Best all season tires?

[akamute1]

Just curious what is the best AS tire out there from your experience. I've been looking at the review videos on tire rack but they're not the most helpful. Looking at either the Michelin pilot 3 or continental dws 06 but I'm skeptical on continental as a brand because of the sport contact 3's two of my cars came with. Worst tire I've ever personally had IMO


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[DannyDeez]

For an all season, I'm personally a huge fan of Yokohama Advan Sport A/S. I haven't driven in the snow with them but the wet and dry performance is very good.

[TheLetterJay]

I'm currently running Michelin Pilot A/S 3's. Good dry and wet performance, but I've heard that they suck in heavy snow conditions.

I believe that Michelin will be releasing the A/S 3 Plus as well, so be sure to look into those as well.

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[mavz]

i have the dws 06's and have no issues with them (i dont think anyone has had a bad experience other than soft sidewall?), also quite a few people complain sport contact 3's suck. Even still, I'd probably recommend the Pilot A/S 3's if you aren't driving in deep snow.

[Trent212]

Love the DWS 06s, only thing i have had problems with was it took a pretty good bit of wheel weights to get them balanced.

[plat]

It may not be the DWS06 that needed most of the weights. It might also be the wheel itself.

[Trent212]

It may not be the DWS06 that needed most of the weights. It might also be the wheel itself.

True, but i read they are rather bothersome for other wheels also.

[whts4]

Running Michelin A/S 3 and like them very much. Very good wet and dry handling, slightly less harsh ride w/o compromising cornering, however on some road surfaces (texture of road) they can be a little noisy at least in the first 1000 miles or so. Have not driven in snow but most people claim they're fine in light snow but not good in heavy snow. They are really a great winter/all season tire in climates with occasional light snow bc they handle the colder temps better than summer tires.

[S4_V6T]

Having tried numerous different tyres over the last 3-4 years (one dedicated winter set and one dedicated summer set each year) I can highly recommend the following:

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rsh...n&typ=R-281867

1st Winter tyre with Class A Wet grip. They are as good if not better than the following winter tyres that I have tried before:

Pirelli Winter SottoZero 3
Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance
Dunlop Winter Sport 4D
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4

And on par with the following summer tyres I have tried for wet handling:

Michelin Pilot Sport 3
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT
Toyo PROXES T1 Sport
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2

Live in Scotland, UK... So am accustomed to the wet weather!

[Parz]

Love the DWS06. I was skeptical too, they have been great since installed and I deal with multiple seasons in Northern Illinois.

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[jsh139]

Love my Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3. I'll definitely be buying again.

[bberg22]

Bought my car CPO and it came with a new set of Pirelli Cinturato P7 tires which are rated the best of the grand touring all seasons on Tire Rack. So far no complaints, not bad in the rain and in light snow (not a replacement for a winter tire in my opinion for New Englanders). They are cheap all seasons too around $100 a piece with good tread-wear ratings. Personally I plan on going with a Winter and summer tire two sets of wheels setup though.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....m=055HR6CP7ASP


Edit:

I would personally check out the new Continental DWS 06 tires if I were going to get new all seasons. They seem to be well liked on tire rack.

[s14roller]

Mich A/S 3 if you don't need to drive in snow. DWS if you need to drive in snow.

[sacandagaD]

Love the DWS06. I was skeptical too, they have been great since installed and I deal with multiple seasons in Northern Illinois.

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Love mine as well, especially during this mild winter. Switching to summers soon but really happy with 06's so far.

[BaumerS4]

Another N. Illinois guy here weighing in... Got a set of DWS 06 for the winter and they've been great in the snow and wet thus far, and even took them on a road trip to Florida over the Christmas break and they performed exceptionally well. Have only gotten them to slip by driving super aggressively and pushing to hard into a corner. Otherwise they've been great.

[minman26]

If I lived up north I'd probably go DWS for a little more snow capability, but I will say the A/S3 exceeded my expectations in the snow. I flew into Nashville the morning of the blizzard this year. Cars stuck EVERYWHERE. I stayed on the backroads that were not touched by plows and had to climb several steep grades and barely a slip.

[blackfunk]

I find unplowed snow more stable and easier to traverse than hard packed (read frequently traveled though fares). Usually I try to take the side streets etc when driving.

[cjw]

I have the AS3's and while I'm not racing, I was impressed with the grip and response. Better than some of the decent summer's I've had.

I don't think they are good in snow, but they'll get you buy if you're cautious. If you get snow regularly, I wouldn't use them in winter, but if you live in a state that gets a few snowfalls a year and the roads clear up in a day or so, they are a good solution. I used DWS's as my winter tire previously and they did well, but I don't think they were the new version. They were squirmy as hell.

[WJN S4]

Anybody have experience on the 1st Gen DWS vs. 2nd Gen DWS06?
Want to know if they really stiffened them up, my only complaint about the DWS is that they feel too soft on turns in the dry.

I currently have the DWS and they have great treadlife, grip, wet/snow, comfort.. all around great tire except the dry performance handling - too soft on turns. Have 30K+ on mine so far, and still plenty of life left.

[mmm def]

I had a/s 3 on my 330 and s4. Liked them a lot. I had a dedicated winter set as well though.

[Sundowner]

I have A/S3's on my S4 and DW06's on my wife's A3. Both are excellent in dry, wet, or snow.
the sidewalls on the DWS 06 are definitely better than previous models.
Neither tire will disappoint. about 10k miles on both sets of tires.

And becuase I love inciting discord, I'll add that anyone who says one of those two tires is dramatically better than the other is a whiny little bitch. ;)

[Moto One]

We have had both gen's of the DWS's, and the O6 are far better then the first gen's. Just my butt meter: the O6 seem to be a bit stiffer on the sidewalls. As for working in snow? Far better then I expected seeing that we normally have Ice/snow tires that do work better,(at the start of the winter season) but lose their grip for us because of hi-milage on dry roads when off the hill with weekly commits to SF for work, where the DWS's have shown little wear and remain consistence in snow traction under the same milage and driving conditions.

Mark

[Midnight_Rider]

DWS06. Even on a heavy rain fall, it doesn't even feel like it's raining at all. Absolutely no hydroplaning, and dry grip, I think, is better than the stocker (cont 3).

The turn in grip is simply amazing. Stopping grip is amazing. Only thing is that the side wall is little soft on the turn in initially, but they even out quickly. Very compliant ride. Very quiet in the highway speeds.

It's rated 50k miles, AA A XL. I looked into this, and they're the best rated, and best priced out of the bunch.

The Audi dealership matched Discount Tire price for install for me, which is nice, because it comes with two year road side assistance.

[mjames]

Why put an all-season tire on a performance sport sedan? It's a compromise. If you live in snowy climate, get winter tires, but otherwise you owe it to this car and yourself to run performance tires! I run Pilot Super Sport year round. My S4 had all-seasons when I bought it and god, it was awful! I will never understand the idea of running an all-season on a car like the S4. This is not a Camry or Accord.

[jlaudio]

Why put an all-season tire on a performance sport sedan? It's a compromise. If you live in snowy climate, get winter tires, but otherwise you owe it to this car and yourself to run performance tires! I run Pilot Super Sport year round. My S4 had all-seasons when I bought it and god, it was awful! I will never understand the idea of running an all-season on a car like the S4. This is not a Camry or Accord.

Some of the UHP all seasons out perform summer tires, the a/s 3 being an example (obviously not super sports). Not everyone lives south of the mason dixon line and a few of us have 2-4 days/year when it snows. 2-4 days/year hardly justifies an additional $800-1200 for dedicated winter tire/wheel setup.

You are right, it's not a Camry or an Accord. It's a mass manufactured Audi A4 with a better motor.

[roadawg]

Why put an all-season tire on a performance sport sedan? It's a compromise. If you live in snowy climate, get winter tires, but otherwise you owe it to this car and yourself to run performance tires! I run Pilot Super Sport year round. My S4 had all-seasons when I bought it and god, it was awful! I will never understand the idea of running an all-season on a car like the S4. This is not a Camry or Accord.

Agreed, doesn't make sense. I hate all season tires and for good reason, the PSS transforms the car. Why spend all that money and skimp on the most important factor?

^^^ some people just don't get it.

By this logic, we should only put proper tires on bespoke sports cars, because if your sports sedan is based off of another mass produced car, then there is no point of doing it the right way?

[jlaudio]

^^^ some people just don't get it.

By this logic, we should only put proper tires on bespoke sports cars, because if your sports sedan is based off of another mass produced car, then there is no point of doing it the right way?

Not once did I imply that, everyone's situation is different. This all goes back to the age old argument since UHP A/s tires were introduced of dedicated summers/winters vs. all seasons. You have to understand not everyone lives in the same place, people drive their cars differently than one another, and everyone's budgets are not the same.

What you consider nonsensical others consider perfectly logical. Not everyone sees the value in spending $800-1200 for a dedicated winter wheel and tire when it's going to be used 2-4 days a year.

[sangaroo]

Currently have Michelin A/S 3 on S4 and DWS 06 on Merc.

A/S 3 is feels like a better tire in all conditions except for snow more than 6".

[chris dds]

I have Michelin AS3. They are a great 3 season tire with excellent handing on dry and wet. They are not good on ice and snow....it's OK if you have only occasional light snow, but if you regularly need to drive in snow and ice they're not going to be a good choice.

Tread wear is poor, too. I have about 15000 on mine and there's no way there going to last as long as Michelin says!

[Senseless]

I have the Continental Pro Contact tires which I believe are grand touring all season. I do a lot of high speed highway driving, so noise is a big factor. Is there an all season that's quieter at speed?

[blackfunk]

What happens if you live in a condo where there's no storage? You shouldn't drive a 'performance' car? Not everyone lives in 4000 sq/ft of space. This is silly reasoning because if you think you're extracting the full potential from your tires while driving in public you're delusional.

[Johnnycash]

Just ordered a set of the Michelin as3+ which is newest iteration of the as3, not many reviews of course but I have been reassured these tires will be fantastic!

For the record I live in Minnesota and I do run a educated winter setup but the reasoning for me is simple instead of trying to time Mother Nature and worry about when to put my other wheels and tires on and off I can be a bit more reactive even if I get caught in some kind of weather with out my winters I will have a much better chance of dealing with the elements.

For example my winter tires are coming off Friday morning and if it snows again I'll be ok, but t for the time being I'm not riding around on squirmy winter tires wearing the tread down premature ly...


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[laakness]

Just ordered a set of the Michelin as3+ which is newest iteration of the as3, not many reviews of course but I have been reassured these tires will be fantastic!

For the record I live in Minnesota and I do run a educated winter setup but the reasoning for me is simple instead of trying to time Mother Nature and worry about when to put my other wheels and tires on and off I can be a bit more reactive even if I get caught in some kind of weather with out my winters I will have a much better chance of dealing with the elements.

For example my winter tires are coming off Friday morning and if it snows again I'll be ok, but t for the time being I'm not riding around on squirmy winter tires wearing the tread down premature ly...


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I'm in a similar situation, I've previously always had UHP for summer and dedicated winter but now I drive more for work and my schedule is dynamic. I don't need to be stuck home because we get 2" of snow late March or early April. To the folks that say you "need" a UHP tire because it transforms the car...get a grip (no pun). This is a great sports sedan but unless you are a giant dick on the road you aren't using half of the capabilities of the car.

[mjames]

Not once did I imply that, everyone's situation is different. This all goes back to the age old argument since UHP A/s tires were introduced of dedicated summers/winters vs. all seasons. You have to understand not everyone lives in the same place, people drive their cars differently than one another, and everyone's budgets are not the same.

What you consider nonsensical others consider perfectly logical. Not everyone sees the value in spending $800-1200 for a dedicated winter wheel and tire when it's going to be used 2-4 days a year.

Of course it doesn't make sense for me to get winter tires when it snows once or twice a year where I live. But for people in the north who get snow, how is it NOT justified to get a winter setup? This is a $50k sports sedan, I feel you owe it to yourself to get the best performance out of it. I remember my all-seasons I had when I got it and I tried to do some performance driving in the mountains and those tires were awful, it really stuck with me the difference between all-season and performance. And I know some of the all-seasons are better now, but it will always be a compromise.

What happens if you live in a condo where there's no storage? You shouldn't drive a 'performance' car? Not everyone lives in 4000 sq/ft of space. This is silly reasoning because if you think you're extracting the full potential from your tires while driving in public you're delusional.

Does your condo not have storage units? Do you not have friends or family in the area where you could store them? When I lived in a condo, there were storage units you could get. If not, that is unfortunate. And as far as extracting the full potential, I can assure you in daily driving I don't, but when I do driving tours with my local ACNA in the NC mountains, I am surely using those tires to their full potential (www.tailofthedragon.com / Quattro de Mayo). So to make the argument that I don't need performance tires because I wouldn't use them to their full potential is ridiculous. Maybe you don't, but I do. And maybe I'm just a spoiled southerner with my three-car garage and 4,000 sq ft house.

Oh, and if an S4 is a mass-produced A4 (it is to some extent), an M3 is a mass-produced 3-Series. I came from an M3 and while I love my Audi (in a different way), I yearn for an M4 in next 1-2 years.

[Dr GP]

Why put an all-season tire on a performance sport sedan? It's a compromise. If you live in snowy climate, get winter tires, but otherwise you owe it to this car and yourself to run performance tires! I run Pilot Super Sport year round. My S4 had all-seasons when I bought it and god, it was awful! I will never understand the idea of running an all-season on a car like the S4. This is not a Camry or Accord.

While I respect your opinion, I do not share it. For many of us, UHP All season tires provide sufficient dry and wet/snow performance for our driving needs. And I don't understand the need to have a summer and winter set of tires. If you track the car, UHP summer tires are the best tire in the summer. On the street at speeds, and with conditions allowed by law, the A/S tires gives you more than adequate handling and braking performance. If you don't have a lot of snow and Ice, the A/s tires will get you where you need to go in the winter. Not everyone drives their S4 with their hair on fire most of the time. Suffice it to say that A/s tires are a viable option for some of us S4 drivers. Sorry you cannot accept that fact.

[Dr GP]

). This is a great sports sedan but unless you are a giant dick on the road you aren't using half of the capabilities of the car.

Agree! Every time someone starts a post about "what is the best A/S tire" we get posts from someone insisting that you have to have a winter/summer set up. In many situations you don't. Get over it.

[mjames]

Agree! Every time someone starts a post about "what is the best A/S tire" we get posts from someone insisting that you have to have a winter/summer set up. In many situations you don't. Get over it.

I agree in daily driving, yes.

But don't people here ever go on spirited drives? I enjoy going to the mountains in rural areas and "carve up the twisties," as I like to say. I enjoy doing it with groups of Audi's, I am going next month in fact to Quattro de Mayo.

It's times like that where you notice the limitations of A/S tires. So don't act like you have to be a jerk on public roads to realize the performance of your tires.

[Dr GP]

I agree in daily driving, yes.

But don't people here ever go on spirited drives? I enjoy going to the mountains in rural areas and "carve up the twisties," as I like to say. I enjoy doing it with groups of Audi's, I am going next month in fact to Quattro de Mayo.

It's times like that where you notice the limitations of A/S tires. So don't act like you have to be a jerk on public roads to realize the performance of your tires.

YES , but you can still do all those thing you want to do with UHP A/S tires as well. Especially if you have SD, or not! Who says you can't drive aggressively with A?S tires. Performnce might not be quite as good as with UHP summer tires but I bet it is at least 90% as good. Probably as good as a non sport dif S4 with UHP summer tires,. And Better that a whole lot of other cars out there. On the track is a totally different story.

[blackfunk]

Of course it doesn't make sense for me to get winter tires when it snows once or twice a year where I live. But for people in the north who get snow, how is it NOT justified to get a winter setup? This is a $50k sports sedan, I feel you owe it to yourself to get the best performance out of it. I remember my all-seasons I had when I got it and I tried to do some performance driving in the mountains and those tires were awful, it really stuck with me the difference between all-season and performance. And I know some of the all-seasons are better now, but it will always be a compromise.


Does your condo not have storage units? Do you not have friends or family in the area where you could store them? When I lived in a condo, there were storage units you could get. If not, that is unfortunate. And as far as extracting the full potential, I can assure you in daily driving I don't, but when I do driving tours with my local ACNA in the NC mountains, I am surely using those tires to their full potential (www.tailofthedragon.com / Quattro de Mayo). So to make the argument that I don't need performance tires because I wouldn't use them to their full potential is ridiculous. Maybe you don't, but I do. And maybe I'm just a spoiled southerner with my three-car garage and 4,000 sq ft house.

Oh, and if an S4 is a mass-produced A4 (it is to some extent), an M3 is a mass-produced 3-Series. I came from an M3 and while I love my Audi (in a different way), I yearn for an M4 in next 1-2 years.

Yes but smallest unit is $100 which now goes to an additional $1200/yr. Not worth it imo. And yes, you should be grateful that you have a three car garage. Space IS a big deal in NYC.

[emnahum]

Yes but smallest unit is $100 which now goes to an additional $1200/yr. Not worth it imo. And yes, you should be grateful that you have a three car garage. Space IS a big deal in NYC.

Amen to that.

What I found is some Indy shops are willing to store the off-season tires for $100-200 a year. Eurotech Motorsports in Mahwah, NJ is where I have them now. At that price it was worth it to me.