KeithL

I have 04 TL 5AT. Bridegstone was nice enought to swap out the horrible EL42s for a free set of LS-Z tires back then and I have 29k miles on them and they will be done in the next 3k miles of so. That is about 2 months or so. I have been looking at various tires, the Falken 512 look great, but many are complaining they are noisey. I have been fairly happy witht he LS-Z, great handling tire and very quiet and a decent ride. I want something comparable to the LS-z, but not at the $200 price tag. I am looking at the:

Kumho ECSTA ASX
General Exclaim UHP
Pirelli PZero Nero M&S

I am looking at the 245-45-17 and it appears the Pirelli is w rated the other 2 are Z rated. I see some comments that the Pierelli might ride harsh, I surely don't want anything harsher than the LS-Z. Any thoughts? Anyone try the Generals, they get good reviews on tire rack.

yagalove

i just picked up the a set of the cooper zeon 2xs and i liked them alot. they are w rated and for the price cant beat it.

http://www.coopertires.com/us/en/Pro...itle=UHP+Tires

mr disco

After a lot of research and 25K miles requiring me to change out the stock Turanzas, I chose the Pirellis off your list.
I love them...quiet and handle great.

HiTEC

I spend most of my time on the Audi forums. A lot of people on the S4 forums like the Goodyear F1 GS-D3. They would be my first choice. Seems like people on this forum like the Japanese tires. Nitto, Yoko, etc... I'm not sure why that is, or just purely based on cost.

Tire Rack rates them very high and Car & Driver just did a tire test last month and they were #1 in their test.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....ticle_id=10252

3PUTT

no complaints with the Yokohama dB S2. very very VERY quiet tires!!


currently using Pirelli PZERO NERO M+S. after 2300 miles, no complaints. cannot go wrong with both.

i used to own the Falken Ziex 512. they were great in the beginning. very good tire for the price. they just get loud after 8000 miles.

3PUTT

i ordered those for my summer tires.
using the PZero Nero M+S for the winter setup.

TL-CrAzIe-05

I just ordered the Toyo Proxes 4's. I have heard a lot of great reviews on this Ultra High Performance All-Season tire. Once I have them on Wedsnesday, I'll let you all know.

neuronbob

I'm deciding betweeen the Kumho Ecsta ASX and the Toyo Proxes 4 myself. Difficult decision.....Longer life (Kumho) vs. firmer sidewall (Toyo) for a similar price...

stevelit

Look into the Kumho ecsta asx and go for the 245/45/w17's for a little easier ride on the bumps and some rim protection. Really quiet and good in the rain. High milage rating of 420 beats the BS EL42s rating of 260. The price on Tirerack is only $92. They look great, too.

richrath

Keith,

If you want all-seasons, I'd go with the Kuhmo or P-Zero from your list, but also consider (or at least look into) the Avon Tech M550 A/S. I assume you want all-seasons based on your list, I think the suggested Goodyears are summer tires. The Zeros will be the most expensive of the 3; but still about $130 each. The Avons are around $110, and the Kuhmos under $100. All will give fine ride comfort and low noise (until they wear a bit), and will handle as well if not better than the LS-Z since the LS is a touring tire and these are performance tires. Oh and another to think about is the Yoko AVS db2. Not that great in snow compared with other all-seasons, but you're in Atlanta so shouldn't be a major concern. Otherwise a quiet and good-handling tire, per the reviews.

(that might be FOUR cents)

HiTEC

Yes, the Goodyears's I suggested are summer ONLY tires.

KeithL

For those with the Pierelli's, do they flat spot. I read some feedback on tire rack that suggested they flat spot and after the horrible EL42 flot spotting I don't want to go near any tire that flat spots enough for people to mention it. I was looking at those Avon tires as well, they look promising and have great reviews. I don't really need AS tires as I am in Atlanta, we get like one snow flurry a year.

richrath

Keith,

The Zeros do flatspot -- as far as I've read, any tire that uses nylon cord in it will flatspot at least some. I find that the Zeros resist flatspots a bit better than did the Turanzas, and the temperature has to be colder before I notice it. And it goes away within a few miles. I seem to notice it beginning in the 40's. Lately it's been 20's every morning but still the Zeros warm up well in about 3-4 miles of secondary road driving.

To avoid flatspotting, read the tire specs and check for nylon cord in the construction. If nylon is there, it will likely flatspot. And it seemed when I was doing research that nylon was very common....

There are a few folks on here with the Avons, many more with the Zeros, a bunch with Toyo Proxes 4, and a few that have used the Kuhmo Ecsta ASX in the past. Many use Mich Pilot Sport A/S but those are about $200 a pop for stock size. So a search on specific tire names might reveal some info....

Good luck and happy hunting!