Audi: Front Tires Severely Damaged - Inspection Needed

'This peculiar problem, often dismissed as 'normal' by various workshops and tire dealers, occurs in vehicles of the A4, A6, and A8 classes, as well as in VW Passats. It involves the front tires wearing down excessively on the inner edge, while the tread in the center or on the outer edges shows only normal signs of wear.'

This wear effect is extremely pronounced in some vehicles (the fabric starts to show signs of wear after only 20,000 km), while in others, it is significantly less or not at all.

According to the workshop and tire dealer, this is a problem with the suspension (quote: 'This is normal for Audi, oh, it's nothing compared to what it could be!'), even though all suspension parameters are correctly adjusted and the rules applicable to Quattro models have been followed. However, the wear cannot be reduced.

The problem cannot be narrowed down to parameters such as sport suspension/standard suspension/spring pads, or other measures.

My question:
- Has anyone else had similar experiences?
- Does anyone know if this problem is, for example, dependent on the tire manufacturer? With Dunlop tires, for example, the wear seems extremely high to me (SP9000 and Sport Maxx).
- Does anyone have a possible solution?

I appreciate any response.

Stefan.

I vaguely remember a report that mentioned broken control arms, at least in the A4 and Passat models. With such a severely misaligned front-end geometry, anything is possible in terms of tire wear. No tire brand can fix that.

While I understand the issue with the control arms, it's ruled out in some cases because the vehicles are relatively new (I consider 20,000 km to be too early for worn control arms) or the axle components have already been replaced.

Control arms, support arms, and guide arms are often replaced in this type of front axle because they are worn out.

Stefan.

"We experienced the same thing with our S3. During the first inspection (after about 2 years/30,000 km), all four tires were so unevenly worn that they needed to be replaced. Even the alignment wasn't covered under warranty by Audi."

Enjoy your meal.

I also have this problem with my Passat (unfortunately) . I can rule out the control arms, because those are still in good condition. I also know other people who have this problem. With my previous (32B) model, I couldn't observe these symptoms (at least not to this extent).

Yes, I had the same experience with my Passat and Conti tires! They were worn down to the fabric on the inside, but still had 4mm of tread on the outside!

Now I have Dunlop SP9000 tires on. Extreme wear, but even wear! }

I can't really come up with a rhyme for that, but since my winter tires always wear evenly, the uneven wear on these tires must have been due to a problem with the tires themselves.

Anyone who has ever had Pirelli P 5000 Drago or P 6000 tires on the rear axle of a Quattro knows what tire wear and uneven tread wear are like... especially with larger engines, they can be so worn out after a service interval that they should really be replaced!

Thank you for your active participation in this thread.

I'm specifically referring to the extreme wear on the front tires that occurs in Audi and VW models with that peculiar multi-link, clunky front suspension.

The problem isn't that the tire wears out more on the inside than on the outside; I could live with that.
It's like this: almost exactly 3cm of tread has worn off from the inner edge of the tire, while the rest of the tread looks like it's been driven, but is practically new, similar to the rear axle.

And all of this, whether it's due to original parts or not, despite new or replaced frames and handlebars, new shock absorbers, etc.

Comments?

Stefan.

"It's the case that, starting from the inner edge of the tire, approximately 3cm of tread has been worn down in total."
<<< are, while the rest of the profile looks like it's at the rear axle.

That's exactly what I mean!

Yes, that's exactly what it looks like.

And what can be done about it?

Another tire brand?

Interestingly, this phenomenon does not occur on the A4 Avant Quattro with winter tires (Nokian 205/55/16), but it does occur with summer tires (Dunlop SP9090 225/45/17). The offset of the wheels is 45 and 35, respectively.

The wear on the Dunlop Sport Maxx summer tires (245/45/1 on the A8 is extremely high, while it is not as high on the winter tires (Dunlop SP2 235/50/1. Both tire types have an offset of ET45 or ET48.

Does anyone definitely NOT have this problem, and can they share some information about their wheel and tire combination?

Stefan.

I only know about this problem from this thread. We have a few Passats in the company with Conti Premium-Contact tires in size 195/65. My A6 hasn't been driven enough yet to make a definitive statement, but the tires were already installed by the previous owner last year, and they have about 15,000 km on them.

What about the tire pressure?

It looked similar on my Golf after I drifted out of my lane due to a strong impact with a curb.
In my case, the alignment of the front wheels was off, as if the wheels were pointing outwards in the direction of travel. This causes the inner edges of the tires to wear down excessively.
After an alignment adjustment (and new tires), the problem was resolved.

I don't know to what extent the widely popular multi-link front suspension is generally prone to problems, as the Golf has a different type of front suspension.

But perhaps you might also discover that the alignment is incorrect (possibly due to premature wear of some bearings, or perhaps even from the factory?).

I would definitely get a wheel alignment done when you buy new tires.

So, I already took my car to VW and had the front axle measured. (It was super expensive, thanks to the multi-link suspension).

Ohne Befund. Okay!

You can see that by the fact that everything is normal with the other tires!

Hello,
I also recognize this problem with my A4.

but only on the right side of the wheel.

My summer tires always pulled to the right (size 225/45/17 on a rim size of 8x15).
Now with 205/55/16 winter tires, it runs very smoothly and stably.

I still need to have the suspension checked. But it already feels familiar.

Best regards, Rainer.

The same thing happens with the 330d here at the company.
However, since the problem only appeared after a certain amount of mileage, it is likely that there was a defect in the axle.

My tire dealer, who performs the wheel alignments for me, told me that adjustments won't make a difference if the suspension components are worn. As long as there's any play in a component of the suspension, the alignment will shift on its own when the car is lowered or driven after the alignment.
He said that an axis that is completely in good condition doesn't need to be measured.
Perhaps some parts of the four-link axle are worn out in your vehicle.
What you read in the Passat forum about what parts can wear out is really the question of whether you'll always notice it right away.

If this is a general design problem, we would be reading a lot more about it.

Well, it's undeniable that this front axle has caused (or is causing) a lot of problems. There are so many relatively new vehicles where all the bearings are rattling or squeaking...

It's just strange that the 'specialized workshops' never seem to find anything wrong. They always say 'everything is fine.'

Nothing is okay, it's rattling, it's squeaking, and the tires are misaligned.

'There's nothing broken,' they say, 'as long as the vehicle is still under warranty or, at the very least, covered by a goodwill policy.'

'If the customer pays, they are happy to exchange things frequently and in large quantities.'

By the way, I checked again today, and the summer tires have only 16,000 km on them, but the inner edges are completely worn down, as if I've been driving only on the innermost edge all the time.

The 18' winter tires (Dunlop) also show the pattern, but *much* less noticeably.
Die 16' Winterreifen haben nach 40.000km KEIN Muster an der Kante. C-U-R-I-O-U-S

Damn.

:-/ Stefan.