DMZ

ding069

no real surprises except for the falken's scoring so high. i always knew the pirelli's were overpriced and under-performed.

where is toyo on this list!?!?

Ron A

Bear in mind that all of the tires tested were size P205/55R16 H and V ratings. Ratings for tires in our sizes are usually quite different in most if not all of the tested areas.

Andrew McCarthy

what does the blue star on the left mean?

geekybiker

Ive never really cared how consumer reports tests things. Their take on what is important in rating stuff often is very different than someone who knows alot about it or is simply into it. Basically their ratings on tires is what Id expect of someone who starts out to test with the knowledge that tires are round and black, and considers driving to just a a method to get from point a to point b.

Ron A

Blue star means it's a Quick Pick, which is like a recommendation.

neuronbob

Thanks for the list, DMZ, timely as usual.

WTF are they thinking in the V-rated category? Michie Pilot MXM4s? These are standard issue on the RL but many of us RL owners are shedding them for Pilot Pzero Neros.

I chose a different route....Toyo Proxes 4. I agree with the other posters....where are they? The drone is not bad, but they don't flatspot and are good in the wet and sleet.

The Falkens are not #1 any more but are still top-ranked, and it's well-earned. I owned two sets on my TL and they were great, but noisy after 10k miles.

chill_dog

DMZ's scans are blocked for me, but I agree with this question. I have never seen a tire test that includes Toyo's, one of the highest rated tires by actual users.

geekybiker

I love how the Contipro Contact is rated better in traction and handling than continentals own top of the line ContiExtreme Contact. Really makes me wonder want mertrics they use to measure such things.

avs007

I remember along time ago, in their TV reviews, they rated a Funai TV as being the best. In the article, it you looked at the criteria, you'll notice that picture quality was not one of the tested criteria Apparently they emphasized cost and features

avs007

Yeah, you really have to compare to like tires, and like target audiences. A while back, the tire shop tried to get me to some Goodyear Triple Treds. Said they were the top rated tire, and told me how they were rated better then the Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S tires I was asking about. So I looked at the reviews, and sure enough, it said like 9.9 or something like that on handling, wheras the P-Zeros were a few tenths lower. However, when I looked at the cars that the reviewers drove.... The triple-tred drivers were mostly minivan and camry drivers, and the P-Zeros were 3 series BMWs, etc. So I dismissed the handling characterists review of the triple-tred, and opted not to buy them....

SouthernBoy

We can't get the Michelin Exalto's for our TLs because they are not the correct speed rating. Yes you CAN actually get them, but you may run into problems. I tried to buy them last spring and the independent tire shop I went to did not want to sell or install them. If I insisted, they would nullify and stated or implied warranties AND have me sign a statement that I would not hold them responsible for any failures of any kind.

So I bought the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires, which while super on my former 2002 Altima SE, are not the best choice for the TL manual. My next set are going to most likely be the ContiProContacts.

jupitersolo

P-Zero Nero M&S running on my TL for the last week. I'm loving them. Haven't driven in the rain with them yet. And the NoVa winters are soon to come. So I'll let you know more later.

dug-mac

This test highlights one of the problems of having a non-enthusiast group or agency in charge of the ratings. For example, the Yoko Avid V4S is given a worse score on "rolling resistance" than the Michelin HX MXM4's. Problem is, these tires belong in different categories - the Yoko's are high performance tires and the Michelin are grand touring - and shouldn't be compared on the same scale. HP tires SHOULD have a higher rolling resistance as this is one of the things that enables them to achieve better grip - more rubber on the road. This isn't a negative but rather quite by design. I doubt very much that CR conducted any real handling tests (despite what they claim). Otherwise, they would have seen the superior grip of the Yoko's when pushed. I know as I have had both of these on my 03 TL-S...

MichiganRich

The MXM4's are standard issue on the TL's now too. My dealer just put a set on my TL replacing the highly-rated, Tire Rack-recommended, Avon M550's that I was persuaded into getting last year. The MXM4's are a factor of ten quieter and more comfortable. I know you guys are a bunch of street racers but I personally think the TL rides pretty stiffly as it is, and the performance tires make it worse. I also live in Michigan where the roads are like I imagine they are in, say, Beirut.

XS2K

I have always relied on CR in many areas, particularly in choosing the TL but for tire ratings, I like the Tire Rack's reviews. Their filters will help you look at FWD, RWD, type of driving (Spirited), where you drive (city, highway or both), or down to your exact year and model of car. These reviews convinced me to dump the Turanza EL-42's at 300 miles and go for the Turanza LS-Z's and I could not be happier with my choice. People who submit a review do not seem to pull any punches; they give an opiniopn good or bad.

kenny5

Anyone has an explanation as to why most OEM tires are much more expensive than other tires, which, by the way, are usually much better than the OEMs? For example, Bridgestone EL-42 vs Bridgestone LS-Z. The price difference between these tires is not that significant, but the difference in performance, handling, noise level, tread wear etc. are very substantial. Are car manufacturers in cohorts with tire manufacturers?

dug-mac

MichiganRich, I'm definitely no street racer. My driving would be described as moderate at best. I do not think the Michelin's are garbage as the user ratings from Tire Rack would suggest. They are a very uniform tire which means they roll very smoothly. They are decent in snow and as you say fairly quiet. They are poor in wet conditions. My main problem with them was after about 20K when they became very hard and lacked compliance, grip, etc. I hope you have better luck with them...

DMZ

Blocked ?????? How ?????

Hybrid

I've looked at Tire Racks ratings compiled from data from owners of the tires. I'm not impressed. There's a HUGE and obvious problem with the results. In almost all cases, a tire that isn't liked in one aspect (say, dry handling) is also disliked in ALL other respects, including things like treadlife. The reality is that tires are compromises. A tire that handles relatively poorly may have incredibly long treadlife and be very quiet, for example. But you won't see that in their user ratings People don't like a product for one aspect, and therefore pan it across the board.

CR does actually test the tires, and I'd trust their results more than about any other source. Tire Rack's staff tests, where they compare tires themselves, can be pretty good, of course. People ask what criteria CR uses to rate the tires, but it's pretty obvious (to get a pretty good idea) just from looking at the headers of the columns. I'm sure braking in different situations (wet/dry) is involved for example. Actually reading the magazine might help people that always complain about how they "don't trust their results" understand their testing. They are, of course, testing things for the mass market. It wouldn't make any sense to test tires only from a Ferrari driver perspective. Basically, people can ignore them, or read what they have to say and take the parts that are of value to them. Ignore rolling resistance completely, for example, and do your own rating based on the factors you value. Nobody including CR says the only product to buy is at the top of the list.

Will Y.

It's probably the browser configuration- my Firefox browser (as configured, i.e. high security, etc.) doesn't show most of the photos and scans attached to posts here. I jump over to my Internet Explorer browser to view photos and scans here.

DMZ

Have you tried upgrading to the new Firefox 2.0 that just came out?

Will Y.

I likely will in the next two weeks or so. Mozilla usually sends a message out for updates and hasn't done so yet. However, I'm holding off as my guess is that its website is pretty crowded right now, and I tend to wait a little in case someone catches a problem with the new software.
OK, maybe I'm just lazy and procrastinating...

DMZ

Been using for 3 days......so far, so good.

I'm posting this using 2.0