Laufenn S Fit UHP A/S Tires

[old guy]

First the backstory. My 2009 CC VR6 uses the same size tire as my B6. Both have been running the Continental DWS 235/40/18 for years. I have been very happy with the Conti’s. As A/S tires go these seem to be a really good blend of summer/winter performance.

A few months ago my wife was out of town in the CC and had a flat. She stopped at the nearest place she could find (Pep Boys) for a quick repair. The tire had two punctures about 1” apart and consequently they refused to patch the tire claiming that for safety reasons they were not allowed to do so. True or not, really didn’t matter. She needed to get back on the road. So they replace the Conti with a 235/40/18 Laufenn S Fit A/S and she continued on with her trip.

The remaining three Conti’s had about 50k miles on them so I needed to replace them before winter sets in. So my options were to pick up four new Conti’s at around $800 installed or pick up three new Laufenns at $380 installed. The CC just passed 260K miles so I will be replacing it soon. Consequently I went with the Laufenns.

Since then we have put several thousand miles on the Laufenns and I really couldn’t find anything to complain about. The tires handle well and are very quiet. Since the CC is basically an Interstate cruiser they fit the bill nicely.

On to the A4. My Conti’s had around 45K miles on them and were probably good for at least another 5K miles before being down to the wear bars. But with winter coming I went ahead and replaced them with the 235/40/18 Laufenn S Fit A/S from TireRack delivered for $425. Installation at the local VW dealership was $60.

I have around 500 miles on them so far and I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. I didn’t realize how noisy my Conti’s had become as they wore down. I was amazed as to how much quieter my car was on the highway. The downside is that I can now hear my tinnitus a lot louder as I drive down the Interstate :-(

It is raining here today in Western Maryland so I had the opportunity to push them really hard in the wet. Again I have absolutely no complaints. They have a little more grip than my 45K mile Conti’s.

The Conti’s are really good in the snow for an A/S tire. That will be the next test for the Laufenns. I will update this thread after I get my first drive in the snow.

It all comes down to what you goal is for your tires. If you want ultimate performance pick up some Potenza RE-11’s or similar. If you want a decent tire for a really low cost that (hopefully) you can run year round the Laufenn S Fit A/S appears to be a pretty good bargain.

[rfelker]

Ive had the dws then went to the general gmaxs. I rate both about even in upstate ny weather. Did notice that both had to warm up about a 1 mile down the road then they felt great. One thing I didn't like with both tires is the soft sidewall. Hows the sidewall on these? same?

[OttawaWill]

Great feedback. I'll be watching for your updates. I've all but decided to replace my current set (p6) with sumitomo htr III when the time comes. The sumitomo was a tire that I would have never consider save for a car I bought had them on it and I was shocked how well they performed.
Back to your post, its nice to find value in items/products that we would normally consider substandard.

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[old guy]

Ive had the dws then went to the general gmaxs. I rate both about even in upstate ny weather. Did notice that both had to warm up about a 1 mile down the road then they felt great. One thing I didn't like with both tires is the soft sidewall. Hows the sidewall on these? same?

The early DWS was a 91Y rating. They were a tad soft. The more recent version (DWS-06) has a 95Y rating and the handling is noticeably stiffer. The Laufenn has a 95W rating and feels more like the DWS-06 than the original DWS.

[old guy]

Great feedback. I'll be watching for your updates. I've all but decided to replace my current set (p6) with sumitomo htr III when the time comes. The sumitomo was a tire that I would have never consider save for a car I bought had them on it and I was shocked how well they performed.
Back to your post, its nice to find value in items/products that we would normally consider substandard.

If you are going for dedicated summer/winter tires the Sumo HTR III is a great value for a summer tire. Since you are in the Great White North I can see why you want to go summer/winter tires. Where I live in Western Maryland I can get by with an A/S tire for year round use.

[Charles.waite]

If you are going for dedicated summer/winter tires the Sumo HTR III is a great value for a summer tire. Since you are in the Great White North I can see why you want to go summer/winter tires. Where I live in Western Maryland I can get by with an A/S tire for year round use.

Can confirm. HTR ZIII are an amazing bargain. They're a tad loud and wear fairly quickly so not the greatest for highway driving but I love mine and those two negatives aren't a big deal for me anyway. I've gotten close to 20k miles out of mine which is good for a Max Perf Summer.

Grip is incredible both dry and wet for a $100 tire. I'm sure Michelin PSS are better but are much more expensive.

[jacobsen]

Nice, the woman's car needs tires asap, perhaps these'l do. I'm 25k miles into my perelli p7 all season plus, love them. The tread is a bit bigger than comparitive tires which makes them good in snow.

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[rfelker]

oldguy forgot all about the newer dws. We have those on the b7 and does feel solid. I don't get to drive the b7 much. the gmaxs are like the older dws. I'm in the market for tires so might try the laufenns on the work car. thanks for the semi review. Priced them at tirerack 300 for all 4 not bad considering I pay 800 for the gmaxs and dws.

[GTA]

Hmmm. Interesting. Did a search and found out that Laufenn is a no-frills tire brand launched by Hankook and made in Indonesia, at a new and dedicated Hankook plant.
Read more: http://autoweek.com/article/sema-sho...#ixzz4OOXcs0tW

Will be following this thread for user reviews as I will need a new set of summer boots next spring. I have dedicated winters on steelies.

[OttawaWill]

Hmmm. Interesting. Did a search and found out that Laufenn is a no-frills tire brand launched by Hankook and made in Indonesia, at a new and dedicated Hankook plant.
Read more: http://autoweek.com/article/sema-sho...#ixzz4OOXcs0tW

Will be following this thread for user reviews as I will need a new set of summer boots next spring. I have dedicated winters on steelies.

It's funny how these things go. Never heard of Laufenn aside from seeing it listed as a brand in tire racks for option until old guys review then today at work while searching for a separate publication I stumble on one from a year ago introducing Laufenn as hankooks value brand.
On a side note, who else finds reading customer reviews both amusing and horrifying at the same time? It's interesting to see peoples review but for products or services that can be affected by so many variables and having no qualifications it can really negatively affect the perception of quality... Maybe I'm crazy.. Mm
Will

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[eljay]

I guess you are laufenn all the way to the bank, old guy!!

(see what I did there?! Sorry, couldn't resist!)

Yes, I wouldn't hesitate to pick a budget tire from big brands like Laufenn (Hankook), Barum (Continental), etc. Thanks for sharing.

For folks looking for a dedicated winter tire, checkout the new Kumho Wintercraft WP-71. Looks like a bargain snow performance tire compared to Pirelli Sottozero etc. But I digress.

[old guy]

Quick update. When the temperature gets low the Laufenns have a tendency to flat spot a little. it only lasts for the equivalent of a city block and then they smooth out. It's a bit annoying but it clears up in less than a minute.

Otherwise I'm still pretty impressed with these tires, especially at the price point. Now that I have broken them in I have pushed them pretty hard on my daily on ramps in both the wet and dry. Behavior is predictable. You can feel when they are about to start sliding and when they do its gradual. And at a speed that will definitely make you think hard about what you are doing:-0

Hope the snow performance is decent for an A/S tire.

[old guy]

Time for another update. We have some severe icing conditions in Western MD so I got a chance to see how these Laufenns do on the ice. The roads are extremely slick. I fell on my ass trying to walk up the driveway. I had to spend about 10 minutes chipping ice off the windows so I could drive. I wasn't sure what to expect out of this tire. Could I even get up the driveway?

After getting up my driveway and taking a spin around some untouched back roads I have to say that I am extremely impressed. They performed every bit as good as the DWS on ice if not even better. They stuck so well that I had to try hard to do a few donuts. (well not too hard but you get the drift).

I have also had the opportunity to push them pretty hard in both wet and dry conditions. So far all I can say is that don't let the low price fool you. This is a serious A/S tire.

I will update again once I get a chance to run them in some snow. So far I couldn't be happier....

[old guy]

I finally got a chance to try the Laufenns in the snow. I headed to work this morning around 5:30 in heavy snow. There was about 6” on the ground and my street hadn’t been plowed. The rest of the roads going to work had been plowed at least once so my driving conditions ranged from untouched to I” of packed snow.

The tires did OK. Definitely not as much traction as the Conti DWS. It was very easy to get the traction control to kick in. All in all as long as you have Quattro the Laufenns should get you through 6” to 8” of snow. The forecast for this area is up to 12” so the trip home tonight may get a bit interesting….

[SleeperAvant]

Drive safe everyone! The snow storm missed us up here in Southern Ontario but I heard the North Eastern states have a lot of snow. Good review of the tires OG.

[Kevin C]

Thanks for the update!

[Charles.waite]

Hey OG. Any update on these as things warm up back east? Is the road noise acceptable still?

Blew a tire this morning on my way to work and am trying to figure out my plan. Now that I commute 30mi a day, the Sumitomos have started to wear a bit faster than I'd really like and are nearly to the wear bars so getting a used tire to replace it doesn't really make sense. That and I'm feeling a bit saucy as of late and have started looking at some 19's as summer wheels which might relegate my 18's to winter weather duty. So I'm more concerned about something reasonably priced and reliable in inclement weather and am willing to sacrifice a bit of fun in the name of practicality.

Pix for clix:




That curb came at me out of nowhere, I swear!

[old guy]

No complaints. We've put about 10K miles on the CC and 3K miles on the B6 since installing the 235/40/18's on both cars. The tires have decent grip and are quiet and comfortable. I still feel it is a great tire for the price.

[oaybar007]

Another great choice is the Pirelli PZero All Season Plus. I picked up a set last January and am really impressed. These are the most compliant, quite tires-have a great performance design which pairs well with sports luxury sedans. I've driven them in snow, ten degree weather, rain, and now summer heat and they have been surprisingly consistent. The noise they generate is minimal, like a faint wind noise. Cornering is predictable and the feedback otherwise is really neutral. Just a nice, linear tire is how I would describe them. Doesn't matter if I'm going 40mph down a two lane road or 75mph on the highway or running around on switchbacks and back roads, they are quite and stay planted.

I did what most people don't do and paired this tire with lightweight OZ Ultraleggera wheels you would be more likely to run something aggressive on. I have no regrets and the combination has been great. I shed a lot of weight per corner so the car accelerates and brakes better and mpg went up a tad. Not dirt cheap but for the mid $500's a set, I would say they are a good buy.

[Spike00513]

The noise they generate is minimal, like a faint wind noise.

[eljay]

Another great choice is the Pirelli PZero All Season Plus. I picked up a set last January and am really impressed. These are the most compliant, quite tires-have a great performance design which pairs well with sports luxury sedans. I've driven them in snow, ten degree weather, rain, and now summer heat and they have been surprisingly consistent. The noise they generate is minimal, like a faint wind noise. Cornering is predictable and the feedback otherwise is really neutral. Just a nice, linear tire is how I would describe them. Doesn't matter if I'm going 40mph down a two lane road or 75mph on the highway or running around on switchbacks and back roads, they are quite and stay planted.

I did what most people don't do and paired this tire with lightweight OZ Ultraleggera wheels you would be more likely to run something aggressive on. I have no regrets and the combination has been great. I shed a lot of weight per corner so the car accelerates and brakes better and mpg went up a tad. Not dirt cheap but for the mid $500's a set, I would say they are a good buy.

I too have a set of Pirellis P Zero All Season Plus and I agree with your observations. Very good tire and the price was reasonable too.

[Charles.waite]

I had a set of Pirelli P4 all season plus tires and they were sooooo bad. Worst tires id ever had. They made the cheap chinese Federal tires I had on before seem like Racing slicks in comparison. They kinda turned me off of Pirellis in general. Well that and the fact they're very much overpriced and love to put a bajillion SKUs of the Same fucking tire into the market so it's really impossible to figure out what all the random differences are making comparison and research a major pain in the ass. Whenever I peruse tire rack I make sure to uncheck the Pirelli box.

[GTA]

I had a set of Pirelli P4 all season plus tires and they were sooooo bad. Worst tires id ever had. They made the cheap chinese Federal tires I had on before seem like Racing slicks in comparison. They kinda turned me off of Pirellis in general. Well that and the fact they're very much overpriced and love to put a bajillion SKUs of the Same fucking tire into the market so it's really impossible to figure out what all the random differences are making comparison and research a major pain in the ass. Whenever I peruse tire rack I make sure to uncheck the Pirelli box.

While I can relate with Charles that the old P4's were junk (I had a set of 14's on my Golf years ago), I went ahead and bought a set of PZero's to replace my very tires Michelin Pilot A/S's that came with my car - stock size 235/45/17. I have a dedicated set of winters on steelies so I won't be using them in the winter.

I was looking for the Lauffens but I only found one dealer in all of Southern Ontario and he's about a 2 Hr drive from me. And being a small dealer with low volume, I found his prices are not very enticing. The though that came to mind was I had nowhere to go for replacement if one of them blew out. I was also looking at the Michelin A/S3+ and the Conti DWS06 but decided to go for the PZero A/S' because they were less expensive than the other two as well as the C$100 Spring rebate. The money I saved went towards a 4-wheel alignment.

I've only put around 1000 miles on them so far and they still have the fresh rubber smell. I took it easy during the first 500 miles for break-in purposes. My first impressions are that they're smoother riding and more compiant vs my old Michelin first generation Pilot A/S tires, which were very noisy and harsh riding. The PZeros don't squeal as much when cornering hard and track a straight line on the highway with minimal tram-lining. I don't frequently drive aggressively but they have proven themselves to be a good performer when I do. I have yet put them through the paces in wet weather but others have found them to resist hydroplaning very well.

I'm satisfied that with these with the type of driving I do.

[oaybar007]

The Pzero All Season Plus for 2016+ are revised. The compound is different but I never had the older set to compare to. I pretty much took a chance on the TireRack review video and liked what I saw, mainly how the tire was not the best at anything vs the competition but good all around. Where I live you will get a mix of just about everything in a year of driving so I wanted a really versatile tire. My experience has been exactly how the TireRack video described these tires. Not great at one thing but solid all around. Ditto above, I put about 4k miles on mine and they still smell fresh and look brand new. That's after smashing them through snow, sleet, ice, rain, all types of weather. Barely any tread wear and I have yet to adjust pressures despite checking every week over six months.