[s-cars] Tires

[Theodore Chen]

I'm using BFG g-force T/A KDWS on the stock 16" rims, and like them a lot.  They're great all-around tires.  While the compound doesn't give the dry traction of the g-force KD, the carcass is the same, and I was impressed by the sharp steering response, which was noticeably better on the g-force KDWS than the Dunlop SP8000 it replaced.  Because my car is responsible for getting me to the snow up at Tahoe, I'll buy another set of BFGs after this set wears out.  I've never used chains on that car, and never found myself wishing the tires had better traction in the snow.  They were able to get the car up a hill through unplowed snow that was up to the bumpers.  At the current rate of wear, they'll last about 40k miles.

My BMW 330i has P-zero Nero on 17" rims, and I'm not very impressed with them.  They have good dry grip, but have rather soft steering response and are squirrelly at the limit, and their wet grip is lacking.  They also hydroplane fairly easily.  I won't get those tires again.  Never tried them in the snow, but if their winter traction is anything like their wet traction, run away.

The B5 S4 Avant has ContiSportContact on 17" rims.  They are also a bit mushy when pushed hard.  They're OK, but I'll get something else next time around.  Never driven on them in the snow (the UrS4 is my ski car).


----- Original Message ----
From: Ian Duff <iduff at comcast.net>
To: s-car-list at audifans.com
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2008 8:13:33 AM
Subject: [s-cars] Tires

So, the perpetual can of worms, what's the consensus on tires? I'm in  
the market for something that doesn't exist, good all season tires.

Don't start on me about dedicated snows, or summer tires being OK, as  
neither works for me. What I'd like to find is a tire that works well  
for the 99% of the time when there's no snow or ice on the road, but  
is not dangerous on snow or ice. I also want something with a wear  
index higher than the usual (near R-compound) summer tire.

I started my research at that paragon of tire knowledge, Tire Rack.  
They list, test, compare and offer real-world reviews on a number of  
what they call "ultra high performance all season" tires, http://tinyurl.com/2jc7al 
. The top entries are, in order:
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position
Yokohama ADVAN S.4.
Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season
Continental ContiExtremeContact
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
Pirelli PZero Nero M&S

Here's my so-called "thinking" so far:
I had Bridgestones as OEM on my 2000 S4 and hated them, swore never to  
own another set. Should I reconsider?
The Yokohama and Goodyear have too few owner miles miles to have  
credible reviews. Anyone on this list care to chime in?
The Michelins suffer from a weak dollar, are Wicked Expensive, and  
can't be that much better, particularly considering how far down the  
list they fall.

So, at first blush, it looks like I have the cheap Contis or the  
expensive Pirellis to consider. The Contis are not offered with road  
hazard coverage, maybe because they're near their end of life/going  
out of production soon? Any reason I should spend another $43 per tire  
and go with the Pirelli? Are there other tires out there I should  
consider?

-Ian Duff.
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