A3 TFSi quattro tyres? Am i damaging my car?

[SunnyG]

Hi there,

My a3 recently had some new tyres part worns so the car now sits on one conti cs3 one michelin primacy xl and two pilot sports on the front as i couldn't handle the bcts that were on the car when i baught it. So two things have happened i had a n205 fault camshaft adjustment valve which has been rectified and the car feels like it has more power now but since the new tyres the car has stupid grip but also feels very light on its feet also when booting in first or off the lights the tcs light flashes like mad is this normal on a quattro? Previously i have never had the light on and drive my car quite hard. Could this be tyres? Or has the haldex got issues? I also have noticed a slight pull to the left but this is likely to be wheel alignment i think.

 

[pluves1]

So are all 4 tyres part worns?

 

[SunnyG]

Yes

 

[SunnyG]

The primacy was already on the car when i baught it along with 3 bcts

 

[pluves1]

The problem here is that tyres might have worn unevenly on the vehicles they were on previously. Even if your car is aligned correctly the tyres might not be due to possible uneven wear.

Remember on quattro cars Audi recommends changing all four tyres at the same time (as per my manual). I know others have said they don't do this but, the only real way to ensure its nothing other than the tyres is to replace all four, get a proper wheel alignment and tracking and then see how the car handles. Remember that different tyres perform in different ways so two different tyres on the rear axle might not be helping matters. Tread can also make a difference. 8mm new tyres perform a hell of a lot better than part worn 4mm tyres. In the UK the 1.6mm tyre depth is a bit of joke. This would probably be okay in a dry and warm climate but, as soon as the roads are wet and greasy (like now) most manufacturers of winter tyres recommend at least 4mm to ensure optimum efficiency. In my BMW anything below around 3mm and the rear tyres are easily spun especially when its wet. On our S3 when the tyres are nearing the minimum you can usually feel the handling isn't what it should be.

Hope this helps.

 

[SunnyG]

I though the system adapted to uneven wear but i think i may have to invest in a new set all round and i will have the tracking done. In terms of handling its something else compared to the 6/7mm BCT's now there's amazing precision and grip but i think that down to bct being naff. I will initially move to get the alignment done asap. Thank for the advice. I was worried that the tcs light because i thought it was pretty hard to get it to get involved in a quattro unless your on a drain lol

 

[desertstorm]

You don't need to worry about tyre depths on a Haldex car it's not full time four wheel drive like an A4 , A5 ,A6 with a Torsen centre diff.
90-95% of the time the car will behave like a front wheel drive car.
As Pluves1 suggested though the tyre is the only thing between you and the road and the best handling car can be completely ruined with the wrong tyres on.Good new tyres are not that expensive www.tyreleader.co.uk .
If somebody has been putting cheap crappy tyres ob there there is every reason to suspect they haven't been servicing the car correctly with Haldex oil and filter changes so there could be a problem with the Haldex.
Even with working Quattro you will get the traction control light on with poor quality tyres in the wet.
To test the Haldex is working follow the process in this post.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...o-see-if-the-rear-wheels-are-getting-traction