Re: summer tires

[Peter_C_Schulz@ccmail.ed.ray.com]

In response to Jim Healey's questions on tires...

I put a set of BF Goodrich Comp TA VR4s on my Coupe Q two months ago...
My comments:

A bit noisier than the Yokohama AVSs with which I had my Scirocco 16v shod.

The grooves in the TAs tend to pick up and hold onto gravel, which may explain 
this...I'll know better after the remnants of winter (sand) are swept up this 
spring...

Awesome! in the snow.  I was in North Conway, NH, on a weekend when Mother 
Nature dumped about a foot of the white stuff. It was a blast to get onto an 
unplowed road and "punch it".  The Coupe Q accelerated like a cornered rabbit!
Turning and stopping were also very good.

Great in the rain.  Light years ahead of the previous Michelin MXV4s, especially 
on the highway and through standing puddles-no more "white knuckled" driving on 
the highway.

-Unfortunately from my past experiences, all new all-season tires perform better 
when new- of course, there's more tread to work with.  So comparing brand new 
TAs with well used MXV4s probably isn't the best comparison.

But- I needed new tires, so I looked up prices from the Tire Rack. They listed 
the TA VR4 205/60 VR4 for $92. They usually charge about $5 shipping for each 
tire. I went to National Tire Wholesale (NTW) and they matched the price with 
the shipping included ($97/tire)- which was cheaper than mail-ordering the tires 
an then paying a higher mounting and balancing cost. NTW gave me a free lifetime 
balance.  You may have difficulty finding a better deal...

The usual disclaimers, just a long term satisfied customer...

Peter Schulz 
1990 Coupe Quattro 71k miles