Hello all! I am a newbie in Denver. Bought a used '05TL w/ navi in Feb. 08. So OEM Michelin tires(stock rims), which now have 33K miles on them and are at 4/32" on all four. Need to get new shoes before winter. They sucked in the snow this past winter, but luckily I do not drive very far to work (5 to 6 miles round trip). I also have a '07 4Runner with 4-wheel drive that the wife and I use when we go skiing or drive any distance during winter. I do not plan on using dedicated snow tires because of the lack of miles I will drive in the winter in the TL and when I do drive in snow it's very carefully. I have been doing a lot of research on tires on this forum before joining and on Tirerack. I have decided I need a good UHP A/S tire. I will consider anything, but seem to like Bridgestone 960 A/S, Goodyear F1 A/S, Yokohama W4S, BF Goodrich Super Sport A/S and a couple of others. I have read good and bad on almost all the tires out there. I need to have good snow traction("good" for the UHP A/S category) but also want the tire to perform well during the other three seasons. I know the Conti Extreme Contact seems to have the best snow performance, but seems to lack the warm weather performance of the others in the category and has extremely soft sidewalls prone to blowouts. I do not drive it like it's a race car, but I want the tire to perform reasonably well if I want to during other three seasons. Price matters but I will spend a little more to get what I want. Worth spending the extra $30, $40 or $50 per tire to get what I want out of the tire. I can deal with some road noise to get good performance, just not ridiculous noise(read Goodyear F1 A/S can get noisy). I also understand that I will probably get about 30K miles out of UHP A/S tires with good care, not expecting to get 60K miles or anything ridiculous. I am going to the 245/45-17" size. Your feedback and recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Also, what are the implications if I go to a H-speed rated tire? Read good reviews on Bridgestone G 019 Grid and General Altimax HP(under $100 per tire) but both are H-speed rated. Remember I do not drive like a bat out of hell, but on occasion like to enjoy what the TL can do.

Sorry for the long write-up, but I figure if I am specific I will get better help! Thanks!

Seth

 

Aaack! a text tsunami!

use paragraphs, man. It's easier to read.

I believe Acura recommends a better speed rating than H. I don't know what rating for sure though. If you drop from recommended speed rating, you may get "tire squirm" which will decrease handling. Also, obviously you will not be able to safely drive as fast on an H rated tire.

PS: Welcome to the forum!

 

RE960 and Yoko W4S will give slightly better snow traction than the BFG Super Sport. Forget those H-rated tires.

 

I think for winter tires and for a 6 mile commute the speed rating isn't an issue

M 81 mph 130 km/h
N 87 mph 140km/h Temporary Spare Tires
P 93 mph 150 km/h
Q 99 mph 160 km/h Studless & Studdable Winter Tires
R 106 mph 170 km/h H.D. Light Truck Tires
S 112 mph 180 km/h Family Sedans & Vans
T 118 mph 190 km/h Family Sedans & Vans
U 124 mph 200 km/h
H 130 mph 210 km/h Sport Sedans & Coupes
V 149 mph 240 km/h Sport Sedans, Coupes & Sports Cars
W 168 mph 270 km/h Exotic Sports Cars
Y 186 mph 300 km/h Exotic Sports Cars


When Z-speed rated tires were first introduced, they were thought to reflect the highest tire speed rating that would ever be required, in excess of 240 km/h or 149 mph. While Z-speed rated tires are capable of speeds in excess of 149 mph, how far above 149 mph was not identified. That ultimately caused the automotive industry to add W- and Y-speed ratings to identify the tires that meet the needs of new vehicles that have extremely high top-speed capabilities.


I'd be more concerned with load rating which can be found here along with the above info.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=35