Home | Mailing List | Specifications | Care and Feeding | Modifications | Vendors | Literature
Update 10/7/2003, 10/11/2003, 10/14/2003, 02/17/2005
Since I saved sooo much money on my a/c repair by doing it myself, I decided it was time to get some new shoes for the SHO. Actually I had ordered them a month ago, but what the heck. I finally got them put on Saturday morning. 225/55/16 ContiExtreme directionals. $82 from TireRack, but I got them installed for a grand total of $390 from a local shop (who I think gets tires even cheaper from TireRack). These are installed on the 16"x6.5" Gen3 SHO wheel, BTW.
It was raining Saturday, so I got to test them in wet conditions. They performed very well, although I'm sure a bit of that perceived performance is simply because I have NEW tires, versus the old worn-down dry-rotted tires I discarded.
I was able to do some cornering this morning in dry conditions, and they're night-and-day different than the old tires, even when brand new. For reference, I previously had Sumitomo Srixon4 in 215/60/16 (H-rated). Not a bad tire for the money, lasted me a relatively long time, stayed nice and round, did fine in the little bit of rain and snow we get around here.
Anyway, I'm glad to have new rubber. My old ones were, as I mentioned, dry-rotting and had worn down to the wear indicator bars. They were no longer a pleasure to drive on in the rain, needless to say!
Oh, and I found out that tires come stamped with sort of a "born on date". You can tell if your tires have been sitting in a warehouse for years (if an older model) by looking at the sticker on said tires. For example, mine were manufactured the 37th week of 2003, so they're pretty fresh. No dry-rot for me ;^)
Now if I just knew how to take care of them!
Steve Tatro
Comments:Comments:
John Edward Miller
To the extent that there is a consensus in dry-weather tires: the SP 8000s are great but pricey (I've got a set on our 045; soon to be moved to the SHO and replaced by new ones) the Comp Ta ZRs also get good reviews from those who get round ones (some have reported getting out-of-round tires).
Morris C. Harmor
Goodyear GT+4: poor wet/cold traction, lasted -24K miles; then tried
Goodrich Comp Ta's (VR), better traction but only lasted ~20K miles and
went out of round!; then tried Dunlop (not the expensive ones), smooth
as glass' but only lasted 16k miles -- but to be fair, I had an outer
tie-rod end go out on me. Now, I am on Bridgestone's and understand that
they won't last as long. But then again, I only paid $400 for the set instead
of the $600+ I was paying before.
Shawn Dunn
I have the Dunlop SP400s and have been very pleased. I replaced Goodyear Eagle Gas, so I knew that I was going to a much better tire. Wet traction is great, dry traction is the best of any all-season tire I've seen. They even handled this past 'winter from hell' pretty well. If I recall correctly I paid -$115 each for 215/60/16's at NTW.
Edward Morgana
I just bought a 94 with +4's and a guy working for me (who's a police officer part time) says that the police cruisers use +4's all year round in CT and find them very good but they don't last very long...
Brian McBride
I also have the GT+4s. I am on my second set actually. I seem to be one of the minority that actually likes them. I need a new set of something this Fall though. I have found that for winter use they do quite well especially for a performance tire. Two winters and I had a lot of confidence when driving in the snow with the SHO/GT+4 combo. I was stupid enough to drive to Scranton Pa from North of Worcester Ma in the great East coast storm of January 96', you know the one that shut down NJ & Pa? at any rate, the least of my problems was my car. I couldn't keep a pair of underwear clean though with all the 4x4s that zoomed past and promptly into the ditch. Of course as with all things subjective, your mileage may vary.
Dave Castiglione
Try the the SP 4000's then. I find them to be a lot better in rain than the +4's and snow. The pricing was similar and they've seem to wear better so far (only -8000 miles). I thought the +4's were OK, but the Dunlops are noticeably better, esp in wet & snow.
Ed Diemer
another vote for Dunlop SP4000 tires: The tires replaced same
sized Goodyear Eagle GT +4s (no interference problems with either set).
I will echo that they definitely are quieter in all driving. They don't
look like expensive or performance tires (stealthy?). Seem to hang on to
the road with no complaints or signs of
letting go with the 2000 miles on them to date. all experience is on
dry pavement so far; won't have a chance to check wet road performance
until winter or I go out of state (never rains in sunny Ca, you know).
Incidentally these were rated 240 treadwear, a traction, and a temperature.
The treadwear ratings of different sized tires in a series from a given
manufacturer seem to vary at times. May have different compounds or designs;
I have seen different sizes manufactured in different countries! (These
Dunlops were made in Japan.)
The Informal Tire FaQ
This was posted to rec.autos.misc.
This is a brief summary of comments seen on the Net about a variety of tires. Use it at your own risk.
"This is a quick summary of numerous Usenet articles on people's thoughts about various tires. In some cases, it's summarized from summaries of articles. This was done to group the results by tire brand, so if you want an opinion on a particular tire, you can go directly to that tire and look it up.
Relating to Car & Driver (11/89), Performance Car (late 1991), and Modem Motor (10/91) tests, note that this is not the source text.
any comments from the C&D tests are relative to the other tires tested, not necessarily to all tires in general. Nine tires were tested; a result such as 3/7 means third out of seven tires (i.e. there were two ties). and of course, many of the tires may not be on the market four years later, or may have changed in composition or design. The test car was a Porsche 944 wearing 215/60R15.
The Performance Car tests were performed on eight tires. I do not know what size or what car was used. Their testing included wet and dry tests.
The Modem Motor tests were performed using a Nissan 300ZX on 225/50ZR16 tires. Their tests were wet and dry G readings, wet and dry circuit times, slalom times, braking distance, and noise. Eight tires were tested; I list only seven below, as the summary from which I am working, listed the eighth-place finisher only as "Goodyear Eagle", with no information on which particular model of Eagle tire this was.
The data for this summary comes from all over the world, so it is entirely possible that not all of the tires listed have ever been available wherever you may live. The data comes from humans, who are prone to making mistakes and may not have stated the name of their tires completely or accurately; while I have tried to fix these errors in the cases of tires I know well, I can't guarantee to have caught all such errors. The data has been collected over several years, so some tires may no longer be available or may have been redesigned. The data comes from numerous people in many cases, so you may find contradictory statements about the same tire simply because different people have different opinions of it. The same tire may work well on one car and not so well on another due to differences in suspension design; wherever possible, I've indicated the make of car to which a particular comment applies.
I have not included any of the blanket generalizations I have seen about particular manufacturers simply because I find it hard to believe that every one of the couple of dozen tires from some manufacturers all have the same characteristics. Such generalizations are usually a result of someone who's tried one, maybe two, different tires from that manufacturer and didn't like either; it may well be that they simply chose poorly. There may also be some biases similar to those who will post that such-and-such a car makers cars are all garbage, or such-and-such a car makers cars are all the best on the market; I've tried to exclude those dimwitted comments, too."
avon Turbospeed CR228
Modem motor rated them seventh, at 62 points.
B.F. Goodrich Camp TIa VR4
a Taurus SHO owner is very happy with these; reports quieter, better
ride, better wet/snow traction than Goodyear Eagle GT+4. Life reported
to be 20k km. Top notch on dry; OK on wet; sort of tolerable on loose surfaces.
Excellent rain tire until later in tread life. Sticky; good ride; decent
in wet on Honda accord. Compared to Eagle GT+4: ride better, more grip,
quieter, excellent in rain, cheaper, not as sensitive to input straight-on.
VR4s on Saab 9000 Turbo are crisp-handling, no squeal, poor feel on-center;
no stiffer than P6 and more accurate. Designed for wet/dry; compound will
freeze in cold weather. Overall, a fine tire. Better than Goodyear Eagle
GT+4; handle better in wet and snow; inspire confidence in sporty driving.
Wear well, but don't handle anywhere near as well as the Comp T/a ZR. Good
in rain, not too bad in snow; no other details.
B.F. Goodrich Comp T/a HR, HR4
Car & Driver rated them 3/8 dry, 3/7 wet, 3/7 overall, below average
on snow. One good recommendation; no details. Good all-purpose tire. Cheaper
and better than aVS; a little noisy; good in dry; spectacular in water,
slush, etc.; estimated life 50k km. Runs rings around MXV in wet, dry,
and life. Good dry performance; excellent in wet and snow; long life. Better
than P6 in rain, snow, ice; slightly numb on-center feel. Recommended as
all-round tire except in particularly snowy areas; fairly quiet; terrific
dry grip; slightly numb on-center feel on Merkur Scorpio. Best all-round
tire as compared to MXV, a509, aVS Intermediate, RE71; fantastic wet traction
and excellent on snow for a non-snow tire; estimated life over 65k km.
Great in rain, far better than MXV in snow. Great in wet and dry; expect
them to last a long time. Great on dry; good on wet and snow; noisier and
rougher ride than Eagle yR. Excellent dry; good wet; not great but manageable
on snow. Pretty good in light snow on Volvo 740 turbo; not really recommended
for heavy snow. Ride a bit stiff. Much better than P6, but less progressive
breakaway. MX-6 owner says great in dry weather, marginal in wet, worthless
in snow. Better than Goodyear Eagle GT+4; no details provided. Good in
rain, not too bad in snow; no other details. Good treadwear, good stick,
good corner, great wet, good snow, not too noisy. Good compromise between
wear and performance; good in dry, wet, and snow. HR4 worked quite well
in snow, in wet on Trans am; better in snow but weaker in wet than Dunlop
D60a2. Quieter, more confident ride, softer compound
than Eagle Ga.
B.F. Goodrich Comp T/a ZR
Kick ass on BMW 535. Great handling, wear pretty well, and not too
expensive. Not as good as D40M2 on Eclipse GS-X. SHO owner loved them on
dry roads, said they were poor in the wet. Short life, but they really
perform.
Bridgestone Blizzak
Extremely good in ice and snow; extremely bad in dry and wet conditions.
Wear very quickly if used on dry roads.
Bridgestone Expedia S-07
Worst tire one driver had ever run; no details.
Bridgestone Expedia S-O1
Very sticky in dry; OK in wet.
Bridgestone Potenza HP4I
Car & Driver rated them 5/8 dry, 7/7 wet, 6/7 overall, above average
on snow. One good recommendation; no details. Good in dry, wet, snow. Excellent
wet traction and lateral grip.
Bridgestone Potenza RE71
Performance Car rated them tops, at 8579 points. Modern Motor rated
them second, at 85 points. Best V-rated tire for wet/dry. Excellent high-performance
tire; also good in wet. Great in dry and rain; not so hot in snow. Good
performance in dry and wet. Excellent tires; last over 100k km. Never found
a better all-weather tire. Good traction in dry and wet; definitely not
all-season (compound freezes). Lasted about 50k km. Porsche driver (unknown
model) recommends these. Best wet-weather tire ever owned; much better
than Dunlop D40M2. Protégé LX and Civic Si owner says these
are great tires; good in wet. Excellent rain tire; mediocre dry tire. Excellent
wet and dry performance on a Prelude. Very consistent between wet and dry
roads, and quiet. Nice grip without much drag; don't last very long. Owner
says he loved his RE71s.
Bridgestone Potenza RE88
On 240SX, would make a fine tire in mostly dry and some wet conditions;
lousy in snow. Very good in dry; lousy in wet.
Bridgestone Potenza RE92
626 owner with V6 reports they provide awesome handling on dry roads
and seem to do very well on wet and snow as well. Spirited Honda Civic
Si owner reports them to be inadequate in summer, useless in snow. Camry
V6 owner says they were OK.
Bridgestone Potenza RE940
Excellent handling, great rain tire, minimal wear. Great handling and
rain tire, but not great straight-line grip.
Bridgestone RE930
Owner of these tires on Saturn SL2 and on Camry V6 is very pleased
with noise, smoothness, and traction, particularly in wet and snow. Good
handling and fun.
Bridgestone SF402
Subaru GL Wagon owner very happy; expected lifetime 130k km.
Bridgestone SF471
Civic owner very happy; good in dry, ice, snow.
Bridgestone Turanza
Fairly good snow traction; overall, a good rating, but falls short
of being a performance tire at high speed. 626 owner reports they're great
on dry pavement but poor in snow. another 626 owner says they're awful
in snow, fine in wet, and very good on dry. Taurus driver is happy with
them in New England weather conditions. Best tires owner of Integra has
ever had on this car; quiet, durable, long living, decent traction. Smooth
ride, quiet, long life and good wet performance.
Continental CV5I
Good grip, handling, braking on Taurus; good compromise between performance
and "family car tire".
Continental Sport Contact
Performance Car rated them fifth, at 7966 points.
Dunlop D40M2
"Killer tires." (Er, I think he's happy with 'em ;-) Excellent in wet
and dry, Lousy in snow Performance Car rated them sixth, at 7789 points
(though they won Performance Cars evaluation one year earlier). Modem Motor
rated then first, at 94 points, and said they were generally excellent.
Excellent high-performance tire; good in wet. Far better than
MXVs on Prelude. They just plain stick to the road on RX-7. Very happy.
Far better than Gatorbacks. Drive well on Thunderbird Turbo. Thunderbird
SC driver very happy, even in wet. Feel better in rain than XGT V4. Lousy
in snow on Supra. Last only 10-20k kin, little grip, lousy in wet. Extremely
sticky; very sure-footed in wet; highly recommended. Excellent tire in
dry and wet; stiff and noisy. Sentra SE-R owner in Florida says there's
no better spring/summer/fall tire for the money. Eclipse GS-X driver prefers
these to Goodrich T/a ZR. 626 GT and Eclipse GSX driver says these are
great tires; good dry performance. Great tire in wet and dry. Stick very
well in rain, better than Gatorbacks in dry. Better than Eagle VR, much
better handling than D60a2. Best feeling tire he's ever
had; tire shows uneven wear.
Dunlop D60a2
Two bad recommendations; no details. One good recommendation; no details.
One dealer reports excessive problems with these being out-of-round. Not
impressed with stickiness; out of round. Fairly quiet, great dry and wet
handling, don't hydroplane at all on Civic. Basically OK on Miata; a bit
stiff; fine grip, turn-in, wet traction; medium quiet; suffer from low
quality. "Perform real well and cheaper than other branded tires." Really
good wet and dry on 87 Legend coupe. On accord wagon, they make the car
feel like a different beast; grip extremely well and are amazingly quiet
at speed. absolutely great
all-season. Not a great tire, particularly in snow, and tends to lose
even dry grip in very cold weather. Worn really badly at around 35k kin;
great traction. Disappointing; poor dry traction, wet traction OK but nothing
special; excellent snow traction. Very happy with wet and dry traction;
awful snow traction. On altima with reasonably sedate driver,
handle as well as Eagle Gas, and are a bit quieter. Good handling and
fun.
Dunlop D60M2
Four good recommendations; no details Not an all season tire.. Celica
alltrac Turbo owner reports lasted 40k kin; great for first 10k km but
pulled to right after that. Far better than D60a2. Stick very well in dry;
better than Eagle GT+4. Good rain tire.
Dunlop D80V2
Excellent; blows away Eagle GT+4.
Dunlop SP4000
Very good in dry, not so good in wet or snow.
Dunlop Sport 8000
Far better than Eagle GT+4; less roll, far quicker steering response;
much better road feel; better wet and dry grip; less comfortable ride.
NOT for winter use. Excellent tires on Supra; great traction for take-off
and cornering; pretty quiet; good in wet. Great cornering grip, including
in wet conditions. Best summer wet-weather tires one person ever owned
phenomenal dry grip, excellent wet grip in first summer (an just good afterwards),
and a decent ride. Eclipse GS-X owner says these are great. Great tires;
wear is better than average for a high-performance tire; surprising wet
traction. Better than RE71 except on very wet surfaces. Great tire but
wears too quickly. RX-7 driver is happy with them. Very sticky in dry and
OK in wet. Last pretty long and handle abuse pretty well. Last longer than
most performance tires; pretty good in rain; excellent in wet.
Falken FK-06G
"Never tried but have seen good reviews." One good recommendation;
no details.
Falken FK-06U
Decent grip, not bad ride on a Thunderbird. Lousy grip on a Tracer.
Firestone Firehawk GTX
Great in wet; highly recommended as all-season tire on Daytona Shelby
Z. Worth a recommendation.
General ameri*tech
The tread design is that of a touring tire but there's no grip there;
lousy tire on a Cavalier (but that's not saying much).
General ameriway
Lousy tire on a Taurus.
General XP2000aS
Car & Driver rated them 6/8 dry, 2/7 wet, 5/7 overall, average
on snow.
Goodyear aquatred
Great in wet and snow; kinda noisy. Great in wet for 10k km or so,
then nothing special. Great in wet. Excel owner reports they're good in
wet and snow and seem durable. Civic owner reports handling and traction
in wet are fabulous. Very satisfied. Civic owner reports quiet, even at
130 km/h, provide reasonable grip. Outstanding; very smooth and grippy
in dry and wet. Civic owner highly recommends these, though they're a bit
expensive; excellent in wet weather. On Cutlass Ciera, reasonable dry performance,
great wet performance, OK in snow too. Driver loves them; expected lifetime
100k kin; couldn't hydroplane until half worn out; awesome in snow. One
person who's never used them reports they're useless in snow. another person
who has them on each of his two cars reports they're better in snow than
any other non-snow tire he's ever had. Noisy and short life. Performed
well in rain, not so well on snow and ice on 626. Completely happy with
their performance on 88 Jeep in Minnesota winters and summers
Goodyear Eagle aquatred
Excellent dry handling (equivalent to Eagle GT+4), much better wet
weather handling, quieter on MX-6 GT. Honda accord owner in Texas has been
extremely happy; handle very well in wet, amazing stopping ability. aggressive
driver was disappointed with their dry traction. Good recommendation; no
details.
Goodyear Eagle Ga
On LS400: very quiet; good wet + dry; track grooves; spin like crazy
on snow. Very quiet; pretty stick in dry and wet; lousy in snow; track
ruts. On Villager, decent ride but feels sloppy. after about 90k km on
Buick Regal Limited, still are good tires. audi driver says these have
very poor traction in adverse conditions. Bonneville driver reports
these were good tires but have marginal tread left at around 75k km.
Civic driver reports great longevity, predictability, and handling well
suited to his car. altima driver reports the tread was nearly gone at around
35k km. Low grip, high cost. Buick Regal GS owner says they have lousy
grip in dry or in wet.
Goodyear Eagle GS-C
Compared to Gatorbacks on a Corvette: much less noise, back end doesn't
break away over rough turns. Corvette owner reports great in rain and snow,
great cornering. Turbo Supra driver reports excellent in rain, good on
ice, smoother ride than Gatorbacks, virtually silent, don't track grooves,
fine dry traction, expensive. Highly recommended;
much better than Gatorbacks. Ride great, feel very good, great traction.
Great tire but pricey.
Goodyear Eagle GT
Supposed to be good, but overpriced. Last 35-40k kin; very sticky in
dry with sudden breakaway; precise steering. Best on dry roads; good also
on wet roads. Great on dry; bad on anything else; short life.
Goodyear Eagle GT+4
One person commented simply "overpriced". Car & Driver (11/89)
rated them 1/8 dry, 2/7 wet, 2/7 overall, average on snow. One driver reports
they are so-so and overpriced. One good recommendation. Dodge Daytona ES
owner didn't like them in wet; lasted about 100k km. Dry handling nearly
as good as Eagle GT; wet and snow better than GT but not optimal; very
expensive. Great tire. Good balance of dry, wet and winter
performance. Good rain handling; excellent dry handling; good in winter
on 944. Sundance RS owner is not happy with them. Daytona Shelby Z spins
easily on these tires in wet; would never buy again. Poor snow handling
at best, excellent in wet on Talon. Best M+S tire. Great on dry; bad on
anything else; short life. Lousy in snow. Rain traction below average on
Integra. Short life but works well on SHO. "Lousy tires"; no details provided.
SHO owner says they sucked - lousy traction and short life. Grand Prix
driver says they handle well on dry roads but suck on snow or water. Good
recommendation; no details.
Goodyear Eagle M+S
Car & Driver rated them 8/8 dry, 1/7 wet, 3/7 overall, above average
on snow. On Shelby CSX, provide great traction in snow, good performance
on wet and dry.
Goodyear Eagle NCT55
Performance Car rated them fourth, at 8272 points.
Goodyear Eagle ST
Good all-season tire; last 40k kin; predictable handling; comfortable;
quiet; good traction in dry, rain, snow - basically decent tire for moderately
sporty applications.
Goodyear Eagle ZR
Last 30k kin; remarkably good in rain; amazing in dry; tend to follow
grooves. Mustang with these is horrifying in snow.
Goodyear Invicta Ga
Quiet, comfortable, all-season on audi V8. Great tires for a minivan.
Goodyear Invicta GL
No traction in wet.
Kelly Charger HR
Car & Driver rated them 3/8 dry, 4/7 wet, 4/7 overall, average
on snow.
Kumho Ecsta 711
Very impressive.
Michelin LX1
One step up from a basic all-season radial; fairly good all-season
tire until late in life, when winter driving gets scary; tire life extrapolated
to 120 000 km or so; spirited drivers will quickly discover their limits.
Michelin MXL
Noticeably inferior to, and more expensive than, other tires in the
same performance category. Rain channels in tread pattern run in wrong
direction. Said to be terrifying in wet weather. Even worse than MXVs.
Nice but pricey.
Michelin MXM
Volvo 850 turbo owner says they're quite satisfactory, giving good
handling and 50k km life, but too expensive.
Michelin MXV
Performance Car rated them eighth of eight, at 7597 points, It is relatively
rare to see a good word written about these. Horrible in rain, OK in dry,
life 55k km. "must be the worst tires ever made." Fairly pleased with wet
performance; estimated life 70k kin. Typical life 30k km. at best adequate
in rain. Review of this tire was worst one reader of Car had ever seen
in that magazine. Noticeably inferior to, and more expensive than, other
tires in the same performance category. Poor handling in wet or snowy conditions;
hydroplane too easily in wet, even at moderate speeds. Lousy in snow. Not
recommended if it snows where you live. Good in dry, average in wet, marginal
in snow, noisy. Most thoroughly mediocre tire encountered; poor in dry,
miserable in wet, worse in snow, lasted 12k km. a joke on anything but
bone-dry pavement, and even there they cut loose too easily. Good in wet
to 25k kin, bad after that; pricey; life about 60k kin. abysmal; lousy
grip; squeal even at low speeds. Lasted only 50k kin; absolutely awful
in
snow. Wooden tires would have been better. Short life; definitely risking
one's life to use these in any sort of rain or snow. Wouldn't wish these
on anybody. These are not performance tires. No problems in snow or rain
on full-time 4WD car with limited-slip diff and approx. 50/50 weight distribution.
Only last about 30k kin; lousy in rain; found no redeeming qualities on
Mercedes-Benz 3005D. adequate performance; lasted 80k km on Honda accord.
Utterly unimpressive; slow and squishy in dry, little warning of impending
breakaway; scary in snow and rain. One driver figures he saved his life
by getting rid of MXVs.
Michelin MXV2
Entirely different tread pattern from MXV. Vast improvement over MXV
(but that's not saying much). Excellent in slalom and emergency braking
maneuvers.
Michelin MXV3
Could not get up driveway with 2" of snow cover. They suck in snow.
Poor in wet, make too much noise in heavy acceleration from rest, not recommended
for winter driving.
Michelin MXV4
audi 4000 driver loves their balance between sport and comfort. Nissan
SE-R driver says excellent grip, quiet, very good wear with hard usage.
Best all season tire I've ever driven, always composed through any weather
conditions. Better handling and fuel economy than Goodyear Eagle Ga.
Michelin MXX
Modern Motor rated them fourth, at 75 points, liking their dry performance
but finding wet performance and noise to be worse than one might like.
Michelin MXX3
Good tire but pricey.
Michelin Sport EPX
Medium performance tire; long life; recommended. Recommended as all-season,
fairly high performance tire. Does well in rain. Grip very well and last
roughly 65k km.
Michelin Xa4
Good tires for inclement weather, both rain and snow.
Michelin XGT H
One person commented simply "overpriced". Car & Driver (11/89)
rated them 4/8 dry, 1/7 wet, 1/7 overall, average on snow. Said to be the
same as Sport EPX Plus. Good tire in its category. Definitely all-weather.
Excellent in wet and dry; terrible in snow; short life. Expect to get 40k
km on them; pretty good traction; break loose very predictably; definitely
a performance tire. Work well on audi Quattro. Generally satisfied; snow
traction is only average; ice traction is average. Great tire; ride is
a bit softer than a509. "Basically suck."
Michelin XGT Plus
Good tire in its category.
Michelin XGT V4
Not an all-season tire; said to be made out of rubber that gets hard
in cold weather. Dry performance is unspectacular but good; okay in light
rain; suck big-time in heavy rain; not too bad in light snow; lousy on
slush. Good in dry; deadly in rain, decent in snow, deadly in slush; mediocre
on ice. Excellent dry handling; short life. Noisy and lousy in snow on
Integra GS-R. Only lasted about 30k kin.
Michelin XGT4
Civic owner highly recommends these as an all-season tire. Good all-season
tire for small sedan; good traction in all weather, loses grip progressively;
does not squeal; expected life around 120 000 km. Good recommendation;
no details.
Michelin XGTV
Last longer than the owner expected for a performance tire. Good tire
in its category. Fine in the rain. Happy with performance for the money.
Great, particularly on wet roads. Hard ride and noisy. Excellent in wet
and dry; terrible in snow; short life. Comparable to a008 or RE71. Compared
to Gatorbacks - better ride, more gradual breakaway, about the same mileage.
Michelin XH4
Good traction and long life; they caused slightly increased fuel consumption.
Michelin XW4
These are boat tires; they've sucked on every rental car I've had them
on. Mustang owner says they suck. Perform great, but wear out really quickly.
Great in the dry. Grip really well. Some of the best street tires you can
buy.
Pirelli P300
One good recommendation from a Sentra owner. One happy Toyota Camry
owner says they're quite and provide a fairly smooth ride; handle well
in all conditions (though he hasn't pushed them too hard in snow or rain).
Pirelli P4000
SHO owner replaced GT+4s with these and reported much quieter, smoother
ride, better handling in snow and rain. Integra owner says low noise, good
ride, predictable handling; definitely recommended. Saab 900 owner didn't
like them; too picky about alignment. altima owner says softer ride, quieter,
better handling in rain and snow, not as good in dry as Eagle Ga. almost
as good as the excellent Michelin MXV4. Maxima
owner is not very impressed with these tires. Villager owner says P4000
much quieter than Eagle Ga, with much more grip.
Pirelli P44
Stick like glue all summer, good in winter; short life.
Pirelli P500
Happy owner; perform a bit better than MXV in dry, far better in rain.
Far from satisfactory in ice and snow; work well in rain. Excellent but
kind of pricey.
Pirelli P600
One good recommendation; no details. Performance Car rated them seventh,
at 7757 points. Better than P6. Pretty good at everything, not excellent,
but certainly not bad either. Great in dry; pretty good in rain. Not great
in slippery or wet weather. Excellent tire; last 15-20k kin; excellent
grip in wet; great road feel; excellent bite on turn-in. Was obsolete before
its time. Noisy. Good wet performance, gradual breakaway, lots of grip
on Tracer, lifetime estimated at 50k kin. RX-7 owner reports these were
good but wore out in about 50k km. Sharp loss of traction at the limit,
particularly when not warmed up; great in rain. Wore out in about 30k km.
Pirelli P700
One good recommendation; no details.
Pirelli P700Z
Modern Motor rated them third, at 78 points, particularly lauding their
wet performance. One person loves these, though they wear quickly if not
rotated religiously. Good in the dry.
Pirelli Winter 190P
Fairly good dry and wet grip for a snow tire on an Infiniti.
Riken STX6O
Car & Driver rated them 7/8 dry, 6/7 wet, 7/7 overall, above average
on snow.
Toyo 600 Fl
Modem Motor rated them sixth, at 64 points.
Toyo 600+4
Excellent grip on dry (comparable to Michelin XGTV); good in rain;
reasonably good in snow. Dealer reports excellent tire life.
Uniroyal Rallye 400
Performance Car rated them second, at 8485 points.
Uniroyal Rallye 440s
Bloody awful; don't bother with them. Only last about 6k km and need
constant balancing. Good grip in dry once half-worn, excellent wet grip
until fairly worn, very soft and wear out in 12k km or so.
Yokohama a008P
Performance Car rated them third, at 8294 points. Modem Motor rated
them fifth, at 69 points. Great traction; poor tread life. Not bad in rain;
Useless in snow. Great in dry; terror in wet. Excellent street tire.
Yokohama a008R
Excellent rain tire if tread not worn. Excellent dry tire; expect 20-30k
kin; not great in rain. Nothing sticks better. Definitely not good for
rain. Great in wet, better in dry. Fine on wet track; grip extremely well
in dry; low mileage due to soft rubber.
Yokohama a378
Handle pretty well in corners and on wet; tend to follow ruts on Camaro
(215/70R14). Impressed with tires but they don't squeal to warn when you're
reaching the limits. Hard-driving owner of Saab 9000 loves them. Great
in wet and snow; ride is rather hard due to stiff sidewalls.
Yokohama a509
Good recommendation for wet and dry. Handles water well. Mentioned
as a cheaper, but not inferior, substitute for Dunlop D60M2 and Yokohama
aVS. an RX-7 driver find them noisy, good on wet roads, and relatively
long-lasting. Gradual breakaway, good wet performance, relatively quiet,
says someone else. another happy owner says better than Michelin MXV, lasts
over 80k km. Not a great tire. Outstanding rain tires. Great tire
for the money. Compared to MXV, dry and wet traction are both better.
Good recommendation - good in wet; quiet. Best set of tires; quiet and
sticky. Civic owner says they stick well, don't squeal much, work fairly
well in the rain, look like they'll have fairly short tread life. Civic
owner reports they're great; life is around 50k km. Good moderately priced
three-season performance tire. Very nice rain tires. Lots of sidewall stiffness
for quick response in the curves, and a long-wearing tire. Excellent grip,
reasonable life on audi Coupe. Integra owner says they're fun and better
in the wet than Michelin MXV. Gradual breakaway when pushed to limits;
great in rain. CRX owner says they're great in dry or wet conditions, awful
in snow, and wear a little fast. RX-7
driver is not thrilled but provides no specifics. Wet performance is
OK but not excellent. Lasted less than aVS (no specific model given) for
far less performance. Excellent wet and dry handling.
Yokohama a510
audi coupe owner reports that they are excellent; amazing grip, particularly
in wet.
Yokohama aVS a+4
Perhaps a better choice for all-weather use to the Yokohama a509. available
for wet, dry, or intermediate use; pick one that's most appropriate to
your local climate. a good recommendation with no details. Car & Driver
rated them 2/8 dry, 5/7 wet, 5/7 overall, below average on snow. awesome
grip in dry, predictable in rain, reasonable snow traction for a high-performance
tire. Reported to be much better than a509. True all-season performance
tire. On audi Quattro Coupe, handle great in dry, good ride quality, quieter
reasonably quiet. Much better than MXVs. No complaints in wet, great in
dry. Good tire in dry and rain; decent ride.
Yokohama aVS Dry
Stick like glue.
Yokohama aVS Intermediate
Very good in dry, very quiet, very sticky, fairly good in wet, short
life. Wore away quickly, marginal snow performance, OK in rain, poor on-center
feel. Not a great tire. Better than MXLs; feel squishy at first. Good tire.
Good in wet and dry. Very good dry pavement tire; quite usable in wet.
Very nice rain tires. Great traction and a comfortable ride on '86 accord;
sudden breakaway when traction limits are exceeded. '88 CRX Si owner very
happy; great traction, good in rain. Stuck like glue and lasted a long
time; completely worthless in snow. Much better than a509. One good recommendation;
no details. Very
impressed with wet performance; dry performance is even better; useless
in snow; tread life could be better. Passat VR6 owner is very happy; handle
incredibly, even with little tread left. Cheap, thrashy, sticky, and predictable.
Much better than Dunlop D60a2.
Yokohama aVS U+4
One driver who hadn't really pushed them yet said they were very nice
in rain and snow. Two good recommendations; no details. True all-season
performance tire with 60k km life. Pretty satisfied so far. Love 'em; great
in wet, dry and snow; quiet; last over 70k km. Better all-round on Integra
than Eagle GT+4, XGT, MXV, XGT H4, HP41, or Comp T/a. Beat the hell out
of MXV and Eagle GT+4. Handle well in rain and snow on Integra. Pretty
good on Integra, though front wheels still spin on wet starts. One of the
best all-season high-performance tires; long-lasting. Good snow traction;
excellent lateral traction; predictable handling; good in rain; stable
at high speed and in cornering; not too noisy; ride is sporty but not too
harsh. Excellent dry and wet traction, progressive limits on CRX. MX-6
owner says great in dry, wet, and winter; plenty sticky in good weather
and with good traction in snow. One good recommendation; no details. Great
traction in dry, wet, and snow; great handling. Great all around tire,
goes in the snow, hard to beat for the money. Integra owner says they're
pretty nice. Great traction.
Yokohama Y352
Life reported to be 15k km.
The Conti's are on the 96. The AVS's were on the wife's car. Seeing as how Larry's ContiExtreme's held up good at Blackhawk I will say that I never plan on buying another set of AVS dB's. The AVS dB's on the '99 at
Blackhawk were the new S2 series. Mark Halady's Regular old AVS Db's (not S2's) Cracked in exactly the same way ours did.
At the time I had ordered the Conti's for the wife's car I was simply looking at a value standpoint, as of right now I am thrilled with what I got for the money.
Scott Krietemeyer
This goes with the info I posted earlier about manufacture dates.
http://www.usedtyreexports.com/tyres_tyre_facts.htm
Ever wonder where your tires were made?
http://www.harriger.com/tires.htm
http://www.usedtyreexports.com/dot_tyre_manufacturers.htm
What about load ratings?
http://www.car-videos.com/info/tirespecs.asp
Glen Murdock
For those of you on Tire Rack's mailing list, you probably got this, but
here is an interesting comparison of three new Summer tires on a 330ci BMW,
and they were tested against the stock GY RSAs.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/uhp_nextGen.jsp
Ron Porter
_____________________________________________________________________
02/17/2005
Khumo ASX review
Drove these tires back from Spencer to Long Island last night, so while its
fresh in my mind I'll give my opinion.
In several inches of slush and snow I was able to keep the car pointed straight
and keep control. I'm from Florida and don't have tons of experience driving in
snow so that says alot. When I got onto rain soaked wet roads, something I am
very familiar with, the Khumos cut the water with no problems. At 70 I felt like
I was on a dry road with full control, no hydroplaning whatsoever. Once I hit
the dry road I was still very impressed. An off ramp at 75 or 80, against Kirks
advice on a cold silica based tire, was an absolute dream. No squeal, no slip
just that cool sensation of being pinned against the seat bolsters. All in all
they beat the tar out of my firestones and dunlop sp5000's that I had on the
car. The ASX's don't have that cool HP look to them but feel very good and
provide a smooth and quiet ride. Now let's see what they do this summer.
Joseph Durand
_____________________________________________________________________
Good to hear that.
Reviews at Tire Rack have been very favorable for this tire.
Frankly, for a W-rated all-season tire that only costs $81 in the 225/55/16”
size, it seems silly to consider anything else but these tires for an all-season
tire.
Ron Porter
______________________________________________________________________
What about Continental ContiExtremeContact at $84.00, pretty good reviews on
TireRack V-rated and they even look good.
Charles Cooper
______________________________________________________________________
Those would be fine, also.
But, the ASX is W-rated (168 mph) versus only the V-rating (149 mph) of the
Contis, and are still $3 cheaper!!
Now, at Discount Tire, the ASXs are $84, and the Contis are $89.
If you want good-looking a/s tires, get the Nitto 450s!!
Ron Porter
______________________________________________________________________
uh oh here we go again. dang I was nearing a decision too. my visions
getting blurred again ; )
-Chris
_____________________________________________________________________
On my second set and have run the crap out of them at three track sessions. Good
value if you don't have spare set of rims.
As to the "flat spot" argument. In the last 6 months I have had to replace two
engines (motors).Most of the weight was resting on the rear tires as the car was
on Jackstands on steroids. Both times after being in that position for at least
6 weeks, tires rolled true and smooth. If you are not going to get a flat spot
under those conditions, then you just arent.
Uncl Lar
______________________________________________________________________
FWIW, I have noticed the same issue with the Bridgestone RE92s on the Subie.
It takes them a mile or so to warm up and lose the flat spot.
These only seem to do it in cold (sub-40-degree) weather, and when they
still long enough to reach ambient temperature.
I thought that it was due to the RE92s not being a silica tire, but the
Contis are. The RE92s are a polyester belt, and the Contis are nylon. Can't
figure what else would do it.
Ron Porter
______________________________________________________________________
I've got the Conti-Extremes on both gen III's.....
Good tire, would buy them again, however they are only V rated, and
the chance to buy ANY W rated tire for that kind of price is very
rare. The only complaint I've got with the Conti's is that they flat
spot when itis below 70 and they sit more than a couple hours; it
takes a mile or two to get them smoothed out....
So I'd try the new kid on the block Kuhmo's if it were my decision to
make, and that is not to slight the value I feel the Conti's have, but
it seems like there is even more value in the ASX's
Scott K
______________________________________________________________________
Can you buy the Nitto's in the 225/55 size from Discount Tire ?
Charles Cooper
______________________________________________________________________
I was driving in the newly fallen snow this morning in St Paul and
after I parked at work, I was looking at the tread pattern in the
snow. I noticed that the inner tread of the front tire wasn't making
any marks in the snow. I felt inside and on the left tire, smooth
rubber - on the right tire: sub-rubber and belt!!!! Suffice to say, I
have to get 2 new tires ASAP, and am now in the same quandry as most
of you. I have liked the KDWS after 2 sets of RSA's and one set of
RE71's, but am also considering the Kumho's and will be calling
TireRack today to confirm whether or NOT they have the ZeroNero in
225/55-16 as a recent Road and Track ad showed. Not looking at the
Conti's because I have had bad experience with Contis in the past 8
years and I don't want unidirectional...
dsquierj@gmail.com
______________________________________________________________________
Talked to the boys at TireRack. I also looked at Pirelli's website:
http://www.us.pirelli.com/en_US/tyres/catalog/tyre_product.jhtml?selected=size&catid=US_UHP&productid=9853
The ZeroNero's are available in our 225/55-16 size, but are sold out
until at least March 1st, hence no listing on their website. Cost is
$109 each. Kumho's are $81, so the cost for 4 is $324 vs $436, less
shipping, taxes, mounting, etc... Or, I can get 2 more KDWS from
Costco for $111 each (mounted) instead. Too many decisions...
dsquierj@gmail.com
______________________________________________________________________
Don't mix tires on the car!! Just have Tire Rack replace the two ASXs.
That's your cheapest way out, and the best. Chalk it up to a bad batch, it
could happen with any tire
Discount Tire doesn't show the 225/55/16 size for the Zero Nero, must be a
new size. 225/50/16 is $103, though.
Ron Porter
_____________________________________________________________________
02/17/2005
I am down to my final cuts , taxes coming
anyone have any real world experience with these? one guy rated them a step
above Toyo, these are about the same price., $77ea
Falken Ziex ZE-512
All-season performance. V-speed rated. Rated #1 by a leading consumer magazine.
225/55R-16 95V B
Reading the Tire Size
UTQG: 360AA
$77.00
______________________________________________________________________
We used to deal Falken at my shop. I liked them well enough, and
customers seemed to like them pretty good because we could hit a nice
price point with them.
I don't think I would rank them above Toyo in general, however.
Falken is an Ohtsu brand. I just don't think they have their stuff
together as well as the Toyo group. One of the criteria I use in
evaluating a company overall is OE fitments. Falken has zero. Toyo
has OE fitments with Toyota, Nissan, Infiniti, Mazda, and supposedly
Porsche.
In most instances we are talking about shades of gray. While I can't
say they don't exist, for the most part the days of any really bad
tires on the market are over. We are generally talking about good and
better.
JMP