John11500

I have original stock Michelin P235/45 R17 95W tires. Need to replace. Most places don't stock the 95W which are rated for 165mph. Can I get a P235/45 R17 tire with a lesser rating? If so will performance be an issue? The 95W is expensive too. Any advice? Thanks

Will Y.

95 is the load rating, while "W" is the speed rating.

You can get H or V rated tires (as well as Y and Z) in the stock 17" size with no adverse effects in normal street/freeway driving.

The Michelin MXM4 is a Grand Touring all-season tire and tends to be pricey, it's not the speed or load rating.
A number of AZ members running all-season tires use the Continental DWS or Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus rather than the MXM4s-- both of those are less expensive than the MXM4.
I've got the Yokohoma Advan S.4 ($180/tire) now, and am getting Potenza RE970 Pole Positions, which are rated 97W, this week for just under $200 each, mounted, balanced and with tax, also less $$ than the MXM4.

You can check Costco, Sam's Club or other discount warehouse websites-- they have the safe choices as well as generally decent prices on tires.

Welcome to AZ.

DMZ

If you don't plan on driving anywhere near 165 MPH, what's the problem?

The Continental Extreme Contact DWS's seem to be the most popular among AZiners here.
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JD TL-S

iTrader: (1)

^^^ Exactly and Yes ^^^

Bearcat94

The stock Michelin tire is WAY, WAY over-priced. Find something else more affordable. It's also VERY poorly rated on Tire Rack. There are SO many better choices in terms of value.

vshengr

iTrader: (2)

Hey John11500,

I actually just switched out my stock Michelin 235/45/17 MXM4 set. I still had tread on them but disliked them that much that I decided to toss 'em early. I picked up a winter set recently so I was able to pick up a summer set and just had them mounted this Monday.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-tires-wheels-suspension-97/your-favorite-summer-tires-854382/

That's a link to the thread I started to get input on summer tires, ended up getting the Hankook V12 and am so far very impressed.

I don't know your situation, where do you live, climate, needs/wants from a tire. But I can definitely tell you that you should absolutely NOT get another set of the stock Michelins. They do not grip well in dry OR wet. They are not the most comfortable or the most quiet. They are not the cheapest. They last a long time, like most all season tires, that's the only plus. However like many people have said, your tires are the only things making contact with the ground. Don't you want the best you can get? Traction can decrease braking distance which is huge for safety purposes.

Let us know what you want out of a new set of tires and I'm sure we can get you plenty of suggestions. If you are looking for an all season tire, this comes pretty highly recommended by lots of members on this forum:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....um=345WR7ECDWS

Try to stick with atleast stock load rating, 95W is not referencing speed but rather how much weight the tires can take. Here is some reading info about load and speed rating:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=35

As for tire size, you can go 235/45/17 or 245/45/17 as every tire maker and even individual tire can differ in size slightly. Our stock Michelins are supposed to be 25.6" in diameter. Many 235/45/17 tires are 25.4" or 25.3" while most 245/45/17 tires are 25.7" so you can decide whether you want a slightly larger or slightly smaller tire. There are benefits to both. If you have other questions feel free to ask, there are many here that can help