Cupping and Feathering on Stock Continental Summer Tires for '15 S4

[GT-R & S4]

I bought my '15 S4 Prestige the end of this past March, which came with the Continental Summer tires. Last week I brought my S4 to a trusted shop to have those tires removed, and a set of Winter Pirelli Sottozero performance tires. The technicians at this shop pointed out to me already some cupping and feathering on the tires. I've put just a bit over 7,000 miles on my S4 these past few months of ownership, I don't track it, and it has been my daily driver. Obviously I need to get a four wheel alignment. I've reached out to Audi about this, since the car isn't even one year old, and I'm being told, "Sorry, there's nothing we can do under the terms of the warranty". My question to the group is, one, isn't this cupping and feathering premature on a car only a few months old? Two, is this standard for Audi to not at least spring for an alignment under these circumstances? The car has been performing very well, handles great, and is a very smooth and comfortable ride. With or without the support of Audi I will get the vehicle properly aligned. I just think it stinks that I already need an alignment, and Audi is not doing anything to help in this regard. I also want to be fair, so if someone has a compelling reason why Audi shouldn't do the alignment, I'm all ears. Thanks!

[o1turbo30v]

Are you for real? It's $129 on your $60k car just man up and get it done, who the hell cares, wah.

[14S4GWM]

I had feathering on all four tires on the outer edges with proper pressure. Was there when I got the car. I put 4000 miles on them and had them replaced with the new dws06 at 11k miles with an alignment and was just barely out of spec.

[djkyky]

I bought my '15 S4 Prestige the end of this past March, which came with the Continental Summer tires. Last week I brought my S4 to a trusted shop to have those tires removed, and a set of Winter Pirelli Sottozero performance tires. The technicians at this shop pointed out to me already some cupping and feathering on the tires. I've put just a bit over 7,000 miles on my S4 these past few months of ownership, I don't track it, and it has been my daily driver. Obviously I need to get a four wheel alignment. I've reached out to Audi about this, since the car isn't even one year old, and I'm being told, "Sorry, there's nothing we can do under the terms of the warranty". My question to the group is, one, isn't this cupping and feathering premature on a car only a few months old? Two, is this standard for Audi to not at least spring for an alignment under these circumstances? The car has been performing very well, handles great, and is a very smooth and comfortable ride. With or without the support of Audi I will get the vehicle properly aligned. I just think it stinks that I already need an alignment, and Audi is not doing anything to help in this regard. I also want to be fair, so if someone has a compelling reason why Audi shouldn't do the alignment, I'm all ears. Thanks!

I have the same situation 2015 S4 but at least I got 15,000 out of the tires. Cupping, feathering whatever you want to call it. Rear Continental tires feathered on the inside. My son told me it had to do with the way the rear independent suspension is setup by design to help keep the tires flat when cornering. Camber and caster on your car tires are probably set to the car's design specs.

Sounds like I am driving a farm truck with knobby mud tires.

If you have a Gt-R it probably wears the rear tires on the inside just like my 370Z did. Dues for owning a sports car. There are threads about this. Search this forum and AW for "feathering". You will find more info. I'm getting Michelin A/S Pilot Sport this Friday. Will sacrifice traction for long wear life.

If you do get a rear alignment let me know if the setting was off. Since I have the same wear pattern I am curious if my issue is also misalignment or as I am told, that is the way the car is designed.

[pdqgp]

Putting my winter Blizzaks on tomorrow and will check the stats of my Stock Conti's. I have 14k miles on them and so far all is good. No apparent feather or cupping. Maybe a wee-bit louder but hard to tell. Good tread life so far. I'm not easy on them by any means. I plan on using them next season and then getting summer only Michelins.

[LINDW4LL]

The stock Continentals are known for cupping, and also wearing very quickly. It's not uncommon for them to be worn out by 15-20k, but they often become noisy much earlier.

[ENV²]

The stock Continentals are known for cupping, and also wearing very quickly. It's not uncommon for them to be worn out by 15-20k, but they often become noisy much earlier.

This.

They suck. I luckily had Dunlops

[laakness]

The stock Continentals are known for cupping, and also wearing very quickly. It's not uncommon for them to be worn out by 15-20k, but they often become noisy much earlier.

100% true, mine got so noisy. I'm throwing them out next spring (winter tires put on this weekend). When doing 70 it sounded like a wheel bearing was out but it was the Continental's >:|

[hotleadsingergu]

Are you for real? It's $129 on your $60k car just man up and get it done, who the hell cares, wah.

You're being rude, inconsiderate, and completely wrong. A 'warranty' on a car is there for a reason: when things aren't right, the manufacturer is on the scale to fix them.


OP, I have the same issue. I have a 2015 I bought in July and, after feeling a slight vibration around 72-74mph, had the car in for its first 5,000 mile service (around 4,200 miles). The dealership said there's slight cupping on the tires, but after rotating them I didn't feel the vibration any longer. I put on my winter tires, but I'm going to monitor it closely when I switch back in the spring.

[mr shickadance]

The stock Continentals are known for cupping, and also wearing very quickly. It's not uncommon for them to be worn out by 15-20k, but they often become noisy much earlier.

i thought cupping was more about improper balance or shock/strut health? i.e. if your car cupped one tire, its going to cup the next one unless an alignment/balance/inspection of suspension is performed?

[GT-R & S4]

The stock Continentals are known for cupping, and also wearing very quickly. It's not uncommon for them to be worn out by 15-20k, but they often become noisy much earlier.

True, and I expected a lower life for a tire with a softer compound like the Conti's. But I'm only at 7K miles.

[GT-R & S4]

You're being rude, inconsiderate, and completely wrong. A 'warranty' on a car is there for a reason: when things aren't right, the manufacturer is on the scale to fix them.


OP, I have the same issue. I have a 2015 I bought in July and, after feeling a slight vibration around 72-74mph, had the car in for its first 5,000 mile service (around 4,200 miles). The dealership said there's slight cupping on the tires, but after rotating them I didn't feel the vibration any longer. I put on my winter tires, but I'm going to monitor it closely when I switch back in the spring.

I didn't put too much attention into that person's comments. There are always people on these boards who go out of their way to be negative to others. Anyway, my point wasn't to be a Cheap Charlie (after all, I did pay for a $60K vehicle, ha-ha), but to address a problem that may have been a defect from the factory.

[suprspinner]

The dealership told me the same thing when I went in for my 5,000 mile change. I have a 2015


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[Reckon]

No cupping or feathering on the stock Conti's I replaced but I did get 15k miles out of them. Were extremely noisy in the last 2k miles though.

[TimS7559]

I have 2 summer seasons, about 11k, on my stock summer Contis and won't be sad to see them go. I started hearing the dreaded growling noise in the fall of 2014 and have been living with it. When I put on my winter tires 2 weeks ago I was extremely surprised at how quiet the ride became. I can actually hear what the car is doing now and for normal commuting the extra quietness is such a relief. The tires have the cupping that others have described and they wore a ton in the past 6k miles. Next summer will definitely be the last season on those tires as they will be to the wear bars in another 5-7k miles.

[Lamprey]

Stock Conti's are shit. Period. I get it, it sucks. Even with a warranty I'd just take the hit and ditch them for something better. I'm not going to lie and tell you I know about all the different tires, but I bought the Michelin PSS and it is night and day difference.

[S4'ed]

The Conti tires are known for getting noisey treads at low miles, due to "feathering". Its the tires NOT the suspension/alignment. There are plenty of the same complaints on the VW CC forum, where the CC ContiSport Contact is the OEM tire. The Conti DWS model tire does not seen to have this problem.

[pdqgp]

Putting my winter Blizzaks on tomorrow and will check the stats of my Stock Conti's. I have 14k miles on them and so far all is good. No apparent feather or cupping. Maybe a wee-bit louder but hard to tell. Good tread life so far. I'm not easy on them by any means. I plan on using them next season and then getting summer only Michelins.

Pulled the summer shoes off and the Stock Conti Sport Contact 3's on my 2014 are wearing very nicely. No feather, no cupping and very even tread wear. Fronts are slight more worn than the rears but not by much. I didn't have a tire gauge but they easily have another season worth of tread before hitting the wear bars. Car tracks perfectly.

[GT-R & S4]

I'll probably have to just bear the cost of having an alignment done and then have to go through another season with the Conti's. By then they'll have had around 14K to 15K miles on them and it'll be time to upgrade to a better tire. Just wish Audi had gone with something that wasn't so prone to premature wear, as many have pointed out.

[MVR 155]

My stock Continentals have been through 3 summer seasons (I swap to a separate set of wheels/tires for winter months) and have a grand total of maybe 14K miles, they are worn completely even (religious about pressure and rotation) and have about 5/32 of tread remaining. They are louder than the Toyo Open Country tires that were on my H2 that I just got rid of!!! I'm not unhappy with the performance of the tire but the noise is unbearable!! It was the end of the 2nd season where I noticed an increased noise level and this past season it got horrendous. While there is enough tread to probably get another whole season out of them I will be putting fresh rubber on my summer wheels. If you look at the reviews on tirerack you can see that noise is an overwhelming complaint regarding these tires.

[S4'ed]

I'll probably have to just bear the cost of having an alignment done and then have to go through another season with the Conti's. By then they'll have had around 14K to 15K miles on them and it'll be time to upgrade to a better tire. Just wish Audi had gone with something that wasn't so prone to premature wear, as many have pointed out.

Don't waste your money on an alignment, you don't need one, unless you bent something and/or had suspension components replaced. Also, the factory alignment is often screwed-up by the tech...they often think they know better than the factory specs....

[GT-R & S4]

Don't waste your money on an alignment, you don't need one, unless you bent something and/or had suspension components replaced. Also, the factory alignment is often screwed-up by the tech...they often think they know better than the factory specs....

Since I'll have my S4 in for intakes, exhaust, and adding some cosmetic exterior pieces, I'll have my tuner put it on the Hunter machine just to check if it is really out of alignment. If it's not, I'm sure I won't be charged just for checking. Anyway, no, I didn't bend anything, the car hasn't been in any accidents in the eight months or so I picked it up from the dealer, haven't modded the suspension, and have never tracked. It has just been a regular daily driver.

[chaos2984]

Its the factory tires. They just flat out sux. These by far are the worst tires ive ever had. They feather from stock. My car has 10,x on it and they are noisy and feather. They have like 3/32 left on them. They are just flat out shitty tires for wear. They are pretty dam grippy which is nice but the wear is terrible. You drive like 100 miles and you can see the wear lol. Ill have to get new tires in the spring. It kinda sux having to get new tires at below 15k but it is what it is. Just wish going forward audi would use better tires. But its all about who can do it for less

[mr shickadance]

Don't waste your money on an alignment, you don't need one, unless you bent something and/or had suspension components replaced. Also, the factory alignment is often screwed-up by the tech...they often think they know better than the factory specs....

this is flat out not true.

Normal driving over time can cause alignment to fall out of spec. Speed bumps, pot holes, all harsh bumps in the road, they add up. Wheel Alignment should be checked at LEAST every 2 years, frankly, with how cheap an alignment is, it should be a yearly maintenance item.

Also, techs will run the machine and put you into spec, they do not 'think' they know better, they just do their job and move on the next car.

[S4'ed]

I have owned and driven many different cars, over the years, and never had an alignment done, unless I had suspension work done. Some of these cars went for 80,000 miles before I had to replace a tie-rod and get it aligned, and I have never had any uneven tire wear or tracking issues. Cars just don't need regular alignments......if they do then something is 'wrong"......

[mr shickadance]

perfect conditions then I agree, but if you hit enough speedbumps at speed, or whack into a pothole, or a curb at speed, it absolutely is going to knock you out of alignment. the steel in our suspension is going to be bend a lot more than a concrete speed bump.

Especially the more travel you take out of a car (lowering)

[Fourcircle]

Don't waste your money on an alignment, you don't need one, unless you bent something and/or had suspension components replaced. Also, the factory alignment is often screwed-up by the tech...they often think they know better than the factory specs....

This...

The shop knows the tires suck, but they have nowhere to go because Audi won't back them up and replace them. So, they blame it on the alignment, hope you take the bait and throw more good money down the drain. Have you called Continental? Might get some help there.

[chaos2984]

What is the tread warranty on these tires anyways? Or do you not get a warranty past 12/12 on them anyways because they come with the car?

If enough people complain about it something might happen

[Crucible35]

I see these threads and wonder how people are still such fans of Continental tires....given my own situation where I've run Conti DWS on my last Audi and, unfortunately, got my new car with the stock Conti summers. They are the worst tires I've owned, as mentioned, due to tread wear and noise. Just put my winters on (Michelins) and the difference is huge....way more comfortable and super quiet. They may be a good buy, but if they give you half the useful life of a more expensive Michelin (replaced the conti's on my last car with Michelins and I got 95,000kms out of them!) they're no bargain.

[kap09]

I've purchased brand new B8.5s twice now. Both came with the contis. Got 10k on the first car (bone stock) and 8k on the current one (was lowered on OE sports most of those miles)

Truth is the tires suck to begin with. Use this as a good reason to get a GOOD set of rubber and a proper alignment to get the most out of tires actually worth preserving :)

[JoshDub]

Get you alignment checked like others have stated. It is very possible that you hit a bump, pot hole, curb, child, ect that knocked it out of alignment.

[HeymyAudi]

I swear Its a Maryland thing... I had to bring my car into Audi of Silver Spring today because of feathering on my Pirelli P7's .. Since I bought the car in the summer the longest trip I took was out to VA. I stay around Maryland most of the time, well last week during my drive to NYC I noticed it was floaty and pulling hard to the left. I took it to NTB to check the alignment and the first thing my buddy saw was the front tires feathering bad, the rear were feathering but not as bad. It almost felt as if they were warped on the outer edges. The tires only have a little over 5k on them. Until today I never knew tires could " feather" until NTB explained it to me. Either way Im sure I am getting some replacement tires outta the deal and a re-alignment. I will just have to rotate every 3K moving forward. I wont have to deal with the stock tires come spring when I put my wheels on. I think the bigger question is how come these S4's are making tires feather out on the edges?? I have owned 5 Audi's and never had that problem. Inner tire wear YES but not this...

[GT-R & S4]

Get you alignment checked like others have stated. It is very possible that you hit a bump, pot hole, curb, child, ect that knocked it out of alignment.

Wouldn't be surprised, with how well the roads are maintained in PG and A.A. counties, ha-ha.

[GT-R & S4]

Audi's response was that they agreed for me to bring my vehicle in, if I wished, and they would evaluate the alighment, with regards to the cupping and feathering noted on the Conti's. They also said that if in their opinion the alignment was correct, then they would charge me $225 for the diagnostic fee.

[HeymyAudi]

Wouldn't be surprised, with how well the roads are maintained in PG and A.A. counties, ha-ha.

I am a professional Pot Hold Dodger... EuroCode Sways help! lol

[GT-R & S4]

I am a professional Pot Hold Dodger... EuroCode Sways help! lol

Unfortunately the roads are so poorly maintained that avoiding pot holes and such are the equivalent of one walking outside in the rain and avoiding the rain drops. And from an appearance perspective, the roads are extremely dirty and full of stones, gravel, etc., so its harder to keep your car clean and free of rock chips.

[HeymyAudi]

Very true


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[Dakkath]

I have 17,800 on my '13 S4, Contis are pretty much toast in the front, and almost toast in the back.... They tramline like a motha'f right now and are noisy.

Not even close to a favorite summer tire at all. Replacing them with some super sports ASAP.

[GT-R & S4]

I'm thinking seriously of putting MPSS' on my S4 come Spring and just selling the Conti's. They are actually still in good shape, it's just to the trained eye you can see where some cupping and feathering had started on them. I would say the next owner of the tires could probably get a couple more seasons out of them.

[mgiannetto]

I've got the same horrible feathering and loud drone that others have had. Will be replacing the tires next week (going with the Bridgestone Pole Position S-04's). The question is whether to have the alignment messed with.

Here is my thinking. If so many of us are having (have had) this issue, is it possible that all of us are driving cars out of alignment? Is Audi doing a poor job with the alignments out of the factory? I think not. I've never seen tires feather like this (or at all) in my life (been driving cars for almost 40 years). I checked my winter tires (granted they only have 5K miles on them) and no sign whatsoever of feathering. So I'm inclined to believe as others on this forum have suggested that it is "the tires" and not the alignment.

What would be good to know is that for those who have had the alignment checked, what were the result? Was the car badly out of spec?

I have had alignments done in the past with mixed results. Sometimes I have even had to have them redone because the tech messed up the alignment and the car ended up pulling to one side or the other. I tend to believe that if one is careful (and does not hit massive pot holes) that periodic alignments are not necessary.

Knowing the results of the alignment checks from those who have had this feathering would be a good data point in helping to decide if having it adjusted is necessary.

To all the haters out there, this is not about the $149. It's about having someone screw up a perfectly good alignment which was better left alone in the first place.

Look forward to hearing from others.

Thanks,

Mike