Continental Sport 7 vs. 5

[wildbore]

I am aware many on this forum are focussed entirely on performance of their RS6s above all other considerations, so this info is probably not for you.

Anyway, I have had the ContiSport 5 ContiSilent tyres on my car (2015) since new (factory fit, and I have just kept fitting them). These are the tyres with a foam filler inside to reduce road noise. They have been fine apart from a tendency to squirm around at the front at full throttle when new. As far as I push my car, the tyres outperform anything I ask of them on the public highway.

Continental have temporarily stopped making the 5 and don't expect to resume production until later this year so I have been forced to put the ContiSport 7 on the front.

They are considerably stiffer in the sidewall, transferring more of the road imperfections to the steering and causing the suspension to work harder, but the car is more agile at the front end. The big difference, though, is the road noise, which is shocking after 8 years on the ContiSilents. There is a noticeable rumble from 25mph upwards and substantially more tyre noise at motorway speeds. When I got the Audi, the quietness on the motorway was revelatory - even after coming from an air-sprung MB, but that serenity has gone with the arrival of the 7s.

I shall move them to the back soon in the hope of reducing cabin noise; and I will be back to the 5 when they eventually wear out (which, according to another thread, won't be that long).