andysinnh

So after spending $$ for the first time on the wife's 18 RLX SH for fluid transfusions and alignment, the money keeps flowing.. Wife picked up a nail in her LR tire - of course to the side of the tread so it can't be repaired. The OEM Michelin's only have about 15k miles, but they're now 5 years old based on the DOT code - so I figured it best to get a fresh set. I wasn't overly happy with the Primacy MXM4's on the car, so was looking at options. The key here is that she doesn't really need a super-stiff sport-oriented tire since her driving style is pretty passive. She wants something that softens the ride just a bit but still corners decently.

Looking at various options - and working with my local tire shop that I've worked with for 30+ years, we've centered on a set of Continental PureContact LS tires. I've seen others that have been happy with the ExtremeContact variants and Continentals in general, but I'm trying to meet her driving needs. As far as I can tell, the only real difference in what I'm getting vs the other options is the speed rating. OEM speed rating is "W", and most options I'm seeing show up as "Y". The PureContacts have a "V" rating. I get the fact that Acura has done their homework and I should match the speed rating - but given the 98V XL load rating, and a speed rating to 149 mph - I think it's something I'm willing to give a try. Will let folks know how these work out.

andy

mrgold35

I'm leaning toward Conti DWS 06 Plus in OEM size when I'm due for tires on the wife's RLX (21,000 miles on OEM tire now). Living in the high desert in the southwest can have extreme spot weather, 20-40 degree F daily temp swings, and posted hwy speeds of 75-80 mph (I'm usually 5-7 mph above that). Looking to upgrade to the same tires when the OEM CrossContacts tires wear out on my 19 MDX hybrid before winter. Not worth having a winter/summer set of tires with only 4-5 snow days and winter temps in 42-55 F most days..

andysinnh

Well, the wife finally drove the RLX with the PureContacts on it - and the verdict was a thumbs down from her. Sigh. I'm guessing that moving to a more "tame" tire was something that impacted the handling to a level that she noticed - which I didn't expect. The right tire was likely the ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus tires. I'm working now with the tire shop to see if we can leverage Continental's 60 day trial perod to move up to that set of tires. Let's see how that goes.....

andysinnh

So working with the local tire shop (kudos to Carson City Tire in Amherst NH) and the 60-day trial period from Continental, I had the PureContact LS tires swapped out for a set of the Extreme Contact DWS 06+ tires today. And all I can say is wow - what a difference! Just on the 5 mile drive back from the shop - mixed 50mph roads and some real twisty back roads - you could definitely sling the RLX around more agressively than with either the Contis I put on last week, or even the OEM MXM4's. Ride was smooth, tires fairly quiet. They let you feel the bumps just a bit more than before - but very minimally. Acid test will be the next time the wife drives it. I think she'll be happier. She complained about the Pure Contacts every day she drove it this past week... Sigh.... Will let you all know how it goes. But from my perspective, these are the tires to get for the RLX SH-AWD!

andy

mrgold35

I've been a Conti DWS fan since my 06 TSX ASpec. It has been my goto tire once the OEM wears out on my 06 TSX, 08 RDX, and 11 MDX.

andysinnh

So to close out on this thread, the wife finally got to drive her RLX SH-AWD today with the new DWS 06+ tires on it. Let's just say that her smile is ear to ear. Her comment was that she didn't know her car could handle like it does on those new tires. Not only does it blow away the Pure Contact's from last week, but even the OEM Michelins! So, the net-net here is that a "grand touring" tire likely has sidewalls that are too flexible for something as big as the RLX, and that the DWS 06+'s are a great match. Happy wife, happy life! :-)

andy

neuronbob

I'm at 26.5k miles with the stock MXM4s on my 2020 SH. Unfortunately, I picked up a bulge on the passenger rear tire's sidewall.

In addition, the stock tires are on backorder, and I need at least two. Because of that, I'm looking at replacing all four, and will probably end up with the Conti ExtremeContact DWSs.

Bummer, was hoping to wait a little longer to replace tires, these are "45,000 mile" tires.