re: V8 quattro tyres

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

hello gang, been away for a while.. anyway, with the new web
browser in place (thanks for doing it) i can now keep up with
the traffic..

V8 tires:  i recommend the touring tires because the lower noise levels
bring the road noise to a level on par with the excellent insulation
characteristics of the rest of the car.  (if you look at the factory
manuals you will see that audi went to extreme lengths to reduce
mechanical noise, efforts that were not made on the other models). 
for street driving there will still be more grip than what you will really
need. 

i am currently using dunlop D80V4's and they are much much quieter than
the original P600s.  the car was transformed by the tires.  i have over
40K miles on them and they look like they will last another 20K... 

i inflate them to 45 psi front and 41 psi rear and this is actually (to
borrow the phrase) the sweet spot for these tires and the suspension as
far as handling/ride compromise is concerned.  wear is perfectly even.  i
don't think that these pressures would apply to other tires and definitely
not to the V8s with the internal caliper brakes... the regular disc setup
reduces unsprung weight substantially, so i can get away with much stiffer
tire and shocks up front. 

i also saw some posts of nightmare V8s.. i guess that's what happens
when previous owners don't take proper care of them.. mine has not
been in the dealer's for a very long time... well i take that back..
the $#%@#^& bose stereo head unit broke a button and i had it
replaced with an aftermarket unit...

i don't know what the discussion was with regards to aftermarket
stereos, but i put in an old Nakamichi RD460 with preamp out going
to the bose power amplified speakers..  everything worked out great.
the alternator noise was a bit of a challenge to eliminate, but
other than that everything went easily.

the dealer tells me that the S6 wagons are coming any day now..
anybody seen one yet?


eliot