How can I find replacement tires for my 2017 Audi Q7?
In 2016 we purchased a 2017 Audi Q7. It is currently parked an unusable. It came with 285/40R21 tires summer tires. The dealer told us that the tires were runflats but the fact is that they are not. This matters because there is no spare in the car and no space to add one, not even a donut tire. Most Q7’s do come with runflats due to this issue and most are 19” or 20” wheels. We now have 20K miles on the car and the tires are worn out. The problem is that nobody makes a 285/40R21 all-season tire, much less that tire in a run flat version. There are no winter versions available either. There has been a great deal of discussion of this issue on forum sites such as audiworld.com. The bottom line is that there is no way to replace the tires with the size that came on the car. Several owners have decided to go forward with using 295/40ZR21 all- season. Those tires are no run flats but they are all-season. There are two problems with this approach (even if the 295 sizes really work okay): 1. According to the forum, Audi says that use of non-approved tires is dangerous and will void the warranty. This is apparently due to the fact that the software in the car is tuned to specific tire specs. 2. They are not run flat and a simple flat will result in needing a tow, not just roadside assistance. We discussed this with Audi Plano, the dealer that sold us the car. After multiple discussions the GM of service there told us that he agreed that there is no apparent “official” solution to this problem and he told us to call Audi corporate and ask them what to do. We’ve written to Audi USA several times with no response. We finally called Audi and talked to a “customer advocate.” She basically told me that it isn’t their problem as they don’t manufacture tires. She told me to call the tire makers directly. We pointed out that it is their problem because they sold me an $80K product that is useless. She told me that there is nothing she can do. We asked a supervisor to call and so far we have not received a call. According to the forum site one of the owners with this problem did get an official response from Audi. Audi told them to use the non-runflats and just take the risk of a flat and told them to buy a new set of 19” wheels and approved tires to use in the winter. Do you have a suggestion as to how we should resolve this problem?
