Bay Area- What tires do you recommend?

[leggtnut]

I found the opsite ture on my baja. I got a quieter ride, better ride due to the stiffer sidewalls (but Highway 9 is windy, but was great on 101 and other bay area highways) MPG went up about 1mpg . They are about 100% better than the re92's in my opinion. But I don't have them on the LGT though. I am not sure what tires I going to get when the time comes. Only have 11K on the RE92's now and they are holding up much better than they did on the Baja. At this point the Baja's tires were rounding on the sides and it was getting slippery. But I think that I probally make it though the winter on the 92's and go from there. I dought I will be able to afford the pilot sports this time around, but if I can I will get them in a heart beat.

[BayScoobie]

I found one review of the Michelin Pilot Sports A/S by the owner of an Impreza 2.5RS, driving in the Bay Area, that raved about the tires but also said...

 

- Not quite as stable at high speeds as the RE92s

 

- Ride is not as good as the RE92s due to stiffer sidewalls

 

- Gas mileage suffered initially -2mpg, but after wearing the tire in (about 6K miles) is almost where it was with the RE92s (<1 mpg).

 

Another reviewer (Impreza WRX) who loved the tires also said:

 

- The downsides are more noise and stiffer ride [than the RE92s]

 

What do you Michelin Pilot Sports A/S users think about those comments?

After about 4ooo miles on the Sports A/S. I fond that the A/S does have a stiffer ride. The road noise is about the same as Re92s though.

The cornering capabilities on the A/S is incredible. On my favourite clover-leaf ramp (101S to 880N), I was able to negotiate the ramp about 10-20mph faster than RE92S.

[unobtainium]

RE92s were finished on my car in 24000 miles. Replaced with P-Zero Nero A/S. The Pirellis stick much better, especially in the rain, but they tramline quite heavily on grooved pavement. I'm pretty happy with the P-Zeros.

[hadvw]

I have Michelin Sport A/S for the last 3000 miles. They were replacements when one of my RE92s blew up after running over a rock on hwy280.

Summer driving with the Michelins have been a lot of fun. Grip is excellent on curves and clover ramps. Looking forward to see how they perform in snow/slush up in Tahoe

 

I had TWO tires blow due to a bad pothole in Fremont (fixed the next day - guess the city realized how bad it was) w/ 20K on the OEMs. So, I have two OEM tires w/ 20K on 'em (still looking good) in the garage.

 

Took advantage of the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 special (man, I can never remember that full code!). $85/tire + $100 cash back. Effectively, $80-85 per tire installed. Tires are nice, have had 'em for 7K. I hear they're GREAT in the wet, so I'll see what happens when the rain starts in a week or two.

 

Not sure if I should even consider trying 'em in Tahoe if we do go (just for fun).. Should probably carry chains if we do try it..

 

HV

[SkullLeader]

Hi everyone. I've got about 3000 miles on my RE92s. I usually go up to Tahoe about a 8-10 times in the winter. Should I keep using the RE92s and run them till they wear down? Or ditch them immediately for better A/S or winter tires?

[pacbreak gt]

Hi everyone. I've got about 3000 miles on my RE92s. I usually go up to Tahoe about a 8-10 times in the winter. Should I keep using the RE92s and run them till they wear down? Or ditch them immediately for better A/S or winter tires?

 

I drove through the snow to Reno last winter with the RE92's and they were fine(I drove very conservatively). I recently replaced them with the ContiExtremeContact. They seem to run smoother than the RE92's in dry, and have a solid grip in the little rain we have had. We are heading to Reno after Christmas, so we'll see how they do in the snow(alot of members here are very happy with them--that's why I bought them:) ).

[pengrus]

Hi pacbreak gt

 

Where did you get the ContiExtremeContact tire?

[hadvw]

I drove through the snow to Reno last winter with the RE92's and they were fine(I drove very conservatively). I recently replaced them with the ContiExtremeContact. They seem to run smoother than the RE92's in dry, and have a solid grip in the little rain we have had. We are heading to Reno after Christmas, so we'll see how they do in the snow(alot of members here are very happy with them--that's why I bought them:) ).

 

Will be glad to get your update. What "class" of tire (summer, ultra performance summer, etc) is the CEC?

 

I got the Eagle F1 DS-G3 during the super-cheap pricing deal (needed 2 tires BADLY). I figured we've been to Tahoe once (in early Dec) in 3 years that I've lived here, so worst case, I get some chains and throw them on. The Eagles are supposed to be GREAT in the wet, but no idea about snow.

 

HV

[SkullLeader]

I drove through the snow to Reno last winter with the RE92's and they were fine(I drove very conservatively). I recently replaced them with the ContiExtremeContact. They seem to run smoother than the RE92's in dry, and have a solid grip in the little rain we have had. We are heading to Reno after Christmas, so we'll see how they do in the snow(alot of members here are very happy with them--that's why I bought them:) ).

 

Thanks. I've read a lot of good things about ContiExtremeContacts and Pirellis M+S. And they are both at good prices at TireRack.

 

It's raining and getting colder. Time to start waxing the snowboard.

[pacbreak gt]

Hi pacbreak gt

 

Where did you get the ContiExtremeContact tire?

 

Wheel Works, Skyline Plaza, Daly City. Any Wheel Works can get them, but the stores no longer stock Continentals. They were a special order-just calol the day before and they should have them the next day. The tires list at $110 each. BTW, Continental currently has a $50 rebate if you buy four tires.

[pengrus]

Thanks for the great information. I heard lots of good things about this Continental Tire, only one concern: is it noisy?

 

Thanks!

[pacbreak gt]

hadvw, the Conti's are classified as ultra performance all season. They have a "W" rating (the OEM RE 92's had a "V" rating), so keep it under 136mph.

 

pengrus, they are nice and quiet.

[hadvw]

hadvw, the Conti's are classified as ultra performance all season. They have a "W" rating (the OEM RE 92's had a "V" rating), so keep it under 136mph.

 

pengrus, they are nice and quiet.

 

Not really worried about the max speed, more the rating. The Eagle G1s are "ultra performance summer", I think. I hope that means their performance in snow should be somewhat comparable, which is what I was after.

 

To me, M+S ratings on "high performance" tires have always meant "won't suddenly self-destruct if driven in snow", rather than "works well in snow".

 

If you need a snow tire, I cannot speak highly enough of the versatility of the Michelin Pilot Alpin (NOT the Michelin Alpin/Arctic Alpin). Got probably 40K miles of out a set on my Corrado, including a winter with maybe 1/8 to 3/16th tread on 'em (in Canada), and they handled REALLY well. They were 205-50-15s, and probably handled within 20% of my 215-45-16 Kumho summers. V-rated, and I think I hit 120 a couple of times with no issues.

 

Only downside is the price compared to the deal I got on the Eagles, for example.. :-(

 

HV

[alpine147]

I recently installed ContiExtremeContacts on my '05 GT, replacing the stock tires after 24,000 miles. They were purchased from the Tire Rack for something like $83.00 each. I tried to work a deal with Wheel Works but ended up saving almost $80.00 using the Tire Rack and one of their installers.

 

For the Thanksgiving holiday I drove from San Francisco to Ellensburg, WA east of Seattle, almost 900 miles each way. I hit rain (lots of it!), snow, and fog which froze on the roads to make a sort of demented ice rink. The tires performed flawlessly, quiet with very good handling and excellent traction. They are a great improvement over the Bridgestones.

[skids]

I recently installed ContiExtremeContacts on my '05 GT, replacing the stock tires after 24,000 miles. They were purchased from the Tire Rack for something like $83.00 each. I tried to work a deal with Wheel Works but ended up saving almost $80.00 using the Tire Rack and one of their installers.

 

For the Thanksgiving holiday I drove from San Francisco to Ellensburg, WA east of Seattle, almost 900 miles each way. I hit rain (lots of it!), snow, and fog which froze on the roads to make a sort of demented ice rink. The tires performed flawlessly, quiet with very good handling and excellent traction. They are a great improvement over the Bridgestones.

I've been on the fence as well about tires. Alpine147 you've settle it for me the Conti's it is.

[leggtnut]

I recently installed ContiExtremeContacts on my '05 GT, replacing the stock tires after 24,000 miles. They were purchased from the Tire Rack for something like $83.00 each. I tried to work a deal with Wheel Works but ended up saving almost $80.00 using the Tire Rack and one of their installers.

 

For the Thanksgiving holiday I drove from San Francisco to Ellensburg, WA east of Seattle, almost 900 miles each way. I hit rain (lots of it!), snow, and fog which froze on the roads to make a sort of demented ice rink. The tires performed flawlessly, quiet with very good handling and excellent traction. They are a great improvement over the Bridgestones.

 

 

Thanks for the review. I think that if I have to get new tires before my treck to seattle for christmas, i might think about them. But the budget isn't in the shape for it right now though. I am only a little worried about my REcrappy2's and the sisques on I5. Other than that, they should do fine as long as portland doesn't get an ice storme while I go through.

[pacbreak gt]

I drove back from Reno yesterday. Snow was coming down at a good rate. Chains were not yet required, but a lot of people were putting them on. The Conti's were great. The car felt very stable, and I never felt any loss of traction.