I have the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 (The std tires that Acura put on this model). I have 60,000 miles and I have a second tire that has developed a bubble on the sidewall. Seems like it happens quite often with these tires, after reading enough posts on other messageboards.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a similar tire, that might even be a little less harsh on the wallet? The Pilot's are about $175/tire on Tirerack.

Thanks for the help.

Leigh from Boston

 

i love my sumitomo htr+'s. bought them at sears for less than $400, 10 thousand miles ago. sumitomo owns dunlop.

 

After spending quite a bit of time researching this topic, it seems that if you want an all around improvement in a 3 season tire, the Yokohama AVS-ES100 is about the best choice. The Sumitomo HTR+ seems to be about second best, though it has the advantage of being capable in the snow. It is also a bit cheaper but some have reported balance issues on +1 sizing.

 

I just put the HTR+ on mine last month. Got them for only $74 each from tirerack. The only regret I have is why I didn't upgrade the shitty stock tires earlier!

 

I just replaced my Toyo T1Ss (bad alignment caused 'em to wear out very quickly ... that's another story) with the Sumitomo's. Gotta love the price and so far, the performance is close to the Toyo's (but not quite).

 

Thanks for the help. I think I am going to go with the Sumo's, since they have some capability in the snow.

 

I also put on the Sumitomo HTR+ in stock cl-s size about 2 months ago. They have been excellent so far. I have noticed that there are ALOT of balancing weights (actually I dont know what's considered 'normal' for the balancing weights) on one or two of the wheels (Park Ave Acura - NJ) but they didn't mention any problems/issues when they mounted them them. I have experimented a bit with the PSI. and found 36/37 about right. had them at 40 psi but seemed too harsh.

 

How is the noise and handling at speeds higher than 70 MPH?

 

noise is not a problem. there are no problems with the htr's.