snagitseven

Before these were avail last year I upgraded the wheels to 17" and put a set of Dunlop SP5000 on my '01
2.7T. After 14K mi I got rid of them and got the Michelins last week. Some observations:

Pros:
Ride: much smoother with 35F/34R psi (more is too harsh for me); had a small vibration at 67-72mph
but this went away after Discount Tire put them on the Hunter 7500 machine and "race" balanced the set;
the SP5000's were constantly out of round and never smooth; stiffer sidewall on the Michelins but takes
up the bumps and road cracks without drama
Handling: every bit as good with no hesitation as the SP5000's which took a moment to grab then went;
absolutely NO car tramming in ruts - the SP5000's pulled the car this way and that constantly on bad
roads
Noise: a bit noisier than the 5000's but really not too bad - I don't notice them unless the window is down

Snow: too soon to tell but I'd bet they're better than the SP5000's which were only marginally better than
the Contis
Wear: these have GOT to be better than the Dunlops which wore 2/3rds out in 14K miles; the Michelins
have a 400 wear rating vs 350 on the 5000's (which seems highly overrated to me)
Water: the SP5000's were really good here but these seem as good

Cons:
The Dunlops looked wider (actually are by 2/10ths in) and the tread was cooler looking
The Michelins are pretty expensive - I paid about $215 ea; if they last 30-35K mi a real deal!

Overall: The Michelins feel smoother and perform in all areas as well to far better than the SP5000's. I
would say that the overall performance is superior while at the same time it does it with less fanfare and
drama. They just go.
Highly recommended. (My sig photo still shows the Dunlop SP5000's on the 2.7T).

RKA

14K miles on treads that are 2/3rd's worn does not equal to 21K miles of usage. As the tread blocks wear down, the wear rate decreases significantly.

A friend of mine had SP5000's, and thought they were wearing fast as well, but with 1/4 of the tread remaining, he refused to part with the tires. Oddly, he got another 10K out of that set. Now, if you want to play it safe so you don't hydroplane, that's another story.

Eddie@Tirerack

great review, thanks!

Decolliber

I just ordered a set of Potenza 950s for my '97 A6. Never seriously considered the Pilots due to price. I did give a lot of thought to SP5000s but was put off by the many reports of balance and out of round issues. I have SP5000s on my '88 Porsche 911; no balance problems, but after 10K miles they are nearly worn out (especially at the rear). I agree that the tread rating of 350 seems to be overly optimistic.

snagitseven

but my wheel bearings from the out of round vibration would not. This after spending $100 for multiple Hunter 7500 balances and 2 replacements. The SP5000's were junk IMHO. A $560 mistake despite their very few advantages.

RKA

I have read another review of the SP5000's (from the A6 forum as a matter of fact) which mirrored your observations. Poor treadwear, mediocre performance, and out of round issues.