I have a 200 mile roundtrip tomorrow so I hope as the wear increases, the ride improves. I am mostly pleased with lowering the pressures thus far.

 

“The point I was trying to make is that, if anything, your advice of putting expensive, rough riding, short lived, and loud high performance on the OP's A3 will likely produce the exact opposite result from what he is looking to achieve. From the perspective of many, myself included, summer tires belong on cars which see frequent track use, using them for any other purpose is a waste of money and resources.”

I agree with shipo, if you are looking for ride performance (i.e. smooth and soft) then a good performing touring tire 45" or above is probably best for you.

“Ummm, I have no idea where the correlation between lower treadwear ratings and improved ride smoothness comes from; in my experience tires with a treadwear rating of 100 are way-WAY more harsh than an identical sized tire with a treadwear rating of 600. Why? Because tires with a 100 treadwear rating are typically ultra high performance tires with really stiff carcasses, while tires with ratings on the far side of 400 typically have softer carcasses. “

As far as tread wear ratings, in General (does not fit all) the lower the softer, and soft usually means quieter. As I believe the discussion started with all seasons this is the category I am responding to. But even then there are some exceptions.

 

Nathan, I felt similarly when I first got mine. It's a "previously owned" 2006 A3 with 42k miles. But felt there was something not quite right about the way it felt on the road and handled. I lowered the pressure per the sticker on the body of my car and it made a world of difference. I have the conti's on my car. I am reasonably happy with their performance on the road in terms of handling, but I do not feel as though I suffer from the beating you describe. That being said, I drove a minivan before this so... your mileage may vary.

 

Yes, as I have said, coming from the Jetta I was in a bit of shock. As I have put some miles on it, the tire break in, my break in, or both has likened me to it. I think I'll grow into it as you did.

 

I'm going for a set of Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 2 for my 2.0 TDI Sportback, which have been highly recommended for Comfort, Ride, Safety etc. I don't know if they are available in the States right now. We have some pretty bad roads here as well!

 

Totally agree... The depth of your tires can make a huge difference. Plus, to expect the level of comfort out of any all season is a lost cause. SOunds to me like you are all comfort and no performance driven. I would recommend a full touring tire with a high tread depth of 45 if you are using 17's

 

I have an older, 2006, A3 and the original Continential tires were very noisy and had a poor ride. I switched to Michelin Pilot Sport PE2s and they were great. (225/45R17)

Recently I moved to Sumitomo HTR PO1 times and they are just as good (and quiet) at a cosiderably lower cost ($116).

What is your tire pressure? Put the rear at 31 and the front at 27 and see if it is better.

I've drivein a GTI and it rides much firmer than my A3. If you want good handling, you will have a firm ride.

Hope this helps.

BTW I'm very happy with my A3.

Jim

 

Compared to what? Compared to a summer performance tire? Sorry, no chance; a decent All-Season tire in the 225/45 R17 size will have a significantly more comfortable ride than a "full touring" tire (by which I assume you mean a summer performance tire).

 

Nice of you to make that assumption... I wasn't suggesting an all summer tire, if that is what touring means to you... Typically touring tires are All-seasons focused on high efficiency and comfort. I think we all tried to help jharris99, but it looks like you got it from here...

jharris99,

It's clear to me that you're post has lost its focus, hopefully we were able to help...

 

"Touring" tires, based upon the way you've used the term, are Summer tires. What I'm saying is that such a tire will have a considerably lower quality of ride than a good All-Season tire.