chwebmaker

I just bought a 2005 TL w/18K on it. Stock tires are Bridgestones. They are almost totally bald. I've never seen a car go through a set of tires so fast. I've read alot of posts here talking about different brand tires that only made it to around 20K. Anyone have a set of tires on their TL that made it to 40K or 50K? Or is this car just a tire eater? Thanks for your input.

SuperStar

I have the yokohama's with the aspec package. They have 13k on them and they're about to go in the garbage.

94eg!

Lots of torque + FWD + heavy car = Tire eater.

- rotate them often to spread the wear out over all 4 tires
- keep your pressures in check
- take off gently (especially when turning)
- check your alignment once a year (especially toe settings)
- get tires with a higher tread-wear rating (usually means less grip though)

Will Y.

One other thing to note along with 94eg!'s comments above: the TL's tires are also "W" speed-rated, which means a softer compound and more wear than with V-, H- or S- speed-rated tires. I wouldn't expect more than 30K from any "W" rated tire.
FWIW, my stock Michelin MXM's have 20K on them and the treads appear good enough to last to 30K, but the tires seem to have started losing grip compared to new. The stock Bridgestone Turanza EL-42s have a horrible reputation and reputedly wear much more quickly than the Michelins; you'll see all sorts of complaints about the EL-42s in the 3G-TL forum.

thegabrielles

Got 30k on the factory Michelans. I have Yokohamas on now that have a 60k mile warranty. I really dont expect to get that kinda mileage out of them but discount tire stated they are warrantied. We had an 04 TL with the bridgestones and had about 20k on it when the EL-42 crappy tires were replaced by Acura free of charge. I believe we could have got another 10-15k out of them before they were gone.

These Yokahamas feel great, nice grip, great wet weather traction and minimal noise. Plus if the mileage holds true... Cant beat the price.

DIscount tire Yokahama YK520
I hope that link works but at 138.00 a tire or about 700 out the door with raod hazard tax, and disposal fees etc...

I upgraded to 245/45/17 to give the rims a little more protection...

ebs312

surprisingly, i still have a good amount of tread on my OEMs crapstones with about 15K on them. but i'll probably have to get new tires sometime next year.

MR1

I have just over 30K on my stock Michelins. They look like I might get another 10K or so. The Bridgestone EL42 wore so bad on 04-05 that some were replaced free by the dealers.

thegabrilles - thanks for the headsup on the Yokos. I like the price and your mini review of the characteristics. Keep us updated on how they look please.

TLin05

27,500 on the Michelin MXMs, with probably another 3,000 left in 'em. Plan to replace with Yokohama ADVAN S4s 245/45-17 before next winter.

jayare627

24,000 on Avon 550 AS, they are just about trash. I got the Avons when I replaced the Falkens which were USELESS in the snow. Loved the Avons for the short time i've had them...get loud towards the end of their life, but for the price I can't complain at all.

1995hoo

I had about 18,000 on the factory Bridgestones when I replaced them in January 2006 (bought my TL at the end of August 2004). They had a fair amount of life left in them, but the rain handling was simply too lousy and I was getting ready to go on a ski vacation in Quebec, so I replaced them with Pirelli PZero Nero M+S's. Those now have about 16,000 miles on them and I don't know what to project for treadlife.....just going to see how they do. They're far better in just about every way, although they are not a substitute for snow tyres if you live in a place where people normally use those. I had one or two problems in Quebec when we got 25 cm of snow the first day there. Car handled fine when it got moving, but getting it moving was a problem twice.

Lately I've gotten an occasional vibration in the Pirellis, but that's no doubt because I've only driven the TL twice in the past 11 days. Weather's been so nice that I've been driving my other car, which is a convertible.

S PAW 1

The TL is far from a "tire eater".
Rotation and tire pressures are vital to long life in any tire, and most people
don't maintain them. I would think most people on Acurazine probably do, because they care about their machines. I've always run Michelin Pilot A/S's on my Acuras, and always get 40-50,000 out of a set.

Adobeman

It really all depends on the tire and how the car is driven. Having a W rated tire worn out at 18Kmi isn't alarming to me. It's pretty easy to do if you push the car. Again, all tires have different ratings so if long tire life is a primary concern then tell that to your "tire man" and he can recommend tires with adequate load ratings that may have higher tread wear ratings. Some have even thought of going to H rated tires. If they are available for the car you may consider that. They will get the life but sacrifice some performance.

IMHO when people shop for V, Z or W rated tires extra long tread life isn't usually a top concern since performance is what they are after. What's happened is the auto makers have, over the years, started using these tires as OE so the general car buyer is really taken by surprise when they need new (and seemingly expensive) tires at 20 - 25K.

I run snow tires in the winter so my by the time I put 20 to 25K on a tire they are 4 to 5 years old. So I guess I only see the "hit" half as often as others.

94eg!

This is so weird...

No where have I ever seen people measure tread-life with the "speed rating" of a tire. You guys do know that there is a "tread-wear" rating right on the specs of EVERY SINGLE TIRE right? The speed-rating has nothing to do with how hard or soft the rubber compound of the tire is. It simply rates the tires ability to hold together...

Treadwear rating is what you should be looking at if you are concerned about tire life...

Will Y.

OP chwebmaker was asking about our experience with the TL tires, which use "W" rated tires. I don't think anyone is measuring tread life with the speed rating, but commenting on expectations in light of the speed rating. There are a limited number of "W" rated tires for the TL which are stickier and usually wear more than lower speed-rated tires. In general, the higher the speed rating, the less tread life users can expect (the Michelin MXMs being a "touring tire" exception).

Tires have treadwear ratings. However, the treadwear ratings may not extrapolate correctly for the FWD TL- the EL-42s are rated at 260, but wearing at about 120-140 per Acurazine member experience. The ratings are on-line at tirerack.com, which also explains that the treadwear rating may be useful within a brand of tires, but not between different brands of tires.

Legend2TL

My OEM Bridgestone EL42's only lasted 20K miles, besides low mileage they were only fair to poor tires. I replaced them with Avon A/S Tech M550's and have been extremely pleased with them.

S PAW 1

Judging tire wear by "type" of tire is usually inaccurate.
The Bridgestone EL-42 is rated as a "touring" tire, not a "performance" tire, according to Tirerack. My Michelin's are "Z" rated, and get high mileage.
The treadwear rating on the side of the tire might be the best place to start, but the manufacturers actually determine that rating, so don't expect them to be the final word. The numbers are a standard issued by the government, but they don't perform the actual testing, the manufacturers do.
Good luck.

tims

I got 41,000 on my stock Michelins on my '05. Still had tread when replaced, but beginning to lose grip. Regular rotation a must for long life.
Hope that helps,

Tim

tach32000

Stock tires here, 38k miles on them. Fine for dry/wet driving but not good for snow anymore. I should be able to get easily get 45k out of them minus snow driving.

jginnane

Hi --

Search back on my username for tire-issue posts. I was one of the people who got the OEM Bridgestones replaced under full warranty at 17K (with new OEM Michelins) on an '05.

Now that we're at 46,000+, and those Michelins probably have <10K left on them, the studies we did a year ago have Avon Tech and Pirelli Nero P-Zero on the short list... from tirerack.com. The replacement Michelins have been excellent -- everything the Bridgestones should have been -- but we can't justify a 50%+ price premium over the Pirellis or Avon Techs.

subinf

19k on the stock tires
30k with the RE750's

TL Dude

Your comment is true, however, I read the previous posts and agree that in general the tire wear is sacrificed (degree of sacrifice can be argured) as you go up in speed ratings. This is a known fact. Softer tread = greater traction. Softer tread also equals less tread life.

EDIT: Actually, speed ratings are about how fast the tire can roll and stay together if I recall. Combined with this is the extra traction and softer compounds inherent in a performance tire that again, generally relates to lower treadwear ratings.

People who are expecting long treadlife out of a TRUE performance tire will be disappointed.

revitupwriteitoff

06 w/nav, no a-spec & I have 24,500 on mine, figuring I'll probably hit 30K & replace. Is that good, btw? I don't know what the tires are, but I want to say Bridgestone.

JoeyASPEC

The Bridgestones blow. I have 25,800 on Michelin Pilots MXM4. (I swear by Michelin, though) I drive on the "Extreme" end of the "spirited" spectrum, though and will be upgrading my tires[ to Michelin Pilot PS2's] (and probably rims) by the end of summer.

CAHobbs

Hey JoeyASPEC,

28000miles, that’s great!

Got to warn you, the Pilot PS2's are going to wear a bit faster! Cause your going to have too much fun with the "improved" grip.

First set of PS2's only lasted 11000 miles (see what happens when you have too much fun, it gets expensive) but our second set of PS2's currently have 16000 (back to commuting) and I think they'll make it past 20000mi. Check out the "Tire Rack" for great prices on the PS2's.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _______________

As far as calling the TL a "Tire Eater", IMHO, that’s not true. All my tires wearing out quickly were my fault due to my driving style and not because of the FWD or the front end weight. The only time I attributed the FWD causing more tire wear was due to spinning the front wheels off the line and with an S/C, they can spin easy. After installing a Comptech RSB and having Comptech install camber adjusters at both ends, what ever they did with the alignment and/or suspension, our TL lost quite a lot of under steer.

During tight turns the front tracks so much better and I am able to drift the back end out, freaks our friend out every time! So I end up wearing the rear tires more and it keeps the guys at my local tire shop guessing when I come in for rotations. I just shrug my shoulders like I don't know why.

Happy Motoring!

S PAW 1

People who are expecting long treadlife out of a TRUE performance tire will be disappointed.[/QUOTE]

NOT TRUE!
Michelin Pilot A/S's are Ultra High Performance "Z"rated, and I have gotten no less than 45,000, with 50-55,000 the norm. You can't go any higher on the performance scale.

And for those who don't want to pay "the premium" for the Michelins should weigh the cost of mounting and balancing on a more frequent nature on tires that don't get the mileage.
The Avon M550's seem to have gained much respect since they were introduced.
Guess who owns them?

jedblanks

2004 TL -- 22,300 on the EL42s. They look like they can go 10k more. I've only rotated them twice. I check the air pressure often. I keep them at 35 front 38 rear.

They aren't so bad.

TrackBandit

17k on stock michelins. No noticeable wear at all. They've been rotated twice now, every 7,500 miles.

gauravp123

I have the stock michelin's, have 26k and rotate them frequently....

Acura told me I have 7/9ths of tread left..so I'm doing well!!!!!!

how the hell are you guys switching out michelin's at 30k? wtf are you guys doing?

CAHobbs

I believe JoeyASPEC said it best...

"I drive on the "Extreme" end of the "spirited" spectrum, though and will be upgrading my tires[ to Michelin Pilot PS2's] (and probably rims) by the end of summer".

Happy Tire Changes!

SBTL

2004 6MT with A-Spec.
Spirited driving to say the least...
Multiple alignments (seem to do no good as far as tire wear).
Tire pressures checked monthly 39 psi front 36 psi rear
Rotations every 3000 miles.
I have yet to get over 6000 miles on a set of tires.
Have had Yokohama OEM's x 2.
Falken ST115 x 2.
Will probably try either General Exclaim UHP, Avon Tech M500 or Falken FK452 next.
I'd love to try a Michelin high performance summer tire but I won't spend the extra $ without some sort of a guarantee (which the manufactures never give on summer tires). If the Michelin's last >12,000 miles, I'd gladly pay whoever $100 (for there recommendation) as long as they pay the $ difference between the Michelin's and the above tires if they don't.
Any Michelin advocate takers!?

CAHobbs

Interesting proposition... but I view the tire situation like the scene in "Days of Thunder" where Robert Duval has Tom Cruse run several laps Tom's way and later several laps Robert's way, Remember the out come? Tom's way was slower and he fried the tires..... and Robert's way, faster and he had enough tire left to go get some brewskis.

Just because one drives fast doesn’t mean they are not beating the hell out of the tires! Same goes for the brakes and clutch.

If someone takes you up on your offer, let's put up some odds and get a betting pool going or something!

Go Fast, Go Smoooooth and Happy Motoring!

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

No doubt that Pilot Sports are my favortite tire but are you sure 50k is accurate? As you said many people don't do proper maintence, I agree, but I'd say 20-30K is more accurate for those tires. I used to sell them and I have never ever seen anyone with a Z, Y or W go 50K. If they were that durable they would put some kind of treadwear warranty on them. 40k is the most I've seen and that was with a Sumitomo. Its one of the rare high-performance models that actually has a treadwear warranty of some kind.

CAHobbs

Good point S PAW 1!

BTW, the Pilot Sport 2's are Michelin's "top" performance tire (220 AA A rating), the A/S are an all season and while very good (400 AA A ratting), they are a few notches down from the PS2's. The Avon’s M550's are another good tire (360 AA A rating) and appear to be a little better than the A/S and the Avon’s M500 are close to the upper Michelins. Lastly, Avon is owned by Cooper Tires.

The real issue here is what one considers acceptable mileage out of a tire, whether it's a performance or OEM tire.

It is by the nature of "high" performance tires to wear faster thus having less mileage before wearing out due to softer compounds. There is a trade off for having "sticky" tires.

Each of us has to justify the cost of the tires against the way we treat them and how we feel they perform, and that my friends is very subjective at best.

In the end, it's really your opinion that matters the most to yourself right?

Happy Tire Wear!

avs007

I got 36,000 miles on the Michelin Pilot MXM tires.
The TL is also not a tire eater. The Yokohama AVS db tires (which are also W-rated), on my Supercharged Pontiac Grand Prix, lasted me 40,000 miles, and that car has MUCH more torque than the TL, and I think heavier too. I used to roast the tires fairly frequently too. The Continental ContiExtremeContact tires I have on that car now, have about 35,000 miles on em', and it looks like I can get another 5,000 miles out of em'.

I have Michelin Pilot Sports on my other car, and they are bald after 20,000 miles.
I have Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS on our TL now, because I figure with the 40,000 mile warranty, I won't mind if the tires go bald after 20,000 miles.

S PAW 1

[QUOTE=rockyfeller]No doubt that Pilot Sports are my favortite tire but are you sure 50k is accurate?


Absolutely!
I had dealer switch out Bridgestones for Michelin 235/45/17 Pilot A/S's when I bought my TL new. I rotated at 8,545, 18,100, 24,925, 34,480, and upgraded to 245/40/17's at 46,438. Didn't need to, but the post from Inaccurate that spoke of widest tire for stock rim gave me the "itch". I didn't go with 255's, based on information from Michelin as to to what tire size is safe for the stock rim. Tires had at least another 10K in them, but the snow traction had deteriorated somewhat.
Similar experience with treadwear on my previous '01 CL type "S".
Yeah, numbers don't lie. I've been happy with them.
BTW, the added wet and dry traction with the 245/40's, especially with the 6MT, is substantial. 4 big snow plows when you get 4+ inches of snow though.

SBTL, your mileage is shocking to say the least. Don't you look at some of these other mileage numbers and wonder what's wrong?
Man, that's expensive driving! Had any driveline failures (yet)?

SBTL

Do you feel my pain?
Serioulsy...I believe there is something about the early build 2004 suspension geometry that is aggravated by A-SPEC and results in pre-mature tire wear. Granted I live in the Santa Barbara foothills and most of my driving is 20-25 mph over very curvy roads in poor condition with a lot of stop signs which does tear up tires. I've had no driveline problems. My dealer is as frustrated as I am having done multiple alignments to both standard and A-Spec spefications and it doesn't seem to make a difference. They even gave me one free set of Yokohama AVS ES 100's. So I continue to buy cheap high-performance summer tires every 5-6 K miles. There are several thread on the alignment specifications if you search. It totally sucks and I likely selling my TL in the near future. I'm going to look at the Pontiac (Holden) G8 GTP or GXP (if they make it) sport sedan with a V8 LS motor, RWD and 6MT. And I will probably get flamed for even mentioning that!

SBTL

Do you feel my pain?
Serioulsy...I believe there is something about the early build 2004 suspension geometry that is aggravated by A-SPEC and results in pre-mature tire wear. Granted I live in the Santa Barbara foothills and most of my driving is 20-25 mph over very curvy roads in poor condition with a lot of stop signs which does tear up tires. I've had no driveline problems. My dealer is as frustrated as I am having done multiple alignments to both standard and A-Spec specifications and it doesn't seem to make a difference. They even gave me one free set of Yokohama AVS ES 100's. So I continue to buy cheap high-performance summer tires every 5-6 K miles. There are several thread on the alignment specifications if you search. It totally sucks and I likely selling my TL in the near future. I'm going to look at the Pontiac (Holden) G8 GTP or GXP (if they make it) sport sedan with a V8 LS motor, RWD and 6MT. And I will probably get flamed for even mentioning that!

TLTrance

I got 5/32 and 6/32 left on fronts and rears for my MXM4 and I have over 37,000 miles... I think I'm getting lucky...

Kostyan

wt,f do you people race your TLs? A set of all season tires should last at least 40K mi!

ILLustriousUA6

iTrader: (2)

i have a 06 a/t TL@ 25,400 and I have enough tread to last about another 20k or so..

Also, I race it and take hard turns maybe 1/16 of the time .