DudeDah

So I apologize in advance for yet another tire thread but I'm hoping I might not get COMPLETELY flamed. The tires on my '08 Avant are nearing their demise and, let's face it, the only APEX I am looking for are the ones on the on/off ram on my daily commute. I was really hoping by now to have purchased a new set of Hartman Rotor-reps to buy tires for and put Winter tires on my stock S-Line wheels but, as most of you probably can relate to, convincing the wife you need "summer wheels" is a somewhat lost cause. So, I'm looking for recommendations. I've been reasonably happy, that is to say not UNhappy with the SportContacts I got on the car when I purchased it. I PERSONALLY had a BAD EXPERIENCE with DWS' on my B5 Avant and, as much as I like them in theory, I had to prematurely replace two too many for sidewall bubbles. I replaced those with a set of Michelin HydroSOMETHINGS that I got on the cheap as that car was dying and like how they plowed through water and had a good-looking tread pattern. So for a guy who is not tracking his Avant...what tires do you recommend for a durable, low-noise, good in the wet with a good looking tread pattern?

skimobile

I've had Michelin Sport A/S plus since I got my '08 Avant in 2011. A bit pricey, but not too bad compared to my other car. I like their wet weather and dry weather performance. I do switch them out in the winter for winter tires.

royclark

I've just put Michelin pilot sport 3 - 245 40 18 97Y's on my 2009 Avant. I am very pleased with them.

raj99

I run Michelin Sport in the summer...which are GREAT even in the rain.

In the winter, I've got a set of nokian hakkapeliitta 5's (no studs).

KnappAttack

I've liked the Michelin PS2's, Conti Pro Contacts, Pirelli P6's. They have all been real good. The Michelins have been the best out of that bunch but are very high priced.

What ever you do, DO NOT GET Nitto Motivos. I threw a set of those things on this spring and I don't think I ever had such a awful tire on any vehicle. It's like going back to bias ply tires. Flat spots, won't stay balanced and poor ride, but at least they are quiet!

D's Avant

I'm in the same place as you to a "T". All the research I have done and I still end up with the DWS's and the XL load rating should help with the bubble on the sidewall potential.

What about theses as an option if the DWS is a 100% no go for you?

Potenza RE970AS Pole Position(Ultra High Performance All-Season)

DudeDah

I've never owned any Bridgestone's, the Potenza's look interesting. I may BUCK UP for the Pilot A/S.

Like I said, I guess I am the anomaly with the DWS's, didn't have a great experience with them on my A4 Avant and I have a friend who has had issues with the sidewalls of them on his 7-series. Really resisting the temptation to give them another shot.

NR04

Can you be more specific on the type of tires you're looking for? Are you looking for summer, touring or all-seasons?

I've had several popular tires for our cars and they all have some give or take.... The interesting thing is that I had the worst luck with SuperContacts. They wore fast and got noisy. I had to replace three tires in the course of 3 years due to sidewall bulging (hitting potholes).

As for touring, my second A6 came with Michelin Pilot MXM4. They wore well, were very quiet and resulted in good MPG. But they lacked steering feedback and the handling was average at best.

I've also had Conti DW and Michelin Super Sport. DWs were extremely comfortable. Soaked up road imperfections like they were 45 series tires on my 19" 35 series. But you do pay the price on steering feedback and handling. The Michelin SS were incredible handling tires. I was able to take highway turns 10-15 mph faster than any other tires I had on before. They really stick to the ground. You do give up some road comfort but they are not too bad.

Currently I'm running Bridgestone RE970AS. I bought them not because I need tires below 40degrees (I live in Southern California) but I thought they would be a good compromise between handling, ride comfort and tread wear. They also got the top marks among Ultra High Performance All Season from TireRack. The handling is okay.... not great. And the road comfort is not any better than the summer tires. As a matter of fact, I believe the Conti DWs were more comfortable. They are, however, wearing a lot better than the summer tires. I got about 20K on my summers.... I'm guessing I can squeezing out close to 30K on these. If you need AS tires, these deserve your consideration.

If I were on the market for tires now, I think I would choose the Conti DW for comfort and handling because I don't necessarily need the AS tires.

My $0.02. Good luck with your search....

DudeDah

I guess I'm looking for all seasons. Since I don't see myself getting a new set of wheels before winter, Summer tires for new wheels or Winter tires for winter wheels aren't really in the equation right now, so all seasons it is. I would like something that has good grip in dry and wet and is comfortable on the road/quiet with good durability. Maybe that is a holy grail tire that doesn't quite exist. I'm starting to think I may be leaning towards trying DWSs again. They are ~$30 cheaper per tire than the Pilot A/S. My tires are starting to get loud and was noticing them starting to lose a little grip in the rain the other day so...we're close.

D's Avant

Hey DudeDah,

Something else to consider, the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 coming out this July:

http://tires.about.com/od/Tire_Revie...port-A-S-3.htm