MMike1981

going on by the end of the week.

honestly, i think complaints should be submitted, not to Michelline, but whoever oversees stuff like that...my conclusion about the stock tires -

THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY UNSAFE AFTER 15K MILES IN WET WEATHER.

ABSOLUTELY UNSAFE post 25k - reaching level of undrivability in wet weather especially on highways

anyone who owns this car w/oems post 25/30k miles - be very careful and keep 2 hands on the wheel when its raining out.

Ive never had such hydroplaning/floating, EVER, in my driving experience. 100% unsafe. I have had to drop to the right lane and go 45 in LIGHT RIGHT/partly sunny conditions just to maintain traction. Switching lanes, accelerating, turning, hills, my car turns into an unguided missile. Heavy rain scares the shit out of me, i can FEEL the car floating, the wheel starts floating, vibration goes thru the steering column - all the while driving 50 mph in light to maybe regular rain conditions - im not talking about driving thru pooling but just REGULAR RAIN on a normal highway

something is truly wrong with the stock wet traction of the Mich Pilot MXM4's.

get them off before something happens to you or someone else.

that is my opinion. its unfortunate because my tread life is still very good @ 31k, as i know alot of people ahve burned thru the stocks very quickly.

VeNeNo

iTrader: (1)

MMike, i have the continental extreme contact on my RDX after the OEM mich's and all i can say is your going to absolutley love them. They are like day from night compared to the stock tires... Far superior, enjoy the added security your gonna have!!

cwepruk

Let me now how the DWS's are on the RDX as I'm due for new rubber ASAP.

I have DWS's on my G35x. Good in the snow, good in the wet, but squirmy in the dry. In steady state cornering, they flex then grab, but on transitions, it's tough to tell if they are grabbing or slipping - the car gets a bit squirrely.

MMike1981

Def will do, should be on friday @ some point - ill post up my thoughts as always...

after shopping for quite a while and talking to a bunch of tire guys - the DWS is about as aggressive as you are going to get for this style tire/all conditions - the testing results and user reviews show that this tire shines....i can take a bit of a drawback on handling if i know that the car is secure to the pavement on all conditions

my oems squeel all the time in pressing corners etc so anything will be an improvement

Carbon2008RDX

MMike - Post some pics if you can of the DWS installed. I too may be transitioning to the Continental DWS tires come next fall. My OEM Michs still have decent tread and winter is pretty much done for this season so I'll keep them on until sometime next fall at which time I'll seriously consider sacrificing them for the DWS.

MMike1981

dont get me wrong - my stockers are in just fine condition @31k - id be in no rush to rip them off, and actually, snow really wasnt a problem - but wet weather my truck, for me, is unsafe, and im not overstating it at all - thats the only reason why they are coming off and not being replaced - i noticed hydro right around 15k and its just gotten worse n worse - but the winter was the least of my concerns as i never really had any traction issues related to driving conditions

Carbon2008RDX

Thanks Mike. I'll keep that in mind come next fall when I start to think about winter driving again. I drove my RDX this winter in some pretty serious snow on the OEM tires and they didn't miss a beat. But, I know what you mean re: the Michs on wet (rain.) Yeah, they just become crap way too early.

MMike1981

for those of you researching tires, you need to check this out

the DWS's crush the competitors - its about the best you can get across the board
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=124

cavium303

thanks mike for these invaluable insights. will definitely be careful in those stock tires

dzasta

+1 i put on DWS on my audi this winter. the sidewall is the fugliest ive seen on a tire to date. but its pure function over form at this point. they are great in snow and water which was my #1 priority.

MMike1981

First brief impressions:
1. Turn in is not as sharp or athletic
2. comfort level way up - they seem much smoother
3. Noise - about the same if not a little more hushed
4. tacky, if not feeling soft at first thought, but after initial turn in they feel cemented to the ground

they are the ugliest tires ive ever put on any of my cars. no sidewall lip, they look like $50 replacement tires, almost like an inner tube, and make the tire/rim appear smaller. that im not happy about, but what i am most happy about is getting the OEMs OFF

havent been over 50 mph yet so alot more feeling out to do

cwepruk

Yeah, I went from 225/50 to 245/45 and was expecting them to look good. They look shitty. They are really good in the wet though.

Nyjumpman23

DAMMIT MIKE...LOL
I Never said they were the prettiest tire..but they are definitely a more stable and complete tire.

MMike1981

http://img684.imageshack.us/slidesho...=img00286u.jpg

sublime1

Thanks for the pix Mike! Those do look like innertubes. Would the tires even stand up straight if they weren't mounted or would they just fall over on it's side. I went with Proxes4's. A lesser tire, but a bit more aesthetically pleasing...

MMike1981

so after a bit of highway driving, my initial thoughts are that these tires feel a bit 'heavier'
-the RDX does not feel as light on its feet BUT the handling is much more secure and tackier; the truck tracks better and feels much more confident
-The tires shine in curves - once the car settles in its super glued to the road and offers more resistance - imo there is less flex than the OEMs
-they are overall quieter
-ill take a little less in dry handling know that all other weather will be easily dealt with, the trade off works and im glad i went with the conti's - im not saying they are not good on dry - so far, i dont think they EQUAL the stocks, but they are close, and they are better in certain areas like exit/on ramp curves etc - feel extremely confident, better when braking

zerogravity

WOW This is so F***ing TRUE!... I just bought my RDX 28,000 miles and in the RAIN DANGER DANGER!!! Definitely going to buy new tires....

Nyjumpman23

Mike, it def. feels better, i agree, and during weather conditions it handles a lot better then the OEM. OEM has more slippage during wet/wintery weather.
SO far the trade-off is weight. But i rather it be heavier and have better grip towards the road. After about 500-1000 miles, you'll feel a lot more ease on the tires. Trust me on this.

Carbon2008RDX

Interesting on the heavy tire feedback feel. I know what you mean with experience of past vehicles and new tires, etc. I will seriously consider this info if/when I opt for new tires next fall for the RDX.

Pacer

Agree on the crapola stockers. I went through two front left tires in <30k for no good reason. Also noticed the hydro problems. Not fun. Replaced my set at 29k with Bridgestone H/L Alenzas. World of difference. It was between these and the Contis above for me, I got a nice deal on these Alenzas at Costco (also had them on my '03 Element and was extremely happy). I now feel confident in ALL conditions again. These also get great reviews from folks besides me.

The Michelin stockers are a visually attractive tire. These Alenzas look okay to me, but not as good as the stockers. But the driving is what matters most. Glad you are liking the Contis. Sounds like a great tire.

Dima1978

DWS is a lighter tire with a softer sidewall. Some guys with 3rd gen TLs have experienced some performance decrease and blown tires. FYI

brizey

They look a lot the Duelers (also not a pretty tire). I may try these next. I have about 25k on the Duelers. I think I will get through my inspection next month. I think I will let them get beat up in the Dallas summer then get new in maybe Sept.

bg905

I was hoping to wait just a bit longer to replace OEM's that had 27,400 on them. However, just flattened 1 and it needed to be replaced so I just did all 4 a bit sooner than planned.

Read everyone here's pros, cons and opinions. Much appreciated.

On advice of tire guys (whom in past replacements have not steered me wrong)I went with the Bridgestone H/L Alenzas instead of the Continentals. Also the $100 Bridgestone rebate this month helped my decision. 100 miles on since yesterday and I am quite satisfied with my decision.

MMike1981

after very redic NE winters and shitty weather for the past few years, thats what really influenced my decision with the Conti's....theres nothing worse than feeling like you are trapped within your car. The winter/all weather performance of the Contis, so far, is unmatched....you cant have it all, and maybe next time ill go for something stronger for dry pavement, but im really pumped over the fact that the Conti's KNIFED thru the massive rains of last week. Felt fantastic.

bg905

Mike,

Your winters are definitely worse than what we get [usually]in the Philly area. Though, with our 6 feet of snow this past winter and all the recent heavy rain I am glad to be done with the Michelins. I only got the Bridgestones yesterday and am expecting better than the Michelins as far as wet handling is concerned. When the snow comes, we'll see!

Other than the opinions on the forum I have no prior experience with Continental tires. The store I bought these tires from [locally owned and operated, not a big chain] I have bought, I think, now, 4 sets of tires plus a few single replacements and as I said they have never steered me wrong. I have had Bridgestone tires as replacements on at least 1 other AWD vehicle, think it was my wife's G35x. I was very happy with those. So, I took their advice, which was they felt I'd personally be happier with the Bridgstones right now.

I am sure the Conti's are excellent tires and am glad they are serving you well, I just went with 'what I know'.

MMike1981

good choice my friend

brizey

Interesting. As I said, I have 25k on the Bridgestones (the Bridgestone H/L Alenzas are the the Deulers). I have liked them so far. If the advantage of the Conti's is wet/snow, I may just stick with the Bridgestones again since it really just doesn't rain here very much. We had near record snow in DFW this year and I spent maybe 45 minutes driving on snow.

bg905

How do you find the wet handling?
That was my main concern over OEM's. I'm not as worried about snow. This past winter's record snow amount was so unusual and what we usually get I'm thinking should be no big deal. Though I'm pretty sure better than the OEM's. Guys at Mill Street Tire were pretty sure about that.

MMike1981

...the balancing is way off post 60mph, need to take it in. feels like my car is hitting ruts every few seconds. tried altering inflation between cold 32 to 34 without success.

brizey

I think they are pretty good, but then again, my comparison is vs the stock Michelins. Keep in mind that it doesn't really rain that much here, either. And when it does rain I am typically caught in an urban commute. Overall, I am pretty happy with these tires. There may be better out there, but I don't think I will risk getting something I don't like.

MMike1981

700 miles - tires responsiveness has increased a bit, turn in is better..whats really impressive is the tire tracking at high speeds, the car is less ponderous and doesnt take off like the OEM's. Very nice riding tire. I really cant wait for some snow etc to see these things shine. Rain/wet im not sure ive had a more confident tire than the DWS. Braking response is better as well.

whats left now is tread life and winter so only time will tell....but so far, im actually really pleased, at first i was left wanting more response, but the DWS deliver in many areas that the stockers do not

jcinhp

Guys, I could really use some advice. Had my original Michelins replaced last week with Bridgestone duelers. They actually may take the bumps smoother but they are making a roaring noise at 50 mph and up. Took it back and service dude says maybe a bearing is going bad. (wouldn't I have heard that with my old tires?) I love my 2008 RDX and had been telling everyone I'd keep it till I drove the wheels off of it. Didn't know they'd be roaring when they fell off! Please advise!!!

wrestrepo

This is just an opinion, but I think that the Duelers are more of an SUV type of wheel, and the RDX is more of a sports car/performance sedan type of car, despite it's looks.
If you are not satisfied, most shops (tire shops that is) offer you a satisfaction guarantee, I would go back and get a different type of tire as I don't believe the problem is your car, I believe is the rubber.

jcinhp

Thanks Wrestrepo. I'm thinking the same thing. I'm going to ask to go back to Michelins. The service folks told me I had 30 days but they weren't clear what "30 days" meant. Should I ask for what I had from the dealer?

wrestrepo

There have been plenty of threads about tires. Most people have gone for Yokohamas and recently for Continentals DWS. I have the Continentals in my other vehicle and like them a lot. I don't know how they behave in snow since I have a dedicated set, but then again, I don't know where you are or if you have snow.
As for the RDX I have V4s (I think) and they are okay. Not great, not bad, they do the job well though. I would consider them "adequate".
Some people (a lot actually) have complaint that the Michellins are not good at all. If it was up to me, I would think about what I want, whether an all around good all season, a sporty summer set, a good cruising set, etc. In my case, the simple good all around tire won.

jcinhp

Man Wrestrepo! you have a set for every occasion! LOL! I'm in NC so some snow. I'll talk to the service folks tomorrow. Wish me luck.

wrestrepo

New England.....
Anyhow, there were some people from your neck of the woods that had complaints about their RDXs slipping in the snow this past winter. The main tool to avoid slipping is not AWD, is the type of rubber you have. If not for the clearance of the RDX, I would take my FWD car with snows any day of the week. Having said that, I don't think that you need an extra snow set and probably will be fine with an all season set.
Good luck getting a new set of tires, I have not heard from anybody returning tires before under the satisfaction guarantee thing. If the service dept insist that there is something wrong with the car, let them "fix it" but insist that you are not happy with the tires (if that's the case) and want a different set.

jcinhp

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks

MMike1981

i dunno where you live, but most of my tire decisions are (and should be) based on weather, at least for the most part. duelers dont belong on the RDX. you need an all season high performance or all season ultra high performance (like the DWS) tire on the RDX, unless, of course, you are somewhere without snow, or rare rain etc. IMO, if it wasnt for rain, the stock mich were fine. My tires would have lasted thru 50k no problem. the turn in is excellent, and the car feels spirited on top of them. What they lack is overall performance and are a terrible choice for us northeastern ppl due to such poor wet traction and marginal snow traction. There overall performance was pretty good, but could have been grippier & hold the road better. They are definitely not worth their price, and i think the Yoko's are a great buy along those lines...i decided to go with the DWS due to my driving habits/location of houses etc. I need better all weather performance and dont mind sacrificing some dry performance at all

MMike1981

and after about 1500 on them...they have broken in just fine, turn in is a bit better, and they are super smooth