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Audi A3 Suspension Questions

48 messages,  Last post on Oct 08, 2009 at 1:01 PM

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#22 of 48 Suspension/Ride issues by mnooch by donthegreek Apr 29, 2007 (7:19 pm)
mnooch: I bought a NEW leftover 06 A3 last Oct...i put alot of miles on my cars..30,000 a year...i have 20,000 on it right now, and i have the Pirelli P6's...the road noise at this point is horrible, i'm seriously thinking of replacing them very soon....the noise is really bad, never had a car with so much tire/road noise.I've heard some complaints from other A3 owners with the same issue.   Anyone out there with any suggestions on a good handling QUIET tire to buy???   don Replies to this message: ak496 (Apr 30, 2007 8:20 am) shipo (Apr 30, 2007 9:28 am) ak496 (Apr 30, 2007 2:05 pm)
#23 of 48 Re: Suspension/Ride issues by mnooch [donthegreek] by ak496 Apr 30, 2007 (8:20 am)
Replying to: donthegreek (Apr 29, 2007 7:19 pm) I have had my A3 since last august and I am approaching 15K miles....Ever since about 6k I have been getting a road/tire vibration noise that changes its vibration rate and noise frequency depending on speed. I hear it all the time from slower speeds like 30-40 mph and at hire speeds like 70-80 mph.   Back in February I took the car in for the first detail of the EPP program I purchased and to have the knocking behind the glove compartment fixed (they had to replace a part under warranty)   They kept my car for like 5 days to try and figure out what the vibration and noise was coming from only to end up with "Your wheels are out of alignment and now your tires are feathered" So I paid the $150 for the alignment with the understanding that it wouldn't go away immediately because I needed to wear down the feathering.... but at this point 5,000 miles later it has only gotten worst to the point where it's driving me nuts in the car!   During those 5 days I had an A3 loaner with the Sports packages (different suspension and larger tires) and the loaner car had the same problem as mine so I know it's not just my car. They have said the A3's are suceptable to wheel alignment issues but I have never had this much noise and vibration from another car before...I don't think constant wheel re-alignment is the answer.   Does anyone know how to fix this problem and prevent it from happening again? Replies to this message: shipo (Apr 30, 2007 9:28 am) ak496 (Apr 30, 2007 2:05 pm)
#24 of 48 Re: Suspension/Ride issues by mnooch [ak496] by shipo Apr 30, 2007 (9:28 am)
Replying to: ak496 (Apr 30, 2007 8:20 am) "During those 5 days I had an A3 loaner with the Sports packages (different suspension and larger tires)..."   Ummm, are you sure? IIRC, the S-Line (nee. Sport Package) equipped cars do in fact have a different suspension and tires that (typically) have a summer rubber compound, however, the all versions of the A3 sport 225/45 R17 tires. Yes, no?   Best Regards, Shipo Replies to this message: ak496 (Apr 30, 2007 2:05 pm)
#25 of 48 Re: Suspension/Ride issues by mnooch [donthegreek] by donthegreek Apr 30, 2007 (11:26 am)
When i first started having the tire-road noise, the first thing the dealer did was do the re-alignment thing...they said 2 of my tires were wearing...or cupping as they called it...probably the same thing as the feathering issue.Now they don't want to rotate em because of this.
#26 of 48 Re: Suspension/Ride issues by mnooch [shipo] by ak496 Apr 30, 2007 (2:05 pm)
Replying to: shipo (Apr 30, 2007 9:28 am) My bad...I meant that the loaner with the sports package has the sport tuned suspension and the summer performance tires (different brand, not the perellis I believe, and mine does not have the sport tuned suspension and I have the all season perelli tires on it...
#27 of 48 what kind of roads? by kurtamaxxxguy May 05, 2007 (2:54 pm)
am curious what kind of roads folks with Noisy A3's are on?   Am relocating to Oregon which has __very__ worn roads compared to other areas of the country (some of them look like they are gravel on top of concrete). Not sure how an A3 would fare on those.
#28 of 48 A3 Tire Noise by donthegreek May 06, 2007 (7:36 pm)
Just put on a new set of Bridgestone Potenza G 009's on my 06 A3...The road noise has completely disappeared. The tires look good and handle good.Now we'll see if i can get more than 20,000 miles out of em. The Pirelli P6 All Seasons were shot by 20,000 miles.   don Replies to this message: geewillie (May 07, 2007 5:32 am) marcoroma (Mar 27, 2008 2:42 pm)
#29 of 48 Re: ride quality [chryka3] by geewillie May 07, 2007 (5:31 am)
Replying to: chryka3 (Feb 26, 2006 10:25 am) overall, I've been jazzed by my A3 since late February. On the open road and rural back roads, it's been a blast, but yes, it has taken a lot of getting use to the jarring sports suspension and noisy tires in comparison with my former drive, a '98 VW Passat sedan. That's probably my major gripe, along with a buzzy engine in low speed climbing, some simple elements I enjoyed on the Passat but Audi chose to stay with the Jetta parts bin, e.g. horn that cannot be gently tapped for a "quiet" honk, lighted mirror visors that Passat had mastered (and are probably on A4s), and no lumbar support knob). But, back to your question: It can be improved with a new set of tires, which I'm not ready to purchase at this time (my Scottish nature). I had the same problem with the Passat's original tires, which were also Contis. Even the Audi dealer parts guy spoke about VW/Audi's thrifty nature with OE tires, obviously partly a ploy to get me interested in replacing the Contis now with dealer's Goodyears rather than wait until I can purchase in '09 at Discount Tire. But like all sports tires and the way I like to drive when there's a curvy road, the Contis probably won't last but a couple of years, even with my minimal driving. Even though my great set of Michelin sports tires improved both handling and noise on the Passat, the sports tires will not last as long as the tires that most Honda/Camry sedans are equipped with. So, enjoy the handling that's in part attributed to the high-profile sports tires, but turn the multimedia system up a bit higher! Replies to this message: asquaredflyer (May 09, 2007 12:11 pm)
#30 of 48 Re: A3 Tire Noise [donthegreek] by geewillie May 07, 2007 (5:32 am)
Replying to: donthegreek (May 06, 2007 7:36 pm) Don the Greek is right. OE for the A3 are Pirellis. My bad.
#31 of 48 Re: ride quality [geewillie] by asquaredflyer May 09, 2007 (12:11 pm)
Replying to: geewillie (May 07, 2007 5:31 am) I love my A3 (2006). I got it with one of the first DSGs they had here in tree town. And the roads here are crap. Midwest winters and salt are not good for the roads. But this is a great car to drive even on what passes for a road here.   So back to the tire issue...I had P6s on the car new. At about 20K the road noise was so horrible and the tires were so cupped, they had to be replaced. Audi said 20K was about right for tire wear, but Pirelli and I tried to get them to own up that they have a tire that doesn't have a warranty on the A3. It's the only size that doesn't have a warranty. So I bought a set of Yokahamas. Car has been amazingly quiet since then. And the new tires have a tread warranty for 65K miles. They also seem to handle fine. The tire dealer said that Audis, Porsches and some Benzes have some pretty aggressive suspension settings that cause the tires to wear prematurely. We'll see how long the Yokahamas last. Maybe I'll switch to the Bridgestones next time.

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