Audi Brake Pads

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 17, 2013

For many years I used Bridgestone Blizzaks, which perform very well in ice and snow. But for my new all-wheel drive Audi, I wanted winter tires that handled better on dry pavement. The Michelin Xi3 was said to almost equal the Blizzaks on ice and snow but be less "squishy" on dry and wet pavement, so I went with the Michelin.

Shortly after mounting them I drove to the NH White Mountains and took part in a winter driving school. For two days I practiced slalom and skid-pad maneuvers on ice and packed snow. The Michelins were exemplary here, and the instructors were very impressed. While other cars (mostly AWD Audis) were sliding into snowbanks left and right, my allroad with the Michelins stayed in control, accelerated and braked very well.

The claimed performance on dry roads was also seen - unlike the Blizzaks, the Michelins don't howl and they felt very much like good all-season tires on dry pavement, with a confident feeling. Very impressive.

Initial Review, 750 Miles on Tires
October 23, 2012

The new 2012 A6 is an amazing car. The Pirelli P Zero summer tires that came with it though were weak performers and gave poor wear (220) … after 19K it was time for new rubber. My first choice was the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. I read so much abt their performance and was anxious to try them myself having had PS2s on a previous 5 Series and liked them.

However, the folks at Audi have engineered this car to be so amazingly smooth that when I mounted the PSS with its stiffer sidewalls all the subtle vibrations were transmitted everywhere in the car—gas pedal, brake pedal, shifter, wheel and so on. It wasn’t dramatic but it was very noticeable….and annoying. And the drone from these tires was surprisingly bad even after a break-in. At 60mph the drone was unbearable compared to the quiet Pirellis. I quickly exchanged the PSS for Conti Extreme Contact DW. Big difference in noise and smoothness. Highway cruising is enjoyable again and no drone. All the vibrations went away, too. Yes, the sidewall isn’t quite as stiff as PSS and hence not quite the handler but the DWs are definitely a better handler than the P Zeros and will last longer (340) and are much cheaper. For the A6, I think the DW is the ideal summer tire for this car if choosing between the P Zero, PSS and Contis.

Initial Review, 9,000 Miles on Tires
October 04, 2012

As the summer is coming to an end, it gives me a chance to reflect back on the days spent with the BF Goodrich G-Force Sport C2's. I had plenty of dry weather during my introduction to a tire which excelled in the heat of summer. Acceleration, cornering, and braking were all strengthened with the installation of the C2. This tire has excellent turn-in response which brought a great deal of agility back to an aging car. The aggressive handling by no means detracts from the ride comfort of the tire. One will find themselves quite relaxed on a long stretch of highway, but as soon as the tight turns of your favorite back road hits the front bumper ... that merciless grin on your face soon appears while the tread becomes alive with excitement and eager for the challenges ahead.

Bring on the rain! Finally, a chance to drive this BFG C2 on wet pavement to see if the tire is just as appealing as the dry evaluation. This tire had more fun in the rain than my 4 year old in a water balloon fight. The C2's powered through the heaviest of rains with no hint of hydroplaning. The tire was confident in standing water offering a sense of protection for myself and the family. It also provided a great deal of corner stability on the wet pavement even in rapid transitions with no detection of understeer.

The best attribute is still be be reported. Treadwear: Being boastful about treadwear in a summer performance tire is the equivalent to bragging about photos you have taken of Bigfoot! Nobody in there right mind is going to believe you. However, I am quite impressed by the durability of the C2's tread compound. After a entire summer of spirited driving, there is consistent tread wear even at the outer shoulder. I am very confident that more summers (yes - that's plural) are yet to come with this tire, and will certainly look forward to every mile.

Initial Review, 55,000 Miles on Tires
July 16, 2012

These tires came on the car when it was bought. Never had any problems have been very pleased. Appearance, profile and just blast to drive I wonder how it is possible to determine what the noise level is because i don't really hear anything. I would probably purchase another set once it time to replace. Consider myself a spirited driver car handles well is cornering, "s's" and braking.

Initial Review, 1,950 Miles on Tires
June 14, 2012

I am approaching 2,000 miles on this tire. I cannot be more impressed with the performance handling, ride comfort and value this tire delivers. The C2 tire is like a cage fighter dressed in a tuxedo. Push the tire hard and it shows no fatigue in the corners or hard braking even when carrying the load of this heavier European sedan. Introduce the tire to a stretch of highway, and you can sit back and enjoy the "peace and quite" that few of us parents with young children rarely experience.

The C2 is generous in its proportions. The tire's construction offers a wide stance which maximizes the contact patch without sacrificing comfort. The C2 gives confidence to the driver through its quick turn-in response and grip during heavy braking and acceleration. The shows stability in the long sweeping corners of a clover leaf, allowing the driver to dive in and transfer out of a tight apex with precision.

How about the wet? The tread and compound designs of the C2 does allow water to channel efficiently through the tire while maintaining grip. The tire also inspires a great deal of confidence in heavy rains with no presence of hydroplaning at highway speeds.

Overall, I have yet to experience a better tire for its price, performance and comfort. It is showing no signs of tread wear after a recent tire rotation/inspection. The tire has brought energy back to the car that has long been missed, all the while allowing me to turn off the radio and listen to the pleasant sounds of "nothing" after a long days work.
 

Initial Review, 14,000 Miles on Tires
May 04, 2012

These tires get up to temperature really quickly, reward the driver with sharp steering input and when the grip breaks away it does so evenly. Noise is slightly meat grinder-esque, especially as they wear, but not uncomfortable. Tread life could be better but you can't have everything when you're going for top tier performance.

When I had some of these on my A4 I was impressed with how they handled in the rain. Also, since they're so sticky I pulled out faster 60-ft times than a basically stock car should have (2.00 sec). A good friend of mine bought some because of what I was saying and due in part to my research (here at TR and elsewhere). They went on his stage 3+ Audi S4 and we promptly took a roadtrip to the Ocean to break them in. Let me repeat: they're magnificient in torrential downpours around twisty coastal mountain roads at mental rates of speed.

This week I sourced some Z1SS for my Audi Coupe quattro and I am ecstatic to think about how the upgrade will improve the car's handling and braking. Plus they look really mean...

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
January 27, 2011

Just a so so tire. I have sport package on my car but I am not driving like a mad man at this time so I have not tested the limits. My biggest issue with this tire is it is turning brown, keeps getting worse. You can't scrub the brown off and make tires look like new and you have to use tire dressing to conceal. Recently I saw a number of other up market cars in a parking lot with Cinturato P7 and noticed that they all had same problem of turning brown. Car and Drive commented on thes tire in Feb 2011 issue (pg 84). The tires were on a 2009 A4 Sedan with sport package. After 25k they put on a new set of P Zeros and said it felt like a new car. They said P Zeros took 16 feet off 70-to-0 braking distance and added 0.03g in corning grip. I guess Pirelli's Green Performance approach to developing products offerings is not working. Car does not handle as sharp as Michelin PS2 and the low rolling resitance compound they used is not really up to task as tires look dried out and turn a brown color. I guess they need to make improvement on this one. Remember it is not only how you feel but how you look and these tires just don't cut it. Throw-in a VERY high price and these tires just don't make sense. When you need new tires you should just pass on Cinturato P7s. I just bought new tires for my A6 and I chose Michelin PS2 again and could not be happier. On my old Volvo V70 R I had PZero Rosso and PZero Nero All season and both those tires where much better and did not have issue of turning brown.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
April 17, 2012

This snow and ice tire took me to Utah and back for a ski trip and handled all that Wisconsin Winter could muster. I had no problems with this tire. It performs like a snow and ice tire should with no surprises in dry conditions. Obviously this is not a high performance snow tire and some tread squish could be felt during hard cornering in dry conditions. No obvious treadwear. Bumps and pot holes felt smoothed out and non-jarring as compared to summer setup. Stopping, starting, and braking were as expected or better in winter conditions. This tire provides stable and predictable traction in all observed winter conditions of hard pack (wet), fresh Wasatch powder (dry), slush, ice , and dry. ABS doesn't come on very much during braking. I took an off ramp way too fast and a liberal application of throttle and some steering input allowed me to avoid the curb. Traction control was off. The tire cleaned out nicely allowing me to get into middle of lane, but I over corrected and tapped the opposite curb. Minor curb rash was all that resulted but it could have been much worse with as fast as I was going. Climbing and descending Utah passes were no problem as tractor-trailers were on the side of the road. Light snow on Wisconsin back roads were handled with aplomb. Passing was predictable and easy. Overall, this is a good winter tire. No regrets. Too bad Continental doesn't guarantee more snow with winter tire purchase!

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
April 12, 2012

The Conti DWS is a great tire for my car for a cold weather tire. I run these tires starting in November and typically through the end of March.
Dry traction is strong if a little squiggy at the limit on the sidewall during hard cornering, the tire is just a tad slow to take a set for how low a profile it is, once there it is very predictable and traction predictable with little or no heat in the tire.
Rain this tire is awesome and instills a high level of confidence regardless of the amount of rain on the road. Great cornering traction, and solid braking in the wet too. An easy tire to drive quickly in the wet, and be very confident with. I have a friend with a 2003 M5 that uses these tires for his wet weather tires during track days and loves them.
Snow is easy with these tires and the Audi's AWD. Very confidence inspiring, awesome traction levels, and very little spinning up of the tires, unless I take the traction control off for 'adhesion exploration', and even then you have to work hard to get the tire out of shape in fresh snow. Packed/compact snow this tire is very capable, easy to feel good about, and communicates well where you are at within the tires limits which are very high. I personally feel this is not a big step down from a studless snow tire, barely a half step really, and for the occasional snow we see in Seattle a perfect tire for my needs.

Initial Review, 150 Miles on Tires
March 28, 2012

These tires replaced ContiProContacts, and they are a step up in all categories except noise. The Eagles are very quiet, but not as quiet as the Contis were. They only make a light hum on concrete highways where the rain grooves are perpendicular to the path of travel. Otherwise, they cannot be heard unless all windows are open.
The only negative I can say is that the tires are 26 pounds compared to 22 pounds on the Contis, which I can feel in acceleration and braking and will also affect fuel mileage. The benefit of the heavier weight is that the sidewalls are reinforced, so no more destroyed tires when I hit a pothole in the spring. Out of the 4 Contis, 3 did not make it to the end of their service life due to sidewall destruction from road hazards. I would prefer to lose some acceleration and braking and not have to replace tires every year.
I'll keep updating this review as I put more miles on. I hope to get the 50k miles out of these, but I'm not holding my breath. They won't be used in the winter as I have dedicated snow tires.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
February 29, 2012

After driving almost five thousand kilometres and living in Canada where there is quite a bit of snow and ice I can tell you that this is not the best tyre for regions that have a fair amount of snow. If you hit a patch of ice and need to brake, brace yourself because you may not stop in due time. I love Michelin tyres, I have a pair of P3s' for Summer driving and I intend to buy Pilot P3s' for this year but I don't believe I'll be buying another set of these for winter driving. Especially due to the price of these babies.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
February 03, 2012

THEN: I had Pirelli's P6 Four Season's when I initially purchased my Audi A4, but the tread was almost ¾ gone on the rear tires, and probably ½ depleted on the front. Nothing particularly impressive about the Pirelli's I owned. They did look visually appealing, but they were quite loud on the freeway; actually the noise was almost unbearable! They could have been usable for another year easily, but I couldn't deal with the noise. The dealer recommended I get Pirelli's again. I didn't.
NOW: Kumho's are visually stunning (which is a mild factor I consider). They are relatively affordable (they had a promotion which gave me $50 in rebate). 500 miles plus driven on the tires and as such, they are technically "broken-in" So now I guess I can offer my thoughts about them.
I have 235-45-17 Ecsta 4X on 2002 A4 3.0 Quattro. Performance in the snow is the ultimate measure for me and so far, no regrets. NO spinning at all, braking in the snow and wet weather has improved considerably! I do have Quattro, so you would expect that the Pirelli's I owned previously would perform somewhat decently in the snow and wet weather, but they left a lot to be desired! This was another reason why I wanted new tires.
(Just a stray thought..DO get some Bridgestone Blizzaks if you are looking for some nice, non-compromising winter tires. I had them on my previous vehicle, and they were absolutely phenomenal in the snow and ice and winter in general).
Winter tires on Quattro are not necessary for me; the Ecsta 4X works harmoniously with Quattro and ESP.
The tires feel firm and secure on the road (I highly recommend getting them aligned). Noise level is noticeably lower than previous Pirelli's. Road grip is impressive on all surfaces; this translates to smooth, yet responsive handling. Though not typical of me, I can be somewhat of a spirited almost aggressive driver depending on my mood, and these tires are yet to disappoint

Initial Review, 10000 Miles on Tires
January 29, 2012

If you'll notice i gave this tire 10's across the board, those 10's are for a comparison to other winter tires, NOT summer/all season tires.

These tires, however, will be the only winter tire i will ever buy as long as it is being produced, excellent traction on snow/ice/slush, which can get heave in the cleveland winters. between these and teh AWD quattro system there was absolutely no stopping my car in the snow, until i hit the brakes, and these grabbed wonderfully. easy decision from now on. i have used blizzacks and x-ice in the past, and although they were good products, this is a much better choice.

Initial Review, 30000 Miles on Tires
January 19, 2012

These are fantastic tires for the purpose the are designed. I work construction and drive around muddy sites all the time. Never had a flat, they are fantastic in the snow and rain! once had goodyear wranglers and felt like i was driving on ice every time it rained! now, in some cases i stop qucker in the rain than our audi with anti lock brakes! I assume the lins share of the difference is the difference between high performance all sesons and these. the main sipes on these tires are big enough to get a finger into! you wont go wrong with these. I kkep them slightly overinflated, and imroved my mileage from 9-10MPG on the old wranglers to 13-14 on these!

Initial Review, 150 Miles on Tires
December 15, 2011

Just had these put on. I found some snow/ice/dirt to test their traction; it was about 35º outside. I was pleasantly surprised. The allroad accelerated and braked nearly as hard as on dry pavement with these tires. Road noise @ highway speeds of 90+ were similar to my old Continental ContiProContacts. Looking forward to testing them further in the mountains this weekend.

Initial Review, 2500 Miles on Tires
December 20, 2011

This tire came on my car when I purchased it with 23,000 miles on it & they were brand new. I got almost 39,000 miles on them before I replaced them with these new ones. I was very pleased with them & that's why I got the same kind. I still could have gotten approximately 3,000 miles more on the old tires, but I did full brakes & H&R sport springs all at same time. This tire was great in the snow that we had here in Knoxville, TN last year. The quattro played a big part in that, but the tires handled it perfectly. I highly recommend these tires and getting them through Tire Rack was a flawless experience and they have FAST shipping.