Tyres for Q5 - Questions

[John JY Wong]

Hi all!

A little early (ok, wayyyyy too early since my tyres are still new), but I was doing some research into Michelin tyres for the Q5 and ... well, I am confused:

- Latitude Sport
- Latitude Diamaris
- Latitude Tour HP

... what EXACTLY are their differences anyway? Their descriptions don't tell much (to me anyway). Online reviews = pretty much positive. But I can't find any info that actually tells me the differences between them.

And the Michelin M'sian website "Find Your Tyre" feature listed a the "Pilot HX MXM4 235/60R18 V" for an Audi Q5 ... right.

Comments/Answers/Responses - Thanks in advance!

P.S. I'm a "comfort-orientated" driver, so I prefer minimal tyre noise and a comfortable ride (especially in view of all the potholes on KL roads). Handling comes in 2nd for me.

[Cire]

dude, try this website..

http://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/article.asp?id=170

[John JY Wong]

Thanks for the link Cire!

Did a lot more "digging" online ... let me see if I got this right:

Latitude Sport (Costs the most)
- Excellent Dry Grip
- Excellent Handling

Latitude Diamaris (Discontinued?)
- Excellent Dry Grip
- Very Good Wet Grip

Pilot HXMXM4 (Er ... is this suitable for Q5???)
- Excellent Wet Grip
- Excellent Handling
- Minimum tyre noise

Latitude Tour HP (Costs the least)
- Good Dry & Wet Grip
- Minimum tyre noise
- Fuel saver

... did I got them correct?

[Cire]

wah..that's about sum up your conclusions on the Michs..

For an SUV use tyers and Msian roads and drivers' preference in mind, it would be a best bet if one goes to the in-betweener. Compromising between noise, comfort, and Msian pot-holes riddled roads..haha..
Some tour spec-ed compound may be good for normal highway usage, but maybe slacking in terms of taking up the harsh bumps and holes at speed.

There are others like Continentals, and Pirellis in this category that may outperform the Michs in specifications and features, but again, you need to see it in the Msia environment's context. I used many sets of Pirellis on my car, and they wreak havoc at near 60% of its life span. Good off the ramps straight away, and as it wears..its pretty dicey ..

Maybe other folks here can give their opinions..

[John JY Wong]

For an SUV use tyers and Msian roads and drivers' preference in mind, it would be a best bet if one goes to the in-betweener. Compromising between noise, comfort, and Msian pot-holes riddled roads..haha..
Some tour spec-ed compound may be good for normal highway usage, but maybe slacking in terms of taking up the harsh bumps and holes at speed.

I'm confused - were you recommending the Latitude Sport or Latitude Tour HP?

[Cire]

hahah.. okay, tour tyers usually are soft and comfortable...which means the side walls are usually softer than the sport version. Which also means it would not be able to take harsh pot holes that Msian roads are famous for..But its in very extreme cases only.. I have heard and read about side walls bulging ("pregnant")due to potholes incidence.

My style of driving with an Audi Q5 FSI quattro.. definitely will be the Latitude Sport. Harder sidewall, quicker respond, and only marginal noise (compared with tour)..
Bro, the Q5 has one pretty quiet interior for an SUV.. don't believe? Switch on the engine, put ac fan to 1 step. Its so quiet that you can't hardly can heard the engine running..

[John JY Wong]

Thanks Cire!

Yeah, noise-wise, I agree that the Q5's interior is superb. Engine noise isn't my, er, "grouch". It's the tyre noise that, well, I was looking at reducing it further! (Maybe I'm asking too much).

It's just that ... well, I am always comfort orientated. My old ride (Volvo S60) had Michelin XM1 and they "appear" to have been quieter on-the-road with better "pot-hole handling".
(But I'm comparing a SUV with a Sedan so, probably not a fair comparison).

Actually, I was surprised mine came with Michelin Latitude Sport tyres, as earlier models seem to have Dunlops/Goodyears on them (if my memory serves me right).

Oh, and I'm a "not fast" driver. You won't see me going at 160kph on the PLUS highway or taking the Kerinchi Link corner at 80kph.

[Cire]

Latitude sports will be the way to go...less body roll, almost instance turn respond..and Michs are generally quite silence tyers compared with other makes.
You need sports for the Q5 as the quattro will not like squeesy soft tyers..as it cannot bring out the best of the Q5's handling.
Furthermore, a Q5 actually can go off-road, so having a much sturdy side wall helps in situation *never know....., where a bit of off-roading is required.

[primus2211]

I think buying tyres is very simple, buy the best that you can afford! It is not something that you should compromise on! Everyone of us claims to be a "slow" driver, myself included, but the point here is that you have 200 bhp car and there may come a time when you need the speed and handling for emergencies. Those are the times that counts the most and you do NOT want to be let down by your super duper car because of the fact that you skimped on tyres.

If I were you, I'd get the Latitude Sports for the fact that it would handle better and the minor extra harshness you get is offset by the superb suspension and sound proofing of the car. I've tested the Q5 and frankly I find that the stock tyres are NOT up to par with the cars performance! In fact, if you can find something better e.g. the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 or 3 for this case, go for it!

[John JY Wong]

Hey all!

Thanks for all the replies.
I gotta add: special thanks to Cire - again, he's always the first few to respond.

Anyway, I've got Michelin Latitude Sports on my ride now, so I guess I'll stick to them until the 40,000km mark comes.
(Was actually seriously contemplating to change to Michelin Tour tyres & count my losses ... but you guys changed my mind!)

Maybe, just maybe, when it is time to change tyres ... I'll switch to the Micheline Tour for a change. Hey, that would be about 2 to 3 yrs away so, maybe a few ppl would have tried them out by then.

Ok ok, back to work.