Best Tires For Audi S4 - Complete Guide

‍8 Best Tires For Audi S4

Beginning construction way back in 1991, the Audi S4 has been the manufacturer’s cornerstone high-performance compact car for over three decades. The S4 is based on Audi’s popular A4 model year after year, but is the more performance-oriented model, with modern day S4s pumping out about 350 horsepower.

Touted as a high-end executive car, the Audi S4 is a four-door sedan that’s designed to look great, carry up to five adults comfortably, and (of course), get you to your destination quickly! With its performance-oriented design and drivetrain, it’s important that you have a top-notch set of tires that can handle everything your S4 can throw at them.

No matter if you want an all-season touring tire, a strictly performance-based tire, a set of winter tires, or more, we’ve got you covered. Consider this guide your number one resource to finding the best tires for your Audi S4 no matter what you’re looking to get out of them.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at the 8 best Audi S4 tires on the market:

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus — Best All-Season

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For any vehicle out there that’s a bit on the sporty side — which certainly includes the powerful Audi S4 — there is one all-season tire that’s the best option on the market year in and year out. And that’s the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus (or 3+). As Michelin continues to improve upon this tire and release new versions, we see it continuing its reign as the best all-season option for sports cars.

The Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires are Michelin’s Ultra High Performance All-Season tires, meaning that they were designed to offer high performance capabilities year-round. In fact, these tires can compete with some other manufacturer’s summer-only tires while still retaining the ability to offer traction all year, even in wet conditions and light snow.

How do performance tires offer traction in light snow you might ask? This is where the “Plus” comes from with these tires, hinting at the use of Michelin’s Helios+ technology. This rubber technology keeps the tire operating as expected in low temperatures and helps to offer grip even in the snow. The inclusion of Helios+ technology is the most notable improvement of the A/S 3+ over its predecessor, the standard A/S 3.

For how incredible these tires are, the pricing is actually pretty great. You can pick these tires up for about $200 each from Tire Rack. But as the best overall all-season tire on the market, these tires are worth every penny!

Specifications

Some of the features below will vary depending on the specific tire size on your S4.

• Warranty: 45,000 miles
• Max Load Capacity: 1,609 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure: 50 psi
• Tread Depth: 10/32”
• Tire Weight: 26 lbs
• UTQG Treadwear: 500
• UTQG Traction: AA
• UTQG Temperature: A
• Helios+ Technology increased traction in low temperatures
• Variable Contact Patch 3.0 evenly distributes the contact patch under aggressive driving

FAQ

What’s the mileage warranty?

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires come with a 45,000-mile warranty. While you will undoubtedly find longer mileage warranties on the market, we’re talking about an S4 here! You want something that can offer you high performance at the same time!

What sizes are offered?

A popular tire choice among sports cars of all kinds, the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires are offered in sizes ranging from 17” through 20” wheel diameters. This range includes all the OEM tire sizes that are offered on the Audi S4.

Are these better than the standard A/S 3 tires from Michelin?

For the most part, the A/S 3+ is the same tire as the standard A/S 3 from Michelin. However, the “+” comes from the inclusion of Michelin’s Helios+ rubber compound. This new compound keeps the tire flexible in low temperatures and provides better traction in cold weather.

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 — Best Touring

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If you’re looking for a touring tire for your Audi S4, we’re going to assume you’re wanting to get a few things out of it. First, you’ll want it to be comfortable to drive on and have reduced road noise. Second, you want to make sure it’ll last a decent amount of time so you don’t have to keep replacing them. And lastly, you’re still driving an S4, so you want something that can handle performance.

The best tire to fit the bill and check all the boxes in this case is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06. I’ve personally used this tire on multiple vehicles of mine over the years and I’ve loved it every time. For the best combination of performance, comfort, and longevity, these are without a doubt one of the best touring tires on the market for any car. But especially a performance car like the S4.

The DWS 06 tires come with a 50,000-mile warranty in the sizes that come on the S4, so you can get plenty of life out of them. They ride great and produce little road noise as well, so comfort is top-notch. And as the DWS naming scheme implies, they are designed to provide reliable traction in dry, wet, and snowy conditions. So you can drive on them year-round without fear of having any major issues.

One of the more affordable tires that you’ll find in this guide depending on which size you need, the ExtremeContact DWS 06 is a great option for just about any Audi S4 owner out there. From Tire Rack, you can order these tires today for around $170 a piece. For a set of all four, you’ll be paying about $685 — a steal for tires of this quality!

Specifications

Some of the features below will vary depending on the specific tire size on your S4.

• Warranty: 50,000 miles
• Max Load Capacity: 1,609 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure: 51 psi
• Tread Depth: 10/32”
• Tire Weight: 23 lbs
• UTQG Treadwear: 560
• UTQG Traction: AA
• UTQG Temperature: A
• Capable of offering reliable traction in all conditions including dry, wet, and snow
• QuickView indicators help you quickly detect issues with your alignment and tire wear

FAQ

What is a touring tire?

Touring tires are designed to offer comfort, reduced noise, and longevity. While some touring tires out there might last a little longer than the ExtremeContacts, these tires will still offer plenty of performance capability for you and your S4.

Are these tires all-season?

ExtremeContact DWS 06 tires from Continental are all-season tires, capable of offering traction all year long and in just about any weather condition. So drive with confidence with these tires on your S4.

What does the DWS in the tire’s name mean?

Continental wanted to make sure it was well-known that these tires can be used year-round, so they called them DWS. This stands for dry, wet, and snow, and hints at the fact that these tires can be used no matter what the road conditions are.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S — Best Summer

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While the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires from above are the best all-season tires on the market — and offer plenty of performance in their own right — you’ll want to get something a little different to really push your Audi S4 to its limits. Since most people like to do their spirited driving in the warmer months, it’s time to consider a summer tire. And if you decide to go that route, there is one tire that reigns supreme above all others: the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.

Michelin went above and beyond during the design of this tire to ensure it delivers the best possible performance. To do this, they worked alongside Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and more to take technologies used during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and include them in this tire. This helps make sure they can handle high-stress driving conditions while also lasting longer than you might think.

The technologies in this tire include the use of multiple rubber compounds to provide grip, traction, and stability at high speeds and during aggressive driving. These compounds work in conjunction with Michelin’s Variable Contact Patch 3.0 technology which maximizes the surface area of the tire that’s in contact with the road at all times to increase traction and grip.

As the best summer tire on the market that will take you and your S4 to the next level in terms of performance, the Pilot Sport 4S tires will set you back a bit. If you’re interested in these tires, you can get them from Tire Rack today for just under $300 per tire.

Specifications

Some of the features below will vary depending on the specific tire size on your S4.

• Warranty: 30,000 miles
• Max Load Capacity: 1,433 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure: 51 psi
• Tread Depth: 9.5/32”
• Tire Weight: 23 lbs
• UTQG Treadwear: 300
• UTQG Traction: AA
• UTQG Temperature: A
• The rubber compound is derived from the tires used for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race
• Developed alongside high-end car manufacturers like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche

FAQ

Can I drive on these tires year-round?

Although the Pilot Sport 4S tires are designed to excel in both dry and wet conditions, you shouldn’t be driving on them in the winter. In fact, these tires should not be driven on, serviced, or even stored in cold temperatures.

What’s the mileage warranty?

Many ultra-high performance summer tires don’t come with any sort of mileage warranty. But luckily for Michelin customers, they included a 30,000-mile warranty on these tires. So you should easily be able to get up to 5 summers out of these tires if you keep them well-maintained.

Are summer tires worth it?

This is a bit of a subjective question as it really comes down to what you’re looking to get out of your S4. If you want maximum performance, then of course these tires are worth it for summer driving. For most drivers, a high-quality all-season tire will be more than enough, however.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 — Best Winter

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If you’ve ever bought winter tires for any of your vehicles before, then you might have heard of the Bridgestone Blizzak line of tires. Without a doubt the most popular line of winter tires ever, Bridgestone makes a Blizzak for just about any vehicle type, including your Audi S4. For sportier cars like these, the tires you’ll want to get for regular winter driving are Bridgestone Blizzak WS90s.

Long gone are the days of having to add metal studs to your winter tires or buying tires with the studs already included. Modern snow tires like the Blizzak WS90s utilize a studless design, where the technologies used within the tire are able to provide even better traction than you could get in the old days with metal studs. And no tires do that better than the Blizzaks.

To provide this unparalleled winter weather grip, the Blizzak WS90 tires use Multi-Cell technology which acts like a sponge to remove the top layer of water from snow and ice, preventing the tire from losing traction. In addition, stiffer rubber compound and tread blocks are used to create thousands of biting edges all over the tire, so that it’s constantly digging into the snow and ice and providing you with traction and grip.

Even though the Audi S4 is all-wheel-drive, we strongly encourage you to get winter tires if you’re going to be driving it somewhere that it might snow. Winter tires are the single biggest upgrade that you can make for safe winter driving, even more so than having an AWD vehicle. So if you plan on driving in the winter, I recommend picking up a set of these tires from Tire Rack, where you can get them for about $197 each.

Specifications

Some of the features below will vary depending on the specific tire size on your S4.

• Warranty: None
• Max Load Capacity: 1,609 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure: 50 psi
• Tread Depth: 12/32”
• Tire Weight: 26 lbs
• UTQG Treadwear: N/A
• UTQG Traction: N/A
• UTQG Temperature: N/A
• Studless design makes them quiet and easy to use
• Biting edges dig into ice and snow, providing unparalleled winter traction

FAQ

Are these tires studless winter tires?

Yes, Bridgestone Blizzak WS90s are studless winter tires. This means that you don’t have to install metal studs to gain traction, nor do you have to deal with the noise associated with studded winter tires.

Can I drive on these all year?

You should only use winter tires in the winter months. They are designed to be driven on in cold temperatures and really excel when weather conditions are poor. If you drive on them in warmer months, they’ll wear out very quickly.

Are Blizzak tires noisy?

Due to the slightly harder tread compound than normal tires, you might hear a bit more road noise out of these. But as far as winter tires go, the Blizzak WS90s are pretty quiet. The studless design helps out with this as well. You might not even hear a difference compared to your regular tires!

Michelin Pilot Sport Alpin PA4 — Best Winter Sport

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As far as winter tires go, the Blizzak WS90s that you just read about above are pretty much the gold-standard, by far the most popular winter tire line that’s been produced. But if you want to continue pushing your S4 to its limits even during cold and snowy months, then you’ll need something a little sportier. And that’s where the Michelin Pilot Sport Alpin PA4 tires come in.

The Pilot Alpin PA$ tires use the same Helios+ Technology that we discussed with the Pilot Sport A/S3+ tires above. This is the key ingredient to helping you gain traction when working in conjunction with the specialized tread blocks and thousands of biting edges that dig into the snow and ice. Stabiligrip 3D sipe technology helps whisk water away from the tire to keep traction and prevent you from hydroplaning.

To further showcase the tires’ ability to offer traction in snowy conditions, these tires have been approved to stamp the 3-peak mountain symbol on the sidewalls. When it comes to snow tires, that’s the best rating they can have, as it means the tires are rated for providing traction on snow-covered roads and have exceeded all necessary industry requirements.

If you want to get some winter tires for your S4 that enable you to keep up the spirited driving, then these tires are perfect for you. For tires that you will really only be using one season of the year, they’ll set you back a decent amount. But based on what you want out of your S4 in the winter, it might be worth it. You can buy these tires from Tire Rack for about $345 per tire, depending on which size you need.

Specifications

Some of the features below will vary depending on the specific tire size on your S4.

• Warranty: 30,000 miles
• Max Load Capacity: 1,433 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure: 50 psi
• Tread Depth: 10.5/32”
• Tire Weight: 26 lbs
• UTQG Treadwear: N/A
• UTQG Traction: N/A
• UTQG Temperature: N/A
• Helio Compound+ rubber compound that stays flexible in cold temperatures
• Stabiligrip 3D technology helps to enhance acceleration, braking, and handling

FAQ

What’s the mileage warranty?

These winter tires come with a 30,000-mile treadlife warranty, which is actually pretty good for winter tires. Many tires in this class come with no mileage warranty, and these tires will also help you get the most out of your S4 even in the cold months.

How many winters can I get out of these tires?

Along with the 30,000-mile warranty, Michelin also offers a 6-year warranty on these tires as long as you maintain them correctly. That said, you can reasonably expect to get around 5-6 winters out of your Michelin Pilot Sport Alpin PA4 tires.

How do these Michelin tires compare to the Blizzak WS90?

Blizzaks are typically the go-to tires when it comes to driving in winter conditions, but the Pilot Sport Alpin PA4s will enable you to take your S4 to its wintry limits.

BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S — Best Performance Street

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If you want to get some great performance out of your Audi S4 on the street for some, shall we say, spirited driving, then you’ll want a tire that’s up to the task. If you opt for the top choice on this list and put some PilotSport A/S 3+ tires on your S4, you’ll be in good shape. But another great optio to consider (they’re also a little cheaper, too!) is the BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S tires.

For the price, you can’t really beat the performance offered by these tires. AS BFG’s ultra high performance all-season tires, these are designed to offer high performance year-round, no matter what the weather and road conditions are. Designed with BFG’s ABCs in mind, they’re made to help you Accelerate faster, Brake better, and enhance Control in all conditions.

With the inclusion of BFGoodrich’s UltiGrip Technology, the high-silica compound in these tires offer flexibility and grip in cold temperature and even light snow. These tires also utilize the company’s ETEC System, standing for Equal TEnsion Containment. This technology helps maximize the contact patch and offer as much traction as possible under aggressive driving.

If you’re looking for a high-quality tire that can stand up to some aggressive and spirited street driving, then the BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 tires are for you. Depending on which size you’re putting on your S4, you can pick these up at Tire Rack for about $185 a piece.

Specifications

Some of the features below will vary depending on the specific tire size on your S4.

• Warranty: 45,000 miles
• Max Load Capacity: 1,389 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure: 51 psi
• Tread Depth: 9/32”
• Tire Weight: 26 lbs
• UTQG Treadwear: 400
• UTQG Traction: AA
• UTQG Temperature: A
• Ultra-High Performance all-seasons tire provides traction in all conditions
• High-silica cold weather flexing rubber compound is reliable in low temperatures

FAQ

What’s the mileage warranty?

The BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 tires come with a 45,000-mile warranty. While this is less than some of the higher-end tires in this guide, it’s actually a solid warranty for such a high-performance tire!

Are these tires good for the track?

Although they are designed for regular street use and are even an all-season tire, the g-Force COMP-2s from BFGoodrich can hold their own at the track. The soft rubber compound and tread pattern can stand up to high-speed abuse and will do just fine for most drivers.

Are these all-season tires?

BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 tires are all-season tires, despite being touted as ultra-high performance. This means that they provide reliable traction in all conditions year-round, including on wet roads and even in light snow.

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 — Best Performance Track

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For the fourth time in this guide, we have an option from Michelin. If you want to argue some of the other Michelin choices before, a few of them might have had some decent competitors. But when it comes to a track-oriented tire for your Audi S4, three is really one clear answer — the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2.

To give you an idea of what this tire was designed for, it was made to be the original equipment offered on track cars straight from the factory. Cars like the Ferarri Speciale, Porsche 918 Spyder, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupe Black Series, and more. These supercars came from the factory with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s so they could tear up the tracks right away.

The main trick behind the success of the Pilot Sport Cup 2 is the use of Michelin’s proprietary Bi-Compound tread technology. This compound incorporates the use of multiple rubber compounds across the tread. And in conjunction with Variable Contact Patch 3.0 technology, these tires provide unparalleled grip around the track, even under the most aggressive driving situations.

If you’re looking to get the most out of your Audi S4 on track day, then a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are a must. Expect to pay a pretty penny for these though, as each one will set you back about $370 or so at Tire Rack.

Specifications

Some of the features below will vary depending on the specific tire size on your S4.

• Warranty: None
• Max Load Capacity: 1,433 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure: 50 psi
• Tread Depth: 7.2/32”
• Tire Weight: 22 lbs
• UTQG Treadwear: 180
• UTQG Traction: AA
• UTQG Temperature: A
• Utilizes Michelin’s proprietary Bi-Compound rubber formula
• OE tires used on supercars like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Porsche

FAQ

How are track tires different from street tires?

As the name implies, track tires are designed specifically to enhance performance at the track. The rubber compound is softer, and the tread design is made for high-speed grips. They wear out far more quickly than street tires but they increase performance on the track.

Can I drive on these tires in the wet and snow?

Although these tires are DOT approved, Michelin does not recommend them for wet conditions. They do not incorporate many of the technologies used in modern tires to direct water away, so there is an increased chance of hydroplaning and reduced control.

Do the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires come with a mileage warranty?

As track-oriented tires, the Pilot Sport Cup 2s from Michelin do not come with any mileage warranty on them. They’re designed to be driven on fast and hard at the track, not for giving you tens of thousands of miles worth of street driving!

Continental ContiSportContact 3 — OEM Tire

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As far as OEM tires go, Audi is usually one of the better vehicle manufacturers out there for providing high-quality tires straight from the factory. Some automakers use cheaper tires on their cars, but Audi wants to make sure their customers can get the most out of their cars right from the start. And that’s no different with the Audi S4 when they outfitted many of them with Continental ContiSportContact 3s.

Let’s start off by saying that these tires are really designed with one thing in mind: performance. In fact, the ContiSportContact 3 is Continental’s Max Performance Summer tire. As that suggests, these tires were actually designed to only be used during the summer, where they offer maximum performance in warmer temperatures.

While that’s great for driving your S4 in the summer, they weren’t the best choice for OEM tires since many people like to drive their S4’s year-round. That said, in terms of performance capabilities, these tires are right up there with the Pilot Sport 4S summer tires we reviewed above, though we do prefer the Michelins over these.

Although we think the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is a better summer tire, the ContiSportContact 3 is not far behind. If you really liked how these tires performed from the factory, we wouldn't blame you for wanting to put another set on your S4! A good place to find these tires online is at Tire Rack, where you can get them for about $266/piece depending on which size you need.

Specifications

Some of the features below will vary depending on the specific tire size on your S4.

• Warranty: None
• Max Load Capacity: 1,764 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure: 51 psi
• Tread Depth: 10/32”
• Tire Weight: 26 lbs
• UTQG Treadwear: 280
• UTQG Traction: AA
• UTQG Temperature: A
• Designed to enhance braking and add precision to your steering
• Continental’s Max Performance Summer tire to increase performance

FAQ

Should I consider putting these tires back on my S4?

We encourage you to try one of the other tire recommendations that we have listed above throughout this guide before going back to these. Plus, these are just summer tires. That said, the OEM ContiSportContact is still a high-quality OEM Continental tire, so you could also do much worse!

How do the ContiSport 3s compare with the ExtremeContact DWS 06s?

The ContiSportContact 3 tires are Continental’s Max Performance Summer tires. So they’re a totally different tire compared to the all-season capabilities of the ExtremeContact DWS 06 tires. If your chief concern is performance, then go with these; otherwise, the DWS 06 tires are the better choice.

Are the OEM tires all-season?

For most vehicles on the road, the OEM tires that the manufacturer provides from the factory are typically all-season tires. This enables customers to drive the car year-round without worrying about their tires. On the Audi S4, however, these OEM ContiSportContact 3 tires are summer tires and shouldn’t be used in wet or snowy conditions.

Audi S4 Tire Sizes

As you can see from the list above, there are all kinds of tire options out there for your S4. And this issue is only expanded by the different tire sizes that have come on the car over the years. Thankfully, there haven’t been too many different OEM tire sizes. The Audi S4 only has three different OEM tire sizes to keep in mind over the last decade of production:

• 245/40R18
• 245/35R19
• 255/35R19

Although the sports Audi S4 has gone through a few facelifts and gotten some nice power upgrades over the years, the available trim levels and associated tire sizes haven’t undergone as many changes. But before you place an order on any new tires, it’s important to know which size you need to order!

That’s where we come in and the reason that we created the table below. We’ve compiled all the different trim levels and the OEM tire sizes offered on the Audi S4 since 2011. So as long as you know the year and model of your S4, you should be able to figure out which tire size you need to order!

Audi S4 Tire Buyer’s Guide

Is It Worth Getting High-Performance Tires For My Audi S4?

The Audi S4 is the high-performance variant of the company’s compact executive sedan. Based on the manufacturer’s wildly popular A4, the S4 undergoes a facelift and modifications any time that the A4 gets changed up. But no matter what happens with the two cars, one thing is always for certain — the S4 will be much more performance focused than its standard counterpart.

That said, you’ll definitely want to have tires that can hold up to the additional power. I’m not saying you need to get track-dedicated tires and take your S4 around the race track, but you certainly don’t want to put a cheap all-season tire on it like you would a 2000 Toyota Corolla. Any of the tire options you see in this guide are capable of handling the performance output of the S4 far more than standard tires.

So get out there and have fun; enjoy that Audi S4 like it was designed to be driven!

What’s The Most Common OEM Tire Size For The Audi S4?

It’s important that you stick with the proper tire size on your Audi S4. If you start putting on different sized tires than what came from the factory, things won’t work as designed. This is especially true for something like your speedometer, since it works based on the rotation of your tires. So if you start changing the tire size, make sure you have other ways of monitoring your speed and how high your engine is revving.

But if you’re genuinely curious about the most common tire size found on the Audi S4, it has remained the same for many years. The base model of the S4 comes with 245/40R18 tires on all four wheels, and they have for more than a decade. So if you know you have a base model S4, then that’s the size you need! Otherwise, you might have one of the other two potential sizes that have been offered from the factory.

Do I Need To Get Winter Tires Even Though My Audi S4 Is All-Wheel Drive?

This is a common misconception that many people have no matter what kind of car they drive. Lots of people think that if their vehicle is all-wheel drive (AWD), then there is no need for winter tires, because the AWD system will provide more than adequate traction no matter the conditions, right? As a shock to many people, that’s actually wrong. Winter tires are the single best way to gain traction in snow and ice.

Imagine a rear-wheel drive (RWD) car in the snow lined up next to an AWD car. All things equal, the AWD car will undoubtedly get better traction than the RWD car, no doubt. RWD vehicles are notoriously difficult to drive in the snow. But if you put snow tires on the RWD car, it will outperform the AWD car with regular tires by a mile. Winter tires really do make that big of a difference!

What Air Pressure Should I Set The Tires To On My Audi S4?

In order to get the best performance and the most life out of the tires on your Audi S4, you need to keep them well-maintained. And the number one rule of tire maintenance is making sure that you keep them inflated to the proper air pressure. Too much pressure and the tires will begin to wear in the center; too little, and the shoulders will have premature wear.

So what pressure should you set your S4 tires to? Like with any type of vehicle, we urge you to check the manufacturer’s recommendation for what you should keep the tire pressure at. To find this, simply look for the yellow tire information placard located inside the driver’s door. For Most Audi S4s, you should set all four tires to about 36 psi. But check the placard to make sure!