Tire Question...

[bklein8888]

Hey guys...so I'm in a bit of a predicament. I was driving back from the Napa area last week and I decided to stop by Stasis to check out their operation. When I was there, I mentioned that I was in need of some new tires and Jason, a very friendly and knowledgeable guy told me that he had some Toyo Proxes T1R's that he could give me at a great price. I hadn't had the time to do a sigfnificant amount of research, but I was in dire need of some new rubber (almost 16k on my Michilen PS2's). He told me that the tires were 255/35/18 and I know that I was in the market (and my car had on it ) 235/35/18. I was in a bit of a rush and just said to myself "what the hell".

They finished the job quickly and I was on my way. On my way back home, I noticed things weren't quite right. I did a series of really quick left to right and right to left turns (within the confine of a freeway lane) and noticed my traction control light was illuminating constantly. I also felt a numbness in the handling and a delayed reaction in the steering input.

On my 30 or so mile drive home, things just didnt feel the same. I let a couple of buddies drive my car asound some quick switchbacks and I can feel the car almost bounce over turns (feels like bouncing on the sidewall) that I never felt before. I checked pressure and inflated them to 44 in front and 48 in back with no difference in symptoms.

What should I do? I called Stasis and they said that if the issue wasn't resolved within 100 miles that I should come back. Do those tires work on 18" Avus wheels with stock suspension?

Thanks in advance!

[khyber]

255's are a little big for an S4 period, as far as I have heard/read you wouldn't want to go much past 245's. And on top of that, the avus' are an 8" wheel I think? Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's a big tire for an 8" wheel (not that it doesn't fit) but I'm sure you've got quite a bit of sidewall sticking out, as opposed to having it straight up and down. I'd guess that yes, it is the sidewall that is causing the problem (although I don't know about the traction control part of it).

[Stormin]

There is WAY to much sidewall on those tires. You've added more than a full centimeter to the sidewall of a tire that wasn't that big to begin with.

It's going to lead to slowed reaction side to side, and probably your TC issues as well.

[WaySloS4]

Its odd that a shop who specializes in Audi performance would sell you tires that wouldn't work for your car....

[Dodge2Dub]

Its odd that a shop who specializes in Audi performance would sell you tires that wouldn't work for your car....

x2! Stasis, what happened here?

[CHECKERED]

your tire should not look like this: with side walls caving into the wheel /_______\

the sidewalls must be strait |______|

[ZONAWILDCATS4]

Read any reviews of this tire and the problem with a mushy sidewall is the #1 complaint. Secondly, a 255 tire is probably too wide for a stock Avus wheel. I would return them if at all possible...Stasis is usually top notch when it comes to customer service so I wouldn't worry too much.

[Meradin]

Also, 48 lbs in the rear is way to high. Should be a lot closer to 32.

[bklein8888]

Thank you everyone for your quick replies and input. I will call Stasis tomorrow and see what the options are. I have done some research and have found that most like the BF Goodrich KDW, Bridgestone Potenza RE750, or Vredestein Sessantas. Do people agree. I guess I could always go back to PS2's.

Thanks again!

[Dodge2Dub]

KDW2's are great in the dry, but not wonderful in the wet. They get a bit noisy after 6/32's. I got 30k out of a set.
Sessanta's are great in the dry and aren't too noisy. I haven't felt them in the wet yet.
RE050's are absolutely amazing in the wet and dry. I got 30k out of a set on my Lexus, which is remarkable considering their UTQG rating of 180.

[RAudi Driver]

1st, why are you running 35 series on a 235/18? You should be using a 40 series.

2nd, the 255, 35's are too big for the wheel and your car. Take them back and get your money back.

3rd, Jason, why you do an ziner like that? You guys are supposed to be the authority on these cars. You're giving Stasis a bad name, if that's possible at all.

[bklein8888]

1st, why are you running 35 series on a 235/18? You should be using a 40 series.

I guess I assumed that what came from the factory (235/35/18) was the best...I'll definitely look into that larger size. Thanks for the heads up!

2nd, the 255, 35's are too big for the wheel and your car. Take them back and get your money back.

My plan exactly! They're definitely not workin for me.

[RAudi Driver]

I guess I assumed that what came from the factory (235/35/18) was the best...I'll definitely look into that larger size. Thanks for the heads up!



My plan exactly! They're definitely not workin for me.

What came from the factory was 235/40/18's, not 35/18's.

[02slowride]

Thank you everyone for your quick replies and input. I will call Stasis tomorrow and see what the options are. I have done some research and have found that most like the BF Goodrich KDW, Bridgestone Potenza RE750, or Vredestein Sessantas. Do people agree. I guess I could always go back to PS2's.

Thanks again!

One other tire to consider is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric. Check out this link.

I recently installed a pair 235/40/18 to replace the stock Contis, about 700 miles ago. Handling & steering response is noticeably better, during normal highway cruising the ride is improved, and the overall noise level is significantly reduced.

Best of luck.

[AudiOso]

I recently installed a pair

You replace your tires in pairs? I've always bit the bullet and bought them in sets of four. I hate running different treads front to rear.

[Stormin]

LOL. On the old Benz I went through two rears for every 1 set of fronts. But I can't see that being the case with Quattro.

[Jason@STaSIS]

x2! Stasis, what happened here?

Guys, Id like to shed a little light on this. Just for reference, I think we have run just about every combination of wheels and tires on every version of the B6/B7 chassis. We know what works, but more importantly we know what doesn't work.

As far as this particular car (and a very nice example of a B7 S4 at that) I think its a combination of things.

Firstly, tire sizes. They aren't necessarily what is written on the sidewall. Different manufacturers size tires differently. A Toyo 255 is very different from a Michelin 255. We know this and use this info to help fit the most tire possible under your Audi.

The Toyo 255/35-18 tire that we installed on this car is 0.2" (5.08mm) wider than the 235/40-18 Michelin... not much difference at all. Certainly not the 20mm that one would think from looking at the numbers printed on the sidewall.

Second, and this is mostly for bklein8888, I would not sell you something knowing it would not work on your vehicle. You are a new Audi enthusiast and a local! The best of both worlds for me! Your PS2's were worn (one with a big sidewall bubble) and I was trying to help by giving you a good deal. Very sorry if I was confused about your needs. We have comparable performing tires to the PS2 - just at double the price point. Please let me know when you can come by for us to have a look.

PS - lower the pressures back down to 35-38 psi (cold) and you will get much more grip and better ride. Also - you may give the tires a few hundred miles to shed all the mold releases and glues used in the manufacturing process. They get noticeably better with a couple thousand miles on em.

[02slowride]

You replace your tires in pairs? I've always bit the bullet and bought them in sets of four. I hate running different treads front to rear.

My bad, Yes I replaced the whole set - all four. I agree with you about biting the bullet. No need to screw up the ride quality with different tires on each axle. I have also found that keeping a rotation schedule, helps to ensure they all end up needing replacement at the same time.

[Daddie]

1st, why are you running 35 series on a 235/18? You should be using a 40 series.

When you go with a wider tire, the profile needs to shrink to keep a similar diameter.

255 / 35 series tires = 235 / 40 series tires

Edit : to elaborate, the be-all end-all of all tire size sites :

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

But like the guy said... everyone's tires are different sizes...

[RAudi Driver]

When you go with a wider tire, the profile needs to shrink to keep a similar diameter.

255 / 35 series tires = 235 / 40 series tires

Edit : to elaborate, the be-all end-all of all tire size sites :

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

But like the guy said... everyone's tires are different sizes...

Yea, but you said that yo had a 235/35/18" tire as your stock size. Was this a typo?

[Daddie]

Uh, I didn't say anything...

Oh, the OP said that he had 35s... maybe he was confused? Sorry - I was just saying.

[RAudi Driver]

sorry here too. I meant the op also.

[b spot]

1st, why are you running 35 series on a 235/18? You should be using a 40 series.

2nd, the 255, 35's are too big for the wheel and your car. Take them back and get your money back.

3rd, Jason, why you do an ziner like that? You guys are supposed to be the authority on these cars. You're giving Stasis a bad name, if that's possible at all.

235/40 has ~94mm sidewall

255/35 has ~89mm sidewall