what are is the best choice of tires for 2007 MDX, i currently have yoko, but looking for a longer tread life? any recommendations

 

Depends on budget. A lot of people have liked the General Grabbers at the $150-175 range per tire but have had some recent complaints about tread life and tire noise. Others like the Continental ExtremeContact DWS which is about $200 per tire.

I decided to go with the Pirelli Scorpion Verde which are OEM tires for the Toureag. They have a 600 wear rating and limited tread warranty for unlimited time/50,000 miles for H/V speed rated tires. A little more pricey ($220-230 per tire) but less than the OEM Michelin Latitudes. Going to get them installed this week from Discount Tire.

 

Can anyone comment on the performance of the Pirelli's with snow on the ground?

These are at the top of my list but I would like something that performs adequately during the 2-3 times a year that I head up to the mountains. The Michelin Latitudes were awful last year though admittedly the tread was <50%.

I have yet to see a tire that gets 100% approval for all weather use. And can't justify buying snow tires for a few weekend trips.

 

Check TireRack (www.tirerack.com). They amass comments from owners of the different brands and do comparison tests. You can buy from them and have them shipped to a local installer or just use the info to buy locally. I have General Grabbers on my '07 MDX Tech Sport. They're a lot stiffer than the OEM tires so I don't use the sport setting often but they're terrific in light snow.

Allen
2007 MDX Tech Sport
2004 TL

 

Any feedback on the Pirellis? I'm looking at getting these next week. Buddy at discount recommended these as well.

 

every time I have ever tried to save a few bucks and buy something cheaper than the Michelins, I have always regretted it.... every single time. I vowed to never do it again.

There is a reason they are so expensive.... you get what you pay for.

With that in mind, I would go with the OEM Latitude HPs.

 

I've always trusted my friend at discount for good all around tires and I think I'm going with these... http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/fin...=ILCINT&cs=265

 

The OEM latitudes are a piece of crap. Cheaper does not always mean worse tire, you just have to do research and know what you are getting into...

With that in mind, I would get the Continental Extreme Contact DWS. I ran those on my TL, and plan to run them on my MDX when the OEM latitudes wear out.

On the TL, the DWS performed very well, even in the snow. Those tires were cheaper than the Michelin Pilot HX tires that came on that car, but the Michelins on that car, sucked in the rain, and sucked even more in the snow. The DWS haven't let me down yet, and that's including several severe snow storms...

The only Michelin tires I like and use, are the Pilot Sport All Season Plus.

 

^i agree on the Conti DWS. Quite yet good performance, great in the rain so far...anxious to see how they do in the snow. It's what I have on my type s. I feel most tire places sell oems pretty high because for the people don't know better, they say "well this is what is recommended for your car" ...and people go with it.

 

I bought the Continental LX-20's and they are much better with grip in the rain so I'm betting they'll also be better in the snow. If you look at the zoomed picture the tread is not perfectly straight when looking at the tire head on. Those "zig-zags" are what help the traction a lot.

 

I didn't take any snow traction into account as OP lives in Houston... even though it did actually snow there once in the last decade. Also, in Houston, there isn't a curve or a hill within a hundred miles (unless you count a "Texas U"). Houston means a lot of highway driving across expansion joints. You can't beat the Latitudes for ride comfort.

For those of us living in the South, winter weather grip just isn't a factor.

 

I know you guys have a drought in Texas, but it does rain every once in a while right? Also, I don't buy that you don't have curves... You never make turns, or have to make emergency lane change maneuvers?

Also, the DWS have much better dry traction as well than the OEM tires.. That will be noticeable the first time you have to slam on the brakes.

Also the DWS is not a noisy tire. If you read the reviews on them, many of the reviews state the tire is actually quieter then the OEM tires they replaced.

 

FWIW - we are on our second set of the OEM Michelin Latitudes and haven't had one problem in the rain or snow. Yes - we are in the North East and get plenty of snow. They are quiet and wear very well. We replaced the factory set at 59K and could have gone longer but were headed into winter and wasn't going to tempt fate.
I know these are expensive tires but I got brand new rims and tires from someone on CL who upgraded to 19" when they bought their new MDX. Rim and tires (including TPMS) for $1K and no mounting or balancing to worry about. Plug and play.

 

i'm not sure if the conti DWS tires would be the best match for the MDX. they are great for sedans, but a 4500lb SUV? as noted by TL driver's the sidewalls are softer than other tires. might be better to stick with CUV/SUV tires. conti recently came out with a new CUV/SUV tire that was initially said to be pretty good. the general grabbers, many have been happy with. the pirelli scorpions....don't know much about them. the other popular tire would be the bridgestone dueler alenzas which were rated pretty well.

so yes, while i have the DWS tires on my TL (like many others), i dont' think i would put them on the MDX. my initial tire search (just looking ahead), had me down to the gneral grabbers or the bridgestone dueler alenzas. good years aren't on the radar. my borther has the general grabbers on his MDX...he likes them and they handle well in snow, and they are relatively quiet. they also don't break the bank. OEM michelins are overrated and overpriced. the OEM bridestones are crap.

 

Whatever you decide, make sure you watch the load ratings as TLtrigirl points out the MDX is 4500Lbs.

 

Im curious about the aforementioned Pirelli Scorpion Verde. I purchased a 08 MDX Tech & Ent w/ 32k and original Michelins on it. Considering upgrading rims and tires when they are ready to go. But they are close.

 

The Conti DWS actually has a higher load rating than the Latitudes...

For the OEM size 255-50/19 for the MDX Advance:

The OEM Latitudes have a load rating of 103, for max weight of 1929 pounds per tire
The DWS has a load rating of 107, for max weight of 2149 pounds per tire.

So while the Z-rated DWS may be softer than other Ultra High Performance All/Season, they are definitely stiffer than the H-Rated OEM Touring All Season tires, aka Michelin Latitude HP, based on the load, temperature, and speed ratings. And FWIW, on the DWS description page, it lists one of the applications as being Sport Trucks.

 

hmm, interesting. would like to hear of more reviews of the DWS specifically on the MDX. most of them are all on passanger cars. i'm not even in the market...but always good info to know.

 

The OEM size on our 07 MDX Tech/Ent is 255/55 R18 and has an OEM load rating of 104H. This particular tire is available in 104H, 105H/V and 109H/V load ratings. Not saying these are better or worse than the Contis, but want the OP to have correct info.

 

Just purchased Toyo Proxes ST II for $700 w/tax mounted and balanced. They go on Monday. Anyone have any experience with these?

 

i had toyos (proxies 4) on my TL...decent tire. not sure about the MDX on the ST II.

 

Just purchased set of Firestone Destination ST last week and thus far I've enjoyed them. Good ratings from Tirerack and reasonably priced !

 

I replaced my OEM Michelins on my 07 MDX with General Grabber HTS tires based on Tirerack reviews. That was almost 2 years ago. So far they have been great. Only 10k miles but they handle great and are quiet so far. Also great in bad weather including snow. These are light truck tires so they handle the weight of the MDX easily. The problem with car tires is that they will wear quickly with a 4500 lb crossover.

 

I've got 70,000 miles on my '08, and I replaced the OEM Michelins at 53k with a new set of OEM Michelins. Always good in rain & snow, and IMO a good performer. There are cheaper priced tires, but the cost savings may not be there after you factor in lesser wear and replacement costs.

I figure Honda/Acura has an R&D budget much much bigger than I do... and is certainly incented to fit the best tire for the application intended. Why in the hell would I want to spend my $$ expermenting with another tire? That's why I bought an Acura in the first place. I think they know what they're doing.

I think it's funny that people will spend all kinds of money for "performance" mods to grab extra HP or handling improvements, but the single most important performance enhancer is your connection to the road - tires. Don't skimp & don't 2nd guess the folks who built the car.

 

That's what the treadwear warranty is for... They'll pro-rate you back the cost of the tire if it wears out prematurely.

 

well they must have spent all that time matching tires for the MDX, b/c the OEM tires on my TL...HORRIBLE! POS bridgestones were bad from the start. no wet traction whatsoever, handling was eh, they felt awful, couldn't stand them. happily went aftermarket and what a huge difference. and i'm sure a lot of 3G TL owners would agree with me on the OEM tires. hell read the reviews on tirerack for the OEM TL tires...even for the OEM MDX tires they aren't stellar, but seemingly much more decent tires for the MDX than the OEM TL tires.

 

Usually with OEM tires for cars, the biggest factor in selecting an OE tire by the OEM, is how it affects fuel economy, not performance.

If OEMS spend oodles of money to give you the best performance tires as OE, then the Good-year Eagle RS-A tires must be one of the best tires, as it's the OE tire on a lot of performance cars. Yet it's one of the crappiest performance tires I've ever used... Those things have HORRIBLE wet traction, and screech very easily on even mildly aggressive cornering.

 

stupid govt fuel economey standards. boo hiss. even then i swear they don't test the tires...real world...it rains, and it snows in a few places...give us a tire that can at least get through those conditions decently for a "typical" driver. leave the aftermarket performance stuff to us enthusiasts.

perhaps this contributes to the explaination that people around here can't drive in rain or snow!

 

can i put 18inch tires with rims on my 2012 mdx for winter?

 

As long as it fits, it'll work.. My neighbor has 19" snow tires on her Cayenne.

 

It actually is the main reason, in my opinion... I help people that get stuck on our hill in the winter time every year... Most people I talk to haven't the foggiest idea what tires they have. They usually tell me they bought whatever tire was on sale or was the cheapest that would fit.

My neighbor wrecked his Audi S4 several winters ago, because he thought AWD meant it was safe for snow driving, even tho I told him he needed to put A/S or Winter tires on his car, because his car had summer tires.

One year it was particularly funny, becuase I saw like 5 or 6 honda cars stuck on the side of the road on our hill, including a couple 2G TLs. I was joking with my wife, when I stopped to help them, that they must either have Bridgestone EL42 tires or Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus tires... I was right... They all had the Energy MXV4 Plus tires.

I even had to rescue one of my friends that had 3 different brands of tires on his car, one of which was a summer only tire.

We also have fools around here that put on studded tires every year from Oct 31, and keep them on until April 1st, becuase they said they might need it, in case it's slippery... Nevermind, it could be sunny and 60 degrees. These idiots don't realize that it will give them better traction on snow/ice, but it will give them worse traction on everything else... Which when you think about it, is retarded, becuase around here, from OCt 31 to Apr 1st, most all days except for maybe a week or two, they won't need the studs.... and even then, I think they won't really need it, becuase I made it up our snow/ice covered hill just fine every year with my well-researched All/Season tires... Even when we got dumped on with snow... This year they are trying to ban studded tires, in favor of studless snow tires, like the Blizzak, but many around here will make you take their studded tires away from their cold, dead hands.

 

^^okay, that's just scary, but it shouldn't surprise me since most people don't know anything about their cars. screw fuel economy how about everyone else's safety? its bad enough there are people driving around in winter with minimal tire tread for dry conditions...but for rain or snow eek! all the more reason not to drive around when its bad out, its not me...its everyone else!

 

Having owned numerous vehicles over the decades and replaced many tires, Michelin has provided the best performance, longest wearing, and most value for the money. You get what you pay for. Buy a discount tire and suffer with the decision. If you live in the snow belt, you need to consider a winter tire and spare wheels. All season tires only perform marginally in snow or ice. I see many AWD vehicles in the ditches because the driver fails to know his or her vehicle's limitations.

 

After a great deal of research on performance, user ratings, etc. I decided to purchase a set of 4 Pirelli Scorpion Verdes for @ $230 per tire + mounting, etc.

Have yet to see promised increase of 1-2 MPG in our suburban driving though we will see how we do on an upcoming road trip. Ride is very smooth and Pirelli performance on turns, etc. is superior to the Michelins (as expected). As I've noted on another thread, the OEM Michelin Latitudes failed us last year on icy roads sending us into a snow bank, so we decided to go with something else.

Performance has been great so far though we haven't had any rain this winter. I will report back after our next Tahoe snow trip (assuming we get snow this year!)

I encourage everyone to read the reviews on tirerack - you will see some unmistakable patterns. Suffice it to say you generally get what you pay for.

 

IMO, oem Mich Lattitudes are good AS performers but kinda $$$.
That Man from Mich and his dog wear expensive suits.
Threadwear is good to consider and load rating but give attention to hazzard warranty. Regardless if you spend $200 or $300 plus per tire -
when you get a screw in the the sidewall and you need to replace it ...
you will feel total screwed if your warranty does not cover it.
What I like about the Cont DWS is Road Hazzard is included and I think there are more nails and screws out on the roads these days.
Someone is scewing us ...

 

So what is your experience on them? quite, wear, wet, etc...

THX

 

Yes, they wear quite wet.

 

If you can get the Pirelli's for ~$200/tire that seems like a decent deal. I have had Pirelli's as 2nd gen tires on a number of vehicles over the years and have never been disappointed.

 

There are a # of MDX tire threads but this seems to be the master. So just to update:

The Pirellis did fine in the snow and provided excellent all-around handling, but they are basically shot after 25k miles. Typical Pirelli - solid performance tire but wear out fast. Did not notice any MPG + or -.

So back to the drawing board, and have narrowed down my choices to the Conti Extreme Contact DWS and Bridgestone Alenza H/L. After much internal debate I have decided to go with the Alenzas as the reviews are generally positive and they look to last longer than the Contis which are more performance oriented. Bridgestone has a 30-day money-back/exchange policy so I have another shot if I don't like the ride.

Can't believe the premium now for the Michelins, almost $100 per tire (even at Costco).

 

^^have you considered the conti crosscontact LX20's? they rate better than the Alenzas and made for cross overs. the DWS tires are better for sedans. i have a set on my TL.

i've had the lx20's on my MDX since june and have about 5k miles on them...great in rain, good handling in turns and they seems to get better with more miles. this winter will be a nice test...assuming we get any snow.

so far i'm fairly pleased with them.