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Tires, tires, tires

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Comments

  • tireguytireguy Member Posts: 200
    The BFGs are better. With the introductin of the new KO model two years ago came substantial inprovement in just about every aspect of driving, including noise suppression, wet traction, rolling resistance and treadwear. The Michelin LTX A/T is better still, but not to stray...
    Check out NTB for a comparison. Last I checked, Sam's still wasn't allowed to sell this tire after the whole selling below wholesale scandal where they lost the account (Search here: "All-Terrain T/A KO" for an explanation).
    ---C.
  • enigmaoneenigmaone Member Posts: 128
    Michelins stink! And the entire MXV4 series is old and outdated. The only advantage to MXV4 Energy tires is fuel economy. I should know, I have them on my Acura 3.2TL and they stink! They are hard riding, provide mediocre handling, squeal easily, and are loud. I have another set of Michelin XGT V4 Pilots on my Probe GT and I wish I never bought them. After 35K miles, they are still good in terms of tread wear(considering how much the car gets thrashed) but again, they are hard, loud, and the handling is mediocre for a performance tire! And they cost $160 a piece!

    The Dunlop SP9000 is a better all-around tire than the XGT V4, the SP8000 is probably better, the Nitto NT450 is better.

    Compared to MXV4 Energy's just about anything is better. I know I'll be replacing those things at about 20K miles no matter how much they are worn out with something better and cheaper!
  • aeroscottaeroscott Member Posts: 3
    Anybody know anything about the new Pirelli Cinturato P3000 M&S tire? They claim it's an all-season tire with an emphasis on snow traction. Good treadwear warranty at 85,000 miles.

    pirelli.pearlcomm.com/pneumatici/USA_Site/Product/p3000cint.htm
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    I've recently put a set of Michelin X-1's on my Thunderbird, replacing a set of Firestones (I think wrapping my wheels in five pounds of duck tape would have been better than those tires!) I'm pretty satisfied with the Michelins, and I've been told Sam's (where I got my tires) has a special deal with Michelin, and can get better tires than most places. When my grandmother bought a set of tires for her Pontiac, she bought Coopers. (The local Cooper dealer kept telling her how much better they were when I told him I was well pleased with my michelins). Since the tires on the two cars are about the same age, (the T-Bird's are a little older), you could say we're doing a side-by-side comparison, but if anybody has any experience as to which one is the better tire, I'd be glad to hear it.
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    Just curious as to why you buy cars that are equipped with Michelin tires if you think they stink? I'm sure that you could have had the dealer change them out when the car was new. Or do you get them just to have something to gripe about?
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    you are not comparing apples to apples when you attempt to compare the XGT V4 to the SP9000. The XGT V4 is an Ultra High Performance All-Season tire, while the SP9000 is 2 steps up as a Maximum Performance tire.

    You can't compare apples to oranges and expect the same results.
  • enigmaoneenigmaone Member Posts: 128
    silvercoupe,

    I buy cars for the cars, not for the tires. Tires can be replaced on a car you like as they do tend to wear out after 20, 30, 40K miles.

    Do you buy a car because it has a certain brand of tire on it or do you buy a car because of the car itself?

    As for the XGT V4s. They replaced Goodyear Eagle Gatorbacks on my probe GT which were excellent tires. Granted the Gatorbacks were summer only tires and had a treadwear of I believe 180. But nonetheless, they were quieter, rode smoother, provided better handling, and tracked better in rain than the XGT V4s. I bought the XGT V4s because of Michelins so-called "excellent" reputation! Turned out they are over-hyped!

    True, the SP9000 is a step above the XGT V4 because of all-season HP tire vs. Ultra high performance summer tires, but if you don't know already the whole Pilot series from Michelin is generally rough riding & loud. But of course the upside is they will last forever. My gatorbacks lasted 21K miles, my XGT V4s have about 40K miles on them now and will probably still last about 5K more miles.

    Sorry, but MXV4s stink! They are overpriced and overhyped. And quite simply, better overall tires are available for less money.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    I even prefer the X-ones over the MXV4s and they last longer to boot.
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    ..you could have had the dealer change the tires when you purchased the car, then you would not have to gripe about the tires. Most dealers will do this if you just ask. They will not let something like this stand in the way of a sale. My Honda dealer is next door to an NTB and this is common practice for them.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    My old 87 Daytona Shelby Z came with them - 225/50 VR15. I managed to get close to 50K out of them and drove them through 3 New England winters. Boy were they lousy in the snow. Handled great in the dry and that front end loved to plow in the wet.

    I don't know how I managed that many miles - maybe it was the front wheel drive - the turbo didn't kick in early enough to spin them up. A friend had an 87 Mustang GT - barely got 15K out of his.

    I replaced them with some no name brand. IIRC, only that Daytona used that size and two manufacturers made tires in that size - you had a choice between $800 for Gatorbacks or $500 for no name tires. Was planning on getting rid of the toy so there was $300 in my pocket to pay towards the new car.
  • warnerfwarnerf Member Posts: 19
    Check out this great link on tirerack.com

    http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults

    The Michelin X-1s received top ratings in their class. However, the MXV4s and Pilot series were at or near the bottom in their respective classes.
    Pretty interesting stuff.
  • cr500rcr500r Member Posts: 3
    I have had real good luck with the BFG's for wear and durability. I like to off-road my Z-71 and the stock Goodyears were blowing out the sidewalls. Really weak tire to put on an off-road truck. I don't know if I'd say the BFG all-terrains are the quietest or best riding tire, but are definitely the best for a good streetable tire that you can hammer off-road.
  • enigmaoneenigmaone Member Posts: 128
    silvercoupe,

    Sorry didn't think about that. I'll take you shopping when I go to buy my next car!

    I wouldn't ask a dealer to switch tires since they will wear out and I will be replacing them soon.
  • enigmaoneenigmaone Member Posts: 128
    bretfaz,

    Yes, the Gatorbacks were eclipsed a while ago by many newer design tires just like the MXV4 is eclipsed today by many newer design tires.

    Tires like the Dunlop SP9000, Toyo Proxes series, Nitto NT450, NT500(?), Bridgestone G-Force, etc. eclipse it. The Gatorback though was a very good tire and I was strictly comparing it to the Pilot XGT V4. The Gatorbacks were good because of a few reasons. Although I trashed my car those tires still lasted 21K miles. Second, they never squealed when taking turns hard, the dry handling was great, and it did well on wet until around 15K miles.
  • tundradudetundradude Member Posts: 588
    I do have a set of Michelins on my truck, however Yokohama tires are incredible tires for the money. I have the 509 (no longer made) and the T4 tires on my cars. Just my .02.
  • erikf2erikf2 Member Posts: 100
    It's time to replace the OE Michelin MXV4s on my '97 Volvo 850 sedan. Tirerack.com rates the Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloce higher than the MXV4 (I'm not sure if they're comparing to the older MXV4 or the newer MXV4 Plus), but they don't say a lot about how either tire handles in wet conditions. Their user survey says the Pirellis are better there also, but it also looks to me like the user survey has WAY more "Michelin-miles" than "Pirelli-miles", so the sample-size isn't apples-to-apples.

    Since I live in the Seattle area, I'm looking for tires that will work on wet roads (I'm not talking about Texas-gully-washer wet, just three-straight-days-of-constant-rain wet) as well as providing good "sport-touring" handling on dry roads.

    Any comments would be appreciated.
  • warfishwarfish Member Posts: 117
    I was so happy to see someone else pan the Michelin line. I've had nothing but bad experiences with their tires, especially wet handling, but everything else you mention is also very true. My wife drives a '95 bonneville with the Goodyears that came on it still going strong at 77,000 miles. Granted she is not a hot rodder, but she doesn't baby the car either.
    People believe what they see on the TV, and some people like the tireguy gobble up all the technical data they can and somehow in their minds that turns them into experts. All I care about is how the tire performs on my car or truck, and if it gets a few thousand more miles before I have to replace them that's nice. What I want is a safe, sure, quiet and comfortable ride and I've never gotten any of that from a Michelin tire.
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    The Bridgestones that came on my 2000 Accord Coupe were made in the USA. Quality of these particular tires (Turanza EL41) is nothing to brag about. Had to have one replaced before 10k miles due to mfg defect. I have had good luck with Bridgestones in the past, but will probably replace these soon with Michelins.
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    I've looked at both of these tires and could not tell any difference at all in appearance. I have had a set of the X Radial Plus's on a 97 Accord for 15k miles and they are great IMO. Much better than the original equipment Michelins!!!
  • vaskelovovaskelovo Member Posts: 6
    Chris,
    I couldn't find the list of weights you posted.
    Can you tell me, what type does Honda use ?
    I think my alloys are damaged by (possibly) foreign weights. I might take wheels to a shop
    to be polished ( instead of silver-painted as they are now ) and clear-coated again (there's dents and curb rush too). What do you reckon this may cost me ?
    Thanks,
    Stan
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    The tires that I have had Sams special order for me were priced in line with what was in the store. Only takes a few days for delivery. No big deal.
  • tundradudetundradude Member Posts: 588
    I don't own a trooper, however like sizes in any make can make relative decisions. You should not have any problem with the extra tire. The 265 will be a little higher and more wider. It will not alter your speedometer.

    I do push Yokohamas. I had a set of Geolander A/T's on my T-100. They are guaranteed to last 40000. They currently have 30000 and show marginal tread wear. My friend owns this truck now. They were excellent handling tires to be a LT weight tire. According to Consumer Reports, they said that these tires were awful in the snow. However, my friend did not have any problems in our 2-footer last winter and thats in NC.

    I never had experience with the AVS. I have always bought LT heavy load tires for my trucks because I haul a lot of wood among other things.

    I have also had a set of Michelin LTX A/T on that same truck and they lasted 53000. They also handled well but not as good as the Yokohamas.

    My current Michelins, the LTX M/S ride slightly better, but they do not share the handling characteristics and they do not do as well in the rain. This could be a misnomer. My T-100 was lower to the ground than my Tundra, so this may have something to do with it. This is where those Bilstein's come in like you have. I have had the A/T in the snow and it handled it quite well. I haven't had the M/S in the snow. I parked the truck when we got all our snow this past winter. Both of these trucks was/is 2WD.

    I hope this helps!
  • ghtrapghtrap Member Posts: 26
    I'm not tireguy, but I don't blame you for wanting to bail out on the Firestones.

    The Michelin LTX M/S is perfect for your 2wd Yukon and they are tried and proven out to be an excellent tire over the years. I've had two sets of these on two different SUV's, and couldn't be happier with that tire.

    I don't have any experience with the Bridgestones, so I can't comment other than to say that I'm a little sqeamish about the Bridgestone/Firestone name right now.

    Note: If your tire dealer won't give you a nice price adjustment by trading in the Firestones, have them bag them for you and put them in your truck. Store them at home until 1) Firestone recalls them or refunds your Michelin purchase, or 2) You can put them back on your Yukon down the line when you get ready to re-sell (good rubber helps resale value).

    Good luck!
  • stobarstobar Member Posts: 110
    Okay, here's a question I haven't seen asked before. I have a '97 Chevy Silverado pick-up equipped with Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP, P235-75-R15. I have had the truck a little over 3 years now with just over 36K miles on it. Tires are riding good and tread still looks good. I figure they will be do for replacement next year. My thought is to go ahead and buy three more of the same type and use the full size spare for the 4th tire. In light of all the information that has been provided in the media lately on tires due to the Firestone incident, I read somewhere that a normal tire will start to break down after three years. I also know from past experience (my father) that when he went to replace a tire that was seven years old on a car he barely drove, the tire nearly fell apart when the mechanic took it off the rim due to dry rot. Can anyone provide an opinion on using a new four year old spare for the 4th tire, or has anyone out there done it and what were your results? I plan on using one of the four original tires for the spare. Thanks for any and all opinions!
    Barry
  • joe166joe166 Member Posts: 401
    I would be very hesitant to do that, but I am sure there is some literature on this. I would write to a couple of manufacturers about the "shelf life" of their tires. The trunk has to be one of the worst places to store a tire. You don't have the sun, but it is hot, not well ventilated and it is laying on it's side. If it is under the bed of a pickup it is also subject to the weather and probably never gets cleaned. It might look just fine, but if it were mine, I wouldn't. Next time do the five wheel rotation and it won't be old but new, it will have aged more gracefully.
  • warfishwarfish Member Posts: 117
    Some people may be reluctant to use that spare but I did it years ago when the tires were not as good as they are today. I had a 1974 Rotary Mazda that I drove on service calls every day, and when the tires got looking thin I did just what you are thinkg of doing. My second set ran just as long as the first and I just forgot which one was the old spare. None of them ever failed and when I sold the truck they were in identical condition and due for replacement. Sorry, but it's been so long I forgot what brand they were.
  • stobarstobar Member Posts: 110
    Joe and Warfish. Thanks for your responses. So for it's one for and one against. I would like to hear others opinions regarding this and hope others will respond and leave their 2 cents. Thanks again.
    Barry
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    Look for fine cracks on the sidewalls and between the tread blocks. If there is much cracking, I would suggest that you not use that tire, since this is a sign of dry rot. Otherwise, the spare should be fine to run.
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    I had a 78 Grand Marquis that sat for a couple of years getting little use. When I put my baby back on the road, I rotated the tires front to back, back to front (I didn't switch left to right, as I've been told this is bad on the steel belts inside the tire. Is this true, or urban legend?). ANyway, both of the back tires threw their treads within two weeks of each other. I had a brand new spare, only a few weeks old, and when the first tire blew, I left the spare on the ground and bought a new spare. New spare went on the ground when the second blew, and I replaced the front ones before they decided to blow out on me. Not the reccomended moethod of buying new tires, but I was a bit short of cash at the time.
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    Oops...Typo. I figured out how to turn italics on, now can anyone tell me how to turn them off?
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    I've been on vacation without a PC so this is a few weeks late.

    Many thanks to TireMan and all the others on this board for responses to my post on replacing the Goodyear Eagle GAs on my '95 LS400.

    I've always had great performance from Michelins so I've now considered the X-1, Energy MXV4+, and the Pilot XGT-V4s.

    The X-1, while great for many vehicles, has too low a speed rating for the LS. The Pilot, on the other hand, has more performance than the LS can handle. The Energy MXV4+ seems to fall in the middle so, while expensive, that's the way I'll go.

    Thanks again!
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    Bretfraz - will do!

    By the way - what's the consensus opinion on getting these in H-rating vs. V-rating? It's a $60 difference for a set of 4. The new Lexus LS430 comes with H-rated 16" tires standard (like my older '95 LS400) with an upgrade package to V-rated 17-inchers.

    Also - in 225x60x16 (H-rated) size, Costco's out-the-door price, with Road Hazard coverage, beats TireRack's delivered price (which is without Road Hazard, or mounting, balancing, etc.).

    Whattadeal. Hope the Costco Energy MXV4+ version is the exact same as the TireRack version.

    Jeff
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    Was looking for tires for my 91 Accord LX today. A local discount tire dealer offered the following for the same price: Nitto NT470 and Toyo Spectrum. Anyone had experience with either of these tires? This car is only driven about 6k miles per year.
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    Just looking for something cheap since this car is driven very little. My other cars have Michelins.
  • lowmlowm Member Posts: 2
    Wal-Mart sells Douglas tires mad by Kelly Springfield very cheap. I have had good results with them too.
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    The X-One's will probably last about twice as long if that is important to you. Go to tirerack.com and read the reviews. Great tire, IMO.
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    type in <-i-> except without the -'s.
    Then you have italics. Now how do you get the ^%*&%%^* htings off?
  • robin2570robin2570 Member Posts: 2
    I have heard of this product that balances tires for the life of the tire, and will help with vibration. I was also told that you had to live with vibration. The company says that it is caused by force variation. Got me. Anyone know anything about this new product?
  • mitch23mitch23 Member Posts: 3
    Hi folks,

    I've got a 98 Mazda 626 with about 28K miles. The factory tires do extremely poorly in rain and snow (I live in Wisconsin), so I need advice on picking up some good snow/rain tires. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

    Thanks
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    12 suggested tire models. Then what are you going to do? Make us argue about them for weeks?
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    of the picture? Tirerack.com has a lot of info on dedicated snow tires.

    As far as all season tires, I bought several different sets of the Michelin X-ones (or plus) for various vehicles. They won't be as good as real snow tires but for all other conditions they are excellent. They have decent steering response (better than GY LS) and are long wearing (2X the GY LS). And you can't argue about Michelin quality.

    They are available at the warehouse clubs (Costco, BJ, Sams).
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    Are they like rings or disks that you sandwhich behind the rim?
  • nstan2nstan2 Member Posts: 1
    Any recommendations for snow tires that would be a good match for a 2001 Lexus GS300. Also, the
    owner's manual states that if snow tires are used, they should be mounted on all four wheels.
    Suggestions/comments would be appreciated.
  • robin2570robin2570 Member Posts: 2
    There are several tire balancing items. There are rings, poweders. The powders are new, but seem to be making alot of people think.
  • lemblylembly Member Posts: 2
    I'm looking for replacements for the original equipment Michelin Energy MXV4 PLUS. I would like to upgrade for better handling, less noise (tar strips)and decent snow/ice performance (Wisconsin winters).

    Two possibilties are the Dunlop D60 A2 JLB and the Michelin Pilot XGT H4. Also any recommendations for "Plus" sizing for this car with the stock alloy wheels?

    Any Ideas?
  • vac23vac23 Member Posts: 118
    My first chioce would be the Michelin Pilot XGT H4. I'm lokking to get those for my '99 Galant GTZ, but they are backordered. Check ww.tirerace.com for info on plus sizing.
  • ranasranas Member Posts: 1
    I want to purcahse a 00 or 01 Dakota quad cab 4x2. Although I feel it would look better with tires that are at least 2 inches bigger, as well as raise the vehilce a bit. Is it OK. to do this. Someone please respond.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    You specifically mentioned the tire noise,or slap when riding over tar strips was an annoyance to you and that you want relief from this in a new tire. That is a tough one to cure since the MXV4 energy's are probably the better ones on tar strips.

    Also, going to higher performance tires and plus sizing is probably going to make it worse. I afraid without some specific recommendation that your noise problem can only be solved with those 'old people', soft riding, mushy type of tires.
  • lemblylembly Member Posts: 2
    Try checking at Sears - our local store has these on sale for $77 this week.
  • vac23vac23 Member Posts: 118
    really? How long is this sale going on? Where are you located? When I checked Sears they were asking $115 ea. I'l check with them again. Thanks for the info!
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