Mitsubishi Outlander Tires, Tires, Tires

eagleboyben

Hi fellow Outlander enthuiasts. I am wondering if anyone has swapped out their OEM tires for a new set yet (not for wear...obviously but for performance)? When you look at the oem tires that come on the LS model they look pretty decent but they are on the scarry side at 65 mph. The car wandered all over the road and the steering was super hyper sensitive. Move the steering wheel a quarter of an inch and find your self in the next lane at higher speeds. I should probably add that I actually love the really tight steering and am used to driving high end autos with similar steering.

So I went for broke, did some research, and bought a whole new set of tires for my Outlander at the youthful age of 410 miles. My outlander has been reborn! $750 later my Outlander drives like the sports car it is and stays in one lane on the frwy. The performance is so improved it feels like a completly different car. Next I went to visit my parents and it snowed during the visit. Put the tires to the test on snow and a serious patch of ice and I have to say I was very impressed. The car tracked and steered perfectly with all for wheels in abs lockup at about 35mph on solid ice.

So here's the specs. The OEM tires were Yokohama GO33's. The tires I switched to are Goodyear Fortera Triple Tred's directional tires. I selected them by reviewing the tire ratings at tirerack.com. They were the highest rated tire in this size and performance catagory. My friend who drve the car before and after could not believe the difference. The he looked up his own oem tires that came on his Subaru Baja and saw how low they ranked. By the next day he was shopping for new tires too.

I am sure there are other good tires out there besides the ones I bought. Just curious if any one else has made a switch and how much difference they noticed.

Happy outlandering...

rcpax

Tires are always one of the important factors. It's the only thing that contacts the road so it'd better be good. I've seen WRC rallies won and lost by tire choice alone. But what's not clear though is if you changed to a different brand/model or did you changed tire size too? I'd probably buy a Michelin or a Pirelli on my next set of tires. But the 18" OEM tires on my XLS are doing a fine job, it's such a waste to throw them away.

growwise

I am glad someone brought this topic up. I looked up tire choices (no I will not swap now) and there is limited choice out there for P225/55R18 on XLS.
Apart from OEM GoodYear Eagle LS2, I see only Michelin HydroEdge and Pirelli P6? 4 season. I noticed that UTQG rating on Michelin is really high (800) vs Pirelli's 600 and LS2's 400. So technically, michelin has to last twice than goodyear. But the catch is that LS2 is quieter and comfortable :surprise: compared to hydroedge which is supposedly more noisier. Ofcourse none of these tires are cheap so I better make the most out of each set.

eagleboyben

Thanks for both of your comments on the tire issue. Growwise I made a quick spin over to tirerack.com and there are at least 10 tires in your size. I should add that I have never purchased from tirerack so I can't recommend them as a seller but they seem to be one of the best comparison sites to see what's available and how they rank. It can be a little confusing to find the rankings on your tires on their site. Start by entering the tire size you are looking for and pull up the list of available tires in that size. Then click on one tire in the list and go to that tires page. Then click on the "SURVEY" link on that page. From the "SURVEY" link page click on "Compare this tire to other...tires". This will give you a comparison grid of all the tires in this size and catagory.

RCPAX I agree would be a waste to throw away the tires. No worries, I saved them and plan to sell them through the classifieds. Also I didn't change tire size. I stayed with the 215 70 16's.

I had a good laugh. Yesterday, in a parking lot, a man and woman walking past my car stopped to admire it. That last thing I heard him utter as they walked on was and "Wow - look at those tires!" Can't say I ever got my tires checked out before. Happy Motoring.....

growwise

10 tires? try again
225 55 18

btw, utqg of pirelli is 400 which is same as goodyear. Michelin is the king when it comes to long lasting wear - 800 utqg :surprise:

blackb13

I noticed a significant improvement just by deflating the tires to OEM specs (32psi instead of 44+psi).

I have no idea why these things came overinflated from the factory.

XLS 18" wheels/tires

gene_v

They are overinflated for transport from overseas. Its SOP. The dealer is supposed to deflate them before delivery.

bearishly4u

Thank you for that statement. I replaced my factory 16" with 18" after just a few days and the tire pressure sensor went off. They even replaced a sensor that appeared to be damaged. The tire pressure was about 47psi. I think I'll try dropping to the oem specs and see if that helps with the sensor.

rcpax

The Goodyear Eagle LS P225/55R18 OEM tires on XLSs are not bad at all. Treadwear of 400, Temp A, Traction A. Beside the 400 treadwear, the tires has good heat dissipation and grip (according to the UTQG ratings). The Michelin Hydroedge has somewhat lesser temp dissipation at B rating.

When do we get to see a P225/55R18 size tire with Treadwear of about 800, traction of AA, and temp of A? Seems like a dream for this tire size.

growwise

I was just going thru manual and I remember reading a section which warns people not to change tire/wheel combos. Part of the deal was that TPMS will be thrown off.

Pays to read the manual :P

rcpax

There is actually a way for you to retain/transfer those sensors on your new rims, and with a new size wheel/tire, you may need to recalibrate the speed sensor to reflect the correct speed and avoid tickets

bearishly4u

I did read the manual however changing tires and wheels with TPMS is done all the time either by transfering the sensors or replacing them with new sensors.

ibex22

My tires were close to 48 PSI off the dealer lot. I lower them to 36 and it made a world of difference.

biscuit_xls

I bought an extra set of 18" OEM wheels, powerdercoated them gunmetal, bought some TPMS sensors on eBay and a set of 225/55/18 Pirelli P6 tires. So far the Pirelli's ride and handle better than the Goodyears.

I'm struggling to get the TPMS sensors to work, the local dealer didn't have the equipment to do it. I need to do some research to find out what is needed.

growwise

biscuit, those must have cost a pretty penny. I must admit they look real sharp. I think they'd look better on my graphite gray xls... not too sure if they'd go with white xls :P

josh_raben1971

I have had my Mitsubishi Outlander XLS for about a week, and just switched the tires. I removed the stock 225/55-R18 Goodyears and switched to a 235/55-R18 Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza (V RATED). IMMEDIATELY after switching to this tire, I have noticed better grip while cornering. These were well worth the switch.

mikejojo

I've owned a 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander since November 2005 and had to replace my tires at roughly 40,000 miles.

I had a bit of a limited budget and purchased Fuzion ZRi P22560R16 tires. Given the wintery conditions here, I've found these handle quite well in the inclement weather. Road noise is up there a bit on the highway but I've learned to tune it out.

outlanderlsgeo

Just got my LS 2WD, this spring and i'm already looking into preparing for the fall/winter. any suggestions on snow/ice tires? how bout all season tires for spring/summer?

gene_v

These tires are so noisy. I only have 1800 miles and just can't ignore the noise. Tirerack rates them 26 out of 28.

imetal

I'm shopping an XLS in order to get the occasional "munchkins in the 3rd row" capability. However, for wheels I plan to go with something a little more interesting (20" chrome).

So the 18's won't do me much good. However, the 16" alloy wheels from the LS are interesting, as they'd do nicely to host a set of winter tires.

Has anyone ever heard of "downgrading" their wheels during purchase at the dealer? Would it be worthwhile for them, perhaps by being able to make an LS on their lot a little more attractive? If so, would it be reasonable for me to push for something else out of it (free floor mats, etc)?

toomanyfumes

Can't hurt to ask. I've seen some larger dealers change out the rims on new cars to custom ones, and park them out front to bring in traffic. (A friend of mine was drawn to a Mustang with chrome rims, and ended up buying it as an impulse purchase.)

billsampsonmit

Got the 18" Goodyears. Anyone recommend a quiter tire?

biscuit_xls

The Pirelli P6 is quieter and rides better, I've had both.

puddy1

My UK model has Bridgestone 18inch Dueler Sport H/P fitted 225/55 H 18

growwise

Any one invested in a set of winter tires? If so, what size steelies go with it? I guess if steelies are of LS size, then tire choices may improve? 'cause there is not a whole lot of choice for 225/55R18. Even then, only michelins seem to get good reviews (atleast on tire rack - they get bad mouthed elsewhere) What size steelies go with 55R18's? Sorry too many questions..

Someone mentioned a wider tire (235/55R18). How's that working out? There are a whole slew of tires in that size on tire rack. Speaking of which, Apparently, canadians can save 40% on tires by ordering them from states..

btw, Toyo seems to be selling winter tires (OBSERVE G02) that fit outlander atleast in canada
http://www.toyocanada.com/products/BrochurePDF/Winter_EN.pdf

growwise

Got my ice/snow tires put on.. but with the steel wheels, there are no TP sensors. Resetting TPMS is a pain.

batman47

It appears that there is not a good decent tire brand for the Outlander 225/55R18. The stock Goodyear Eagle LS-2 is just useless in little snow, little wet or little mud. I would like to jump to the 235/55R18 where there are bigger stock of better tires for SUV. Shifting to this size incurs in a 1.6% Speedo too slow and 1.5% diameter tire difference. Will this shift upset the tire Speedo sensors? Comments appreciated!

Toyo (Toyo Versado LX) has a new 225/55R18 that seems to be much better than the Goodyear. This tire is "all seasons". Good grip in snow, water and mud. In the 235/55R18 the Pirelli Scorpio Ice& Snow or the Hankook Ventus ST RH06 will do the trick. For high performance summer the Yokohama ADVAN V802 is a must. Please read the review of the Goodyear Eagle or just observe the design of the rubber groove to find out for yourself that the Goodyear is just rubbish.

batman47

TPMS based in wheel speed will most probably fail when changing tire sizing. TPMS based in tire stem (remote direct TPMS) will not be affected by tire size changing.

20vcq

I'm kinda old school when it comes to winter tires (studs). I've had both of the last two Ice and Snow tires and found them great in most circumstances but lacking when the combination of packed and snow and ice got under foot.
But I went down size to get more rubber between me and the ruts and holes. I am running 225/70/16 BFGs. I put them on rims I bought from Tire rack for $40 a piece. Going wider is not the best route with snow tires. I would have preferred to go to 205 but the price on these studded noise makers was right.

gene_v

http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/112_0704_cooper_cs4_touring/
Availlable in 225/55/R18.
Saw a price of $109 on line.

gene_v

At Costco. See reviews at Tirerack.
I have just about had it with the LS 2 at 17,000 miles. :mad:

batman47

Has anyone in this forum tried to order from anywhere in the USA or Canada a set of 4-tires Yokohama 225/55R18 IceGuard IG20? If yes, I will be very grateful to have the information

batman47

I have told by a Tire dealer in CA that the IceGuard IG20 (225/55R18 97R M +S) will be in the USA middle of September 2008 at $1000 (shipping included) set of 4-tires.

The Yokohama Geolander i/T GO72 235/55R18 100R (M+S) is another choice.
The Nokian (Brand new) Hakkapeliitta R SUV $200 each (225/55R18) (included shipping).

The Dunlop Grandtrek SJ6 or the 215/55R18 Firehawk GT4 (Firestone) 94T. All the tires mentioned above have a off-road bias (M + S + ice).

batman47

I am in Canada presently. A dealer after somebody hit and scratched my brand new wheel said that the he can see that the wheel is slightly wobbly and the scratching on it awards the need of having a new wheel. After a day when he realized that he cannot get the 7-spoke wheel in Canada and it has to be imported from the USA, he said that the wheel needs refurbishing only and that the wheel balance is OK. Can a normal wheel balance find out that the wheel is slightly twisted or not? If the balancing machine is unable to find out about the twisted wheel how will this anomaly affect the tire wear of the whole car?

How can be find out if a wheel is lightly twisted?

Any comments will be much appreciated.

comem47

Sounds like you are talking run-out and that is easy to check (especially if it's the front wheel) normally you place a dial gauge against the side of the rim and rotate the wheel.

I hardly think you really need a dial gauge for this application , but just jack up the wheel and place a rod on some sort on a base and place a few sheets of paper between the rod and side of the rim and then remove the paper and then rotate the tire and check that it is not hitting in places as you rotate it. It will be real apparent if it's bent.(you can do the same on the edge of the rim (diameter)to check for a dent on that plane. Even rotating the wheel at a slow speed should allow your eye to detect if it is bent if you sight along the side. If it was a front wheel I would check the front end alignment to be sure a tie rod is not bent, etc.

batman47

Many thanks for the comments. Will a routine wheel balance machine in any tire garage detect small unevenness in an alloy rim? I took the wheel to a tire dealer so he could use a dial gauge (axial and radial) but he told me he hasn’t any and that is not needed that the balance machine will find out if something is not right. Later he told me that he detected about 3 mm up and down when the rim is rotated. Is this value a serious value? Or do I not need to worry.

My insurance company said that if the rim is slightly twisted he wants the rim be to repaired first, and if the rim cannot be repaired (bring it to standard deviation tolerance) then he will approve the buying of a new rim. I am afraid that repairing a twisted rim is not an easy job and perhaps it could make further damage to the rim or perhaps it could cost more than buying a new rim.

batman47

There are several terms to describe the usefulness of tires in general: summer tires, winter tires, all-seasons tires, all-weather tires, all-terrain tires, off-road tires, etc. Could someone in this forum give some comments about all of these terms? Also what happens if I use a set of winter tires all the year round instead of using them only in winter? Is the wear of the winter tire at higher temperatures the major reason for not using them in summer?

comem47

I don't know what the tolerance spec on the wheel is. 3 mm (about .1 inch) does not sound like much and you say it's up and down (not really a twist) and I would think that the tire flex could handle that, but no expert.. I also don't know about straightening the rims. I do know I chose in LS (not an XLS) in part because a CUV is not a sports car and with lower profile tires you are asking for dents in the rim with potholes, etc driving in the real world. I'll take all the cushioning effect of taller sidewalls I can get!!

comem47

Regarding using winter tires year round: I have found a true snow tire has too much squirm for summer driving as the deep tread blocks are like your wheel riding up high on the bristles of a toothbrush (great for digging in snow, but too much squirm/flex on
surfaces that don't give). The winter tire compounds also wear real quick on dry pavement. Most people I know desiring true snow tire performance buy some cheap steel rims for the snow tires and have a decent all season or summer tire mounted on the fancy summer alloys (which spares them from winter corrosion also) By using steel rims you also can choose a narrower higher profile tire (better traction in winter than wide tires....compare to LS wheel size for example. The rolling diameter is the same so the speedo reads correct, but the wheels are 16" with taller sidewalls and profile to make up the difference)

gene_v

The Michellin Primacys were installed yesterday. Handling much better and the noise was reduced tremendously.

toomanyfumes

Anybody with a LS with the Yokohama's that has over 20,000 miles on them. My car has about 16,000 and the tires are showing some wear. Probably normal, they are no longer new but I was wondering how many miles people are getting out of these tires.

batman47

How will it affect the ride and stability of my Outlander’s XLS V6 AWD if I change the original Goodyear tires (225/55R18) for the Hankook Optimo H418 (225/60R18)?

I have seen that the majority of 4x4 SUV have tire profiles above 60% and I think there must be a reason for this. Will these new all-seasons tires (e.g. Hankook) with a 60% profile make my ride smoother? Will these new tires diminish my car ride’s stability?

The Hankook H418 costs only $100 each and Hankook has shown for many years to be good tires with performance and durability similar to those prestigious tires makes.

Thank you for your comments.

olliexls2007

I have been checking around and decided on the G.Year Comf.Tred or a Mic.
I asked about these tires @Sears but they will only guarantee the tire that CAME on the car and nothing else. The tire mgr told me that an SUV rides higher so they need a stiffer sidewall and will only sell me Goodyear LS2's.

Any ideas out there re: guarantees and road hazard guarantees? :confuse:

comem47

That is the most absurd thing for the Sears MGR to say. Many OEM tires are crap and I find cheaper Goodyears are among the worst!!! (check out survey results on LS2 tires on tirerack.com and it shows red, yellow and pink in many categories as opposed to light and dark green) Find someone else that knows something to do business with (If it's got the same load rating or better you are fine and I know Outlanders are far from the heaviest vehicles out there so finding alternative choices with better ratings should be easy) Visit tirerack.com for ideas (type in the vehicle and they'll show you options and read the graphic charts survey results from owners ). I know I'm heavily leaning for the Avon Ranger TSE for my LS (XLS size however isn't available). The Avon tires look like an excellent choice for winter traction, noise and price for LS Outlanders.

olliexls2007

I thought the Sears guy was a wack-a-doo but thought I'd run it by the Outie line.
I've check Tire Rack and came up w/a good Mic and the Comfortred. A mgr @ Goodyear even recommended the Comftrd...80K tread sounds good. The Tripletred is no good in snow or ice. I live in S. Fl but often go to the Smokey mtn area in winter. I will be retiring and moving up permantently in 1 1/2 years so I need tires good for teh ice,too.

comem47

I don't know what you are talking about with the Tripletread vs Comfortread. The Tripletread is far superior to the Comfortread in all categories except "comfort" and "noise" (the Tripletread being much better in snow and only slightly worse in these 2 categories.) As for ice: any tire will have trouble there vs studs (any tread compound for ice is very marginal vs tread pattern benefits for snow ability traction). My wife put Tripletreads on the front of her Malibu when she got a sidewall puncture on one of her front tires and so far so good in NYS. (upgrading from the OEM garbage). We'll probably swap these to the rear next year and get new Tripletreads for the front to replace the OEM tires remaining on the rear that now have the "whup whup" sound (at 35k tread is still OK on rear, but noise is BAD).

See what I'm talking about in the chart:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=AS

kennewi

I just purchased the Michelin Primacy MXV4 from Sams Club ($20 off each tire). Tires are a far cry from the OEM tires that came with the car (I only got 20K miles, which are 5K more than I should have). With the first snow of the season I noticed the car sliding and hard to control. When I had the car inspected the mechanic told me I needed tires ASAP. I was blown away because it was so soon (2007 Outlander). After reading these posts realized that the tires that came with the car are crap. The Primacy tire is proving to be a great buy so far.

comem47

I see the Primacy are also tops in their class (grand touring all season) vs the Tripletreads that are tops in their class (passenger all season), but upon looking further I see only the Comfortreads are available in the XLS sixe of 225/55-18. I've always had very good luck with Michelins and if the price wasn't much different would lean towards them (since Goodyear also makes some pretty poor tires to the few that are good) I do see though that the Michelins do cost a lot more ($179 vs $128 for the Comfortread, but they do appear to be worth it by the survey results). Luckily my Outlander LS tires will cost far less . i.e, for 215/70-16 in the for the Avon Ranger TSE it will only be $82 each and they rank 3rd in their class, but very high overall in the categories I'm looking for and even better than the 2nd place Tripletreads by a bit in some categories while only losing out slightly in others while being less expensive. I don't think there are too many miles yet on the General tires in first place for this category and have never been too impressed with General over the years, but who knows, maybe they do have a winner here but alas they don't come in a LS size and if they did I'd have to see more survey respondent miles.

solowalker

Did you replace the TMPS valves?....I was told that they should be replaced every time new tires are installed...

I'm planning on 4 new Yokohama YK520's in P225/60R-18 size for my 07 XLS from Discount Tire...They quoted me at $562 "out the door" That will include new TMPS valve rebuild kits and lifetime spin balancing.
..
They will give me $15 per tire in trade for the Useless LS Goodyears with 1/4 inch of tread left after 27,000 miles.

packlad

Today only (Dec. 1) - Discount Tire is offering $50 off set of 4 tires. This covers most tires but not all (the Yokohama yk520s I wanted aren't included).

Better yet, order any BuyItNow item from their ebay store anytime and get 25-35% (currently 30%) cashback instantly from Microsoft Live.

After seeing my yk520's didn't get the $50 deal I got them from the DicountTires's ebay store and saved much more with the 30%.

Cashback details

Hope this helps some tire buyers out there.

olliexls2007

This is OllieXLS. Still thump,thump,thumping along on the OEM LS2's w/37,000 miles and now FOUR plugs!

Do any of ya'll have info re: the reliability of"
1. Hankook Opitimo H727 225/55 R18 (Sears $746 w/everything incld. rd hazd) Or......
2. Cooper CS4 Touring 225/55 R18 98T not sure of the $ yet

I know what the tire companies say and what the dealers say...I need to know what the word is in the real world.

Thanks for any reliable (particularly on the road experience) user info.
Thanks again. OllieXLS