HondaOnly

I have an 04 TL Auto. I've heard people putting Michelin Pilot Sport A/S on their TLs. But the Michelin website doesn't list this tire as one that'll fit on the TL. Is this correct? Let me know if I can get these tires or if I can only get the MXM4s? If I'm going to get Michelins, I want to get good ones.

insmanblue

If I were you I would go to Tirerack.com to see what would fit. I bought the 04 A-Spec wheels and I am going plus one-255/40/18. I picked the Michelin Pilot A/S based on the favorable reviews. Another site that might be of interest is 1010tires.com.

JetJock

I just got a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS-2's. They blow away even the HPT tire option that was on my car. These tires really make the TL what it should have been originally. They are quiet, really have a good road feel, and have absolutely no vibration issues. Great Tire!!

svtmike

They fit. If they don't, I don't know what I've been driving on for the past nine months.

Mike

HondaOnly

Thanks guys. I was planning to get them, but just wanted to be sure they were the right choice. The Bridgestones are awful. Whoever decided to put them on the TL needs to be fired.

vtechbrain

Thanks for the feedback on the PS2. I'm planning a set for spring

ibeplato

What are the differences in the Pilot Sport A/S and the Pilot Sport PS-2?

I live in virginia, so I'll need to worry about the occassional snow storm. Costco has both tires for about the same price.

LAWNMORE

What size wheels did you put the Michelin tires on,including offset please; thanks

ibeplato

Let me answer my own question after further research. :-) PS2s aren't rated for snow, A/S are.

PTN

get the pilot sport A/S. they cost a little more than most tires but they are awesome in the rain and dry and very good in the snow.

avs007

I second that. I just got my Michelin Pilot A/S about a month ago. They are superb. They are a tad quieter than the Pilot Sport Summer tires they replaced, and it doesn't feel like I gave up too much in performance. (Granted, it may only seem like I lost a tiny bit of performance, because it's so cold outside, and I've been driving like a granny with my summer tires in the cold weather, so I only remember how they performed back when it was warm out... Well..Cold to my standards anyways )

Stay away from the Pilot HX MXM4 tire. That tire is pure crap... Once you drive through a rainstorm with those tires, you'll understand why

The Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S tire is actually rated as better than the Pilot Sport A/S in every category (They are both superb tires tho... Rated #1 and #2 in category) I would've gotten that, but one of the sizes I needed was on national back order.

lenmen

Did the vibrations go away with the Pilot Sport A/S

avs007

I haven't had any issues with them so far. And I've had them sit in the < 40 degree weather for several days at a time, without issues.

bsalassi

After some research, I replaced the Bridgestone Turanza's that were OEM on my '07 TL with a Michelin Pilot Sport A/S set. Immediately my gas mileage dropped significantly by an average 4-5 miles to the gallon. I kept them for 5,000 miles to see if there was any improvement and there was none. I purchased them from Discount Tires and they cheerfully exchanged the Michelins for the OEM Bridgestone Turanza EL 42's. Immediately, my gas mileage increased significantly by an average 4-5 miles per gallon. Anybody else have the same results?

SouthernBoy

Yes, but not that much. When I went from the OEM factory EL42's to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S in the spring of '06, my work commute mileage dropped about 1.5+ MPG and my highway mileage dropped around 2 MPG.

Hi-performance tires come with a price and it is not just purchase dollars. So you have to weigh the benefits of each and go with what's best for you. In my mind, fuel economy takes a back seat to performance, that's a no brainer for me.

SouthernBoy

Well let's see. In the spring of '06, I had a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires installed on my '04 manual TL in the stock size. Then in March of this year, I had a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires installed on the same car in the same size. So I would say "yes".. they most certainly do come in our OEM recommended tire size.

dannyboy72

Best tire for the TL, Pilot sport plus A/S! Bridgestone 9e960as pole positions are good but only last about 18,000 miles. Takes some of the vibration out.

SouthernBoy

My initial reaction to the newer "Plus" series of the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tire?

They are quieter than the previous version. Also, there appears to be a slight improvement in dry traction and steering response. This is a very good tire and feels as though it is ideally suited for the manual TL.

Kstrick

How much mileage are you guys getting out of these Michelin Pilot Sports?

SouthernBoy

This would depend upon which other tires against which they are to be compared. If you are comparing the Pilots against the factory OEM tires, which are more than likely touring tires, expect a drop of around 1.5 to 2 MPG for in-town driving and around 2+ for the highway. My average for my work commute with the stock tires was around 26.5 MPG and on the highway, I generally got just over 32 MPG (with a high of 33.94 once). My Pilots are under 24.5 for work commute and run around 29-30 on the highway at the same speeds and on the same roads as just mentioned above.

Kstrick

Thanks Southern....What about when its time to replace them? How long are they lasting? Tires seem to not make it past a year for me (12,000-15,000..Hankooks).

SouthernBoy

I had the first set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires installed at 25,750 miles. The current set, the Plus version of these tires, was installed at 64,715 miles so that's 38,965 miles out of the first set. And I did the second set early because the shop was offering the incentive of free mounting and balancing until the end of April and they gave me TireRack's price. I suspect the first set had about another 8,000+ miles left in them when I had them replaced but the incentive was worth it in my book.

So I expect to get maybe better than 50,000 miles out of the Plus's based upon the above. And here's a kicker. When they put my car up on their rack for an alignment, it didn't need one! Everything was on the money as it was. My '04 TL has never had an alignment in the five years, three months I've owned it!! That may be hard for some to believe, me too, but it's true. And last March, it was good to go as it was.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Our 1989 RX7 Turbo had an alignment in 1992, and not one since. Our '93 Jeep Grand Cherokee never had an alignment in the 233,000 miles we owned the vehicle, same as the '96, '01, and '05.
The '04 TL no alignment. Contrary to popular belief, an alignment isn't needed as the vehicle specs won't magically change, unless a part has been compromised and uneven tire wear noticed.

Johnny_b

All-season tires compromise season designated high performance(summer/winter) for merely acceptable performance for all four seasons. If you don't live where it snows, why go all season? High performance summer tires are designed to work in wet/dry conditions.

If you do live where it snows, why not get snows for the winter and summers for the summer?
Most, if not all A/S tires are unacceptable for snowy conditions and mediocre at best in wet conditions.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Go all season mostly because the summer tires are soft and won't last very long. Although not an industry standard, summer tires (140/380)have a wear rating around 200 while the all season tires (340/540) are about double that figure.

Bearcat94

Same here. Plus we get a handful of days below the recommended low temp for most summer tires.

SouthernBoy

I am quite sensitive to a number of things about my car. Noises, feels, handling, power, etc. I believe my wife thinks I'm crazy at times about this, but I am quite cognizant of how my car is acting. I have been this way for many years. When I drove my TL home after having purchased it, I knew immediately that the tires were not equal in their air pressure settings. So I let the car sit in my garage until the next morning when I checked them as noted that one of my front tires was under by four pounds.

You're right about alignments not magically changing. If the driver is careful, drives sanely, doesn't force the wheel (or turn it when the car is still), and uses quality tires, the alignment should remain constant over long periods of time and miles. I just wasn't expecting it to go that long and still by on the money.

LaCostaRacer

I just bought a set of Pilot Sport a/s plus tires at Costco. So far, these tires are a big improvement over the MXM4s. For anyone interested, Costco has a $70 off coupon ending next week. I got a set of 4 installed for $858.04 out the door, including new TPMS stems.

Next up will be an alignment since my MXM4's had some inner wear on the rears- I got 27K miles out of the MXM4s.

pellepelle_10

Have Discount Tire Company match

http://www.onlinetires.com

Best pricing you'll get anywhere for tires.

I think I was $797 out the door for install and mounting on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Pluses. They ride really nice and I'm really satisfied with its wet weather traction.

LaCostaRacer

^That's a great price on a set of tires from Discount as long as the mounting/balancing and TPMS sensors don't cost an arm and a leg. It helps when the tires go on sale.

The Costco misc prices are $14/tire mounting, $7.87/tire on the TPMS stem, and 2.75/tire for CA state fee and disposal. The Discount tire price today is $163.18 or 652.72 for a set of 4 with no misc. costs factored in- not bad.