Please recommend tires to replace Stock RE-92

My new LGT has about 600 miles. Had the STS installed the day I bought the car and just yesterday installed a Valentine 1 (hardwired). Perfectly happy with these upgrades. Will be installing a Garmin Nuvi GPS (with external antenna) and the very next on the line are tires. I live in Portland, OR where it rains a lot. It's been dry for the past few days and the RE-92s seem to be doing well in dry condition. I don't know how well they will perform in wet conditions and snow but from reading a bit here, people don't seem to be happy with the stock tires. So why not learn from your experience. Please recommend good

all-season tires that will make the driving experience pleasurable and safe.

Criteria

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1. Excellent traction and handling in both dry and wet conditions.

2. Reasonable performance in snow (less than an inch usually, 6-8 inches extreme).

3. Quiet, smooth ride

4. Reasonable cost

 

Will the Kumho ECSTA ASX be a good candidate?

 

I also want to buy another set dedicated for the winter season (snow and ice). Snow and ice normally don't last more than a week or 2 here in Portland, OR but maytend to persist longer. So please also recommend good winter tires too. Should I consider studded tires for snow and ice?

Thanks,

-Jai

many people here swear by the goodyear eagle f1 gs-d3

 

and what kinda winters do you have?

Winters are not very bad in the NW. There are occassional spells of snow and ice and very rarely freezing rain (When it becomes virtually impossible to even walk to the mail box). As I mentioned earlier, only a few weeks of snow and for the most part of the year, it is wet weather.

Thanks.

The Eagle f1 gs-d3 does look really cool and peformance ratings look impressive and a good match for wet weather but looks like I surely would need different tires for snow. What snow tires (Second set) would you recommend during those months it tends to snow.

Thanks.

Check out the Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S tire. It sounds almost exactly like what you are looking for. It is an all season, so you'll lose a bit of traction over a summer tire, but unless you're going to be doing serious track work with them. For autox I see a lot of people on them turning good times, so for weekend fun they'd be acceptable to start with.

 

Rightfully a really good all season would likely fit your needs rather than a set of winters for 2 weeks worth of maybe snow. I have heard nothing but good things about them.

For winter tires, I've heard the Bridgestone Blizzaks are really capable. My buddy with an STI in Salem, Oregon swears by them. He takes them into the snow and has zero problems. Of course down here in SO CAL, winter tires are pretty useless.

Thanks for the recommendations folks.

Both the Eagle f1 gs-d3 and the Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S seem to be good candidates. I will be more specific with what I have in mind for the 2 sets of tires.

 

October thru February (Chances of snow and also wet weather)

March thru September (Dry and Wet weather)

 

When it snows I have not experienced more than 6 to 8 inches where I live.

 

Comparing

 

Eagle f1 gs-d3 and Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S

 

the Eagle probably is better than the Pirelli during March thru August whereas the Pirelli maybe better from October thru February when there is chance of snow. With Pirelli I can probably get by with just one set of tires, but with the Eagle I would need 2 sets as the Eagle will be poor on snow and sometimes it snows without warnings. You know how the forecast works at times. So, if I were to go with the Eagle from March thru August, what would be a good second set for October thru February. Rather than going with Pirelli for October thru February it will be nice to have something that is better in snow than the Pirelli and still has good wet weather performance.

Thanks.

Keep in mind that the PZero Nero M+S flat spot in winter. Try considering the Toyo Proxes 4, I'm running on these, this forum compares these tires to the Pirelli M+S frequently, and they don't flat spot in cold weather. They also handle the rain very well.

w_country,

Looks like you just answered my question. The blizzaks sounds like a good compliment for the October thru February time.

Based on your inputs,

Eagle f1 gs-d3 for March thru September (7 months)

Bridgeston Blizzaks for October thru February (5 months)

Will this be a wise choice? Where is a good place to shop for these tires.

We also have an 04 Forester XT. Will the same brands/models work for the FXT too?

Thanks.

The tires on our 04 FXT are Geolandar G900 and the ratings here look poor.

So does the RE-92.

Why these bad choices by SOA?

They make such wonderful machines, why mess up on the tires?

Some of their decisions is simply irritating to say the least.

One of my gripes is the lack of GPS option in the 5MT, except in the Spec B.

How many miles do you have on the Continental contiextreme?

Please comment on road noise and any flat spot issues in cold conditions. There are some negative reviews related to road noise and flat spots, so I would like your opinion.

Thanks.

In Chicago I'm extremely satisfied with the Goodyear F1 GSD-3 from April to Sept. and Blizzak LM-25 snows from Nov. to March. Both sets are mounted on ASA JH-3 wheels which are 7.5 inches wide. For street use they seem to work best at 37 psi (F) and 35 psi ®. The F1 GSD-3's have quicker cornering response, less understeer, much better panic stop braking, and higher lateral acceleration (cornering power) than the RE-92's and they even ride smother. However, from past experience on another car (an Audi A4) they can get rather noisy once they're about half worn.

 

The Blizzak LM-25's work very well in the white, sloppy stuff, but still handle and wear decently on dry pavement.

heightsgtltd,

It's good to know it is quieter than the RE-92s.

1. How many miles have you put on it?

2. How cold does it get where you live?

Thanks,

-Jai

For most on these Forums:

 

Pirelli P-Zero Neros or Toyo Proxes 4s if you favor dry traction more than your need for snow-traction.

 

The Pirellis have reported low-temperature flat-spotting (after overnight parking) problems from some, but if you have a longer commute and don't mind "pounding out" the tires for the first couple of miles, then this should not necessarily dissuade you from these excellent tires.

 

The Falken Ziex ZE-512s are a favorite of many when the going starts to bias more towards extreme wet and/or slush/snow.

 

However, if you do stay with an all-season compromise, know, for sure, that it is a compromise, and you will not maximize either dry performance nor snow/ice traction. The only way to accomplish both is to run two sets of tires/rims.

 

 

Other "all-season" tire selections become more viable as you bias even more towards snow/ice traction needs, but these will distinctly compromise your dry-weather traction.

The Eagle f1 gs-d3 does look really cool and peformance ratings look impressive and a good match for wet weather but looks like I surely would need different tires for snow. What snow tires (Second set) would you recommend during those months it tends to snow.

Thanks.

 

The Nokian WRs are also very good tires that some folks have run year round. I run them in the winter and run the Goodyear F1s in the summer. I am really happy with both. Interestingly, I only notice subtle differences between the two. I've said many times that the WRs offer 70-80% of the performance of the F1s with snow capability to boot. Excellent tires.

 

I've switched them twice now - the F1s to the WRs last Fall - and it took me awhile to realize that I had different tires on. This past Saturday I put the F1s back on - again, I noticed no dramatic initial difference (but I have not had a long spirited drive yet either).

 

I think the WRs are a very underappreciated all season tire.

I was wondering why no one brought up the Nokian as one of my friends has very good things to say about this tire.

 

Emlevins,

How do you think the Nokian WRs comapre to the Blizzak LM-25 for winter (October thru Feb)?

For the 04 FXT, the Nokians maybe a good choice for just 1 set of all-season tires.

And for the LGT, 2 sets (Eagle and Blizzak).

Thanks.

How many miles do you have on the Continental contiextreme?

Please comment on road noise and any flat spot issues in cold conditions. There are some negative reviews related to road noise and flat spots, so I would like your opinion.

Thanks.

 

Road noise is good! Flat spotting will occur if you leave the car sitting for a week on these tires, gets less noticeable as the tires wear. You really have to be sensitive to pick it up and its gone in 1/2 a mile. All in all a very very good tire.

Only gripe is there is a lot of design on the side-wall that some people may not like.

I haven't changed my tires out yet, the stock tires do well here in Nebraska except they slide a little around corners on wet or dry pavement.

 

What about the Michelin HydroEdge?

 

I put a set of 16"s on my caddy (which I traded for the 05 LGT) to replace the worn Continental Contiextreme Contacts that were on it. The HydroEdge tires were awsome. They had Zero road noise and wouldn't break loose or even squeal when tossing the land yaucht around in the corners, they would warm up quick and they kept that Northstar V8 from just totally burning out when the traction control was off. They were also smooth as glass at 140+MPH.

 

For a daily driver this is my tire of choice. Oh ya and they are 90,000 mile tires. They are right up there at the top of the reviews for road noise, wet and dry traction, wear, ride and handling. Again great for daily driver cars who have a lead foot owner, but not first choice for the track.

 

We must remember that some of us live in places where it can be 90 degrees in the morning, snow in the afternoon, rain 5 inches in 2 hours in the evening and then be 90 and sunny the next day! Welcome to Nebraska if you don't like the weather just wait a minute...it will change.

 

If this is the case and you don't want to be swapping tires every other day.

^^^First off they are Michelin Hydroedges.

 

Secondly there are a few things I would point out about those tires. They are really long life, but that does mean they really aren't that stupendous for traction. Its the trade you have to take for long life. Not to say they have poor traction, but its middling in a lot of ways. They also have a very squishy sidewall not appropriate for performance driving (only come in a T speed rating good to 118). I have no clue how you got them up to 140+ MPH, but considering their speed rating that was stupendously stupid. They do however have a very even transition at their edge of traction, not a snap loss like with the RE92s.

 

I own a set on my Legacy and I agree they are wonderful all season tires. They are quiet, comfortable, and kick the rain in the balls. However, I don't think I would buy them again. For the price I could have gotten Pzero Neros which would have outclassed these tires in just about anything, except maybe the snow. On a plain old N/A Legacy that I intended to drive like an old woman these tires would be great and for most commuter cars they are great tires. For a performance car like the LGT, I wouldn't consider them.

 

The Hydroedge is a good tire for normal cars that most people drive, I would consider it safe, long lasting, and well designed. It is NOT a performance tire. The only thing sporty about it is its tread design which is derivative of the Pilot Sport series. So at least it looks nice.

I'm still trying to figure out why this thread is still here ,,and not in "wheels & tires":confused:

Emlevins,

How do you think the Nokian WRs comapre to the Blizzak LM-25 for winter (October thru Feb)?

For the 04 FXT, the Nokians maybe a good choice for just 1 set of all-season tires.

And for the LGT, 2 sets (Eagle and Blizzak).

Thanks.

 

Sorry, I have no experience with the Blizzaks and so I can not compare them with the Nokians. However, when I reviewed the Blizzaks (and other "winter" or "snow" tires) on tirerack, what steered me away from them in general was their steering response and cornering stability. I wanted to maintain as much performance capability on dry pavement as possible in the winter and so leaned more toward an all-season rather than a winter tire for the winter. I suspect the Blizzaks and other dedicated winter tires would outperform the Nokians in the snow - but the Nokians do very, very well in the snow - and kick ass on dry pavement. Works for me.

 

BTW, we have the ContiExtremes on my wifes 02 L and run them year round. They did very well for two years. However, they landed her in a ditch this past winter (plenty of tread left) and have gotten loud. Probably due to normal wear (and the ditching was likely a combination of snow/ice, speed and braking).

 

Good luck with your choice.

If you go for a summer tire (I love our F1 GS-D3s), I recomend the Dunlop M3s for a mild to moderate winter. I have found them to be perfect for a N. NJ winter; great in the cold and dry but also excellent in the snow..even the deep stuff. The way I drive blizzacks would probably be dangerous in dry winter conditions.

jm - I think a lot depends on where you are driving and when. If you spend time on the mountain, in central oregon, or if you take several trips down to Cali (over the Siskiyous), then you will want a dedicated winter tire. I had a really good experience with studded WinterCats from Les Schwab on my OBXT this winter. MAD MAD traction on packed snow and ice on the mountain.

 

However, if you don't spend much time up on Hood, and you don't live at over 1000' here in the PDX area, then I would completely ignore the separate winter tire option. If it snows on the valley floor, your AWD and cautious driving will get you through the snow just fine, unless it's like winter 04, where there were some areas that Hummers with chains were sliding downhill like bobsleds with no driver. In that kind of situation, it's best to just stay home for the day or two that it takes for them to clear it off. Even with the WinterCats on the OB, I wouldn't have ventured out of my driveway.

I just had a set of Kuhmo Ecsta 711's put on I am running the 225/45's. They fit reasonably well, and seem to be a vastly better tire than the RE92; not that that is much of an accomplishment. They were also free for me, so I figured why not try them, all I had to do was pay one of my techs $20 to put them on. Come to think of it I had to insist that he take the money.

 

Anyhow, the Kuhmo's seem to be an improvement, but better tires do exist.

I am running Kuhmo ASXs on my '06LGT Sedan and love them. They are 225/45/17 on Enkei RP-02J rims 17x7.5......great hwy tire and as good as Michelin Pilot Sport A/S in the rain......quiet and sticky....what do you want for 1/2 the price of Michelins??