Audi Q5 hit the market in 2009. This might not seem like a long time ago, but in the fast-paced market of automobiles, it is an eternity away. Since its release, the Q5 has faced headwinds from multiple crossovers, all of which want to eat away at its sales. Yet, as you can check for yourself by looking at its sales numbers, this crossover is still strong in the market.
One of the reasons why the passage of years hasn’t dented its sales is because the Q5 is one of the nicest crossovers money can buy. It boasts a spacious interior with an exquisite fit that proves that the higher-ups at Audi know what customers like in a vehicle. The car’s comfort is also outstanding – the ride quality is plush and you don’t hear much road noise inside the cabin.
However, if you intend to get the most out of your Audi Q5, you’ll still need a set of tires that could complement this crossover’s brilliance. Make the mistake some people I know have made – they put cheap tires on their Audi Q5 – and all that there will be left to admire will be the lovely interior. The car’s ride quality will drop so much you won’t be able to think of anything else.
Do the exact opposite – install the best tires for Audi Q5 – and you won’t have to worry about anything else. The interior will start appearing as if it’s more spacious than it already is. Its features will start looking much higher-end than they actually are. And the Q5’s ride quality, not bad to begin with, would become even more lavish.
Read on to find top-quality tires for Audi Q5.
#1. Continental CrossContact LX 25 – Best Tire Overall
The Continental CrossContact LX25 is currently the best touring all-season tire for Audi Q5. It replaced the CrossContact LX20 as the manufacturer’s flagship replacement tire for crossover or SUVs.
This tire has improved over its predecessor on multiple counts. Its dry traction is much more dependable than the LX 20. So do the steering response and overall wet grip. Corner stability has also experienced an upgrade, and the LX25 performs much better in snow as well.
However, it isn’t only its predecessor that the LX25 can beat in a side-by-side comparison. This touring all-season tire can also rival the performance from the best tires in this class.
Take, for instance, Michelin’s CrossClimate 2. Both these tires belong to the premium touring all-season tire category. Yet when it comes to dry traction, corner stability at high speeds and steering response, the CrossContact LX25 comes out as the clear winner.
Yet another area where the CrossContact LX25 excels is ride quality.
Thanks to the Comfort Ride Technology, these tires will provide you with the softest ride quality possible. Noise won’t be an issue as well, even when you are driving on rough tarmac, allowing the passengers sitting in the cabin stay oblivious to the road’s imperfections.
The only area where this tire could have done better is treadwear warranty.
While some rivals offer 80,000 or even 90,000-mile treadwear warranty, the LX25 is only backed for 70,000 miles. To make up for this shortcoming, the EcoPlus+ Technology will lower fuel consumption, helping you save money on the gas.
Pros
- Great overall handling
- Plush ride quality
- Incredibly quiet on the highway
- Excellent fuel economy
Cons
- Treadwear warranty could have been better
#2. Michelin Premier LTX
The Michelin Premier LTX is one of the US tire maker’s best-selling all-season tires. And it is only one of the best choices for your Audi Q5. Here are a few reasons why.
The Premier LTX benefits from Michelin’s habit of equipping all its tires with the latest technologies. These include EverGrip Technology, which help this tire retain its original traction even as it wears down. It does that with the help of hidden grooves that emerge as the tire wears down.
Traction on dry and wet surfaces is also supreme. The credit for this goes to the sunflower oil and silica content tread compound. While the former helps the Premier LTX stay flexible in cold temperatures, silica plays the role of a bonding agent to improve this tire’s strength.
Dry handling and responsiveness can also rival the best tires in this category. Similar is the case with highway stability, and you might be pleased to note how well this model performs on the snow, where its short braking distances will keep your vehicle safe.
Despite featuring all these high points, the Premier LTX isn’t our top pick for Audi Q5. Know why? This tire only comes with a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty, about 10,000 miles fewer than what you get from the CrossClimate LX25 and 20,000 – 30,000 miles fewer than the best tires in this class.
Pros
- Best-in-category responsiveness
- Dry grip is outstanding
- Wet traction and grip are superb
Cons
- Limited treadwear warranty
- Pricey
#3. Michelin Latitude Sport 3 – Best High-Performance Tire
The Michelin Latitude Sport 3 has multiple things going in its favor. It comes packed with some of the latest tire technologies on the market and has seen its reputation enhanced by an above-average warranty for an high- or max-performance tire.
Start with the technologies. A few versions of the Latitude Sport 3 have been equipped with Michelin’s exclusive Acoustic Technology. This technology helps them keep the noise at a minimum on the road, resulting in a noticeable decrease in cabin noise.
That isn’t to say that those models of the Latitude Sport 3 that don’t come with this technology would be unbearably loud. They too would roll quietly and smoothly, even when you are driving on rough roads. So you won’t have any complaints about this tire’s noise.
Like premium high-performance tires, which aim to strike a perfect balance between dry handling, traction and ride comfort, the Latitude Sport 3 ticks all three boxes. You can thus count on this tire to deliver supreme grip in dry conditions, regardless of where you’re driving.
Performance on ice and snow is poor, but that is something that you get with high-performance tires as they aren’t designed to handle harsh weather conditions. So if you live in an area that receives more than its fair share of snow, there are better options in this review.
Pros
- Silent on the road
- Brilliant dry handling and ride comfort
- Great treadwear warranty for a high-performance tire
Cons
- Poor performance on the snow
#4. Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring
The Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring is another great choice if you own an Audi Q5. Modern technologies and quality compounds ensure you can use this tire on a variety of trains with confidence.
This tire comes with Cooper’s exclusive Stabiledge Performance Technology that ensures better responsiveness by interlocking the tread elements. The technology also improves stability on dry roads. It can be credited for this tire’s exceptional cornering performance, too.
Most Cooper products you see on the market come with full-depth 3D Micro-Gauge siping. The CS5 isn’t any different. The presence of the sipes on the entire tread depth produces biting edges that help justify this tire’s M+S rating, most reserved for dedicated winter tires.
Wet performance is great as well. A combination of broad outboard shoulder blocks, as well as inboard shoulders with massive sipe density and center ribs, covers wet traction and braking. Plus, circumferential grooves resist hydroplaning like a charm.
Stability is also beyond reproach. An internal spiral-wrapped nylon reinforcement has made this tire more rigid than your average touring tire. The result is a product that won’t let damage from environmental factors get to it and would therefore last longer.
Pros
- Competitively priced
- Great traction and grip on dry tarmac
- Very good wet performance
- Excellent treadwear warranty
Cons
- Poor traction in deep snow and ice
#5. Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady
The Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady was one of our top tire picks for Tesla Model Y. Its inclusion in this review should make it clear that this tire isn’t only designed for electric vehicles. Fossil-fuel guzzling crossovers like the Audi Q5 could also benefit from this tire.
The WeatherReady is the only tire in the Assurance series that comes with the three-peak snowflake mountain symbol or 3PMSF certification. This is an indication that relevant authorities have certified this tire safe for driving in harsh wintry conditions.
A soy-based tread compound translates the rating into performance. It does that by helping the tread compound stay flexible, even when the road is littered with snow and ice.
Wet traction is another area where this tire shines. An asymmetric tread pattern featuring Goodyear’s Evolving Traction Grooves takes the cake for that. The specially-designed grooves widen as the tire wears, helping the tire offer reliable traction even when it has lost a percentage of its tread depth.
However, don’t expect this tire to be as silent as some of the others in this review. In fact, if you make an apples-vs-apples comparison, the Assurance WeatherReady would come out as louder than the CrossClimate SUV, which might bother a few of you.
Performance is great throughout, though. You can count on this tire to offer superb handling in dry and wet conditions, while its braking would also give you no reason for complaint. All in all, the Assurance WeatherReady is one of the best all-season tires for Audi Q5.
Pros
- Excellent treadwear warranty for an all-weather tire
- Great winter traction
- Supreme wet performance
Cons
- Makes a fair bit of noise
Types of Audi Q5 Tires
Touring Tires – Best for most Audi Q5 drivers
Touring tires are an ideal choice for the majority of Audi Q5 owners. The touring tires are best for normal everyday driving. They can cover long distances and are therefore the best choice for Audi Q5 drivers who are going to drive this crossover a lot.
Another thing that goes in favor of touring tires is that they are cheap. Super-cheap, in fact, when you compare them with other types mentioned below. Even though their ride quality is equally plush. So you’d be able to save money without making any compromise.
Need proof? Then you must ask anyone who knows about the durability of tires. Provided the person you’re talking to is knowledgeable about tires, they’d tell you that the best touring tires are backed with up to 90,000-mile treadwear warranty. Isn’t that great!
That said, don’t expect touring tires to offer supreme handling at high speeds. Attack a corner too aggressively, and these tires might not be able to keep your Q5 steady. So if your goal is high-speed driving, touring tires might not be the best choice for you.
High-Performance Tires – Best for Enthusiasts
Are you the kind of driver who believes in attacking corners with a vengeance? In that case, you cannot go wrong with a set of high-performance or street tires. Both are the same – the former is designed for sedans and coupes, while the latter is designed for crossovers.
High-performance tires are built to offer more responsiveness to the person sitting behind the wheel. Your Q5 will start feeling more alive the moment you put a set of these on. Its front wheels will attack the corner as you’d like them to, while the rear ones will follow suit with zero fuss.
On top of everything else, high-performance tires grip the road like no other tire. Your braking distances will get much shorter, you will be able to accelerate more quickly than you’ve ever done, and the high-speed stability will be something you’ve never experienced.
Keep in mind though that sporty tires aren’t designed with your comfort in mind. Their main goal is to carry your vehicle from point A to point B as quickly as possible. On bumpy or uneven roads, their stiffer sidewalls will hurt the quality of your ride. Plus, they are backed with smaller warranties.
All-Season Tires – Best for Safe and Reliable Handling
All-season tires deserve your attention (and money) if you want reliable traction year-round. Their tread compound helps these tires grip the road in mild-to-moderate conditions. For instance, you can count on them in warm-weather and moderately cold conditions.
However, all-season tires don’t do well in harsh weather. Their performance goes south the moment the weather takes a turn from the moderate to the extreme. Sure, they have more sipes than, say, touring tires. But all-season tires still lack traction over ice and snow.
For this reason, if you constantly drive in an area where it snows a lot, go for dedicated winter tires. These are available in two categories: studdable and studless. In most cases, studless tires will be more than enough as they would operate in freezing conditions without breaking the law.
Tips to Prolong the Life of Audi Q5 Tires
Rotate Tires Every 5,000 Miles
Not every part of the tire will get the same level of abuse. For example, rear tires receive less wear and tear than tires on the front axle of your Audi Q5. This uneven distribution of workload causes some positions on the tire to wear quickly than others. So it’s recommended to rotate tires every 5,000 miles.
Check Air Pressure Regularly
Under- or over-inflated tires suffer more wear than if they were properly inflated. Under-inflation causes much of the tire’s area to touch the road, increasing friction. Over-inflation causes the tire’s tread to bow out and wear before any other part. It’s thus necessary to maintain standard air pressure.
Keep Your Wheels Balanced
Car tires aren’t designed to remain balanced. There are light and heavy spots on each tire, which can cause them to go out of balanced. Poor balancing, in turn, can cause multiple issues such as tire drag and uneven wear. So make sure to have your wheels balanced once every few months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tires are standard on Audi Q5?
The latest generation Audi Q5 comes in three trims with three tire sizes.
The Q5 Premium and Premium Plus with 18-inch wheels comes with 235/60R18 OEM tires. The Premium with 19-inch wheels comes with 235/55R19 OEM tires. The Premium Plus with 19-inch and 20-inch wheels have 235/55R19 and 255/45R20 OEM tires, respectively.
What is the best 18” tire for Audi Q5 Premium and Premium Plus?
The Michelin Premier LTX is one of the best 18” tires for Audi Q5 Premium and Premium Plus. This all-season grand-touring tire performs excellently on dry roads, has decent wet performance, and helps your crossover consume less fuel due to its low rolling resistance.
What is the best 19” tire for Audi Q5 Premium and Premium Plus?
The Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady is an ideal 19” tire pick for Q5 Premium and Premium Plus. This all-weather tire can handle sun and rain, is backed with an impressive treadwear warranty and costs less than most of its counterparts from the likes of Michelin, Bridgestone and Continental.
What is the best 20” tire for Audi Q5 Premium and Premium Plus?
The Pirelli P Zero PZ4 is the best 20” tire for Audi Q5 Premium and Premium Plus. The P Zero PZ4 is a summer tire that does exceptionally when the sun is shining. Its pliable tread compound and flexible sidewall makes for a comfortable and smooth ride in friendly road conditions.
How long do Audi Q5 tires last?
While various factors (driving habits, road conditions, climate) determine how long your tires will last, Audi Q5 tires generally last between 50,000 and 60,000 miles or 3 to 5 years. You can help your tires last longer by rotating them every 5,000 miles or so to ensure even wear.
Conclusion
As you may have noticed, the best tires for Audi Q5 don’t come cheap. There are multiple reasons for that, the most crucial one being safety. Cheap tires don’t have what it takes to keep your vehicle stable at high speeds. Neither could they offer a plush ride quality.
On top of everything else, cheap tires don’t last as long as their expensive counterparts, proving more expensive in the long run. Lastly, Audi Q5 is one of the most premium vehicles on the market, and putting cheap tires on this crossover might be unreasonable.
2 Comments
So what is the best Bridgestone tire for premium 20” multi season tire Audi Q5?
Well, it depends on what type of tire you want. Something sporty or a comfy one?