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All season performance tire suggestions


tommboy

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I have Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S right now of which I am not a fan of their winter traction. I thought they were poor so I want an all year tire that is better in the snow and little stiffer sidewalls.

 

No kidding?? That's good to know; most of the reviews I've heard/read (including one from Keefe aka "Xenonk" here, I believe) said they were pretty decent in the snow.

 

With all the characteristics which tend to differentiate a good tires in the snow, like rubber compound, tread design, tire width (or lack thereof), etc....it doesn't seem like "tire casing stiffness" (including sidewall) gets much credit for being an important part of the equation.

 

If you think about it, a nice stiff tire casing gives you a firm sidewall for great dry handling and control, but it also detracts from the tire's ability to maintain a full, equally distributed load across contact patch with the road surface....which seems to be a necessity for good control in the snow--in addition to all the characteristics above.

 

I haven't tried my new Pilot Sport A/S Plus' in the snow yet, but all the reviews have said they're better across-the-board in all conditions than the last version of Pilot Sport A/s, and I loved those, so.....

 

Thanks,

Tim

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I was reading this thread and found this post interesting. I am sure that this is not new information, but my 2.5i SE came stock with a 205/50/17, as opposed to the 215/45/17 on the GTs. I just went to 215/45/17s (on a 7.5" rim) for autoX, and the diameter change is evident. On top of that, for a 2.5i owner, the 225/45/17 is a lot closer to the stock size than is a 215/45/17.

 

Makes you wonder whose speedometer and odometer are off, given the likelihood that all of the speedo/obo gearing is shared between the models, but the wheel diameters actually vary...

That's a really good point; I recently switched from the stock 225/55's on 17" rims to 225/60's on 16" rims and noticed that my trip computer is almost spot-on with the gas mileage averages now whereas with the stock sized setup it was always off.

 

It does make you wonder if they reallly calibrate the speedo, etc across ALL of the various tire/wheel size combinations....my guess is "no"! :)

 

Tim

It also makes me wonder about the size selection for the service spare. What are the chances that Subaru used the same one for GTs and 2.5i models? Pretty good. Yet we get all bent out of shape on here about whether we swap out our spare if we og to a different tires size.

 

If Subaru put the same size in there, I wonder how they will feel about a warranty or out-of-warranty damage claim if the ill-sized spare causes differential damage.

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I never noticed them, possibly a bad belt in the tire that threw it out of wack. also the guy putting on the tire could have not balanced it correctly, especially when it comes to low pro tires, they should use the stick on weights so the entire tire/wheel is balanced.

Just wondering how to check the bad belt in the tire? I got highway speed vibration on my W4S and I had them rebalanced for like 5 times including road force balancing but still vibrates. :(

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I'm running stocks now until they are dead and the one thing i like about them is the protective lip the tire has around the wheel. personally i'd like to find another set of tires like that.
258k miles - Stock engine/minor suspension upgrades/original shocks/rear struts replaced at 222k/4 passenger side wheel bearings/3 clutches/1 radiator/3 turbos
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I'm running stocks now until they are dead and the one thing i like about them is the protective lip the tire has around the wheel. personally i'd like to find another set of tires like that.

 

That's called a "rim protector" (although there may be other names, too) and the good news is you'll find a lot of tires out there which have them :)

 

Tim

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I was just thinking of posting this exact same question and then I thought "Hey, do a search first"! Bammo! Sounds like RE960s are the way to go. I wanted to have a good tire brand on hand in case something happens while on the road and needing to make a purchase on the fly - this way I'll know what to look for. Great thread, guys!
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Your tires are rated pretty low on Tire Rack's surveys though, yuck.

 

RS-A was the OEM tire on my '00 Grand Am, it's also used on many other cars. As with RE92s, they are at best adequate and not something you should buy as a replacement. Unless you are leasing a car and find them on sale or closeout.

They used to be overpriced, same as RE92s, but now they are pretty cheap. IMO they were pretty good in the snow. Dry and wet traction could have been better.

Friends don't let friends drink cheap beer.
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No kidding?? That's good to know; most of the reviews I've heard/read (including one from Keefe aka "Xenonk" here, I believe) said they were pretty decent in the snow.

 

They were decent under acceleration, but I found them to be dangerous during braking. Maybe it is a combination of tires, the car's ABS system and perhaps some other factors, but I found the car to absolutely loose control in situations that weren't extreme at all and I expected it to perform far better than they did.

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How come nobody recommand Nokian's? I had the WR's on my S13 (RWD) and they did a great job. From all the reviews I have read, and my personal experience with them, I have heard nothing but good things with them. And we live in MN for crying out loud.

 

On another note, the reason I am reading this post is because I just recently popped my tire too and seeing what everyone is saying. I currently have the Contiextreme on mine and they worked great last winter. Even on unplowed sidestreet, I was able to get thru them with ease. I would get them again, but still debating rather or not I am going with summer/winter setup

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How come nobody recommand Nokian's? I had the WR's on my S13 (RWD) and they did a great job. From all the reviews I have read, and my personal experience with them, I have heard nothing but good things with them. And we live in MN for crying out loud.

 

On another note, the reason I am reading this post is because I just recently popped my tire too and seeing what everyone is saying. I currently have the Contiextreme on mine and they worked great last winter. Even on unplowed sidestreet, I was able to get thru them with ease. I would get them again, but still debating rather or not I am going with summer/winter setup

 

 

As great as I think Nokians are (I've only owned the old Hakka Q, so I realize I'm dating myself--haha), there may be a couple important reasons why Nokian isn't more popular here:

 

  1. their price (especially in 17" sizes)
  2. they're not as commercially available across the U.S. as say a Michelin, Conti, or Goodyear. Sure you can get them online (many people are averse to this though because of the hassle and costs involved) and at various tire stores chains across the country, but that option really depends where you live.
  3. at least as a year 'round tire, I think there is a lot of feedback out there indicating both the WR and WR G2 doesn't hold up quite as well in warmer areas mileage-wise, which--especially if #1 and #2 above hold any truth--may be a deal breaker for some.

For me, I was dead set on getting the new WR G2's for my OB XT until the ONLY place which carries them anywhere near me quoted $225/each! My other alternatives were to drive to MA or NH where there are a few tire places which carry them, or order them online sight unseen. If you drive a lot, the idea of not being able to easily source a replacement tire should you need to is something which would bug me--but not enough to buy an extra one to leave in the garage ;)

 

So, regarding your popped ContiExtreme....have you checked out the new replacement for that tire? It's called the ContiExtreme DWS and it's supposed to be a sweet tire--with the exception of all the balancing issues I've read about (could be an early production run problem Conti will need to sort out). I'm told they're only a few bucks more than the old ContiExtreme but are alleged to be just as winter-worthy and with better dry handling characteristics.

 

Tim

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How come nobody recommand Nokian's? I had the WR's on my S13 (RWD) and they did a great job. From all the reviews I have read, and my personal experience with them, I have heard nothing but good things with them. And we live in MN for crying out loud.

 

On another note, the reason I am reading this post is because I just recently popped my tire too and seeing what everyone is saying. I currently have the Contiextreme on mine and they worked great last winter. Even on unplowed sidestreet, I was able to get thru them with ease. I would get them again, but still debating rather or not I am going with summer/winter setup

 

Price and availability.

Sometimes you can get two tires (winter and summer) for price of single Nokian.

 

Krzys

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Just wondering what people are paying for either Michelin P/S A/S + and Bridgestone RE960's in 225/45-17? Checked with a place and they wanted around $890 for either. Mounted, balanced, stems, tax etc. Seems high. Tirerack has them for $164 and $161 respectively, each. Plus shipping and then mount and balance. The local Tirerack installer runs around $100/set but this is for only a one time mount and balance. No rebalance if a tire changes down the road. Also looking at the Conti DWS, waiting on a price for those. Any pricing help would be appreciated.
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Just wondering what people are paying for either Michelin P/S A/S + and Bridgestone RE960's in 225/45-17? Checked with a place and they wanted around $890 for either. Mounted, balanced, stems, tax etc. Seems high. Tirerack has them for $164 and $161 respectively, each. Plus shipping and then mount and balance. The local Tirerack installer runs around $100/set but this is for only a one time mount and balance. No rebalance if a tire changes down the road. Also looking at the Conti DWS, waiting on a price for those. Any pricing help would be appreciated.

Find the Michelin rebate forum on here and go for something in their line I say. It's only $60 but hey, it's also $60. Brings them closer to Conti pricing while getting a better product.:)

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  • 1 month later...

I have about 1k on mine and am liking them. Ride is nice, handling seems pretty good. Not too harsh. They do have a very slight vibration at highway speed even though they were road force balanced. I associate that to other complaints I've seen about vibrations with these tires as well.

I barely notice it and I am anal about that type of stuff with my car, so in the end it wasn't a big deal for me.

 

I'd buy them again based on my experience so far.

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  • 2 months later...
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"not enough sidewall strength rating (91H) for my vehicle, which recommends 94V

look inside your driver's door well to check the recommendation. It makes the Yokohama

Advan S4 or the Continental more attractive."

 

And this guy gives 1 pt? He should give 0 to his reading capabilty not 1 for tires.

 

The rest of low reviews are more reasonable.

 

My RE960 do not show problems described in some of reviews and one part that got me thinking was that one review mentioned that earlier set of these tires (on different car) performed much better than on current.

 

Maybe Bridgestone "improved" design (made them cheaper to manufacture i.e.) and newer tires are worse than older ones? Just a theory.

 

Krzys

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  • 4 weeks later...

No RE960s available for the 3.0R 18" rim. So, the mechanic suggested the Goodyear Eagle GT. Does anyone know about these? I'm between this one (which I'll research on Tire Rack also), Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, and Conti Extreme DWS.

 

Thanks!

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No RE960s available for the 3.0R 18" rim. So, the mechanic suggested the Goodyear Eagle GT. Does anyone know about these? I'm between this one (which I'll research on Tire Rack also), Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, and Conti Extreme DWS.

 

Thanks!

 

If snow was your primary concern, I'd go with the DWS. I'm on the Eagle GT now and although it will get you through the winter, it can get a little hairy in deep slush. The guy at Discount Tire said that the GT would get better snow traction than the F1s, which would have been my other choice. He seemed to know his stuff, which was a nice change.

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Thinking of getting the Pirelli PZero Nero All Season from TireRack to replace my kumho ASXs which are close to gone due to car being out of alignment. And louder than hell, but I don't think that's the tire's fault given my alignment issue.

 

Anyone tried them?

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