Top 10 Best Tires for the Audi Q7

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High-end interior materials and build quality? Check. Plenty of digital features for the tech-savvy passenger? Present. Optimal balance between a plush ride and perky handling? Absolutely. All these qualities make the Audi Q7 one of the best three-row luxury SUVs out there.

However, to get the most out of the Q7, you need to pair it with the best set of tires. This is easier said than done, as every driver has their definition of what the term ‘best tires’ means. For instance, those who use this SUV for everyday driving will be biased in favor of all-season tires.

But if you like pushing the Q7 to its limits, all-season performance tires might appeal more. These tires offer equally good manners as standard A/S tires. But when it comes to cornering performance, straight-line tracking, and road grip, all-season performance tires have no match.

Finally, if you live in an area that receives more than its fair share of snow, dedicated winter tires might be needed to safely carry you from point A to point B. You’d do well to keep all these points in mind while browsing through our selection of the best tires for Audi Q7 on the market.  

#1. Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus – Best Overall

Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus

The Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus are our top tire pick for Audi Q7. Mainly because they will help you enjoy great savings, up to 3.9% in the city if Pirelli is to be believed. On mixed routes, the Verde All Season Plus might consume up to 3.5% less fuel than their rivals.

What is more, when compared to the stock Pirelli Asimmetrico tires that come on several Q7 trims, these models are incredibly quiet, even at higher speeds. They are also far superior in terms of tread wear, meaning you can count on them to keep going year after year.

A sound-absorbing device placed between the treads is responsible for these tires low road-noise, in case you wanted to know the reason behind their quiet ride. Plus, a symmetric tread pattern absorbs road vibrations, thereby ensuring a comfortable driving experience.

Wet traction is another area where these tires shine. Four circumferential grooves and multiple lateral grooves join hands for quick and effective water evacuation. Their combined action reduces the risk of hydroplaning and ensures reliable performance on damp roads.

One thing you might want to note about the Scorpion Verde is that they come in two versions. There’s the standard version (Pirelli Scorpion Verde) and then there’s the one we’re talking about. If you want to enjoy the above qualities, only opt for the All Season Plus version.

Pros

  • Offers enhanced fuel economy
  • Provides a comfortable and noise-free ride
  • Great handling and traction in dry and wet conditions

Cons

  • Treadwear warranty (65,000 miles) isn’t the best-in-class

#2. Michelin Premier LTX – Best All Season

Michelin Premier LTX

The Michelin Premier LTX has everything you expect from a premium touring all-season tire. That includes an extended tread life, reliable dry and wet performance, and comfortable driving quality. If its premium asking price doesn’t bother you, the Premier LTX is a must-have.

A silica and sunflower oil tread compound helps this tire tick various boxes. Silica gives the rubber the firmness needed for a reliable grip on dry roads. The sunflower oil balances firmness with flexibility, thus making this tire useful in mild wintry conditions.

The Premier LTX isn’t one of those tires that suffer from a dangerous loss of traction in their last few days on the road. EverGrip Technology – which replaces the built-in grooves with new ones once the former wear out – enables them to offer consistent traction all the time.

While these tires aren’t as fuel efficient as our top pick, their lightweight construction should help them enhance your Q7’s fuel economy. A tough sidewall (for a touring all-season tire) has enhanced their puncture resistance, albeit while downgrading their wear rating.  

A 60,000-mile treadwear warranty is the only area where this tire disappoints. That is because most touring tires in this price range (such as the ones mentioned below) are backed for a longer period by their manufacturer.

Pros

  • Offer long-lasting dry and wet traction
  • Usable in light snow
  • Provide a quiet driving experience

Cons

  • Doesn’t come cheap

#3. Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus – Best All Season

bridgestone dueler hl alenza plus

The Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus is the reason why we’re dissatisfied with the treadwear warranties of our top two picks. After all, when you have a tire that is backed to last 80,000 miles, can you ever be happy with models receiving less backing from their manufacturer?

Super-extended treadwear warranty isn’t the only reason we love the H/L Alenza Plus. Their symmetric tread pattern is another quality we appreciate. That is because the tread design ensures even tread wear while at the same time taking care of excessive road vibrations.

A continuous center frame has given these tires the ruggedness needed for high-speed stability. Plus, sturdy internal construction means that even when regularly pushed to its limits, there will be no risk of premature deformation, an appreciable quality for a highway tire.

Bridgestone has equipped these tires with parallel grooves for water evacuation. What it hasn’t done is provide the tread area with biting edges, rendering this tire useless on snow and ice.

To be honest, the lack of performance in wintry conditions was something we expected since these are highway tires, and most models in this class are only designed for dry and wet roads.

Pros

  • Market-leading 80,000-mile treadwear warranty
  • Offers a quiet and comfortable ride
  • Has an excellent water evacuation system

Cons

  • Not designed for snow driving

#4. Michelin Latitude Tour HP – Best All Season

Michelin Latitude Tour HP

Four technologies have helped the Latitude Tour HPs stand out in the crowded all-season tire segment. The first of which is ‘Comfort Control’, which doesn’t let these tires’ road contact break regardless of weather conditions. The result, as you may guess, is a comfortable ride.

Next comes the ‘Filament At Zero Degrees’ technology. With the help of nylon filaments inside the tread, this technology enables the Latitude Tour HP to retain its original shape for long. Aside from that, it also upgrades this model’s steering responsiveness vis-à-vis rivals.

Then there is the 3D Variable Thickness Sipe Technology. This technology does what Bridgestone failed to do with the Dueler H/P Plus – equip the tread area with biting edges. You can thus count on the Latitude Tour HP to perform well in mild-to-moderate wintry conditions.

The EverGrip Technology is responsible for these tires’ excellent and long-lasting traction. It widens the Latitude Tour HP’s grooves over time and replaces them with new ones as the tread begins to wear. As such, even when worn out, these tires would offer excellent traction.

That these tires have aggressive biting edges doesn’t mean that they will be as reliable on snow as dedicated winter tires (revealed below). Still, as long as you stay away from hard-packed snow and ice, there won’t be frequent skidding or slipping.

Pros

  • Quiet and comfortable driving experience
  • Enhanced steering responsiveness at high speed
  • Reliable in mild wintry conditions

Cons

  • Pricey

#5. Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 – Best High-Performance All Season

Continental ExtremeContact DWS06

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 are premium all-season high-performance tires. In theory, they should offer the superior grip of performance tires and extended tread life of A/S models. But what about practice? Do these tires really provide the best of both worlds?

You bet they do. A tread compound featuring silica and +Silane additives is the main reason for this, improving these tires’ dry traction while also ensuring equal pressure distribution for a long tread life.

X-Sipe Technology has made the DWS06 reliable on light snow and ice. Traction grooves ensure reliable wet performance by evacuating water quickly and effectively. Thanks to these two design elements, the DWS06 would keep you safe in inclement weather.

You might also appreciate the fact that the DWS06 are comfortable cruisers. Even with the asymmetric tread pattern and other design elements that distinguish them from standard all-season tires, these models deliver a quiet and relatively vibration-free driving experience.

Bear in mind, though, that these tires’ cornering grip isn’t as good as you get from premium high-performance tires. You’d thus do well to take your foot off the accelerator on the bends.

Pros

  • Deliver excellent wet traction
  • Offer an enhanced steering response
  • Have functional wear and alignment indicators

Cons

  • Cornering grip could be better

#6. Nitto NT 421Q – Best High-Performance All Season

nitto nt421q

The Nitto NT 421Q has several things in common with the above DWS 06. This tire is as reliable on light snow and ice as its premium counterpart from Continental. Its wet traction is equally great and the way it balances ride quality with agile handling is superb.

Yet there’s the key difference in price between the two. The NT 421Q will be much more merciful to your bank balance than the astronomically priced DWS 06. As such, if you want high performance at an affordable price, this model must be on your wish list.

In case you are wondering, its mid-range price hasn’t been achieved by cutting corners. Need proof? A long drive on open roads will provide plenty. It’s only when you’re pushing this tire to its limits that its excellent steering response and straight-line tracking will wow you.

External shoulder blocks offer more proof of this model’s excellent performance. They have increased its cornering grip as well as handling on dry roads. Plus, thanks to their inner shoulder blocks, these tires will deliver equally great traction on wet and snow-laden roads.

An interlocking 3D sipe design means that these tires biting edges will come together when you apply brakes, ensuring short braking distances and enhanced wet traction. To further sweeten the deal, Nitto will send these tires with a 60,000 or 75,000-mile warranty.

Pros

  • Above average treadwear warranty
  • Best-in-class dry handling and wet traction
  • Usable on light snow and ice

Cons

  • Ride comfort could be better

#7. Yokohama Parada Spec X – Best High-Performance All Season

Yokohama Parada Spec X

The Yokohama Parada Spec X is another HP A/S tire you can pair on your Q7. This model combines the grip of a high-performance tire with an asking price of a standard all-season model. However, the absence of a treadwear warranty might prove to be a deal-breaker.

An aggressive tread pattern helps this tire in three key areas. These include excellent road grip regardless of the weather conditions, improved cornering performance than similarly-priced rivals, and enhanced high-speed stability for a safe driving experience.   

The combination of Yokohama’s exclusive Variable Pitch technology and sturdy internal construction ensures a comfortable driving experience. It does that by deflecting road noise before it could reach the cabin and absorbing vibrations for supreme ride quality.

Its stiff sidewall goes both ways. On the one end, it provides the kind of steering feedback you expect from high-performance tires. However, the sidewall’s stiffness may also make the ride a bit firm, especially compared to that of the above high-performance all-season tires.

A built-in rim protector protects the wheels from curb damage. Plus, an internal nylon belt gives the tires added strength and durability. All in all, if you’re looking for a quality, high-performance, all-season tire on a budget, there aren’t many better options than the Parada Spec X.

Pros

  • Excellent dry and wet traction
  • Cornering performance is superb
  • Amazing steering response and feedback

Cons

  • Doesn’t come with a treadwear warranty

#8. Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport – Best Summer Performance

Bridgestone Dueler HP Sport

The Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport offers almost everything you associate with tires from its class. That includes an unrivaled dry grip, superior cornering performance, and enhanced steering feedback. Unfortunately, that also includes the absence of a treadwear warranty.

Start with the exceptional dry grip. A trio of features – UNI-T Technology, L.L. Carbon Black tread compound, symmetric tread pattern – don’t let this model’s road contact break. The tread compound also keeps the vibrations low for a comfortable driving experience.

Then comes the unrivaled cornering performance. It has been made possible by the two continuous center ribs that are visibly running from top to bottom. These ribs help expand the tire’s contact patch around turns, letting you confidently enter and leave corners at speed.   

A quartet of circumferential grooves and almost as many lateral grooves help with water evacuation to reduce the risk of skidding and slipping on wet roads. Surprisingly for a summer performance tire, the H/P Sport has biting edges delivering extra traction on snowy roads.

Keep in mind that the Dueler H/P Sport comes in two versions: standard and run-flat. We’d recommend going for the standard version as the run-flat model is much heavier and thus consumes more fuel.

Pros

  • Excellent treadwear warranty for a UHP tire
  • Offers unrivaled dry handling and cornering grip
  • Superb wet traction

Cons

  • Comes at a premium price

#9. Continental CrossContact UHP – Best Summer Performance

Continental CrossContact UHP

The Continental CrossContact UHP is another summer performance candidate for your Q7. This model costs slightly less than the above Dueler H/P Sport but wears quickly. Other than these two differences, they have almost everything else in common.

A silica-enhanced tread compound ensures that the contact patch expands as you press the accelerator, giving you the kind of high-speed stability you have never experienced before. You can thus expect this model to be as stable as any other tire over the speed limit.

A quartet of features – asymmetric tread compound, circumferential grooves, unique siping detail, tread blocks – ensures quick water evacuation for a safe driving experience on damp roads. That means that this tire can be driven 365 days a year and not just on dry roads.

Think that’s not the case? This tire’s M+S symbol tells us otherwise. This symbol is only awarded to tires that can offer decent traction in light snow. Its presence on the CrossContact UHP’s tread means that this tire won’t betray you in light wintry conditions either.

The absence of a treadwear warranty might seem like a glaring error. But it is not simply because we’re looking at an ultra-high-performance summer tire.  

Pros

  • Supreme handling at high speeds
  • Exceptional steering response and feedback
  • Has a built-in rim flange protector

Cons

  • Tread life could be better

#10. Bridgestone Blizzak DM V-2 – Best Winter

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

The Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 is one of the best winter tires for SUVs, crossovers, and hatchbacks. So, if you want the best performance on snow and are willing to pay for it (the DM V-2 doesn’t come cheap), make sure to put up this tire on your Q7.

A super flexible tread compound is the main force behind this model’s excellent winter performance. This compound has the uncanny ability to stay flexible in sub-zero temperatures, helping the DM V-2 safely carry you over hard-packed snow and ice.

MultiCell structure further elevates this tire’s snow performance. It does that by trapping snow within the treads before exploiting the friction created by snow-on-snow contact for better traction. The structure covers the entire tread area as well as the outer shoulders.

Circumferential grooves help with water evacuation. More importantly, they don’t let the thin layer of water develop between the rubber and the tarmac. This is crucial as that seemingly invisible layer has proven to be the undoing of many winter tires.

Unfortunately, there is one area where this model could do better. We’d have liked this tire more if the MultiCell structure covered the entire tread depth and not just the first 55%. This means that this model’s snow traction would deteriorate once the tread depth hits dangerous lows.

Pros

  • Has superb braking power
  • Offers great hydroplaning resistance
  • Excellent traction on hardpacked snow and ice

Cons

  • MultiCell structure covers only first 55% of the tread depth

Best Tires for Audi Q7

All-Season Touring

All-season touring tires check several boxes for the average Q7 drier. These tires offer excellent road manners, perform reliably in dry and wet conditions, and can even be used in light snow. Plus, they boast above-average tread lives, and don’t cost much upfront.

All in all, if you pair touring tires with the Q7’s standard suspension, a balanced and smooth ride will be all but guaranteed. Even with this SUV’s optional air suspension, which surprisingly gives a busier ride than most people would like, these tires won’t behave badly.

Performance Tires

Performance tires offer excellent high-speed stability, enhanced cornering grip, and maximum response on the steering. They also boast high amounts of grip on dry roads and would thus take the Q7 acceleration, which is already pretty agile, to the next level.

Bear in mind, though, that performance tires aren’t as comfortable as the above touring tires. Neither can their asking price compete with their all-season counterparts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should Audi Q7 tires last?

All-season touring Q7 tires should last anywhere between 3 and 5 years. That said, your driving style, road conditions, and weather will determine how long the tires will last.

What brand tires does Audi use?

The 2020 Audi Q7 Premium Plus uses Continental’s CrossContact LX Sport tires.

What size are Audi Q7 tires?

Depending on the model year and trim, the Audi Q7 can come in any tire size, including 255/60 R18, 255/60 R18, 255/60 R18, and 255/55 R19.

Conclusion

The best tires for Audi Q7 won’t only improve its ride quality and handling. They will also make your time spent in this luxury SUV more enjoyable. As such, it’s recommended to pair the Q7 with premium tires.  

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