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Comments
Having had my factory installed performance wheels seriously gouged during a simple new tire mounting and balancing plus an alignment at the largest tire distrbutor in the NE US, I would advise caution, whether you have this done at your Infinity dealership or elsewhere. Trust no one and be a little proactive.
First, have the service writer acknowledge in writing the exact condition of the performance wheels AND the ones they are taking off the car. Use your camera phone to substantiate each wheels' condition BEFORE they touch the car. Just so everyone is on the same page. You don't want to get into an after-the-fact dispute like I did over who did what and when to the wheels.
Second, have the service writer also acknowledge in writing that your car is being dropped off with the tire pressure monitoring system intact and not warning there is already an issue. After the tire dealer agreed to pay to have 3 of my 4 wheels refurbished and the new tires remounted and rebalanced, they screwed up the tire pressure monotoring.
All this to just get some new tires and an alignment.
The guy who refurbished the wheels was surprised. According to him, the tire dealership and location I had selected had a solid reputation for being careful and meticulous, plus they had all of the latest equipment with wheel protection attachments to prevent any customer dissatisfaction. So I asked hi what he thought happened and he said "New employee or one under the influence."
Good luck!
I had had enough of what went along with the Michelins' unquestioned quality and exceptional dry performance. They rode hard (as expected), became annoyingly noisy early on, had marginal wet weather performance, and of course (as with any summer tire) forced us to garage the car at the hint of a snowflake.
Like Darrin, I also selected the Bridgestone Potenza RE960 Pole Position ultra high performance all season tires. I wanted a tire that could allow my wife and I to drive in moderate snow without the expense of dedicated wheels and snow tires for winter. This tire was the #2 A/S tire for snow and ice in the consumer rankings on TireRack's website. We were able to get through the winter up here in the Northeast, driving the car in snow for the first time. Not as good as snow tires, granted. But I wanted one set of tires for year around driving.
The improvement in ride quality and the reduction in road noise was so noticeable that even my wife positively commented on it the first time she took the car out for a drive. The tire is UTQG rated at 400 and came with a 40,000 mile treadwear warranty which, based on our driving habits, we won't achieve.
In Texas your needs may be different. The roads in the Northeast get hammered by the winters. The result: frost heaves, potholes, and road patches. This tire handles the imperfect road surfaces and really kicks up the enjoyment factor of the G a few notches for us.
Not the cheapest tire out there, but a great alternative to consider on your sedan.
I've been told they're compatible, but I keep on getting an AWD Error message.
Although the 04 Infinity brochure stated the optional wheels were 8" in width, I seem to recall someone posting the rears were actually .5" wider. Yet when I had to get a replacement wheel on the rear, the Infinity dealer repair service ordered two of the exact same wheels to insure a color match with the originals, at least on the same side of the car. That would indicate all 4 wheels are indeed 8".
Now if I can just get the wife to avoid potholes, concrete curbs, and the 4 inch 90 degree dropoffs when only half of a road has been repaved, I'll be all set. Any cure for that short of putting 75 series wheels on the car? Thought not.
Haha I have one of those I banished her to the family Honda.
Thanks.
You certainly don't want the unnecessary expense of replacing a wheel sensor on your dime, nor would anyone. But the fact is the cap has to come off. I am somewhat surprised your own mechanic wouldn't just tell you of the problem, the risk, and let you make a decision while the new tires were being installed, letting you make the decision on the spot.
Whoever does the removal, they are going to have to clean the stem and cap, grab the stem close to the cap with some vise-grips, and use pliers to rotate the cap off. My 04 came with metal valve stem caps that looked like chrome. The mechanic may even cover the stem with a thin cloth to avoid gouging or scratching the stem. The vise-grips holding the stem stationary should protect the stem from any damaging twisting or torquing until the cap is loose, even if it was misthreaded when it went on in the first place.
One pet peave of mine is improper over-torquing of lug nuts. So many installers do not follow correct torquing specifications. They overtighten the lugs using the air impact wrench rather than the torque wrench because it is faster and easier for them, and they don't have to worry about a lug nut coming off during their "watch." Then if you get a flat and you have to change a tire yourself, you are stuck! You can't get the lug nuts off. One tire dealer was rotating my tires (20 year customer) and had the ignorance to ask me "Who torqued these lug nuts" when they couldn't get two of them off, even using the impact wrench. "You did." That ended that conversation.
Good luck.
With the slippage, maybe you have too much horsepower.
I have a 2005 with sport package.
The Coupe is the Coupe in the snow. The oem Michelin Pilot Sport Summer tires as expected made the car lethal at the first sign of a snowflake. But the car was "passable" this past winter with the Bridgestones. Yes, snows would have been the optimal choice for Winter. But I wasn't about to buy a dedicated wheel/winter tire package in November, only to have to buy another set of tires for the original rims again in March.
Bridgestone is surely not the lowest priced A/S tire out there or the best. But, it does so many things well. And it is a solid choice for price/performance.
Your question about a tire recommendation is a tough one, and you will get a lot of different responses. You may want to do a forum search to see what others have purchased, why, and what they think. I depend on Tire Rack when doing my research. You didn't say what your driving habits and expectations are.
I wanted a more compliant ride, a quieter tire, one that would last longer, and one that I could feel comfortable with day to day. I live in what I consider moderate snow country, 42 inches per year average, I wanted to "get by" without purchasing a dedicated set of winter tires and rims. Plus I didn't want ot take out a mortgage for tires. The Michelins for me were a solid tire. They performed as advertised. Got nearly 30K out of them but probably should have replaced them about 6K earlier. I am the exception because everyone else seemed to have been down in the mid to high teens with their Michelins when their tires were cooked.
A year ago I replaced the original Michelin Pilot Sports, a summer tire, with a set of Bridgestone Potenza 960 AS Pole Position and have been very pleased with them so far from a price/performance perspective. A 40,000 mile tire. That being said, most seem happy with the replacement tires they have chosen to put on their Gs until they hit 15,000 miles. For many, then, all bets are off. Is it driving habits or does the car eat tires? No, the all season tire was not the best choice for snow, a compromise on my part.
If you provide some more info on your wants and needs, I am certain folks can address how their tire selection addresses what you are interested in.
18,000 miles for a high performance summer tire is not all that bad so far as longevity goes.
Yes, this manufacturer's specifications for what I believe is the term "runout" are consistently at or near the top. What this translates into is a smoothness in ride you can see and feel from your fingers either gripping OR dangling from the steerining wheel. Cars with a higher sensitivity to exacting alignment, balance, and roundness can become a sheer misery to live with day to day, particularly at certain highway speeds above 60.
You can buy tires for less with the same speed ratings and consumer ratings as what you bought. But as the miles rack up a lot of the initial kudos fade into the woodwork.
I believe the size of the OEMs are 17" 225/55...
I called the dealer and they recommended Dunlop SP Sport Signature.
I am in Chicago so I need something that will handle pretty in good in snow and slippery weather. Tread life, smoothness of ride, quietness are also important. Price i would prefer to spend no more than $150 / tire or less. I am willing to spend a bit more if it will get me a much better tire.
Thanks guys!
I just sold my 2003 G35 Coupe, so no longer need the Blizzaks. My new G37 convertible has different size wheels and tires. I bought these from tirerack for $751, and they have about 6000 miles and are in excellent condition. Based on the reviews on tirerack, I think they should last at least 20000 miles on this car. I have never sold tires before so I am looking for advice on the best way to part with them. Would tire stores buy your used tires?
225/50VR-17 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22
235/50VR-17 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22
Thanks, and Safe Driving
Ps. I am in Seattle
I haven't had any noticeable vibrations on either of the two G's I driven. I have had pretty new tires on each, and I rotate the tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. If you rotate the tires front to back and the vibration goes away, you are on the right track. If it is a bad vibration, it may be worth re-balancing the tires. One other cause I can think of is if you bent a wheel on something like a curb or hard bump on the road. As far as the suspension or brakes, I wouldn't know about that.
One thing I heard from the Infiniti dealer is that they need to reset the automatic pressure sensors on each tire because moving the tires front to back changes the distance the signal has to travel. I don't know if that is true, but it is worth asking about.
The discussion of summer/winter tires seems to hinge on our own individual experience with snow and ice. I personally don't think of it as a problem because I have driven on ice and snow for over 40 years. But then, I have always had short, straight driveways to my garage. My guess is if you are not comfortable on snow, the G35 will offer no favors. The vehicle dynamic control is an important asset for slippery conditions. I am sure the full time 4-wheel X will do better on forward traction, but not stopping. Well equipped cars like the G35 will save you when you are surprised by a driving situation (i.e. sudden ice, or evasive action), but I don't think we can expect a car to save us if we choose to drive unsafely.
Who here is running larger wider tires on their coupe with success? Front tires are fine for now, but rear will be bought this week. I'm thinking 285-40 17 or 255-45 17.
What do you think?
I simply want a wider tire and to fill up a little fender-well space.
However, thanks to a nail in my right rear tire recently (apparently not fixable because it was almost in the shoulder of the tire), I have to consider replacing the set of summer tires soon. I was fortunate in finding ONE same brand tire with about the same wear (50-55% life remaining) on ebay (thanks to my kids) which I have ordered as a temporary fix. I would like to eventually replace the NCTs with a good set of high performance all-season tires. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have in this regard.
Thanks a ton.
Thanks, again, for your quick response.