I just went to America's Tire. i wanted to replace the 2 front tires on my cousins audi a4 quattro but they told me they can't just replace 2 tires. Said they had to replace all 4 cuz its quattro and blah blah blah. WTF! if this is the case, quattro sucks. never heard of this kinda bull b 4.

 

Just replace either the front or rear tires if they worn with the same make tire/size. Sure its "Quattro" AWD but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to replace all 4. Only if all the tires are worn. No point in replacing tires that are in good shape right?

 

Yup. You have to replace tires, at the very least, in pairs front or rear, but you don't have to replace all four unless they are all worn.

 

i think they are full of it. replacing the front 2 should be enough. having to replace all 4 is a bit much.

im about to debadge the "quattro" emblem just in case. haha

 

Go to audiworld.com I think thats it, replacing all 4 tires is very common, pisses many owners off when they only need 1 tire and they gotta buy 4

 

How badly worn are the other 2 tires?

 

I think they are right, You have to replace all 4.Very little difference in tire size (new vs. old )may do damage to quattro.

 

What I am told by the local VW / Subaru service shop ( VW 4-Motion uses the same system as the Audi Quattro) is that you MUST have the same size tires on all four wheels, with approximately the same amount of wear. The key is the outside rolling diameter. If all four tires don't roll at the same RPM, it puts a stress on the front, center, and rear differentials. AWD systems are designed to allow for wheel slippage and varying speeds among the 4 drive wheels, but not continuously. If you have one or more tires that don't match the others in exact outside diameter (and remember that a worn tire has smaller diameter) it continually forces the differentials to compensate, and significantly shortens the differential life by heating them up. The same goes for Subaru AWD's and for any vehicle with a center differential. That is one reason why AWD vehicles are exempt from the roller-emissions tests and are done only with the tailpipe probe......with two wheels spinning and the other two standing still, the rollers can ruin the drivetrain.

So...in a nutshell....you MAY get away with not replacing all four tires (depending on how worn the old ones are), but in general it is not a good idea.

 

not badly worn at all. and the ones i want to replace are not due to wear but to damage.

 

If You gonna replace only two tires make sure they are same brand and model as old tires. Outside rolling diameter vary from brand to brand even with the same tire size.

 

thanks for all the tips guys. i think i might just put on 4 new kumhos. 4 new kumhos is only a little more than the price for 2 new dunlops (which i would have to do to match the rear tires)

crap like this makes me love my lex that much more

 

A wise move.

 

Yes, I KNOW about the system and how its setup. That is why in my first reply, I told the guy to replace the tires with the SAME "tire/size." I only recommended that if a pair of tires aren't worn in the first place, theres no point in replacing them. If the same make tire and correctly sized tire is used in the first place, there will be no problems.

Of course if both pairs of front/rear tires show questionable wear, then they should be replaced altogether.

 

You will have the same issues with the new AWD sedans Lexus is introducing.

 

i try to replace all 4, i don't like to hear my ABS activating at every stop.