Compendium of Tire Reviews: Please sticky

Winter/Daily:

 

#1) What tire are you offering for review (size, model, type (summer, A/s, winter, race, etc), price paid, miles driven on tires, etc): Bridgestone Potenza 960AS (Pole Position) 225/45/17; I paid $169 per tire (including mounting and balancing)

 

#2) What is your geographic location: NY/NJ/PA

 

#3) What types of driving events if any (Track, AutoX, Commute , etc): Daily Winter tire

 

#4) Percent of highway vs. city driving: 75% highway 25% city

 

#5) Tires used previously: Crappy RE92's

 

#6) Your review and personal comments (Dry, wet, and snow, if applicable. Also, please compare to other tires used): Didn't get to drive these in snow yet as I just got them a few days ago, but they are a huge improvement over stock!

 

 

 

Summer/Daily/Autocross:

 

#1) What tire are you offering for review (size, model, type (summer, A/s, winter, race, etc), price paid, miles driven on tires, etc): Kumho Ecsta XS 245/35/18 (18x8.5" wheels to accommodate); I put about 7,000 miles on these and am guessing that I would get a total of about 12 or 13k miles out of these because of the low treadwear rating. I paid $186 per tire (including mounting and balancing)

 

#2) What is your geographic location: NY/NJ/PA

 

#3) What types of driving events if any (Track, AutoX, Commute , etc): Daily Summer tire and Autocross

 

#4) Percent of highway vs. city driving: 75% highway 25% city

 

#5) Tires used previously: Crappy RE92's

 

#6) Your review and personal comments (Dry, wet, and snow, if applicable. Also, please compare to other tires used): These are amazing in the dry but can get a little loose in the wet, excellent summer tire that does see the track and a great price!! I would consider buying these again. I was looking at the Dunlop Starspecs and it was a tough decision between the two.

Edited February 20, 2010 by rnstein69

For cost savings sake, I might just go the A/S route for the next two years. The Michelin's Pilot Sports seem to get great reviews. Where have you found the best price(s) for this tire?

 

Anybody else have any great experience with an A/S that has not been mentioned. I have been spoiled with summer tire performance for the past two years

 

 

 

I've been running the Pilot Sport A/S Plus for about 8K now. Currently 9/32nds still on them and riding like the day I bought them. I was previously a die hard Bridgestone Potenza fan. So much, years ago, I bought a brand new BMW with Goodyears on it, didn't leave the dealership with it until they put the Bridgestones I brought with me on it. I can say I love these tires. Great handling wet, dry and snow (recently tested at 8" w/ ice underneath) and they were phenomenal.

 

I'm amazingly impressed that at 8K on the tires and have burned off only 2/32nds. Granted I don't drive like I used to, I've pretty much always driven my Spec B like Grandma (but I do know where the tires will break loose), however at 60K on the car, the Mich's are the 4th.. yes. the 4th set of tires on the car. Do keep in mind though, I believe the tires and brakes are the one place you SHOULD spend a good bit of money on. And I replace my tires at 4/32nds. Why cheap out on the two things (other than your reaction time) that are the most critical when you are talking about personal safety. As well as the two most helpful things on your car that will keep you from wrecking as well.

For cost savings sake, I might just go the A/S route for the next two years. The Michelin's Pilot Sports seem to get great reviews. Where have you found the best price(s) for this tire?

 

Anybody else have any great experience with an A/S that has not been mentioned. I have been spoiled with summer tire performance for the past two years

 

I switched from the BFG KDWs (I've used both first and second gens) which I really liked. They had sharp and precise turning with as much predictable communicative grip as I am able to deal with. They were a bit on the noisy/howly side which was annoying at times but they did deliver 30K-35K life.

 

I find myself driving the Sube in heavy rain at times and occasionally in light to medium snow so I decided to switch to A/S tires. I picked the Goodyear Eagle GTs based mostly on the Tire Rack test results, very few TR negative reviews, and the bang-for-buck tradeoff. Although they don't have the ultimate grip of the BFGs, I'm not driving for timing and scoring. I like their handling. They are pretty crisp and precise at turn in. They still have very good grip and they are communicative and predictable. Certain freeway surfaces (generally longitudinal grooving) will make them growl (as opposed to howl) a bit, but they are generally quiet (much quieter than the BFGs). I would definitely buy them again (unless of course something else gets my attention).

Sumitomo Htr + Kumho icepower kw21's. Bfg kdw II's

heres what i got so far the the leggy.

 

Foxboro Ma

commute

60 hw 40 cty

sumitomo htr +

KW 21's

For a last minute snow tire these worked out pretty good. tread pattern isnt agressive, by any means but they keep you planted, quiet ride, deep slush can get a little loose. just be careful. after about 15k on them will def last another 2-3 winters.

 

Sumitomo htr +

came on the car with about 5-6/32nds when i bought it. for a cheaper performance tire they were pretty good. good dry/ wet traction. After about 12-15K they were loud and cupping

 

I put the Kdw's on today as a new summer tire.Already within 115 miles I love them. unbelieveable grip .. but these tires are so fu*king loud. both inside the car and with the window down. from dead stop to about 60ish its loud around 80 it starts to quite down.. I know they were going to be loud by some reviews on here but it sounds like blown out wheel bearings. suggestions on pressures? running 38/f 36/r will adjust and see what works best.

 

FISHBONE- its funny you say that about the F1 A/S i ran those on my gp gxp and had the same issue with the tire wear. Never new about the secret recall, i just chalked it up to staggered sizes

Reviewed Tire: Continental ContiExtreme DW (215/45 ZR-17 XL) -- summer max performance

 

Location: Northern Virginia

 

Use: Daily driver/roadtrip/familymobile -- mostly suburban driving, with a good roadtrip element thrown in every summer

 

Previous tires: OEM Bridgestone RE92

 

 

Well, I'm taking advantage of Continental's 60-day test drive and I'm returning them to the Tire Rack. They are just too damned loud! I'm getting a set of Bridgestone RE760s to replace them.

 

This is what's strange: I also have a set of the exact same tires in a different size and with a different load rating on my 2001 VW GTI and they work great there -- no complaints at all. Don't know if there is significantly more sound insulation in the VW, if the different load rating somehow makes a difference, or if I have a defective tire (or tires) on the Scooby.

 

Whatever it is, the tires are so loud it reminds me of when my rear wheel bearing went bad last summer. I was hoping that breaking them in a bit might help, but after a month of using them they have gotten no better. The last straw was last weekend taking my four-year-old daughter on a minor road trip with her portable DVD player, and she couldn't hear it even with the volume turned all the way up. This is my daily driver/roadtrip/familymobile so that's just no good.

 

Otherwise, they performed just fine. Excellent grip dry or wet and a firm but perfectly reasonable ride. Just wish they weren't so loud.

Edited April 27, 2010 by RuhRoh!

#1) What tire are you offering for review: Toyo Proxes 4 (215/45/17) Paid $124.00 per tire at Town Fair Tire. I wanted 225's but they were not in stock and I have no patience.

 

#2) What is your geographic location: Southern New Hampshire

 

#3) What types of driving events if any: None

 

#4) Percent of highway vs. city driving: 95% country back roads with about 4 minutes of highway everyday.

 

#5) Tires used previously: Stock RE92, Nexen N3000

 

#6) Your review and personal comments: These are for summer only. I use Blizzak's in the winter. I have had the tires for about 1500 miles and I'm very impressed. I have pushed the car to the edge of my comfort level and it just begs for more. I have not managed to break traction in wet or dry weather.

 

The down side: Once I get above 60mph on the highway they sound like truck tires. I think my Blizzaks make less noise. Between the Thule bike rack and the Toyo's I sound like a 747 ready to lift off. But the sound system solves that problem. The other downside; they are very soft and sticky so I don't expect to get many miles out of them. I knew that in advance though.

#1) My new summer tires, Hankook Ventus V12 EVO K110 (225/40/18)

 

#2) Northeast a.k.a. sheisty road central

 

#3) commuting, highway, and town probably 50/50

 

#4) driving style is spirited

 

#5) Stock Bridgestone Potenza RE050A 215/45/18

 

#6) Compared to the RE050A's, the Hankooks are a little softer, which I don't mind because the tire makes up for it in tractions. Nice sticky summer compound always find little pebbles stuck to the tread after a good ride. Not as responsive as the Potenza's but definitely quieter and definitely better wet traction. I'm rather satisfied with my choice for summer tires, got the on tire rack for 515 shipped and I'm expecting my $50 rebate in the mail within the next two weeks or so.

#1) Tire: Michelin Pilot Sport Plus A/S, 205/50/17 (Legacy 2.5i, 17x7 wheels)

 

#2) Location: Northeast Maryland

 

#3) Type of driving: Commuting, daily driver

 

#4) Ratio of driving type: 70% highway, 30% city

 

#5) Previous Tire: OEM Yokohama Advan A82s (which were quite a good tire actually imo)

 

#6) Comments/review: These were purchased from Discount Tire online for about 160 each (pricey I know), Michelin did offer a $70 rebate when I purchased them. This is a limited review since I just had them installed today. But wow! I love them. The most significant difference is the decrease in tread noise, my stock tires were approaching 30k and in other reviews that I’ve read, they tend to increase in tread noise towards the end of their life but it was a very significant difference that I noticed in the cabin, between new vs old, I thought my hearing was off haha. Comfort level in my opinion has also improved slightly, tends to absorb road imperfections a little more softly than stock tires. Due to it being late June at the moment, I haven't had a chance to drive it in wet or snow but we'll see. So far, wonderful combination of ride comfort and handling overall, definitely worth the price.

 

edit: have put a few thousand mi on the tires now and they are still working well, now driving the car in Canada, had the chance to see how they performed in the wet and it was very solid. Highly recommend this tire to anyone considering.

 

edit 2: had the chance to try these tires in the snow and contrary to other reviews I've read, these will not suffice for a Canadian winter with the amount of snow and the temperatures here. I would say below 30F these tires will be ineffective in the snow, nevermind the drops to -20F. If you live in warmer climates ie: California and hit up the mountains on the weekend and see some light snow on the way up but with mild winter temperatures, these tires may suffice but definitely not for a full blown onslaught of winter that northern regions would see.

Edited March 28, 2011 by katalyst

Just a quick spot for the bridgestone 960's had extreme sport contacts, toyo proxy, goodyear revision spec c's and of course the re92's and the 960's preform by far the best. Although its all CA driving.... haven't gotten to play in the snow though...

Well I just took off my set of Dunlops so I'll go ahead and review them and hopefully save any of you guys the hassle...

 

#1) What tire are you offering for review (size, model, type (summer, A/s, winter, race, etc), price paid, miles driven on tires, etc):

 

205/50/17 Dunlop Sport Signatures, All Seasons, approx $500 installed back in July of 2008 (purchased from Tire Rack and installed at one of their Installers), 35k miles and they are toast.

 

#2) What is your geographic location:

 

Sierra Nevada (Reno!)

 

#3) What types of driving events if any (Track, AutoX, Commute , etc):

 

My legacy is just a 2.5i so there isn't any racing going on. Primarily commuting but I've done a couple of very spirited runs on some desolate back roads.

 

#4) Percent of highway vs. city driving:

 

Probably 60/40

 

#5) Tires used previously:

 

Stock Yokohama Advan A82a

 

#6) Your review and personal comments (Dry, wet, and snow, if applicable. Also, please compare to other tires used):

 

Well I bought these tires because I've had the old versions (D60, D60 A2, Sport A2's) on many of my previous cars and family's cars and I was always thrilled with them. Thats when I lived in texas. I bought the Subaru after about a year of living in real winter land here, and the factory Yokohamas were just junk. they were bald (evenly so) at 27,000 miles so I did a little research (not enough) and just went with the Dunlops because they seemed to offer a lot of bang for the buck and had 60,000 mile warranty.

 

They were awesome when I bought them. First winter went pretty good and in the dry and wet they were phenominal! Quieter than the Yoko's but I did notice a drop in highway MPG after buying them. With the Yoko's I'd get 31 on a trip easy and after I struggled to maintain 29. After the first winter (10k miles or so) they started getting harder, noisier and the next winter the traction wasn't as good in the snow. Last winter they absolutely sucked. We spun out going 40 on the interstate through a turn and I hit someones pile of tire chains in the snow and they gave right up and we slid head first into a snow bank. We actually got some good down pours this summer and their wet traction was way worse as they wore. In the past few weeks they were all over the place in the wet and they are still above the tread bars too. So after this past weekend of almost crashing in a freak snow while heading over the summit they are gone. We just swapped them for the Conti DWS's today actually. Hoping for much better winter traction!

 

In short... if you live in the south with no snow... great tire. Just don't expecit to last the full 60,000 miles with any kind of driveability left. They get hard stiff, and lose their grip in anything but dry really fast. If you live somewhere that gets considerable rain or snow... stay away unless you can buy new ones every 10k miles.

Edited November 12, 2010 by 06Scooby

Yeah so drove around last night on the new Conti's... I cannot believe how much quieter and smoother the car rides. Steering response is a little sloppy, but its so worth it. Car rides so smooth now... can't wait to try them out in the snow.

HELP>>>Need a response ASAP. There's a set of Falken re-912 for sale that I might pick up. They have roughly 5-7k on them. They are 235/45/17 and I could swoop them up for 175ish. Is this a good deal, and are these some decent tires. Also these will not be ran in the winter. Should I jump on these..Thanks in advance.. Edited November 19, 2010 by i=MCsquared

^Disregard the previous post as the tires had some sidewall issue thus I will not be purchasing them.

#1) What tire are you offering for review (size, model, type (summer, A/s, winter, race, etc), price paid, miles driven on tires, etc): 225/45/17 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus, paid 157, drove 800 miles

 

#2) What is your geographic location: SoCal

 

#3) What types of driving events if any (Track, AutoX, Commute , etc): no events, just commute and fun drives on the weekends

 

#4) Percent of highway vs. city driving: 50/50

 

#5) Tires used previously: stockers, Yokohama S.Drives

 

#6) Your review and personal comments (Dry, wet, and snow, if applicable. Also, please compare to other tires used): This tire is very, very, well rounded. It gives me more dry grip than the stockers but noticeably less than the yokos that I am sad about but expected, better steering response than both, and no tramlining issues. Sidewall is a bit softer than the yokos, but the difference can be reduced by inflating to 40 psi, then the turn-in is a bit better. Ride quality and isolation from road imperfections is by a huge margin better than the yokos and a bit better than stockers. The resistance to hydroplaning is just phenomenal, the wet grip itself may not actually be that high, but there's an undeniable sense that the tread pattern cuts through standing water very effectively. Driving in rain is so stable that I wish that everyone drove with AWD that performed at least as well as ours. The road noise is a bit higher than the yokos, which were amazingly quiet, but still muted. I hope the treadwear is even half as good as the warranty claims because I think they are fantastic. No chance yet to drive on snow.

#1) Falken HS439 "performance winter", 225/55R17, 1k miles

 

#2) Maryland

 

#3) Commute

 

#4) 50/50 highway/city split

 

#5) n/a on current car, Continental ExtremeWinterContacts on previous car for reference

 

#6) Tire is pretty much as billed. Gives dry/wet performance in line with what you'd expect from an allseason tire. In light snow, it performs admirably. Haven't had it out in deep snow but I expect it to perform poorly. The tread isn't aggressive enough to get rid of snow and the ABS fired rather easily from packed snow. It did eventually dig down, faster than that of what an allseason did but would be a car length or two more over the more aggressive Contis if you were stopping from 35-45mph. Pretty much as billed, something that gives you a bit more traction in snow/ice but never to be a mistaken for a true snow tire. Comfortable compromise if you're not in an area with regular snowfall.

i follow the layout for the tire reviews, i wanted to put some miles on them before reviewing though .

 

1: michelin pilot hx mxm4 grand touring , 215/45/17v , $512.00 for 5 tires mounted & balanced , just over 10k on them

 

2: north of philly / south of allentown , pa

 

3: mostly daily driven i a very sane manner w/ occasional very spirited driving

 

4: 60% city or should i say backroads & in town w/ 40% highway

 

5: replaced yokohama avid or avis a4s 215/45/17

 

6: the subjective part w/ some background first . the old tires were starting too dry rot w/ 25% tread still showing . i called a friend that is a tire wholesaler & got a great price on these 5 , full spare baby .

 

these are all season gt tires so i knew not to expect stellar performance from them . they are round , black , hold air , did not break the bank & should last quite some time .

 

i will say that they do everything good but nothing very good . i am pleased at the "friendliness" of these tires , they are very stable , track straight & true , do not follow rain grooves or pavemant irregularities , have a positive feel , communicate w/ the driver VERY well at the limit , very predictable & forgiving at limit but i would not call them precise , they absorb expansion strips & such ok are very quiet . does not feel like a 45 series tire as far as harshness . gas mileage went up 1-1/2 to 2 mpg

 

after 10k including overdriving them on many occasions , sometime for more than 45min at a time & as well as few "hotlaps" around a full length roadcourse or 3 they are wearing great & show no damage from the occasional pothole . they have substantial rim protectors but the tread width does seem "small" or "narrow" on the rim . 225/45 would be perfect

 

i have rotated the 5 tires 4 times in that 10k

 

you will never set lap records w/ this tire but they are perfect for the politicly correct, daily driven, point a to b, grocery getter .

 

would i buy them again ? at that price it is hard not to , they wear good , act fine , do thier job fine in all seasonal conditions , the quietness is nice too .

 

i would not feel bad about them again , but i would get 225/45

 

rated #21 in gt class on tirerack , that surprised me , as far as i'm concerned gt tires are not "performers" & should be very civilized , some of the others that bested this tire are not gt's in my opinion being noisy & harsh .

 

weight is 22lbs

 

side note : very wife approved for dd duties

Edited February 14, 2011 by motorbykemike

 

1: michelin pilot hx mxm4 grand touring , 215/45/17v , $512.00 for 5 tires mounted & balanced , just over 10k on them

 

That aged Michelin model is a surprisingly competent tire. It had a good review in the Dec 2009 C&D tire test of winter performance.

 

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/2009_winter_tire_test-comparison_tests/michelin_pilot_hx_mxm4_page_3

1.) Dunlop Direzza Star Specs

First set- 225/45/17 8k miles

Second set- 245/40/17 paid around $800 shipped from TireRack 1k so far

 

2) What is your geographic location: Denver

 

3) What types of driving events if any (Track, AutoX, Commute , etc): Very spirited daily driving, some track events.

 

4) Percent of highway vs. city driving: 75% highway 25% city

 

#5) Tires used previously: Sumitomo HRTZ IIIs, Bridgestone Re-01r, Goodyear F1 GS-D3

#6) Your review and personal comments (Dry, wet, and snow, if applicable. Also, please compare to other tires used): I love these tires, and this is my second set. I have been very impressed with them, particularly their exceptional grip in both dry and wet. The Star Specs outperformed the Goodyears and HRTZ IIIS by a wide margin in all categories. Compared to the Bridgestones, these are more predictable at the limits, but that could be partially because of the larger sidewall on my Re-01rs. At the limits, these are consistent and predictable, and easily correctable when they break loose. The road feel is great, and turn-in quick. Noise level is not excessive, but hard to compare to other tires. My last set lasted 8k miles with 6 track days, but they would have probably lasted much longer without the track days. They hold up better than all the other brands except the Sumitomos, which are hardly in the same category. I will definitely be buying another set once these are done.

#1) Tires on my few-weeks-old 2008 LGT: High Performance All Season, Goodyear Eagle GT 91W 215/40/17

 

#2) Mid-Atlantic/Southeast

 

#3) Commuting, interstate, rural mountain highways, around town

 

#4) Driving style- Spirited

 

#5) N/A

 

#6) I feel like "Performance" and "All Season" rarely ever belong in the same sentence, and I had been planning on replacing these after buying the car...but I've been very surprised. They have a great amount of stick, aren't noisy at all, and can trick you into thinking you've got summer tires on...until it rains, when they really shine! They have this asymmetric tread pattern designed to wick water away while still offering large amounts of grip, and it works great. I went to an abandoned parking lot in the rain actively trying to push them to their limits by whipping the back end of the car around, but they never let go of the pavement or slid. Driving around town and on the highway in the rain has been equally impressive- it's like the rain isn't even there. I've been on a few excursions out to the twisties in the Blue Ridge Mountains the past two weekends, and they were more than adequate bombing around winding roads. These aren't tires I would want to take on a track in a serious competition, but anyone looking for a set of all-weather tires that don't sacrifice much in the performance department should give these a look. They are equally good in the wet and dry.

Edited June 4, 2012 by 08 LGT

I also have the Eagle GTs (225/45-17). I think they are an underrated tire, maybe because they are kind of standard and OEMish. I don't think they have the ultimate grip of my last BFG KDW2s but they are very quiet and handle very predictably both wet and dry.

I can't read all the reviews, there are so many. Haven't found a review for good quality with longevity. I drive a lot, and I go through tires like crazy. What's a good tire that will last me? Gracias!

I can't read all the reviews, there are so many. Haven't found a review for good quality with longevity. I drive a lot, and I go through tires like crazy. What's a good tire that will last me? Gracias!

 

I've been fairly happy with my Continental Extreme Contact DW (The summer tires). They have lasted longer than normal for me and they have good grip wet and dry. Not quite as grippy as the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3s I used to run, but close enough for the amount of tread life I've gotten out of them and reasonably priced.

For all-season, Conti Extreme DWS. Personally, I don't give a crap about longevity, I want the best tire for the job. Which means running separate summer & winter tires. All-season tires are a crappy compromise, IMO.

For all-season, Conti Extreme DWS. Personally, I don't give a crap about longevity, I want the best tire for the job. Which means running separate summer & winter tires. All-season tires are a crappy compromise, IMO.

 

I plowed through 2 feet of snow a couple years ago in a front wheel drive vehicle with a set of Yokohama all-season Envigor tires. Now that I own an awd vehicle, I see an even lesser need of 2 sets of tires. A good set of all-season tires that are properly taken care of, will take care of you in a time of need. I have owned 4 sets of Yokohama tires and will buy some for the legacy when the time comes.

I can't read all the reviews, there are so many. Haven't found a review for good quality with longevity. I drive a lot, and I go through tires like crazy. What's a good tire that will last me? Gracias!

 

Michelin Super Sport, comes with a 30,000 mile warranty.