Pika817

I was considering upgrading the tires on my Type S.

What's the best tire that combines performance, all weather handling, and ride/noise quality?

From what I hear, the stock Michelins are junk?

csmeance

i think you have heard the the STOCK EL42's form bridgestone are crappy. From what I hear, there is Khumo, Toyo, Pirelli, And maybe Nitto all seasons. I may have left ou t a few so pls don't flame

slimjim2

You will not find a clear answer to this question. No one tire will be the best at everything. I recently replaced my tires and after much research I came to this:

Most tires are expensive for our wheel size and most likely wear quickly due to emphasis on performance (low tread for better feel). Many have found that a set of tires barely last 20,000 miles.

My friend got a set of Kumho ASX for his Sentra SE-R specv and found them to be the perfect compliment to a stiffley tuned suspension. These tires have a softer feel, good wet/snow performance, and are nice and quiet on the dry road/highway. They will wander a little at hight speeds (>90mph).

They are not the best for to-the-limit performance but are very pleasant every day. No noticible difference in cornering or off-the-line performance from OEM after break-in period. Furthermore they have a higher treadwear rating than almost any in this size and are about the cheapest!!! Very happy with Kumho.

About $100/tire at Tirerack. Shipped to dealership and installed/balanced for $75.

ndabunka

The bottom line is that A LOT of tires are good in the $150/each price range. Falling into this level are Toyo Proxes 1's, Pirelli Nero's, Dunlop 9000's, Goodyear F1's, etc. Other tires, like the Kumo's, can be picked up for as little as $70/tire and are also decent tires (Includes Kummo, Nittos, Nanking, Nexen, General UHP, etc). Most of the better performing tires will have treadwear ratings of around 240. This wear rating is independent of the price (for the most part). The higher the tread wear rating, the longer the tires will last (i.e. a 400 will last longer than a 200). Your actual driving characteristics will determine how long ANY tire (no matter the rating will last). Since most people who dirve this car do so for the perfoamnce aspect, many/most of us get fewer than 25K miles. If you are not as aggressive (i.e. you drive around a neighborhood at around 5MPH with grannies honking at you to "get it going" you might do fine with some of the "touring" tires that are on the market that can get up to 50K miles before replacement. Of course, they SUCK when you turn the car into a gentle 30-degree corner @ 45MPH but that is what they are designed to do. In short, it's not the price you pay, it's the way you drive that is the PRIMARY determinent of durability. However, as most have agreed on here, the stock Michelin XMX's are a decent balance and have the ability to give you decent (40K miles) mileage. Of course, being designed as a touring tire (rather than a performance tire), they don't "stick" the corner's like others can but they are an expensive tire (a set going for $800 to $1000). Now, the stock bridgestone/pontenza EL42's DO suck and IMHO are a danger on these cars.

Ron A

This thread has been moved to the proper forum. Please read The "Modifications" in "Performance Parts & Modifications" announcement at the top of the Performance Parts & Modifications subforum for a full explanation.