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Audi A3 Suspension Questions

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

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What is this discussion about? Audi A3, Suspension, Sedan, Wagon

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#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.
#32 of 48 The Discount/America's Tires Website by andres3 May 16, 2007 (11:43 am)
Says that the A3 can only accomodate 235/45R17, but not 245/40R17's if I want to upgrade my traction and handling from the OEM 225/45R17's.   You could also go to 235/40R18's (with new bigger rims), but still, no 245/40R18's!   Is this correct?
#33 of 48 Can't just be the tires, Can it? by lilseamus May 31, 2007 (5:26 am)
I also have enjoyed my '07 A3 since november. Speedy little girl with good handling and great options. However, I am struggling with this road noise and tire wear issue, and it is beginning to frustrate me. I have 42K miles, gone through 10 tires, 3 alignments, and hours of arguing. My current set of tires are 12K miles old, and are already Cupping!!!!! I can not afford to be buying new tires every 15K. I could just put that into my car payment and drive an A8. I drive ALL highway miles on nice roads. Does anyone have any idea what causes this problem? I really need a fix, not new tires. Please help
#34 of 48 Can't just be the tires, Can it? by donthegreek May 31, 2007 (11:26 am)
I have the same concerns lilseamus...I might be swapping cars sooner than i want to... Last time i visited my closest audi dealer, there was a guy there with an A4 Quattro...(i have an 06 A3, my first set lasted 20,000)with 20,000 miles his tires were shot.   I'm told by some local mechanics "Audi's" are know to chew up tires! I don't think the awd subaru's are prone to this.   Help us out guys!!!! don
#35 of 48 Didn't have Problems with my Sport/Performance OEM Tires by andres3 Jun 05, 2007 (2:35 pm)
On my 2006 A3 2.0 DSG Sport I got the rarer OEM performance tires, the Dunlop Sport Maxx's. These are fantastic tires. Yes, they will barely last 20,000 miles, and if it was winter, I'd probably have to change them right now at 18K.   However, they have fantastic grip and traction, especially on wet roads, it's almost like rain is irrelevant to my A3's handling with these tires. I believe most A3's came with Continental Performance tires which don't rate nearly as well from reviews I've read. I can't complain about 20K miles from ultra high performance tires, I think thats about right with my aggressive driving style to boot.   However, due to a special deal I am purchasing Falken's FK-452's in 225/45R17 size (just like the OEM size). These are AA traction rated, Y speed rated, and 94 load factor just like the Dunlop Sport Maxx's, but for a lot less money.   The only real complaint about my OEM tires is that I thought they had too much road noise develop when roads were not ideal. With smooth freshly paved roads however, they were quiet.
#36 of 48 Re: A3 Tire Noise [donthegreek] by marcoroma Mar 27, 2008 (2:42 pm)
Replying to: donthegreek (May 06, 2007 7:36 pm) Hi! It's now march 2008... How do you like the potenza's? I need to replace the pirelli but i can't decide on a make. Thanks for your help
#37 of 48 Rattle in the rear of my A3 by saccyclist May 03, 2008 (9:53 pm)
I have nearly 8,000 miles on my 2007 Audi A3. Overall, I am very pleased with the car. It is simply a blast to drive. About a week ago, however, I noticed a rattle/clunking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. I checked the cargo tray, rear seats, spare tire, and even removed my roof mounted bike rack. All items were properly secured. The noise persisted. I returned to the dealership for assistance. Fortunately, the service advisor heard the noise. We then asked a technician to ride in the car. With a person sitting in the rear seat, the noise stopped. The dealership then tried to convince me that the noise was normal. To prove their point, they asked me to drive a brand new A3 and explained the vehicle's suspension has "elasticity". Of course, the new A3 did not make this same noise I refused to accept this explanation. The vehicle is still at the dealership. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem? Thank You Replies to this message: Mr_Shiftright (May 05, 2008 7:19 am) pselvaman (Dec 15, 2008 10:37 am) Orelco (Dec 19, 2008 7:46 am) andres3 (May 09, 2008 9:42 pm)
#38 of 48 Re: Rattle in the rear of my A3 [saccyclist] by Mr_Shiftright HOST May 05, 2008 (7:19 am)
Replying to: saccyclist (May 03, 2008 9:53 pm) So there's a noise with no one in the backseat, and no noise with someone in the back seat and the dealer can't add 2+2 = 4?   Well then, suggest to them that it *might* have something to do with the rear suspension, which is further compressed with rear passengers. Replies to this message: pselvaman (Dec 15, 2008 10:37 am) Orelco (Dec 19, 2008 7:46 am)

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