Buying tyres for Audi Q5 online: Is it worth the hassle

Initially, I thought tyres are too important to be purchased online, especially with the no-return policy. But eventually, I ordered four brand-new tyres from Amazon.

BHPian OffRoadFun recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

TL;DR:

Buying tires online is considerably cheaper (Rs 3k per tire for 235/65R17), worth the hassle.

Will keep this short. The mechanic on the last inspection told me that the tires have less than 5k km of tread left, it was time to get new tires.

Checked a few online deals initially but then decided to think tires are too important to be bought online, especially with that no-return policy for them (we will come back to that later!).

Talked to Madhu Tires and they promptly told me they will arrange and reserve Michelin for me. Tires were quoted at Rs 14.7k (235/65 R17, each plus installation + alignment + balancing, quoted at around Rs 4.5k) which I was OK with.

Madhu's is a bit too far from my place and I am not a fan of driving in crawling traffic. They quoted around 2.5 -3 hrs of time to finish the job. Including the drive (only possible on weekend), it meant, essentially a major part of Saturday spent there.

I was OK and proposed to my family we can go to the "city", spent some time in downtown and have lunch while the work is being done. But due to some unforeseen circumstances, we could not make it.

Meanwhile, I kept on looking for alternatives online and came across Continental CrossContact LX2 (available on Amazon) for Rs 11.3k each. These were rated for highway plus light off-road use, meeting my needs. The price differential for 4 tires was not a small amount. Meanwhile, I also figured there is a tire shop with alignment/balancing machines near Marathahalli. He quoted Rs 300 installation per tire and mentioned could finish the job in 45 minutes. I figured I could get the job done in a short lunch break from the office.

Eventually ordered 4 tires from Amazon @ Rs 11.3k each. The vendor had only 4 of these so ordered another one from a different vendor for Rs 12.3k.

All set, stuffed the five tires at the back, after folding the seats. Man, The rubber stinks! Took it to the MRF shop near Kalamandir. I did not take many pictures but tires can be seen inside.

The tire guy asked sir what is that fifth tire for. I promptly replied I want to change the spare one also. He pointed to me that the spare tire is a temp one with no alloy wheel! And I paid 1k extra and waited a week for the same! Ignorance!

Aside from the fact that the tire guy jacked up the price by around 1k after seeing Audi, it was an OK experience. The Hunter machine for alignment and other equipment is state of the art. Even the MRF dealer could not match the price I got online.

The tires are good. The grip is very good and noise levels are considerably lower (than the Ceat CZAR which the previous owner had put). So much that my wife and MIL pointed out the reduced tire noise!

I got one 235/65R17 Conti CrossContact LX2 which I don't know what to do with, the item is non-returnable!

Here's what BHPian s4ch had to say about the matter:

Nice! Would you mind mentioning who the seller on Amazon was and what is the manufacturing date of the tyres? Also, what was the offline price for the same Continentals?

Here's what BHPian el lobo 6061 had to say about the matter:

Since you do a bit of off-roading, why not get an alloy rim & put that 5th tyre you got to good use and put that in place of the space saver?

The boot floor will rise by a few centimeters but you will have a full-size spare tyre for those grand touring and off-road trips.

I have done the same in my BMW X1 F48.

Or else you can sell the tyre on OLX. You'd be surprised how fast things move online in the C2C segment.

Here's what BHPian PapaBravo had to say about the matter:

I have the same tyres on my Duster AWD in the 235/60R16 spec & have driven around 40k in them. The tyres provide you phenomenal wet grip.

I do have one concern regarding your purchase. As far as I know, this tyre is 'H' speed rated which is 210 kmph. What is the stock seed rating recommended for Q5? My X1 recommends a 'V' speed-rated tyre which is 240kmph.

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