Audioholics

Hi all;

I have 45k miles on my 07 TL Type S and its time to change tires. I still have the stock Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 235/45/R17s on my car. Amazing they lasted this long!

I was going to buy the exact same tire until I found the Pilot A/S Plus which is not only $300 cheaper for a set of 4 but also has a higher speed rating (Y vs W) and better tread wear rating (500 vs 300).

Will the A/S plus handle as well as the stock Michelins? Why would anyone use the stock tires if they are more expensive and aren't as good?

Sorry if this question is posted elsewhere. I did a search and couldn't find a similar thread but I don't visit this site as often as I should.

Appreciate your advices...

DonnieDarko8221

I'm on my second set of the Pilot Sport A/S Plus. It's a great tire and should handle MUCH better than the stock tire. FWIW when I had each set mounted (I used a different place each time) both installers said they were a real pain in the ass to put on.

Also, your gas mileage will drop a couple MPG's.

VQPower37

are those the only two tires u r looking at ... if not look into continental extreme contact dws have them on my type s and it rides phenomenally

Audioholics

Why would gas mileage be any different? The tires are same size....

I was sticking with Michelin b/c they seem to last the longest when compared to others... but I am open.

VQPower37

look into the conti's on tire rack and read the reviews ... they are cheaper and comparable if not better than the oem michelins IMO

csmeance

I've been a michelin tire person my entire life until a year or so ago. A family member of mine had a blowout on the highway in my MDX (factory Michelin Lattitude tires with a decent amount of tread left) for no apparent reason. I checked the tires the night before and they were aired up properly.

Michelin refused to even pay to have a new tire mounted even though the old tire was under warranty and even the tire place "michelin told me to go there" deemed it was a defect in manufacturing. I said okay, no problem and put on a set of Dunlop Sport Signatures and havent looked back.

Then fast forward to my BMW 760. It has it's super sticky summer tires on that lasted 20K. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus that you are talking about had just come out. I purchased a set for 2000 dollars and drove the car around. Grip was fairly good in wet and dry.

Fast forward about 10K miles later and I'm driving on the interstate while a light drizzle was going on, doing about 60 when I come to a car moving much slower (probably 40 on an interstate when the speed limit is 65). I put on my turn signal and give the car a little bit of gas to accelerate and all hell breaks loose.

The rear end of the car slid out and thus caused the front to loose a bit of grip. I slid between my lane and the other lane for a few seconds while TCS tried to control the car. I honestly thought I was going to either hit the median or roll into the ditch and be killed. The car finally got traction and I pulled over and sat there for a minute to regain my composure. I got out and looked at my tires and they were BALD. Down to the wear bars in a tire warrantied for 45k Miles.

I am partly to blame for that since I became a bit lax in checking since they were warrantied for 45K but the way michelin treated me again takes the cake. I went to the place I bought the tires from and showed them that they were bald. They called up michelin and Michelin said, to bad so sad. I then asked to speak to the rep and then after arguing with them for a few minutes they offered 300 dollars towards another 2000 dollar set of these tirs or 350 towards a 3000 dollar set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2. I told them to keep their money and that they lost me as a customer.

Either way, Michelin doesn't treat their customers good at all and their new offerings are sub par at best.

As far as MPG going down, my 760 lost about 2 MPG with the Pilot sports since they are a heavy tire.

IMO, look into the continental DW or DWS model lines. I have the DW on my 760 and they are the best tires out there for it. These tires are going to last me about 25K (Purebred summer tires) on a car with 444 ft. Lbs of Torque while the shitty michelins barely lasted 10. Also I've got my 2 MPG back. Also the DWS are amazing tires and are warrantied for around 50,000 miles; many people here like them and so do many other car owners. If you drive in snow these are the tires for you

I have the Bridgestone Potenza 960 Pole Position A/S on my TL right now and the last set I had lasted me 40K. They are great tires that are sticky and comfy and not that noisy. I bought them a while ago and I'm sure that there are better tires there on the market at the moment. I'll do some looking into and see what other tires are good.

Do you drive in Snow? Cold weather below freezing? Like performance? Like comfort? Like quietness? What are you looking for in a tire and how much do you want to spend?

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

If you go to any other than the stock OE tire, get 245/45-17 size.

Will Y.

Costco sells various Michelins sized for the TL at pretty good prices, FWIW.
The Pilot A/S should handle better than the MXM4s, which were selected by Acura for a compromise of handling, longevity, low noise, etc. The Pilot A/S is more performance oriented.
However, the MXMs are probably a quieter tire with longer wear.
The construction of tire types differs-- some are heavier, some dimensions (including circumference) differ even amongst tires with the "same" size-- that's why Tirerack.com shows those statistics for tires. Tread patterns and compositions also differ, resulting in different rolling resistance, wear and so forth. All of that affects the miles per gallon achieved by the car.

Bearcat94

There is no contest.

The MXM4 is a compromise in every way and does nothing very well. It's one of the lowest rated tires in it's class in Tire Rack surveys, but also one of the MOST expensive tires in it's class. Total rip-off.

I'm on my second set of Pilot Sport A/S Plus (245/45-17). They're much better in wet and dry traction have a 45,000 mile tread life warranty and cost less. Only thing I found were as they got over, say, 20,000 miles there was an increase in road noise, but it never got particularly annoying.

My theory on why the MXM4 is so expensive is to "catch" the uninformed who walk in and say, "My car needs new tires. I want the same as what it came with stock." Cha-Ching $$$$ .


Edit: BTW, the "better" speed rating shouldn't even matter. Anything over "W" won't necessarily do anything for you.

Audioholics

thanks guys for all your input. Believe me I don't need a higher speed rating. I have enough speeding tickets doing 10mph over the limit on the highways in Florida. Florida is a speed ticket state and now they use instantaneous laser that gets you before your radar detector goes off.

I didn't even think to check tire weight but now I will be comparing that metric as well.

Audioholics

Guys,

I ran a compare between the stock Michelins, the Pilot A/S Plus and the Continental Extreme Contact DWS:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTires.jsp

The stock Michelins are actually the heaviest tire of the 3.

I read another thread where people were happy with the performance of the Continental but not the build quality. Apparently the sidewalls are dull and can't be shined.

The Continentals are about $200 cheaper for a set of 4 than the Michelin Pilot A/S Plus but I'm not sure its worth the savings based on what I've read.

vp55

iTrader: (6)

Bearcat & Turbonut - Do any of you notice the ride to be more bumpy/harsh with the Pilot A/S Plus in 245-45-17? Also, any notice in the transmission noise as my first gear seems to sound a little louder while giving light throttle, perhaps due to the heavier tire, or is it about the same as the OEM Michelins.

This all happened after I had my tires installed and I hope it wasn't the shop I went with (Merchants). TIA.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

I would assume most aftermarket tires will afford a firmer ride than the OE Michelin except the DWS for one, mainly because of the soft sidewalls, but I have never done a comparsion. I have the Yokohama S.4 in 245/45-17 and the tires aren't as forgiving as the OE Michelin. These tires are wide, handle well, decent ride and the life expectancy looks to be fantastic, but the flat spotting in the winter is terrible. Glad we don't drive it very much in cold weather.

Bearcat94

I can't say that I do, but I haven't had the OE tire on for .... uhhhh .... about 2 1/2 years (30,000 miles). It's kind of hard to remember.

I do find my TL to very sensitive to tire balance and alignment - when both are good it drives better and feels much smoother (and maybe quieter too).

I doubt weight has much to do with it; 2 pounds weight difference isn't too much.

vp55

iTrader: (6)

Thanks for the quick reply guys.

Turbonut-Yes, I believe I have flat spotting as on smooth roads I still seem to find the ride a little bumpy. I am glad I went with the 245 instead of 255. Made a pretty big difference in handling/cornering.

Bearcat- Would you recommend I take it to Acura to have an alignment or have the tires balanced. I can take it back to the shop I had it installed but I am afraid something else may get messed up. What PSI do you recommend for the front/rear on the 245-45-17's?

I do love the handling on these tires, much better steering response and a lot less body roll.

Hacura

I've got the stock MXM's and can say they are average thus far but getting a little noisy as they wear (not unusual)...I've heard good things about the Pirelli P Zero Nero line or the Continental DW(S). I don't have experience with either one. Do you need a snow tire? Snow compounds add a significant change in tire composition so it is important to determine if you need that.

Bearcat94

I recommend Road Force balancing the tires when new.

I don't have a preference for where an alignment is done, so long as it's done right.

Pressures? Good question.

I've been running 33F / 36R (a lot of people will tell you thats backwards, but I don't care :wink: ).

But I've been thinking that the "extra" weight on the front should probably require at least 35 (per the OM). So right now I'm thinking about running 35F / 38R.

Remember OE Mich 235/45 MXM4 are virtually identical in sidewall and diameter to most 245/45 tires so pressure for "stock" can be the starting point for the 245/45.

(FWIW, TL-S Owners Manual says 35F / 32R.)