eggyacid

okay... this is crazy.
i needed "ONE" new tire to replace a rear tire that has a nail in it. as always, i'm told to replace both at the same time. 100% agreed.

now i'm hearing due to the ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM of AUDI... i must replace all 4 at the same time. Is this correct? or is this bunch of BS to get me to buy more tires

any thoughts?

JohnBoyToo

As with any all wheel drive system the drive train can only handle SO much variance in running gear diameters....

if you agree tires should be matched on the same axle then understand the all wheel drive system basically ties all 4 wheels together...

Now - there is some variation - i.e. if the tire diameter of the used tire is within say 5% of the new tire - you'll probably be ok...

Go by your local Discount tire chain and ask them...

When I had a tree limb go into the side of my AWD Jeep 5.9 limiteds tire,
It couldn't be repaired and had to get a new tire, but since I was selling it, I opted not to buy 4 new tires and just had that new tire shaved down to match the rest.. (tough to prematurely wear out a new tire, but that's the correct thing to do if you are not getting matching tires...

eventually you WILL have to have new tires, you can always get 4 new ones now and have 3 good spares for later

good luck

eggyacid

wow, this is the first time I heard this...

my front ones should have another 10K on it.... i don't think i would shave the new tires, i guess i have to replace all 4 at once.

any suggestions on all 4? Bridgestone, Conti, Goodyear... Michellin's are way too expensive

Jusforfun

can you get one used tire to match?
What brand are you on now?
Keep the other three for spares?

arU4ic

Well, on my subaru, I could get away with replacing only two on the same axle, I am guessing the differences in the quattro make it more critical.

uberwgn

Eggy, just how worn are the tires on the vehicle? Do you know how many miles on the tires?

Since your 2011 vehicle will have the indirect read system, it should be able to compensate (up to a point) for differences at each corner of the car. Tires wear at different rates, the system would have to able to adjust.

Can the dealer provide you a TSB that states tires must be replaced in complete sets so the TPMS system (or 4WD) continues to work as intended. Or, is the dealer simply over-recommending repairs?

Is the tire repairable via a traditional patch ??

coupegt87

Agree ..... most 4WD system will need all 4 tires to be changed, ouch ! I learned this on my Honda Pilot,

eggyacid

I'm currently at 24K with factory tires... discounttire recommend all 4 to be replaced. the back 2 are close to the indicator, the front two still have another 5K left.

I think i'll replace all 4 just to be safe..... kinda suck that factory tires only last 25K miles

spoke with dealer, they recommend all 4 to replace at ANYTIME.

uberwgn

Well, given this new information, it appears complete replacement is the correct choice.

I'll tell ya, there are many large SUV drivers out there that would be thrilled to get 25k - 30k miles from a set of tires

Jusforfun

I had same wear pattern on mine when I changed. It just shows they need to be rotated front-rear every 14k