Michelin A/S or Continental ContiExtremeContact?
 

Which tire is better for driving year round? I am not going to run different sets of tires for summer/winter as I just don't have the space to store 4 extra tires year round and don't want to spend the extra money, but I do know that the OEM tires (which are Michelins too) suck so bad that if it snows an inch (literally, an inch) I get stuck trying to go up a hill. I have been checking out tirerack.com and have narrowed it down to the Mich A/S's or the Continental ContiExtremeContact's. The only drawback to the Mich's I may potentially see is that I think Michelin is going to discontinue the AS (at least that is what tirerack shows) so if I ruin a tire and need a replacement, I would have an oddball brand on there. For that matter though, I suppose I can still get a Michelin tire, it just won't be exactly the same tread pattern.

The other thing that concerns me is the flat spotting issue with the Conti's. It is like -5 air temp today with a -30 windchill. Is it too cold to run with the Conti's since the cold brings out the flat spotting or am I worrying about nothing.

Hmmmm....Yeah, so not sure what to do here. Advice?

I just put on the Michelin A/S's today. Got them from Tirerack.com at $108 each plus shipping. I was in for service last week and was told that I needed tires, with only 25k on the car I was surprised since I always watch the pressure. I was told that my alignment was off and that's what got the tires. The OEM Michelin's are $300 EACH!!!!!! I was floored. Anyway I ordered the A/S's got them in three days. Brought them into the dealer for an alignment, and mount/balance etc on the tires. I only drove on the tires on the way home, maybe 20 miles. The car was very quite and coming off of the GSP exit I did notice that the car seemed to handle better. Don't know if it actually did or not but it felt like it.

I'm not worried about the tires being changed, if I need another tire down the road I'll just get the replacements.

Dave

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/fin...12178&sw=false

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/fin...12178&sw=false

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/fin...12178&sw=false

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/fin...12178&sw=false

Pilot Sport A/S. At the discounted prices you can't find a better tire for the money (IMHO). *Very* highly rated and regularly ~$181 per tire.

While the Pilot Sport A/S is being discontinued, it is being replaced by the Pilot Sport A/S Plus. Same tread pattern, improved wear.

So if you do lose a tire, the Plus version is an alternative.

i had the pilot sport a/s plus for about 500 miles so far, very good tires. with the stock bridgestone EL42, i had so many hydroplanes when raining, traction control keeps cutting on and off. but i haven't had any of those on the a/s so far. and they are quite on freeway, give me more road surface information than EL42.

Michelin PS2 A/S FTMFW!!!......Continentals are pure garbage!! they get real noisy after a while. If money is an issue look at the General xclaim UHP (i thinks is xclaim or sumtin similar)....i heard nothin but good things about that tire as far as price and performance are concerned... my $.02

I have run a couple sets of the Conti Extremes, shelfed the stock Michelins from my Type S at 6K miles, and also on my 06 TL at 8K miles. I think they are a great tire, I keep them aired up to 35-36 PSI and never have flat spot issues at that pressure. If they are aired down to 30-32 psi I have noticed a very slight flat spotting that is litterally gone within a couple of miles. The Conti's are very good in the snow and rain and offer better grip than the Michelins in the dry as well. My 06 TL (traded it for my 07 Type S) was noticeably better in the snow..... not sure if the stiffer suspension and more aggressive alignment specs of the S are the culprit but Im not super pleased with the Type S in the snow. For the money you cant beat the Conti's.

Follow up on the Pilot A/S
 

Now that I've had a chance to drive the car a little on the streets, Highway and in the rain, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the tires.

So far they have been great, especially for the price I paid from Tirerack. They're quiet (I shut the radio off and drove around), they are really good in the rain, no problems at all. Drove a little on icy roads and found the adhesion to be excellent, as long as you remember that you're on ice. I even stomped on the brakes in the rain (I looked around and there wasn't anyone else on the road), and the brake response was excellent. A good replacement tire for the TL.

I really don't know why the OEM tires were so expensive.

Dave

@dmarcus48 - Thanks for your thoughts. Have you noticed a decrease in your MPG (not what the on board computer reports, but what you've calculated)?

No, I haven't noticed any difference. I had been getting 19-20 in straight city driving. I've probably driven less than 100 miles on the new tires so it's too early to tell. I wouldn't think there would be a difference, but you never know. I usually run my tires around 33-34 psi. I do notice a difference if I drop the pressure down to >32psi.

I'm leaving town tomorrow for a week so I won't be able to do any updates for awhile.

Dave