Tyres and tramlining
Posted by: Bruce Woodhouse on 12 July 2007
One for technical auto forum perhaps but i know a few lurk here with lots of knowledge.
My Audi A4 (2WD) has always tramlined a bit more than I like. It has fairly wide/low tyres (Continental SportContact 235/40). Various articles suggest that (at least in part) it can be due to tyres with stiff sidewalls. Can anyone suggest which brand/model of tyre might improve things a bit? I don't mind a slightly softer tyre overall in terms of ride quality and accept losing a bit of handling bite if this is also the upshot.
Choosing a tyre seems much harder than most consumer choices, I cannot really find much in the way of independent reviews and tests that actually tell me what I want to know.
My local garage suggested Dunlop Sport and Pirelli PzeroRosso as options purely on the basis that he had them in stock!
Bruce
My Audi A4 (2WD) has always tramlined a bit more than I like. It has fairly wide/low tyres (Continental SportContact 235/40). Various articles suggest that (at least in part) it can be due to tyres with stiff sidewalls. Can anyone suggest which brand/model of tyre might improve things a bit? I don't mind a slightly softer tyre overall in terms of ride quality and accept losing a bit of handling bite if this is also the upshot.
Choosing a tyre seems much harder than most consumer choices, I cannot really find much in the way of independent reviews and tests that actually tell me what I want to know.
My local garage suggested Dunlop Sport and Pirelli PzeroRosso as options purely on the basis that he had them in stock!
Bruce
The lower the profile the "relative" increase in wall stiffness. 40 profile is pretty low and I suspect that all those size tyres will behave similarly.
You could see if the tyre shop would give you a weeks "home demo" on the various choices so that you could make up your mind.
You can always tell him that the local NAIM dealer will do this.
Howard
You could see if the tyre shop would give you a weeks "home demo" on the various choices so that you could make up your mind.
You can always tell him that the local NAIM dealer will do this.
Howard
Ok, I have extensive experience of various tyres on various vehicles professionally 
,
and i always settle on 'intermediates' i.. Pirelli's - they are not as hard wearing as Mitchelins, but i find them slightly more grippy in all surfaces. i have never got on with Dunlops. My C200 has the merc sport rims fitted, and I changed from \Mitchelin to Pirelli's, and have not regretted it.
I'd also strongly suggest you play with the pressures - some folk have too much air, when they are not carrying towards the top-end of the vehicles expected weight, which makes for a hard ride.
All the above is in my personal humble experience, and meant as a guide only, of course!
,and i always settle on 'intermediates' i.. Pirelli's - they are not as hard wearing as Mitchelins, but i find them slightly more grippy in all surfaces. i have never got on with Dunlops. My C200 has the merc sport rims fitted, and I changed from \Mitchelin to Pirelli's, and have not regretted it.
I'd also strongly suggest you play with the pressures - some folk have too much air, when they are not carrying towards the top-end of the vehicles expected weight, which makes for a hard ride.
All the above is in my personal humble experience, and meant as a guide only, of course!
Thanks for those comments Andy.
I did actually fiddle with pressures beforehand but it made little difference within a sensible range
I'm not especially concerned about faster wear with the Pirellis since I drive everywhere extremely slowly, in fact the car has never done more than 69.999 mph anywhere in the UK.
Bruce
I did actually fiddle with pressures beforehand but it made little difference within a sensible range
I'm not especially concerned about faster wear with the Pirellis since I drive everywhere extremely slowly, in fact the car has never done more than 69.999 mph anywhere in the UK.
Bruce