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Hi Gents, I just thought I would throw this in. Many years ago I bought a Mondeo Titanium x Sport as my third cab, this was sporting 19 inch wheels with 40 series tyres which even though branded tyres they wore like there was no tomorrow, factor in the accelerated puncture occurrence and it was a recipe for bankruptcy, I was only getting about 4k on the fronts and 8k on the backs without punctures. I finally bit the bullet and bought some 16 inch wheels and tyres from my local tyre dealer, the wheels were genuine Ford off of a B Max I found a site on the net that gave the formula for tyre size to bring it up to the same rolling radius as the 19 inch wheel, anyway I engaged the help of one of my mates to help change the wheels we were a subject of fascination of one of my neighbours a German teacher at the local senior school called Gerhardt, he came over and asked what we were doing and when I explained he replied excellent!, it transpires he was a powertrain engineer at Wolfsburg for fifteen years his speciality was wheel and tyre combinations. He went on to say he had tested every wheel and tyre combination known to man on just about every model VW produced, he explained that as long as you use OE wheels the offset is the same its only the rim size/width that changes, economy vehicles use smaller width tyres and rims as this helps with fuel consumption due to the lower rolling resistance of the tyres, we then go to larger heavier vehicles that use a wider profile tyre but may still use a 16-17 inch wheel. he ends up going into his house to get some scales so we could weigh the 19in rims and tyres against the 16in wheel and tyres, it was a marked difference between the two the 19in combination weighed 5kilos more than the 16in combination, he then said can you imagine how much extra energy is used to turn the extra weight and increased rolling resistance, you will now get extra MPG, he was right about another 8 miles per gallon and the added benefit was no more tram lining on uneven roads and better still no more aquaplaning in heavey rain as well as only occasional punctures. I had to ask the question as to why they make these massive wheel/tyre combinations, he replied its what people want they think bigger is better, its not and sited the Mercedes E Class estates and saloons which were produced right up to the late nineties with 15-16 inch wheels and 70 series tyres with no compromise to the handling, as long as you use a minimum of 101 xl tyres you want have a problem and the tyres are cheaper and wear wise probably double the milage even on mid range tyres

Thanks very much indeed for that. I have emailed Audi customer service and they advised me to contact an Audi dealer. Have done that, but you have beaten them to it with your reply!

Assuming that your wheel alignment is spot-on and that you are running at the correct pressures, then Michelin usually give the longest life. Pilot Sport 4 probably with a XL 101 load factor. How would you describe your car usage (high mile commuting etc.) and driving style?