manage expectations regarding tire replacement and potential wheel damage (here in "mild winter" Cincinnati, many folks -- against advice -- use the same tires/wheels year 'round, sometimes attempting to use 'summer' tires year round). Although the practice of many Americans is to use A/S tires (other than those who live in real snow country), Audi offers its upgraded wheels typically with summer only tires. So, the sales reps (keeping in mind they do not want to lose a sale) may allude to the larger wheels being equipped with summer only tires which bring improved performance, 2.5 season usability and the possibility of needing new tires shortly after the first oil change.

Then, when the customer finds the cost of replacement tires, a replacement wheel or two, an all-wheel-alignment, well, they can sour on the brand. Of course, BMW and Mercedes do the same "what were they thinking" approach and then about the time the customer gets their third German car (in Cincinnati, remember) they opt for the "all-season" option -- and then Audi screws them again by putting "grand touring" H-rated tires on the car when there are Ultra-High-Performance options from at least three companies that I can think of that do a decent imitation of the 'summer only' tires -- but often are able to go some 40,000+ miles.

I have, repeatedly, written to Audi and asked them if (using my 2018 S4 as an example) they might consider offering the "deluxe" wheel in BOTH 18" and 19" sizes, thus allowing me the cosmetic change I'm looking for but with UHP A/S tires.

Crickets. BTW, I mean I'd PAY for the upgrade within the 18" wheel size.

Crickets.

So, I bought my S4 with the 18" wheels and summer only tires and spent another $1,000+ for Michelin A/S Pilot Sport 3+ (or whatever the order of the words is in the name). I would have gladly have paid Audi the $1,000 for the 18" wheels in the 19" style. Missed revenue opportunity if you asked me.

Now, the dealer, not wanting to **** away repeat business, seems to stock -- in the Q's and the A6's cars almost exclusively with the all-season shoes AND the sport suspension, which I assume mitigates the H rated all-season tire's poorer performance impact somewhat. And, the tires last perhaps 30,000+ miles and cost less than same-sized Max Performance summer only tires.

I read so many posts -- not just here on AW -- from disgruntled customers who ended up getting the summer only tires and larger wheels. I guess it seems that it makes little sense to go for the "pretty wheels" only to shell out thousands of dollars for tire replacement and a new wheel or two over their ownership experience.

I'm so tired (no pun intended) of folks saying "Audi's are so expensive to own, I can't keep tires on them" -- almost as if it is the fault of design, engineering, or the quattro system. Bovine Scatology!

Audis are NOT "so expensive" -- it is just that vanity (the way it is marketed and sold by Audi of America) is very expensive.

The SQ5s in stock at our dealer, are often very well optioned, but they are equipped with the 20" (standard style) wheels. Wonder why?

katzjamr

My dealer had 19 and 20 inch options on a lot of Q5's in stock, the car they found for me that was exactly the way I wanted in my color came with the 20", I would have been happy with the 19
I had driven both and could not tell a big difference, infact the 19" seemed to give a better ride to me. I have Conti's, and after driving a loaner with 20" Pirellis I wish I had drawn those in the tire lottery, they are quieter with a better grip. I think the salespeople do take the path of least resistance, of course, I imagine there are a lot of buyers who think bigger is better without thinking through the cost of replacement, or having the benefit of this forum.