samchuang33

Hey Guys

Just want your opinion regarding wheel alignment on Quattro. The original PZero on my old Q7 lasted around 18,000km before i replace a new set with Conti UHP but the tire shop who installed it stuffed up the alignment so the tires were gone within 8000ks. So ever since i was almost getting new set of tires every 12 month all due to uneven wear. The last few year I have been taking it back to Audi who charges $210 AUD for an 4 wheel alignment and was able to stretch out the tire life back to over 15,000km before alignment goes off again and tire was bold on the outer edge. I have never change any tire on my Q7 that was completely worn down evenly. It was always changed due to misalignment.

1. Should I be doing an alignment when tires are changes? It seems like it is best not to touch it if it is not broken.
2. How often do u take ur Audi to check alignment? I had never had any issues with my X5 where the tires last 3-4 years on average and I hardly check the alignment. It seem like I need an wheel alignment every 6 month if I wanted to keep my alignment within acceptable range which TBH is silly.
3. What is this nonsense regarding changing a full set of tires every time? I have always agreed on changing the same set front or rear but changing 4 tires at once coz 1 tires is stuffed seems like an overkill. Any technical explanation would be appreciated. I have never heard of anyone who stuffed up their differential due to different tread depth.

Any feedback appreciated. And yes... my Q7 need another 4 sets of tires as the outer edge is below legal limit... There goes another thousand

Martigary

Sam,
I came out of a Touareg a few years back and there was always talk on forums on changing tyres at the same time. Had to be the same tread depth, tread type/tyre brand etc but I had never heard of anyone having their differential spitting the dummy and slacking off. As long as the tyres are of similar specifications I suggest you could get away with it.

Re wheel alignment - I have always had tyre rotations at 10,000km by a trusted wheel/tyre specialist which includes a wheel balance. They can judge if a wheel alignment is warranted then. Lot cheaper than dealerships who normally send them out anyway.

samchuang33

I have yet to find a good independent tire shop that I trust near where I live and work which is why i take it back to Audi. Last time I went with an independent, the tires went faster than my kids school eraser. Wife has been driving the Q7 most of the time so she wont checks the tire until something is wrong. I'm need to remind myself to check car alignment check every 6 month.

The summer tires with limited tread depth doesn't help. Looking at getting a new set of All season michelline Poilet sport A/S 3+ imported from tireracks to AUS which has more than double treadwear than the summer tires that I can get my hands on in Australia.

Wires

Summer tires can just be bad for wear. My previous BMW had Michelin Pilot Sport tires which road/gripped amazing but wore off like an eraser. Last car I got came with Bridgestone Potenza P001's and they are a lot more amazing for wear. The Pilot Sport A/S 3+ would be my next tire of choice if they offer RFT for that car.

All modern vehicles will have recommendations for the amount of acceptable tread depth differences when swapping tires. If it's too far out, it impacts the ABS, traction control and AWD since the tires are all spinning at different rates which looks like slippage. Over time tires will "dry rot" as well. They get hard and don't perform as well, so eventually it's good to get a full fresh set to ensure decent traction.

Sucks you cannot find a decent indy though. As Martigary said, they typically farm this out to anther place, and charge their "handing" fee in the middle.

ronsal

@Wires
"........ offer RFT for that car." I assume you mean Run Flat Tire? Why would you choose those.? I was under the impression that they are very low on the performance AND comfort ends of the scale?

Wires

Yes, they are run flat. The car came with them, and has no spare or a location for a spare. Since the wife drives it sometimes, I like the peace of mind that she'd be fine.

They do ride a bit harsher, and not as pliable for cornering. If I tracked the car, I'd swap them, but for a daily driver (even driven aggressively), I find they fine. It's winter tires that really show up as subpar with RFT since they aren't as pliable, especially when it's cold. My Audi feels 10x more stable in snow/ice than my BMW, and I know it's 100% tire related.

ronsal

Yeah. Forgot about the BMW/no spare thing. That would be a deal breaker for me. A car MUST have a spare. While I have only needed a spare once in the last 10 years, my paranoia would overcome the love of the car.....LOL. Thirty years ago, my ex hit so many curbs, that she was on a first name basis with the AAA Tire change driver, and I was on the tire dealers speed dial for replacements.

Wires

I know what you are saying. I haven't had a flat in 10 years (thinking back, I stopped having them once I bought a plug kit for my RFT's)

I just wasn't comfortable going non-RFT's with their slime and compressor "mobility kit". I've been in situations in the past where replacing the tire was the only option if you couldn't drive on it.

samchuang33

I got rid of the factory Bridgeston RFT on my old bimmer as soon as it went low and had the exact Slime mobility kit on the back of the boot. I have never had to use it which was very luck (touch wood) but yes the RFT are stiffer but you get use to it. TBH, Bimmer tend to have harder ride and nothing beat my old E46 when it came down to hard sport suspension as it will literally shake ur filling out or give u a mild concussion over long period of bumpy road.

I have since put on my a spare latitude sport 3 tire on the Q7 on my front left hand tire which is bold on the outside. My local tire shop said they now can get their hand on the Pilot sport 4S on 295/35/21 which has treadwear of 300 compare to the 220 on the latitude sport 3 so I will swap over to the new 4S in a few month. With the alignment, i think I will give that same independent shop a go and possible adjust the camber slightly more negative to see if it helps with more even wear.

spindlewood

It was a definite plus for me that the SQ5 came with a spare. My last car (Toyota Sienna) had run flats. They lasted 12k miles and were significantly more expensive, rougher and noisy. I couldn't justify the price knowing I'd have to replace them every 12k - plus I disliked the ride and needed a winter tire set to boot! Looking back on it, it was kind of crazy that I drove for 120k miles without a spare - including cross country and in remote places. Never got a flat that stranded me. But given the choice, I wasn't going to buy another car without a spare. Good thing I didn't want a BMW.

So far, at 11k, I haven't had any issues with alignment or uneven wear. Hopefully the potholes around here don't change that.