Bearcat94

The opportunity to replace the OE MXM4 presented itself yesterday.

I've read a MILLION, "Which Tire is Best" or "Help Me Pick a Tire" threads. Almost as many posts on the BS 960, GY F1, Yoko's, Falkens, Generals, etc.

I've read countless Tire Rack tests, surverys and reviews.

IOW - I should've been able to make a choice and throw down my money.

Yeah .... right. I guess when it comes time to part with $500 - $800 hard-earned dollars you want to double check that you double-double checked all the applicable psots, surveys, tests and opinions.

Ended up with the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. 245/45-17. They go on next Saturday.

BS 960 A/S = *very* close. I've got 'em on the '02 and no complaints. A little flat spotting on cold mornings, but nothing serious. 40k tread life warranty too.

GY F1 A/S = A while back I thought this would be my next tire. Good price, but too many compaints about quality, difficulty balancing and noise when the miles get higher.

Yoko S.4 = more $ than I wanted to spend, but look great on paper.

Pilot Sport A/S = on Close-Out at Tire Rack for $169 (reg $181). Very good test results; good reviews and surveys. BUT local tire store couldn't get 'em.

Instead they price matched the old Pilot Sport A/S on Tire Rack ($169) with the new Pilot A/S Sport Plus (reg $190) AND it's got a 45,000 mile tread wear warranty. Early reviews/test look as good or better than the "old" Pilot Sport A/S.

In the end, I don't think you can go too far wrong with any of the top performers in the UHP AS category.

I expect these new Pilots to be MUCH better in all circumstances than the over-priced ($265 each ) MXM4 (which rate 16th of 17 in the Tire Rack user survey - seriously, WTF? $265 for practically the worst tire in it's class?).




Oh, and I will never again whine, "there's a million tire threads, search". Promise.

godfather2

your sig is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bearcat94

Hey! V. Merry X-Mas to *you* =)

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

JP...you know you're going to have to post pictures, bro'. Hey did you have any luck with the DVD Audio stuff? (not to get off subject)

enigmaos

iTrader: (4)

Good info.

aceman4

iTrader: (1)

I'm in the same boat right now. I've also researched the "Which Tire is Best" or "Help Me Pick a Tire" threads and reviews on tirerack and discounttire and I'm still undecided on what to buy. My new Ron Jon legends will be here tomorrow and I still haven't bought my tires.

I bought a set of Goodyear F1 AS for my '06 when they rated 4th on tirerack. I only put 7K miles on them before I sold the '06 and I loved them. I was ready to buy another set for my new 18's and noticed they slipped in the tirerack ratings because of noise problems once you hit 20-25K....I HATE tire noise!!!

My new shortlist

Eagle GT-new tire and shying away because of noise problems with the F1's
General UHP-Good reviews and a great price
Nitto Neogen-Treadwear of only 280, but folks like the tire.
Falken 452-Not sure on this one yet. I had a set of 912's a few years ago and they were noisey.

Bearcat94

^^

I noticed the same thing wrt the Eagle F1 AS - their survey rank has been dropping as miles accumulate.

I did not look at the new GT since, performance-wise, it's a step below the F1 (and therefore a step below the BS960; Yoko S.4, etc). But, it's less expensive, so it retains a value proposition.

I was really ready to buy the BS 960. But test data v survey data caused me to think the Pilot Sport was a bit under-rated by the public. Also the survey scores were *very* close (except winter number's which I am not really worried about - when it snows here nobody drives anyhow).

When the store offered the new Plus at the close-out price PLUS the tread-life warranty, it made the decision easier.

It's a bit of a risk though - hopefully the new tire is *really* an improvement over the old, especially in long-term use (noise, comfort, handling after, say, 25,000 miles). If the performance is equal to or better than, I'll be happy.

alexSU

iTrader: (3)

Ouch!! $265 per tire!! That's pretty expensive! Yeah I heard the Pilots are really good though..its a good deal you got there!

I've always bought Nitto Neo Gen's and Invo. Awesome tire with excellent grip, not too expensive if you can bargain, VERY QUITE, and looks out of this world!! Just my opinion, I dont' track my car so these tires do the job perfectly for me.

Anyone else ever run with these tires?

chill_dog

So I'm guessing new wheels are out.

Bearcat94

Never!! Heresy!!


Two separate things. Tires are an "as needed, general fund" item. Wheels are a "special, bonus/tax return/saved up/free money" pool item - a target of opportunity, if you will.

The opportunity has not yet presented itself .... it will eventually .... patience is the key. All the proper events must converge .... and when they do, voila, wheels. And if I have to force the issue, well, lets just say, a trip to jewlers is not out of the question.

I do have X talking to me about wheels, actually initiating the conversations. Sure it's sarcasm and snide remarks, but at least X is talking about 'em.

chill_dog

^ She knows you're getting them, she's just letting you know how much it's really going to cost you .

ACCURATEin

What did you purchase ?!?!



As for tires, just pick a brand and tire name. You'll give yourself a headache trying to narrow it down.

Try the new dunlop Z1 star or whatever its called i forget...

dr_brains510

They're called Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec and they're going on my rpf's this weekend!

Still the Michelin's are solid tires as well. Good choice.

Bearcat94

Correct .... we're "negotiating".




No wheels purchased. Just better tires (finally) - Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus. 245/45-17. It's already a done deal.


And you're right about "trying to narrow it down".

That was kind of the point of the original post. You read, read, read. Behind the keyboard, it's easy to say, "Get tire x, they're great, you'll love 'em", but when you've got to put your own money onthe table .... well, it's not so easy to just pick tire x.

Walshstl

Haha I thought you would get the Michelins. You were really pushing them in my thread. I ended up with BS960 but havent put them on yet. I still kind of feel like I should have went with the Michelins lol! Buying tires is a headache no joke...

bforbrian

iTrader: (11)

I definitely need all seasons and couldn't decide between goodyear eagle F1's or Yokohama Advan S.4... so I went with half and half! I think I'm going to put the goodyear eagle F1's in the rear since I hear they get a little noisy and will put the yoko's up front.

nkoul_96

I got yokohama's.

tihomirbg

iTrader: (1)

What would you guys say about these tires?

Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season
Size 235/35R-19 91Y XL B
UTQG 420AA
Speed Rating Z
The ultra high-performance all-season tire with carbon fiber reinforced sidewalls for crisp, responsive handling.

Bearcat94

They've got a lot of nice features and tested *very* well. There are some people here (DMZ, others) that swear by 'em. The price is very attractive.

But others have had issues getting them to balance and a lot of the Tire Rack reviews indicate they get noisy as the miles build up. They have been losing ground in the Tire Rack survey rankings too.

You need to look at the Tire Rack data and the posts on this site (or others) and make your own decision.

tihomirbg

iTrader: (1)

So, if you are in a situation where you need to buy new tires and you are in cold winter climate, but you know you would not drive the car when there is snow but drive only on wet roads and low temperatures like in teens, what tire would you get?

Would you go summer tire because it will not be driven in snow just cold temperatures?

Bearcat94

No way. Theres a reason they call 'em "Summer" tires.

Summer tires start loosing *dry* traction when the temps get low. The compound gets hard in cold temps. All season maintain better traction properties across a wider range of temperatures. My guess is that very cold temps and wet roads would be *very* risky on summer tires.

I've see a chart that shows the temps where a summer tire starts losing it's effectiveness, but can't find it.


You can look at this comparison though:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=80


IMHO, the best thing to do is get a decent all season and put 'em on your stock rims. Run them in the winter. Put your Summer tires on the 19's and run them from May - Oct.

Benny12

The F1's are a great handling tire. However, as Bearcat94 mentioned, balancing and noise issues have been reported. I just had a set of F1's removed and replaced with a set of BS 960 AS's. I really liked the way the F1's handled, hate to loose that. However, they could never get the tires balanced for me and they were a bit loud.

So far the BS 960's are a softer riding tire, quieter and they are balanced. In my opinion, they do not handle as well and I assume it's because the side wall is not as stiff, but I think I'll like them overall more than the F1's as time goes on.

The other tire I was going back and forth on was the Pilot Sport A/S Plus. If the price was less than or close to what I paid for the BS 960's I would have gone with the Pilots. A part of me feels I should have stepped up to the plate, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Hope this helps.

tihomirbg

iTrader: (1)

Did you mean Bridgestone Potenza RE960 AS Pole Position?

If this is the one, you are saying they are better than the Eagle F1's All season?

tihomirbg

iTrader: (1)

BTW, I'm talking about 19" tire.

Bearcat94

Yes, that's the Bridgestone tire he is talking about. I don't think he's saying it's "better". He's saying that the GY handled great, but had other issues. I guess those issues were worth trading off some handling.

At each price/performance level, choosing a tire is usually compromising one parameter (handling, noise, comfort, wear, cost, etc) for another.




:lol: *Exactly* my dilemma. But my choice was made easier when the retailer basically matched the price on the 960's (960's = $167@; gave me the new Pilot at $169@).

Really looking forward to the new shoes.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

It's just a scam when tire manufacturers charge ridiculous amounts for OEM tires, just like BS does with their EL42 Turanzas; they know there will always be people who want the OEM tires replaced with the same and cost is a non issue.

BTW, I went with the 960's and they're an exceptional tire in the rain with a really smooth/quiet ride. It was between them and the Advan S4's for me. I wouldn't piss on Goodyears.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Remember, the EL42 is made in the good old USA where labor is high, while the 960 is made in Mexico/Japan, which might be the reason for the extremely high cost, although the quality is questionable when compared to other tires within the same category. Another item to mention is that the car manufacturer develops the tread design along with tire construction to afford the car has a nice cushy ride, low noise, and decent handling characteristics, although it seems that hasn't been the end result with the 42s.

Just keep in mind that even the 960s are made smaller in width when tread width of other UHP tires are compared.

Benny12

Correct, I'm not saying the Bridgestone is a better tire. The issues I had with the GY was worth trading off some handling for me.

I would have gone with the Pilots for that price too! I can't complain because I put 6K on the GY and the tire company gave full credit on them. Please let us know your thoughts on the Pilot Plus tires when you get them mounted and some miles on them.

TLuvr

Been there, done that. I read all the reviews, drove to a couple of dealers, then bought four Yoko Avid S4 - not Advan. So, far (2 months) they have been super tires. Drove no-stop from St. Louis to Houston, Texas and they were super quiet and great in the rain - about $700.00 and worth every penny (so far).

BillTL1

Based on Tire Rack Test results and hundreds of reviews that I went over,
I too just had Yoko Avid W4s 235/45/17's installed on my '05 TL. Of course
it's too early to give a comprehensive review of these, however I will say that driving home after having them installed and coming from EL-42's, it really is like driving a different car. So smooth and buttery, no noise and best of all, dirt cheap.

Frisbee

I would go with the Michelins

BGLEX81

Just got Toyo Proxes 4 (245/45/17), and they are great...payed $122 per tire at Town Fair Tire here in Mass..they matched the price from onlinetires.com ($109) but they had to add the shipping but I did save a good amount of money!!

Rocketsfan

Bearcat,

I have a set of 960's on my TL. They have about 46k on them and the front ones now are almost bald. I'm looking to replace them with another set of 960's or the Pilots you got. Maybe I missed it reading the thread, but which retailer did you go to for yours? Was it a chain or just a mom & pop shop?

Thanks!

Bearcat94

Chain - Tire Kingdom/NTB

And I'm *still* waiting on them ( ). Should've been on Friday or Saturday, but the tires didn't show. Now it'll be Thursday at the earliest.


If I would've got the "old" Pilot Sport A/S from Tire Rack, they'd be on already.

Rocketsfan

I don't know if there's a Discount Tire in your area, but they have the "old" Pilot A/S's for $134 apiece and they're about to have a $50 off coupon (if you buy 4 tires, I think). I may end up going with those. Just an FYI.

Bearcat94

That's a good deal. Looks like that is the 235/45-17??

The 245/45-17 (my selection) is still pretty pricey ($186 each), but $50 off helps.

Rocketsfan

Oh yeah, the price in the Dallas area for the 235/45 17's are $134 now. A $50 coupon would mean another $12 or so off per tire. Sorry to hear about your tires man. I was going to get another set of 960's but at the price these Pilots are, I'm tempted to just get these instead.

Good luck!

Bearcat94

That is exactly what drew me to them - lowered price. Otherwise it was 960's all the way.

Bearcat94

Just checked Tire Rack - prices dropped again - they're giving them away!!

235/45-17 = $109 each

Thats ~$60 less per tire than the 960's --> $240 per set less. Can't beat that with a stick.



245/45-17 = $148 each (Saves ~$80 per set over the 960's).

Rocketsfan

Yeah, the $109 Tire Rack price has been there for a while, I think (a couple of days anyway). I thought about getting it from them, but then I don't want the hassle of waiting until after Christmas to get them (that's when they'll apparently ship for me), then finding the place I can get them mounted and balanced as well.

I may just pay the $134 at Discount Tire - I'm not sure the coupon I saw is working. Bummer, they could've been about $122/tire.

Decisions, decisions....