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The good points - They are absolutely great in dry, wet, and snow traction. Unbelievable how much better they are than the Michelin Radial X's they replaced (yeah, they were worn out, but even compared to how I remember them as new). They could pass for actual snow tires they are so good. The cornering and steering feel are good.
The bad points - They are noisy. They have quite a pronounced whine on asphalt or concrete. Not quite as bad as snow tires, but sometimes that's what they remind me of. Also, they follow grooves or cracks pretty noticably.
I really don't know if I would buy them again. I love them when it rains or snows, the rest of the time they kind of bug me. Hope this helps.
Dave
Thanks
I had these put on my Maxima and love them. They are the quietest tires I have ever heard (or not heard in this case). I have about 3k miles on them so far and will be rotating them for the first time soon.
Check out www.tirerack.com for more reviews.
I also read two reviews there by Forester owners and was interested in what they had to say about the Bridgestone Blizzack WS-50 and the Michelin Arctic Alpin. Will those two be okay year round, or are they winter only?
Any experience with any of these? Any other recommendations. The consensus on Tirerack seems to be (and I agree) that the Bridgestone Dueler H/T D684 need replacing too soon. Ours has less than 30,000 miles.
Thanks!
What do all the folks over in the Subaru forums say? They're a pretty vocal bunch.
Thanks
Tires go thru a process called "blooming" where waxes impregnated into the tires during construction come to the surface as the tire rolls and heats up. This is on purpose and its to protect the tire from dry rotting. Carbon black is added to tire to protect from UV rays and help dissipate heat.
As ozone and UV rays affect the tire the rubber gradually turns grey. Apparently what Michelin has done is improved their carbon black formula to help offset these issues and they don't want silicone oils to affect this.
I recommend rubber protectants that are water-based and include some kind of UV blocker. I like Vinylex, 303 Aerospace, and Eagle One Satin Finish aka Concours tire dressing. I haven't used Meguiar's but they have excellent customer service so I suggest calling them and asking about this.
I have used Mequiars Endurance (Satin Finish) tire dressing for the last eight years. I used Meguiars on Michelin MXV-4's that I owned for 40,000 miles. Those tires were driven in a four season climate and there was never any adverse reaction. I used Meguiars on Goodyear Eagle's for 60,000 with no problems. Now I own Dunlop SP Sports A2's, and I am using the Meguiars Satin Finish Endurance on them too.
#1. Is patching a tire acceptable, especially from a safety standpoint? I'd really hate to have a blow-out at >80mph due to a patch giving up the ghost. #2. Can I put a pair of larger size X-ones on the rear of my Accord? The oem's are 195R15. Tire Kingdom here in FL says they (meaning Michelin) do not make this size, however when I check Tire Rack, they have them. I wanted to go with a little wider tire when the time came to replace, which may be now at least for the back pair. Thanks ....
SC
If you are getting these from one specific developer/contractor give them a call. They may offer to partially compensate you or at least appreciate knowing that they need to clean up their act. If you are having this problem in a residential subdivision where you're dealing with homebuilders that seem to multiply exponentially, you may not be able to do anything. Sorry.
By the way, my company has perfectly clean job sites and NEVER spills nails or screws.
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
A qualified maybe! While most folks know this, don't ever let someone or yourself do a ream or a plug on your radial tire! The best procedure is a vulcanizing patch!
I have had it done on Goodyear Eagle Super Car F1 295/35/18 and it can go far in excess of 80 mph.
In regards to your second question you should keep in mind that you should never mix sizes on cars that weren't designed that way. You also need to remember that your honda accord came with 'H' rated tires, if you have a 4 cylinder and 'v'if a 6, and the X-ones you are looking at are going to be 'T' rated. It is also not recommended to mix speed ratings.
If your going to change the speed rating and size, thats fine, but do to all of the tires at the same time.
You should also be able to switch to a 205/60 or205/65r15 with no problem for your car if your original size was 195/65r15. If it was only a 195/60r15 I wouldn't go any larger than a 205/60r15. And yes, michelin makes the x-one in all of these sizes.
Got a nail in my tire last fall, and Firestone dealer fixed it under the insurance. Otherwise the repair costs about $25(not sure). However, the insurance also cover replacement if it is impossible to repair the tire: hole in sidewall, etc.
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
When I am in my suv, I have 10.5 in of ground clearance, I can clear dead bodies with it
With the performance car, hence tires,
Gee, thanks, ruking! I was enjoying my lunch! ;-)
tidester
Host
SUVs
As Jim Carey, the comedian might ask you!
Would you like to try our new product:
Roadkill helper?
P.S. I have discovered Sears will match any price you find anywhere including online--one way to get the lifetime rotation and balancing, etc.
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Did you see the posts from Noelle? She was shopping for Forester tires back in Nov '01. IIRC, she bought Cooper Lifeliner SLE Tourings. Maybe not the most stylish brand but Cooper tends to get high marks for snow traction in Consumer Reports. Certainly worth a look-see.
Also consider Nokian if snow traction is a really big priority. One model they offer, the NRW, is an all-season tire that provides excellent snow traction. I think Nokian makes the best snow tires in the world but they are virtually unknown in the US.
Have fun shopping.
I think the X-Plus/X-ones become marginal with more than 6 inches of snow on unplowed roads. What I mean by marginal is that you will find that the car will not be able to make steady forward progress on grades (the slipping and sliding will start)and gets worse as the grade increases or the snow gets deeper.
6 inches of unplowed snow is about my cutoff for the front drivers with the X-ones as I found I can get stuck on grades. Sometimes with less than 6 inches depending on how greasy the white stuff is. Of course your 4WD Sub will definitely push the limit up for you. And of course if you live where there are no hills the snow driving is easier too.
So I agree with Steve_Host that if deep snow is the priority then you should consider other tires. I previously suggested not a dedicated snow but one with a more agressive tread as an all year compromise leaning toward deep snow capability and considering you have a 4WD.
But the choice is yours.
Currently have 195/60R14 snow tires on there.
Have 195/55R14 tires mounted on Borbet rims from my old Civic. These tires have a little life left in them. What do you think? I think it is time to take off the snows finally.
1996 VW Jetta GL 4 cylinder.
(P.S. Both tires look great, round and black like tires should! ;-)
See:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
These tires originally replaced stock 175/70R13 on the Civic. (Civic si rated for 185/60R14).
These are not the queerly fashionable 15, 16, or 17 inch wheels, but rather an improvement in footprint without losing too much in sidewall height.
Those calculators are not gospel as they assume all tires of the same size are dimensionally identical. They're not.
The real question is how much tread is left? 2/32" is legally worn out. 4/32" and they can be considered wasted but legal. And while we are all acutely aware of your disdain for tire appearances, you might want to look at your tires for signs of dry rot, flat spots, bulges, or uneven wear from their previous use. You don't have to post a description of their appearance; we'll pass on the public ridicule, thank you. We just don't want you to put a dangerous tire on your car.
Thank you.
PS: I never owned the Potenza's.
Noelle
How have the Nokians been on dry pavement? I'm sure they grip better than any all-season on snow/ice but I was curious about dry/wet grip.
Ken
Not a performance tire but will work well in almost any other condition. Highly recommended.
The Nokian NRW's dry grip is terrific, with good "road feel". I no longer get that "tippy" feeling on steep cloverleafs. Depending on the pavement, they can get quite noisy, however. There's a stretch of 35W North that they redid with that wavy concrete -- whooo, what a racket. If I have talk radio on, like MPR, I can't hear the program. Doesn't seem to bother me when I have music on, though. NRWs are nice in the rain, good grip, nice stopping distance. I was kinda disappointed in the performance on regular ice or black ice. One time I was turning into the underground ramp at the place I was working at the time, the abs started going, but I didn't stop. The car just gently kept going. Fortunately, I didn't hit anything. Folks in the area told me "what did you expect? Nothing works well on ice." The only one I've heard of that's excellent on Minnesota ice are Blizzaks.
Noelle
While I agree that the MXV4+ is a great tire for that glass-lake ride, I really don't want to use them again. I think they wear out too fast and the rain traction is not that impressive. I had them on my old '99 Accord and didn't get beyond 40K miles; the ones on my current Accord are wearing out just as fast. They skip around too much and hydro on the freeway. I recently put X-Ones on my Mazda MPV and I was very impressed with the way they handle in the rain, plus they have a high tread wear rating. We get ALOT of rain in S FL, so this is important. The problem is that Tire Kingdom (which is the only decent place here for tires unfortunately) doesn't stock 195/65TR15 in X-ones. I'd have to get them from Tire Rack, which I also don't want to do. T.K. does have 205/60TR15 in X-Ones and the guys there tell me that it won't be a problem running them on the back with the 195/65HR15 MXV4s on the front. So, I'm confused. Yukon posted that I should never do this. The guys at my office here say it'll look funny, yet T.K. says it's won't. ???
Another Michelin possibility is the Pilot XGT H4. They run the same price at T.K. as the MXV4. I don’t know anything about this tire, though, like how fast it wears, and wet and dry handling. Again, rain performance is high on my list of priorities. The Rainforce could be another choice, but it looks like the X-One has better wet performance ratings on Tire Rack, and as I said before, I know the X-Ones are great in the rain. So, what do you guys *really* think about the size issue, and if anyone has experiences with the Pilot, I’d greatly appreciate any feedback. Sorry for the long post .
SC
As for availability, I find it hard to believe that TK won't special order them for you. Have you asked them? What about other TK stores? Heck, what about any other Michelin dealer? I know you can order them at Sam's Club and Costco, and I think even WalMart can order them for you. It's an easy tire to get; don't take "no" for an answer.
As for differing sizes on a vehicle, I don't like it. If the mfr thought that alternate sizes are OK they'd say so in the owners manual. Your suspension, steering, and braking systems are designed to operate with a specific tire size. If you're gonna change sizes then change all the tires at once.
I also don't like different brands/models on a vehicle. I think that invites a level of problems. Differing tires allow for odd wear and handling characteristics. Each tire handles wet and dry conditions differently. They respond to steering and braking inputs differently. In normal driving you probably wouldn't notice anything...........until an emergency situation came up and you're dependent on consistent tire performance to avoid an accident. I just think that different tires on the same vehicle is inviting a problem that you don't need. My two cents................
Oh, and one little comment on Energy MXV4's. While I agree they don't last as long as other tires, realize that they weren't designed to last a long time. About 40K is as long as one can expect from that tire. Tread life isn't everything. I've been studying tires for that past couple years and the more I learn about them, the less I care about tread life. 30-40K is more than enough mileage for me. Even if the tire has tread left on it, IMO it's wasted and I'm gonna toss them. The heat cycling alone over the 30-40K is enough to kill a tire. Forget about tread life; it doesn't matter.
Do not mix sizes or tire brand/model. Different tire designs and sizes can have very different characteristics, even from the same manufacturer, and the resulting handling characteristics on a particular car are difficult to predict.
BTW, I replaced MXV4 energy tires on my MPV with XGTH4 (both sets 215/65-15) and I consider them to be an improvement, primarily for the improved transient response.
Don't listen to the guys at tire kingdom, it sounds like they know nothing about what they're selling.
Buy four tires if your switching. And if you do switch size you're better off switching to the 205/65r15 than the 205/60r15. Your current size is approximately 24.8 inches tall. The 205/65 is 25.3 and the 205/60 is 24.6, so you would actually be switching to a smaller tire if you went with the 205/60.
I take it your Accord is a 4 cylinder because the 6 cylinders came with a 205/65VR15, so there should be no problem getting them to fit your car.
And the difference between the MXV4 Plus and Pilot XGTH4 is handling. The Pilot being geared more for performance and MXV4 more for touring, and neither will last past 40K.
Your best chances are to get some other tire shop to special order the tire you want for you if you can't find it in stock. Many places do not charge extra to do this, you just have to wait longer to get them.
good luck
Yeah, but there is less difference with the 205/60 (.2" versus .5").
Of course, the taller tire will ride nicer.
A few bucks one way or the other can have a measurable impact on sales.
Goodyear is trying to reposition Dunlop in the US as their consumer awareness and market share slipped dramatically over the past few years. Pricing plays a big part in their strategy.
I also have a 2002 CRV-EX with the Dueler HT that I absolutely hate. These are scary in the rain and I was considering the Aquatread III or maybe the Yoko Avid T4 even though I only have 9K on the Duelers. Tirerack rated the Yoko Avid as a great value but it appears the Aquatread has much better traction. Should I consider another tire besides these two?
Appreciate input from any of you!
Switched to a real all season tire that has reasonable winter performance also: Michelin Symmetry. Not as good as our Nokian Hakka's, but then they won't wear as quickly as the Nokians on our northern winter roads. No changeover needed.
Right now, I’m trying to cook a deal where I take the 5K mile, 205/65TR-15 X-Ones off my Mazda MPV and put them on my Accord, then buy oem alloys (if I can find them at a reasonable price) for the MPV and put 215/65-16 X-Ones on it. Otherwise, I’ll get replacement MXV4s for the back of the Honda.
PS: A belated thanks to bretfraz, daysailer, yukon, and anonymous for your help!
SC