Hello,

I just came back from 25k maintentance (done at 20k due to not driving that much) and I my only issue was loud noise at highway speeds.
After checking everything they told me I need to replace my tires (4 Season P225/45 17 Pirelli 91V). I was kinda suprised to have to change the tires after only 20k miles but after checking with a couple of sources, I found out that was their life expectancy.

Anyways, I just came back from shopping for new tires and I ordered a set of Falken Ziex 912 94W, cost me a total of 610$. Anybody has any experience with those and could share his/her experience with me? or maybe recommend something else since I still have time to cancel this purchase. I do drive quite fast and San Diego area road are sometimes kinda bumpy.

thanks and I love my little A3

 

I put the Michelin PS 2s on my car the other day. Love the quiet, love the grip, and still comfortable...even though they are 40s in 18inch rims. Tirerack lists them for about $200 each on its website. WOW American prices are CHEAP!!!!!! WOW!

Phew, the $200 pricing is for 17s, 18s are just over $300..about what I paid! Wow I thought I was hosed!

 

Pirellis are actually known to get LOUD after first quarter of the treadwear. I had good experience with Bridgestone RE950 and Continental's ContiExtremeContact. I like them both, and I think eventually I'll put a set of Bridgestone RE960s. Those are all (ultra)high performance all-season tires though. Maryland doesn't have a bad winter (that i need blizzacs) but I do get snow once in a while so I'm stuck those all-season tires.

 

I've read decent things about the Falkens. Not going to be the best or worst at anything. I've had the Toyo T1-R's and they started fine, but eventually became extremely loud and lost their cutting edge performance. The Pirelli's are overpriced IMO, and the P6's just suck. I went with Yoko S.Drives a few thousand miles ago and have been very happy so far. They are the PS2-like tires for about have the price.



Cheers!

 

Hey omnimofo;
You had the ContiExtremeContacts on your A3? How were they? I've had them on a 540 along with Yoko's DbS2's and am now trying to decide between the two. I very desperately want to get rid of those P6's. The thing that I'm wondering about with the Conti's is how they are with the front wheel drives. If anyone else has them - please chime in.

 

Hi L7, I actually had the ContiExtremeContacts on my ex-96 integra. They were decent. Grip on dry and wet ground was excellent, so-so on light snow. However i think the side wall was a bit too soft for my taste. Overall it's a decent tire for the money. Treadlife didnt last as much as I had expected. By 20k miles there were 4/32 treads left. so I'm estimating 25-27k tread life on those guys if you drive "spiritedly"?

When i was in the showroom shopping for an A3, I noticed A3 came with Pirelli P6s and some of the A3 S-line and A4s come with ContiProContacts (GT or Touring grade) so I asked the sales if I could get those on my A3. They had no problem with that so i've been wearing those touring Contis since day 1. Again, i like them since they're good for not-too-aggressive driving and the grip seems decent. Comfort and noise level are good too. I'll probably go for a set of bridgestone RE960s once these tires are worn out.

 

Did 1k so far with the Falken Ziex 912 on 225/40/18. So far no complaints, good handling, comfortable ride, Noise is reasonable for 18 inches. They were the #1 on the Comsumer Reports UHP List last November, and so far i agree with their choice. For the price, you can't go wrong.

 

I have Falken Ziex 512s on my 99 BMW and it has been a great tire. Wearing well, great handling, quiet.

I would definitely buy a Falken product again.

 

New to this forum, mostly because of this thread.
Wife went out to her A3 this morning and the Front right tire was flat. I put the spare on and noticed that the tire looked worse than any other tire I had ever seen. I can't even describe the wear patters, they made no sense. Drove it to the Dealer, they said its a problem with the stock Prellis. Car only has 20k on it. They sent me to tire kingdom, the closest Prelli dealer. They said that the car is out of alignment and the tires were overinflated at some point (totally not true, I keep them in spec). I took it to an independent who I trust to get new Michelins and a 4 wheel alignment. I think the problem is both the tires and the alignment. Hopefully I can get this fixed. The last 10k have been so loud in the car you could barely carry on a conversation.

 

I have the ContiExtremeContacts on my A3 the actually came stock. They have been great in Rain and Dry conditions but as soon as that 32 degree marker rolls around the are like driving on rocks and are very slippery. (But with the temps I get here I switch to my snow tires when that starts to happen.) They are great tires and I do have to agree with omni the side walls are a little soft for a truly spirited driving. I have 15k on them and buy the looks of it I should get another 15.