TIRES

[Stephen Kormilo]

Ben,

I went through the same decision process almost a year ago when looking 
for new tires for my 2002 A4 3.0. My final decision was between the 
Bridgestone RE960ASs & the Michelin Pilot Sports. I originally decided 
on the Michelins because they turned out to be slightly cheaper than the 
Bridgestones after a rebate. Problem was they were not in stock & no 
sign of when they might be in stock, so I bought the 960ASs. Obviously, 
I cannot compare, but I am very happy with the 960ASs. They handle well, 
are quiet & provide a much better grip & ride than the OEM Pirelli P6s. 
  The only drawback is they have a higher rolling resistance than the 
Pirellis, so my mileage has dropped slightly, although I'm hoping that 
they will get a little better in this regard as the mileage builds up (I 
haven't had them on since putting snow tires on in November).

HTH

Stephen Kormilo
Nanoose Bay, BC

2002 Audi A4 3.0 - Silver
Departed:
1998.5 Audi A4 2.8 - Silver
1985 Mazda Rx7 GSL-SE - Black

email: stephen at kormilo.ca

> Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:14:42 -0500
> From: "Ben Swann" <benswann at verizon.net>
> Subject: TIRES
> To: <200q20v at audifans.com>,	<quattro at audifans.com>
> Cc: benswann at verizon.net
> Message-ID: <005201c872ad$f44991f0$0201a8c0 at swansong>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> Which are best?
> 
> I?m not trying to compromise on price this time since a good set will last me several
> years, I don?t want to skimp, especially on safety.  At the same time, if I pay more, I
> want to make sure that what I?m getting is worth it.  I don?t need dedicated track tires
> or summer tires.  I need all around the best most forgiving tire available for a tire
> that get driven hard all year round.
> 
> I?m looking for 225/50ZR16? to fit on 8? BBS wheels.  I need a tire that will handle
> very high speed in the dry and pretty fast in wet and no surprises in winter conditions.
> Don?t get enough snow to get dedicated snows, but enough dicey weather that I need it to
> be M&S rated.  So basically if I have to compromise, it will be in paying more.  What is
> the best tire or of top two or three that suit an all around purpose and might even do
> OK on a track, but moreover be good safety-wise and handle all weather conditions for a
> generally aggressive driving style.
> 
> I seem to have narrowed selection down and am looking at Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS
> Pole Position
> <http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE960AS+
> Pole+Position&partnum=25WR6RE960PP&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=3&speed_rat
> ing=V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=H> ,
> Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
> <http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+A%2FS&p
> artnum=25YR6SPORTAS&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=7&speed_rating=V&speed_rat
> ing=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=H> .  safety-wise. I
> currently have Avon Tech M550 A/S
> <http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Avon&tireModel=Tech+M550+A%2FS&partnum
> =25WR6M550&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=0&speed_rating=V&speed_rating=Z&spe
> ed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=H>  and they were not too bad
> at first, but as they aged got rather noisy and even with some tread left aren?t the
> best in all-weather.  I heard about the same of Continental ContiExtremeContact
> <http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ContiExtremeCont
> act&partnum=25VR6CEC&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=4&speed_rating=V&speed_ra
> ting=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=H>  .   I did not
> like the Yokahama DB series, and Pirelli P6?s just seem kind of hard and boring, and I
> hate Dunlop GT Qualifiers..   So even though there seem to be some pretty good rubber
> for the money in the$ 80-100 range, it would be nice to get the best I can.
> 
> So which are best?
> 
> Ben