cls3

I'm a little confused about what my best options for replacement tires are. I suppose I'd like to find the most common size (ie, the size with more options, price wise) that will work well on my 2005 RL. The OEM is 245/50/17. Any ideas??? Thanks in advance for the help.

DandyG23

I have 235/55/17 on my stock wheels on my '06 RL.

Chas2

There are tables and calculators on the web.

This one is a popular calculator.
http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

Are you sticking with the stock 17 inch wheel?
Do you want a passenger car all season tire?
Do you want a high performance all season tire?
Do you live in a climate where you can go to a summer tire?

cls3

I have no idea how to use that calculator without knowing what sizes would would work. Ideally, I'd like some input on what alternate sizes will fit and perform well on this vehicle.

I definitely want to stick with my stock wheels. I live in south Georgia, so snow is very infrequent, winter is fairly short, rain is plentiful, and summer is looooong.

DandyG23

Try this website.

http://www.tiresizecalculator.info/

Chas2

OK, so disclaimer, I am not a professional, so take this with the appropriate grain of salt, and get a professional's opinion before you make any decisions based on some unknown writer in a forum. These are the steps I would take, but it is your decision.

First recommendation: Given that you wish to stick with 17x8 wheels, stick with the stock tire size, 245/50-17. It is true the stock Michelins could be better in the rain, snow, dry, but they are comfortable and long lived, easily capable of 40K miles.

Search this forum for tires people have used in the stock size.

Use the Tire Rack to get a feeling of the range of tires available in the sizes that you want. Even with a wide selection, the Tire Rack does not offer everything.

For example, the Toyo Versado has been acclaimed by users on this forum as a decent handling, really nice riding quiet all season tire, but it is not sold by the Tire Rack.

Other all season tires people on the forum seem to like are the Conti DWS, and if you are willing to pay top dollar, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus is a great tire, ultra high performance class all season with a really hugh UTQG for long life. Recently the Michelin Primacy is offered by the Tire Rack. This Grand Touring All Season Tire is in the same class as the OEM Pilot HX MXM4, but reputedly a much better handling tire.

Great dry and wet handling a priority? Summer tires may be of interest you because of where you live, and especially if you will not be driving in weather below about 34 degrees, when summer compounds stop working very well, regardless if there is snow or ice on the ground. Look at the Pirelli for a name brand tire, or the General Exclaim, which has gotten some good reviews on this forum. Just don't expect ANY winter performance from a summer tire.

Second Recommendation: All of the above being said, if you are still interested in an alternate sized tire, use the calculator
http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?
allows you put the stock tire size in at the top, and allows you to input several optional tire sizes.

The stock tire is your baseline, and in general, you do not want to vary from the overall rolling diameter by more than a 2-3%. I like to keep it below 2%. While I do not know this for certain, I have to believe that some of the car's sensors and programming must assume a certain tire rolling diameter, and the AWD demands the same rolling diameter on all four wheels.

In any case, the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires in stock 245/50-17 is 26.7" in diameter, which you can verify here:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=Pilot+HX+MXM4

Keep your new tires within +/- 2% of that diameter, while still paying attention to the wheel width, and you should be OK. Make sure that all four tires are exactly the same, and from the same manufacturer, a recommended practice for AWD. For a given size, such as 245/50-17, each manufacturer may have slightly different diameter specifications.

Following this rule, some alternate sizes you could consider are 225/55-17 which is almost a direct match. 255/50-17 is a larger diameter, but less than 2% off. 255/45-17 might also work, but now you are getting over 2% off.

Really though, your safest bet is to stay with the stock size and search for a tire that meets your needs.

Just my

mytwocents

DandyG23:

These tires are slightly taller and a bit narrower than
stock. How do they perform for you ...