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Acura MDX Tires and Sensors
Got tire pressure sensor questions? Getting M+S tires for winter? Talk tires here.
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In general I have been extremely happy with these tires. Has anyone put on a better general purpose all weather SUV tire on their MDX?
I have had regular bridgestone duelers on another SUV and don't think they are any better than the michelins.
I will have to research the Goodyears, I hadn't thought of those as an option. I have been extremely happy with the Michelin's, however a tire upgrade is an easy change to a vehicle and I have the opportunity with a replacement coming up.
The tread wear on the crossterrain's seems more than I would have expected. Going into winter I am not sure if I want to try to get an extra 10k out of them. Summer, I would probably keep them.
I have seen a number of positive posts on the Geolanders. I understand there are several models of Geolanders out there, so you have to be careful with which one you get.
From postings and reviews I've read, Nokian WR's are the best thing you can buy close to a winter tire, without actually getting a winter tire. Great if you live in climates where it snows enough to worry about it, but not enough to go with dedicated winter tires. There's no free lunch though. The WR's aren't quite as good as true winter tires, and have some compromises for normal driving.
Sorry for the Simpsons reference, I wish I would have known that when I replaced mine w/ only 40K and change on them. I still have the receipt, maybe I still have a chance.
General price is about $200 tax/installed per tire. I think I can do about $190 with shipping and the extra charge for installing non shop tires if I order online.
Michelin said that they typically didn't provide warranty on OEM tires...as the consumer doesn't "pick" them, but they rather just come with the car? I negiotiated slightly and got the woman to agree to "see what she could do". If honored, I would get about 50% back on the cost per tire, as long as the wear is even. My part is that I have to get a shop willing to ship the tires back for inspection, etc. (like they inpsect thousands of tires being returns each day/week...).
So I drove the local shop. They would order the tires, but the would not process the warranty claim. They also told me that they think the tread wear warranties were created by the marketing department and no SUV tires really make it past 40K. Also that it is very difficult to get warranty coverage...which in my opinion is partly because OEM are not covered (which makes no sense to me)...and then when you get a used car, as people flip cars sub 80k these days...no one actually collects.
While there I asked them to measure my current tread depth. My front treads are 6/32" and rears are 4/32 outer and 5/32" inner. They guy at the shop said they are at the legal limit in the back, but fine and should last through the spring...I should probably get new ones when it is time for my next rotation.
He recommended the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza. I have to see what a Michelin dealer can do.
I went with the Michelin Cross Terrains again. 35K miles on the OEM, they gave me 35% credit which worked out to about $64 per tire.
I learned or was at least told that the OEM tires are typically softer than the tires that are sold off the shelf, so that was another factor in the tread wear warranty not being honored on factory installed tires.
Either way, with some effort I was able to get new shoes with a good credit. I opted out of the $18 per tire "road hazard protection plan". The whole thing worked out to be $620 out the door. Down from price quotes of ~$850-1000. The guy at Sears was extremely helpful and even gave me a Michelin Man Bobble-Head he had left over from a promotion a while back.
Goodyears came OEM on my 01 MDX and I switched to Cross Terrains after 45k miles. In the 15k since, I have lost one (possibly two) of these expensive babys to sidewall bubbles caused by "impact fractures". First of all, I always refuse to buy the road hazard insurance, and I am way ahead in $$ over the years (maybe I've been lucky). I have purchased over 40 Michelins over the years and the corporate office was quick to get back to me when I complained about the first "bubble". They insisted that the bubble was caused by an "impact fracture" (implying that I hit a pothole too hard) and offered no assistance with replacing the tire.
Are these all terrain tires as they are marketed? Do they really belong on SUVs if they cannot take hits from potholes? (If I had hit a hole that had bent the wheel - that would be another matter) Are they pushing us to buy the $18 per tire insurance?
I like the performance of the Cross Terrains and ordinarily would not look beyond Michelins - but I don't think the Cross Terrains are up to challenge of the MDX. [However, I still have them on my vehicle]
A query: if you have encountered the noise and replaced the Michelin Cross-Terrain 17 inch tires with much quieter ones, kindly indicate what they are.
Thank you, Michael
The MDX I bought (2006, certified) had 22,500 miles on it in November this last year when I bought it. Now about 24,000. The tires (Cross Terrain Michelins) seem in excellent shape. Yesterday, checking the pressure when they were cold, I found that the Acura/Honda service had inflated them a couple of weeks ago to 35 psi, so I reduced it to the OEM recommended 32 psi, and they do seem a little quieter.
I think I'll run them for a few days to see if the tread wears a little differently and reduces the road noise farther. Otherwise, TireRack and Consumer Reports posters suggest a Bridgestone Dueler H/T Alanza --- around $155 each at Firestone stores. Firestone, by the way, and Sears will install new tires for a 30 - 60 day trial and let you return them for other tires or your money if you don't like them. Seems a pretty good deal.
Michael
For those not familiar with the Nokian tires, here is a bit of background... Nokian is a Finish tire company that is known for their snow tires. The WR tire model is a year-round all season tire that also caries the severe service emblem for snow similar to a traditional winter only snow tire. The advantage with the WR series is that you get great winter traction and good handling through the other seasons as well. The tire is a bit softer than a traditional all season so it may wear faster; however, I have not found this to be the case through the years. The WR G2 is an updated model to the WR family, and I personally feel that it outperforms the WR original.
On my MDX this fall and early winter, I have found the new Nokian WR G2 to perform flawlessly in all conditions. The deep unplowed snow and slush that the OEM's struggled in, the WR handles effortlessly. With the old tires, I often had to turn off VSA to keep the tires from spinning in deep conditions. Thus far, I haven't experienced any slippage with the WR G2... not bad considering we have had every imaginal form of winter precip here in the Northeast during the past month. If you are looking for a replacement for the OEM Michelin and care for winter driving performance, I highly recommend the Nokian WR G2. Also, the Nokian is reasonably priced, about 30% less than the OEM Michelin tire.
Happy winter driving!
I am interested if others are concerned. Is this normal?
I recenty bought a pre-owned 2008 MDX with 30k miles on it. I was quite happy with my purchase until yesterday when I took the MDX to the dealership. I noticed that the hood on the MDX vibrates than normal on highway speeds, so I took it to the dealer who said it's a known issue and fixed the problem. But the problem is with something else that came up at the dealership.
The service manager noted that the chrome wheels on the car are done by some kind of chrome plating and the tires are small 225-55/R18 which is very unusual. He told me that I may be spending more on gas because of the tires and need to be careful not to bump the wheels on curbs etc. My wife also noted earlier that the drive is bumpy that normal. Now I feel like a complete idiot, going through all that pain to convince my wife for buying the car. How big of a problem is this? Should I just let the tires wear out and buy good ones after that or should I replace them immediately? Does this cause any problem to the suspension or any other mechanical part? If it's only the bumpy ride and the gas mileage, I think I can wait.
Thanks,
bob
Thanks,
Bob
They have been good tires.
take off tire as the whole system needed to be replaced.
You need to look elsewhere for the problem.
Good luck to all and stay safe - even if you speed and get a ticket.
jensad
Thanks
We have a pretty good discussion about tires, here:
Tires, tires, tires
regards,
kyfdx
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any experience with downsizing wheels and getting 17 inch snows versus standard 18?