Anyone have a recommendation for a smooth riding, quiet tire with good wet/snow traction on a STS?
90% of my driving is now on straight 4 lane highways, so razor sharp handling isn't the priority for me it once was. If I can get it, great, but I won't give up comfort for it.
I currently have Firestone Firehawk SH30's on the car. See my previous posts for my view of them.
It's been a few years since I've been above 110mph for any significant amount of time, so I don't need a V or Z speed rated tire. Anything rated T or better would be fine.
Treadwear isn't a major concern. As in the handling, if a good riding tire happens to have a great treadwear rating, good, but it isn't a priority.
I'm now driving about 35 to 45K per year, almost all highway. Since I spend so much time on the road, I want to be comfortable.
The tire size is 225/60/16. Here are a few that I'm currently considering (in no particular order): Goodyear Aquatread 3 (T speed rated and has excellent ratings/comments at Tirerack.com) Bridgestone Turanza Revo series (H, V and Z speeds with good to excellent ratings) Several different Michelins (all in the XGT series, not rated very well at Tirerack, but highly recommended in the Seville forum)
I'm even considering trying a 'tire store' brand. We have a couple of 'Big O' tires stores here that have a tire called 'Legacy Tour Plus' available in various speed ratings. I've spoken to 2 people that have them, and they love the tire, claiming it's the smoothest, quietest tire they've ever had and that it has excellent rain and good snow traction.
The only reason I'd ever even consider a store brand tire is that they have a 100% refund guarentee on it. If I don't like it, I can have them removed and get my money back, or apply the money toward a different tire. Since they also carry Michelin and Goodyear, and they're the local recommended installer for tires purchased at Tirerack.com, I'm thinking of giving them a try. Any and all opinions regarding Big O or their tires would be welcome.
One other question: Does anyone know if a 225/65/16 tire will fit on the 95 STS? The increased sidewall height should make the ride even better, at the price of a little steering responsiveness.
Please note: I'm not a 'blue hair' that got talked into the wrong car. I'm 39 and have had this car for 3 years. The STS (even with the Firestones) rides and handles better than any other car I've owned, and I love the power! I intend to keep this car until it's worn out, but at 101K I've had no problems (well, I did have to replace the water pump belt) it doesn't use/leak any oil (down less than 1/2 quart at the regular 5000 mile changes I do) and it's still almost like new inside and out. Even the melted M&M's, and spilled fruit juice from my 3 and 4 year olds have wiped right off the leather seats. :-)
The type of driving I do has changed in this past year; instead of spending about 75% of my time on twisting 2 lane roads in southern Missouri, I'm now doing about 90% straight highway miles and I'm looking for a tire to match the change.
Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to make sure everyone understood what I was looking for before making a recomendation.
1. Michelin Energy MXV4+. It will do everything you need it to and has it's priorities the same as yours. Prolly the best choice for someone who wants a tire that's smooth, comfy, a bit sporty, and give long mileage. Comes in H and V.
2. I've heard good things about the Bridgestone Turanza Revo. So I'll rank them #2.
3. Michelin X-One. Does most everything well but sacrifices sportiness and responsiveness for long tread life. Not speed rated.
I think you need H-rated at a minimum and strongly suggest V-rated. It's not about speed. It's about construction quality and design. It's about superior materials used in the speed rated tire. Your STS is a heavy car with most of its weight over the front two tires. It's even more important on the Caddy to have top-notch tires as the suspension design will put incredible stress and pressure on the front two. I'm willing to bet that a speed rated tire will even last longer.
Ah, the Big-O Legacy Tour Plus. I had these on my vehicle for a while. Let's just say I didn't go back to them again. They wore down quite quickly, and squealed easier, especially towards the end of the life (and I was very conservative as far as how much tread was left too!). Smooth, yup. Quiet, not so much so IMHO.
Bret's suggestions seem to be great. Consumer Reports gave the MXV4+ a good rating for snow performance considering that it is an all-season touring tire. FWIW, MB uses these (V-rated version) tires for their C-class, E-class, and S-class sedans.
Good luck! Drew Host Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
yurakm Thank you for your help. It seems that most of the survey top models do not come in my size.
namfflow Thank you too. I think you're speaking about the Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloce which does not come in my size. It snows here in the Northwest, some years more than others, and as you suggest it doesn't snow so much as to need dedicated snow tires.
Yes, my Malibu tires are standard size, 215/60-15.
I have no idea how to explain the difference in the tires behaviour. It can be related to suspension, weight of car per axle, tire inflation, and/or miriad of other reasons.
I do not think the pure difference in size does matter so much. However, according to Firestone, the 225/60-16 size is the largest available with SH-30:
and extremalities are often revealing hidden bugs. The same with the unusually high weight of your car.
Concerning the weight distribution: I am inflating the Malibu tires to 32 psi front / 29 rear. The difference between front and rear pressure was recommended by GM, and, in my experience, is important with sharp turns at higher speed. I only added 3 psi both front and rear.
The most strange for me is bad resistance to hydroplaning when your tires were new. Practically all tires resist hydroplaning well when new, i.e. while the tread is deep; additionally, the SH-30 thread pattern have deep and wide groves.
I want to thank you for the info. It is very useful for me personally. I planned to buy SH-30 when it will be time to junk the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS currently installed on my other car, Buick Regal. However, the tires are of the same size, 225/60-16. With the information you provided, most probably will buy something else. Possibly, the new Bridgestone Potenza RE950.
Yurakm said: The most strange for me is bad resistance to hydroplaning when your tires were new. Practically all tires resist hydroplaning well when new, i.e. while the tread is deep; additionally, the SH-30 thread pattern have deep and wide groves.
I can't explain it either. About 1 month after the SH-30's were put on, I was cruising (if I remember right, I was doing about 70mph) down an Interstate during a moderate rainstorm. Suddenly the front end wasn't connected to the road anymore. The traction control kicked in and I thought "that must have been a deep puddle that I didn't see." But it kept happening where ever there was a little standing water.
If the road is just wet with no puddles, the tires are fine. Dry steering response and cornering is good (except the tires seem to squeal a little earlier than I'd expect) but straight ahead traction, both acceleration and braking, is less than what I was used to.
I run them at 33lbs, both front and rear, which is what Cadillac recommends. Since they are wearing evenly, I haven't experimented with different pressures.
I wonder if the 10mm increase in width might be a factor. Maybe the side sipes are large enough to shed water from a 215mm but not quite big enough for 225? Any tire engineers out there that can shed some light on this?
A couple of people have mentioned the weight and/or the weight distribution on the STS. While it is a fairly heavy car at around 4000lbs, I do computer networks, and normally carry 300 to 500 lbs of routers, UPS's, spare PC parts, manuals, etc. around in the trunk/back seat, so it's not as front heavy as most people assume. Even with all this weight, I still average over 22 mpg. It's been as low as 15 mpg with a heavy foot in the twisty stuff, and as high as 27 mpg on straight and level 2 lane roads - with a lot of cops around.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. It is appreciated. And although you've been here over 5 years, welcome to the US!
Bretfraz, Thanks again. Nitto did have the nt450 in my size. V-rated like the ones I have, so I'll have 4 new ones soon. Time will tell how they hold out. In So. Cal, I can't even be assured of a decent rainy season.
last week i found a roofing nail in the tread near the shoulder of a new pirelli supersport 7000 m+ s . the mercedes dealer would not repair a z rated tire. I bought a new tire, i would like to repair with a patch and be able to use this tire as a spare only in the future. is this a big mistake?? i hate to throw a $200 tire away. thanks roger
It is hard to say if it is repairable. It depends on where in the shoulder it is. If it is more in the tread area it might be. More toward the sidewall, forget it.
I would take the tire to a Mich delaer in your area that has a good rep and have them inspect the tire and give you an answer.
I drove my 78 Dodge Magnum on 4 215/75R15 Goodyear tires with patched sidewalls in maybe 1984 or 1985 or so. They were slashed on Cape Cod on the 4th of July when I was in college, had no money, and sometimes no insurance. I probably put over 25,000 miles on them, many of those miles over 90 MPH!
I don't recommend this, however.
Then again, I'd take that over a "donut" spare any day of the week!
Can anyone recommend a good all-season tire that is pretty quiet for my Honda CR-V. I've done a lot of sound deadening to vehicle but tire noise is pretty noticable at highway speeds. I was looking at Michelin Symetry. Any comments, suggestions?
If you're wanting a quiet tire at a great price I'd recommend Yokohama Avid Tourings. I bought a set of Avid Touring tires for my wifes van, and liked them so much I bought a set for my vehicle too. They are by far the smoothest and quietest tires I've driven on, and from my experience they get great traction in the rain and do not hydroplane at all. I haven't had a chance to test them out in snow yet, but from the comments at Tire Rack, they're supposed to be good in snow too. Several of the comments were from people who had Michelins and switched to the Avid Tourings and like them better than the Michelins. The price is also great, they were $42 a piece for 205/70-15s at Tire Rack.
I have them on my 96 Sable, 225/60-15 (33psi). They are the best tire I've run. I've had Googyear GT+4 (loud and very poor wear), Michelin Energy MXV4 (again, loud and poor wear. My wife got just 35k running around town!), Dunlop D60A2 (just OK). Other than the 'Stones, my favorite tire was the Dunlop D60M2. I don't think they make that one anymore. My Lincoln LS has Firestone Firehawk LH's, 235/50-17, which I also like.
How about the Yokohama db ? I just got a set partly due to the rave reviews on how quiet they are. I will be getting them mounted on Monday and will then be able to give a review of my experience..
I'm looking to replace the tires on my '97 Civic (185/65 14), and since I live in the Midwest I'm looking for a tire with good wet/snow/ice traction capabilities (especially since the Civic isn't a heavy vehicle to begin with). Consumer Reports recommended the BFG Control T/A M65 or the Yokohama Aegis LS4. The BFG's rated slightly higher in snow performance and the Yokohama's slightly higher in wet performance. I've heard that he Yokohama's are a harder cased tire, thereby explaining the slightly lower rating in snow. But will the road noise also be worse with these? If anyone has had any experience with either of these model tires, I would really appreciate hearing your opinions and feedback.
Just an idea: it could be related to overloaded trunk.
The high weight of front hardly can contribute to hydroplaning. Just the opposite: the hydrodynamic lifting force (not sure I used the right English term) depends only on geometry and speed. If the weight is higher than the lifting force, the car will not hydroplaning, if less than will.
However, a load in trunk lifts the front. Possibly, it will be enough with already marginal road conditions: puddles and high speed.
By the way, even big cars often are not designed to high payload. I looked at manual for my Buick Regal, the section "loading". Turned to be, the maximal load permitted for the car, including driver, passengers and freight, is 420kg (925lb). Not so much. Even worse, only 75kg (165lb) can be put in trunk safely; additionally GM recommends to push the freight as deep into trunk as possibly, up to the back of rear seat.
Of course, your car is much bigger than the midsize Buick; however it not necessary translates in substantially higher load capacity. According to the following article in NY Times, Neon have total load capacity of 865 lbs, while Buick LeSabre 1075 lbs.
Anyone have any experience with Michelin Pilot Alpin tires for winter snow/slush/ice driving? I am thinking of buying a set with new wheels just for the long Minnesota winters. My P5 currently has 195/50R-16's on. I have found a good deal on the Pilot Alpin's with new rims at Discounttiredirect.com. The one thing I don't like is that I need to step up in tire width to 205/55R-15's. Droping to the 15" rims though should help with frozen slush and pot holes.
Reply to kansan...I recently purchased a set of Avid Touring tires in size P1956015 to upgrade from the factory 1857014 Firestone FR690's that came on the car. I mounted them on a set of new Honda 15" rims and chose this size to maintain the same overall diameter as the 14's. I chose this tire after quite a bit of research in Tirerack's website. Initial impressions are that the tires are much better handling than the Firestones and worlds better in the wet...the Firestones aquaplaned if you rode over a patch of spit. On the negative side, they are somewhat harsher riding (no doubt due to the shorter shoulder height) and noticeably noisier on coarse pavement (which we have a lot of here in Michigan...lots of grooved concrete replacing smooth asphalt in our much needed road renovations). All in all I'm happy with my choice.
Thank you for recommending Yokohama Avid Touring tires for my Honda CR-V. High on my priority list was quietness. I got the tires yesterday. They are indeed very quiet. I researched tires at Tirerack.com. There is a lot of data/test results there.
Gkoff, You're welcome for the Yoko Avid Touring recommendation. For the price I think they're the best for my minivan. I thought about spending $25 more per tire and getting Aquatred 3's as they had a little better wet traction rating, but decided for that extra $100 (set of 4 tires) I probably would not notice the difference in the rain, and the Yoko's were rated better for comfort and noise, which I will notice every day I drive. Plus, I've had bad past experiances with Goodyear tires.
Tlindeman, You're the first one I've heard who thought the Avid Tourings are noisy. On most the roads I drive I can't hear any tire/road noise. If the road is grooved in preparation for new asphalt or has rain grooves there is some noise, but not as much as I had with other tires.
Yokohama Avid Touring tires sound like a great choice for replacement tires on my Honda CR-V but I have not seen any comments regarding how they handle in the Snow. Also no mention about snow handling in any of the reviews at Tirerack.com. Appreciate any feedback before a final decision
You can find infor on snow performance for these tires at tirerack.com. From their Home page go to TIRES. Then select BROWSE BY PERFORMANCE CATEGORY. Then select STANDARD TOURING. You can click on each tire for test results or select CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS for a complete list to compare.
Although the Avid Touring are about mid-range (GOOD) in Snow rating, they rate even higher in all other categories.
My personal opinion is that with a CR-V four wheel drive, you don't have to worry as much about getting the highest rating on Snow performance. For the price and other high scores, you can't beat this tire.
on post #768, you mentioned Falken. Will you tell me your experience with them regarding dry/wet/snow handling and mileage? Also, were they the 502 series for cars or a SUV tire? Thanks.
I'm considering either Falken ZE 502 or Dunlop SP Sport A2 as replacements for OE Bridgestone RE 92. Jim
I don't remember what series the ones I had were. It was a few years back. They were 215/60-14. They cost about 80 bucks each at discount. They tires looked like they were up to the task but the handling was no where near what I expected. In the wet they sucked big time. Mileage, I traded the car in after the tires had 25K on them and they still had plenty of meat. I would have expected about 40 to 50K.if I kept it. As to snow handling, I am never in snow so I can't give an opinion in this area. They were supposed to be all season performance tires. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Oh BTW, the tires were on a Plymouth Acclaim Turbo so the tires should have outperformed the car, not my experience though.
Hello, I'm considering getting the Goodyear Aquatred 3's as replacements. I've been told what makes them such a good rain tire is exactly what should make them a bad tire in the snow. If anyone has had real-life experience with these in snow and on ice, I would appreciate reading your post. Thanks, Joe
Actually, my understanding is the opposite. The design of the Aquatread and tires like it provide for good snow traction. When I lived in Chicago I saw lots of cars with Aquatread's on them, not for rain traction but for snow.
Ask around. Look at other car's tires. How many Aquatread's do you see? Look at the GY Eagle Ultra-Grip and compare to the Aquatread's design.
On Tire Rack.com, the only tires that have better survey results in snow traction are the Michelin Symmetry and Bridgestone BT70s. And there aren't enough consumer responses yet to make a reasonable judgement.
I have a new 4cy. accord with mxv4's.Since purchasing the car I believe it has a unsettled feel about it's handleing.It does not wander,it tracks well but, when you must make a steering correction the vehicle seems to over correct with the need to correct in the opposite direction.The dealer made a correction in toe in with little effect.I now have 4000 miles on the odom. and things are improving somewhat but,it's not the weighted feel of other accords I've driven.The Honda rep. could detect nothing,embarrassingly the problem seemed minimal that day.Seems to me there must still be an alignment problem. Was impressed with your answers on other problems and would appreciate your input.
I'm going to need to replace my Dunlop SP 4000's soon. The only thing that I really like about the tires was that they have a fairly quiet ride but tread wear is not good at all. What would be a good replacement that offers a quiet ride and good tread wear? The tires are 205/65/R15's.
I'm not the tireguy, but I do have MXV4's on my car (VW Jetta). My car also tracks straight, but I have never had the overcorrection problem you're talking about, except in rare cases if you make a large, sudden steering input (enough to cause tire squeal). Along those lines, these tires tend to sing if you make any sudden inputs--acceleration, braking or steering. Does the Accord have speed-sensitive power steering? It could be overboosted at high speeds (or at all speeds). Hope this helps.
Some people seem to be replacing the Dunlops SP4000s (which I didn't find to be too good in anything more than light snow) with Michelin Energy MXV4+ tires, which are Consumer Reports top rated all-season touring tires.
Drew Host Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
If you want quiet, try the Michelin Symmetry. The Michelin X-One is also pretty quiet and has very good tread life.
I have the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus and think they are an excellent all-around tire. Somewhat sportier than the two mentioned above.
The Goodyear Aquatread 3 will be very good in 4 season weather and give long tread life. The Eagle LS gives a smooth, quiet ride at the expense of tread life.
I've heard good things about the Bridgestone BT70s but don't know for sure how quiet they are.
I have a 97 Maxima SE with Goodyear RSA tires from the factory, size 215 55 r16. It's time to replace them (63,000), but since it is my wife's car she does not need the speed rating of performance tires, she is more interested in a smoother/ quieter ride and rain/snow traction (live in Chicago)than the Goodyears. I know a lot of the ride quality has to do with the size of the tires, can I change the size at all? What would some good alternitive tires for better ride quality? I have been looking at: Mich- MXV4+ not that highly rated for snow traction at Tirerack. Cont.- CH95 same rating as the Mich at Tirerack Bridg.- Turanza Revo- Ok rating Dunlop- Winter Sport M2- great rating but in their snow tire catagory If anyone can give me some help I would greatly appreciate it!
Yes, tire design plays a big part in ride quality. But you have a performance sedan that has a stiffer than usual suspension. To get the most out of that car you need a performance-type tire. That was the RSA.
You could go to 215/60-16 or 225/60-16. That will give you a taller sidewall and more cushioning over bumps. But you will need to ask a pro if the taller tire will rub the fenderwells or strut tower.
The Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus is a more luxury-oriented tire and might do the job you need. The Bridgestone is a competitor. Can't tell you too much about the Conti.
Personally, I always feel it is a mistake to differ from the mfr's direction. If Nissan says "215/55-16" then that's the right choice. Maybe go a little wider but that's all.
The only tire I can think of that does what you want is the Michelin X-One. Closest size is 215/60-16.
I'm interested in replacing my current Firestone with Michelin Symmetry for more ride comfort. I'm just wondering if anyone would comment on Symmetry's winter traction capability. I looked up the sites on Symmetry and it seems pretty good for my intention. Thanks.
I am new to this board so please forgive me if this question has been asked before. I need to replace the tires on my 6000lbs travel trailer. I know that I have to use "ST" tires but would I use radial or bias ply? Both are available in the ST designation. Also what are the reliable brands. I have heard of: Goodyear, Carlise, Titan, Maxxis, and Nanco. Has anyone had any experience with these brands or other brands? Any opinions? Any info would be most appreciated. Thanks
I'm new to this site, but peruse the 300m Town Hall often. The "Bad-years" on my 2000 model have 24000 miles and I would like to replace these noisy specimens. I understand the Michelin MXV4+ may be the tire of choice for this application. What is the recommendation from the knowledgible tire community? I live in the snow country, so that is a definite consideration when replacing tires. Thanks much for your comments Kzrsix
Many manufactures produce tires under different names and sell them through parts stores, discount chains, etc. My bro-in-law sells Remington tires, which he says are made by Dunlop.
Wal-Mart sells a brand called Douglas. Does anyone know if this name has a parent company? Are they considered good quality?
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90% of my driving is now on straight 4 lane highways, so razor sharp handling isn't the priority for me it once was. If I can get it, great, but I won't give up comfort for it.
I currently have Firestone Firehawk SH30's on the car. See my previous posts for my view of them.
It's been a few years since I've been above 110mph for any significant amount of time, so I don't need a V or Z speed rated tire. Anything rated T or better would be fine.
Treadwear isn't a major concern. As in the handling, if a good riding tire happens to have a great treadwear rating, good, but it isn't a priority.
I'm now driving about 35 to 45K per year, almost all highway. Since I spend so much time on the road, I want to be comfortable.
The tire size is 225/60/16. Here are a few that I'm currently considering (in no particular order):
Goodyear Aquatread 3 (T speed rated and has excellent ratings/comments at Tirerack.com)
Bridgestone Turanza Revo series (H, V and Z speeds with good to excellent ratings)
Several different Michelins (all in the XGT series, not rated very well at Tirerack, but highly recommended in the Seville forum)
I'm even considering trying a 'tire store' brand. We have a couple of 'Big O' tires stores here that have a tire called 'Legacy Tour Plus' available in various speed ratings. I've spoken to 2 people that have them, and they love the tire, claiming it's the smoothest, quietest tire they've ever had and that it has excellent rain and good snow traction.
The only reason I'd ever even consider a store brand tire is that they have a 100% refund guarentee on it. If I don't like it, I can have them removed and get my money back, or apply the money toward a different tire. Since they also carry Michelin and Goodyear, and they're the local recommended installer for tires purchased at Tirerack.com, I'm thinking of giving them a try. Any and all opinions regarding Big O or their tires would be welcome.
One other question: Does anyone know if a 225/65/16 tire will fit on the 95 STS? The increased sidewall height should make the ride even better, at the price of a little steering responsiveness.
Please note: I'm not a 'blue hair' that got talked into the wrong car. I'm 39 and have had this car for 3 years. The STS (even with the Firestones) rides and handles better than any other car I've owned, and I love the power! I intend to keep this car until it's worn out, but at 101K I've had no problems (well, I did have to replace the water pump belt) it doesn't use/leak any oil (down less than 1/2 quart at the regular 5000 mile changes I do) and it's still almost like new inside and out. Even the melted M&M's, and spilled fruit juice from my 3 and 4 year olds have wiped right off the leather seats. :-)
The type of driving I do has changed in this past year; instead of spending about 75% of my time on twisting 2 lane roads in southern Missouri, I'm now doing about 90% straight highway miles and I'm looking for a tire to match the change.
Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to make sure everyone understood what I was looking for before making a recomendation.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
1. Michelin Energy MXV4+. It will do everything you need it to and has it's priorities the same as yours. Prolly the best choice for someone who wants a tire that's smooth, comfy, a bit sporty, and give long mileage. Comes in H and V.
2. I've heard good things about the Bridgestone Turanza Revo. So I'll rank them #2.
3. Michelin X-One. Does most everything well but sacrifices sportiness and responsiveness for long tread life. Not speed rated.
I think you need H-rated at a minimum and strongly suggest V-rated. It's not about speed. It's about construction quality and design. It's about superior materials used in the speed rated tire. Your STS is a heavy car with most of its weight over the front two tires. It's even more important on the Caddy to have top-notch tires as the suspension design will put incredible stress and pressure on the front two. I'm willing to bet that a speed rated tire will even last longer.
Let's see what others suggest.
Bret's suggestions seem to be great. Consumer Reports gave the MXV4+ a good rating for snow performance considering that it is an all-season touring tire. FWIW, MB uses these (V-rated version) tires for their C-class, E-class, and S-class sedans.
Good luck!
Drew
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Thank you for your help. It seems that most of the survey top models do not come in my size.
namfflow
Thank you too. I think you're speaking about the Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloce which does not come in my size. It snows here in the Northwest, some years more than others, and as you suggest it doesn't snow so much as to need dedicated snow tires.
I have no idea how to explain the difference in the tires behaviour. It can be related to suspension, weight of car per axle, tire inflation, and/or miriad of other reasons.
I do not think the pure difference in size does matter so much. However, according to Firestone, the 225/60-16 size is the largest available with SH-30:
http://www.bridgestone-usa.com/products/fhsh30tec.htm
and extremalities are often revealing hidden bugs. The same with the unusually high weight of your car.
Concerning the weight distribution: I am inflating the Malibu tires to 32 psi front / 29 rear. The difference between front and rear pressure was recommended by GM, and, in my experience, is important with sharp turns at higher speed. I only added 3 psi both front and rear.
The most strange for me is bad resistance to hydroplaning when your tires were new. Practically all tires resist hydroplaning well when new, i.e. while the tread is deep; additionally, the SH-30 thread pattern have deep and wide groves.
I want to thank you for the info. It is very useful for me personally. I planned to buy SH-30 when it will be time to junk the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS currently installed on my other car, Buick Regal. However, the tires are of the same size, 225/60-16. With the information you provided, most probably will buy something else. Possibly, the new Bridgestone Potenza RE950.
Thank you so much.
I have them on my 95 Jag (Which I dont even drive anymore!) and I am very impressed.
Bill
The most strange for me is bad resistance to hydroplaning when your tires were new. Practically all tires resist hydroplaning well when new, i.e. while the tread is deep; additionally, the SH-30 thread pattern have deep and wide groves.
I can't explain it either. About 1 month after the SH-30's were put on, I was cruising (if I remember right, I was doing about 70mph) down an Interstate during a moderate rainstorm. Suddenly the front end wasn't connected to the road anymore. The traction control kicked in and I thought "that must have been a deep puddle that I didn't see." But it kept happening where ever there was a little standing water.
If the road is just wet with no puddles, the tires are fine. Dry steering response and cornering is good (except the tires seem to squeal a little earlier than I'd expect) but straight ahead traction, both acceleration and braking, is less than what I was used to.
I run them at 33lbs, both front and rear, which is what Cadillac recommends. Since they are wearing evenly, I haven't experimented with different pressures.
I wonder if the 10mm increase in width might be a factor. Maybe the side sipes are large enough to shed water from a 215mm but not quite big enough for 225? Any tire engineers out there that can shed some light on this?
A couple of people have mentioned the weight and/or the weight distribution on the STS. While it is a fairly heavy car at around 4000lbs, I do computer networks, and normally carry 300 to 500 lbs of routers, UPS's, spare PC parts, manuals, etc. around in the trunk/back seat, so it's not as front heavy as most people assume. Even with all this weight, I still average over 22 mpg. It's been as low as 15 mpg with a heavy foot in the twisty stuff, and as high as 27 mpg on straight and level 2 lane roads - with a lot of cops around.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. It is appreciated. And although you've been here over 5 years, welcome to the US!
Nitto did have the nt450 in my size. V-rated like the ones I have, so I'll have 4 new ones soon.
Time will tell how they hold out. In So. Cal, I can't even be assured of a decent rainy season.
Enjoy the tires!
I had convinced myself to but the Potenza RE950s but could not pass up:
- $50 rebate from Sam's
- Motorola promotion from Michelin
- Sam's road hazard warranty included in $9 installation
So with the rebate, the installed total came to $330 + tax, not bad at all, especially considering the warranty is included.
By the way, Sam's does not stock that many styles and sizes of tires, but you can order pretty much anything from the manufacturers it carries.
And a great Flash intro on their website. I'd buy a set just for that!
I would take the tire to a Mich delaer in your area that has a good rep and have them inspect the tire and give you an answer.
I don't recommend this, however.
Then again, I'd take that over a "donut" spare any day of the week!
Thanks
YOKOHAMA:
205/55VR15 87V SL AVID-V4
or
195/55TR15 84T SL AVID-T4
or if someone has a better tire in mind, please advise.
Thanks!
Also check out the Michelin X-One and Goodyear Aquatread 3. Both have good reputations for 4 season performance.
Just an idea: it could be related to overloaded trunk.
The high weight of front hardly can contribute to hydroplaning. Just the opposite: the hydrodynamic lifting force (not sure I used the right English term) depends only on geometry and speed. If the weight is higher than the lifting force, the car will not hydroplaning, if less than will.
However, a load in trunk lifts the front. Possibly, it will be enough with already marginal road conditions: puddles and high speed.
By the way, even big cars often are not designed to high payload. I looked at manual for my Buick Regal, the section "loading". Turned to be, the maximal load permitted for the car, including driver, passengers and freight, is 420kg (925lb). Not so much. Even worse, only 75kg (165lb) can be put in trunk safely; additionally GM recommends to push the freight as deep into trunk as possibly, up to the back of rear seat.
Of course, your car is much bigger than the midsize Buick; however it not necessary translates in substantially higher load capacity. According to the following article in NY Times, Neon have total load capacity of 865 lbs, while Buick LeSabre 1075 lbs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/07/automobiles/07CARS.html and click in the sidebar "Selected cars"
Thanks again for assistance.
You're welcome for the Yoko Avid Touring recommendation. For the price I think they're the best for my minivan. I thought about spending $25 more per tire and getting Aquatred 3's as they had a little better wet traction rating, but decided for that extra $100 (set of 4 tires) I probably would not notice the difference in the rain, and the Yoko's were rated better for comfort and noise, which I will notice every day I drive. Plus, I've had bad past experiances with Goodyear tires.
Tlindeman,
You're the first one I've heard who thought the Avid Tourings are noisy. On most the roads I drive I can't hear any tire/road noise. If the road is grooved in preparation for new asphalt or has rain grooves there is some noise, but not as much as I had with other tires.
Appreciate any feedback before a final decision
Although the Avid Touring are about mid-range (GOOD) in Snow rating, they rate even higher in all other categories.
My personal opinion is that with a CR-V four wheel drive, you don't have to worry as much about getting the highest rating on Snow performance. For the price and other high scores, you can't beat this tire.
I'm considering either Falken ZE 502 or Dunlop SP Sport A2 as replacements for OE Bridgestone RE 92.
Jim
Sorry I couldn't be more help. Oh BTW, the tires were on a Plymouth Acclaim Turbo so the tires should have outperformed the car, not my experience though.
I'm considering getting the Goodyear Aquatred 3's as replacements. I've been told what makes them such a good rain tire is exactly what should make them a bad tire in the snow. If anyone has had real-life experience with these in snow and on ice, I would appreciate reading your post.
Thanks,
Joe
Ask around. Look at other car's tires. How many Aquatread's do you see? Look at the GY Eagle Ultra-Grip and compare to the Aquatread's design.
On Tire Rack.com, the only tires that have better survey results in snow traction are the Michelin Symmetry and Bridgestone BT70s. And there aren't enough consumer responses yet to make a reasonable judgement.
Jim
Thanks
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
I have the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus and think they are an excellent all-around tire. Somewhat sportier than the two mentioned above.
The Goodyear Aquatread 3 will be very good in 4 season weather and give long tread life. The Eagle LS gives a smooth, quiet ride at the expense of tread life.
I've heard good things about the Bridgestone BT70s but don't know for sure how quiet they are.
Mich- MXV4+ not that highly rated for snow traction at Tirerack.
Cont.- CH95 same rating as the Mich at Tirerack
Bridg.- Turanza Revo- Ok rating
Dunlop- Winter Sport M2- great rating but in their snow tire catagory
If anyone can give me some help I would greatly appreciate it!
Yes, tire design plays a big part in ride quality. But you have a performance sedan that has a stiffer than usual suspension. To get the most out of that car you need a performance-type tire. That was the RSA.
You could go to 215/60-16 or 225/60-16. That will give you a taller sidewall and more cushioning over bumps. But you will need to ask a pro if the taller tire will rub the fenderwells or strut tower.
The Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus is a more luxury-oriented tire and might do the job you need. The Bridgestone is a competitor. Can't tell you too much about the Conti.
Personally, I always feel it is a mistake to differ from the mfr's direction. If Nissan says "215/55-16" then that's the right choice. Maybe go a little wider but that's all.
The only tire I can think of that does what you want is the Michelin X-One. Closest size is 215/60-16.
Thanks much for your comments
Kzrsix
Wal-Mart sells a brand called Douglas. Does anyone know if this name has a parent company? Are they considered good quality?