Aman

Got a flat this past weekend, the tire has a small leak in it and pretty much separated from the wheel. Since the tires I have right now have more than 60,000 miles on them, I figured that this was a decent opportunity to change out all four.

I'm looking for a decent all-season tire that's competent in the wet, isn't too loud on the highway, and will last for a decent amount of time.

My first thought was for the Continental DWS tire, which I've heard only good things about. It's definitely a consideration, but a bit more expensive than I'd like.

The tires that the car came with are Michelin MXV4s. My problem with this tire is its lack of grip in the wet, which is really infuriating. I'm not interested in getting another set of these.

I plan on rotating these tires often, so directional tread is a minus, but not a deal-breaker. If the tire is exceptional in other areas, I'm willing to ignore it.

I'm riding on the donut right now, so something I can find locally is a bonus. Don't really want to wait for tires to be shipped in.

These tires will be mounted on the stock wheels, so I want to stick with the stock tire size. 205/60/16.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of going with a slightly wider tire?

215s?

Some tires I'm considering:

Goodyear Allegra Touring Fuel Max:
http://tires.canadiantire.ca/view/pr...owReviews=true

Pros:
Affordable
High Mileage Rating
Supposed Fuel Savings

Cons:
Loud

Continental ContiPro Contact:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Pros:
Good Dry and Wet Traction
Low Road Noise

Cons:
Hydroplanes (I have this issue with my current tires, and can handle it)
Low Tread Life

nj2pa2nc

might be in the minority but loved the OEM Michelin tires. we originally planned to replace our tsx in 2010 so we bought cheaper Yokohama tires in 09. Two days ago the tires were measured at 4.5/32 with 58,000 miles.

chill_dog

I've always used Toyo's, but the Proxes4 were too long in the tooth when I got new tires to get them (even though I really liked them). I went with my first set of Yokohama's...still very pleased. THESE are the ones I got, but they also have an H-rated version ( LINK ). Both have good reviews and survey well on Tire Rack.

bonknhead

I'd go with the Conti ExtremeContact DWS. If you were to bump the size up to 215/55-16, those are actually cheaper than the 205/60-16 Continental ContiPro Contacts you were looking at.

I put on my Conti DWSs about 3 weeks ago. Love them. They seem to be as good as the Pirelli PZero Nero M+S tires I had a couple of years ago. Those were great tires, but were spendy and only lasted 20k miles. Good luck with whatever you pick.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Conti DWS'

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....CDWS&tab=Specs

Your stock tires are 25.7" tall, so the 225/55-16s are actually the correct height. The 215/55s are 25.3" tall in comparison. Theyre $103 each on Tire Rack. Not sure how that translates into monopoly money

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

I had the Bridgestone pole position re970as on my TL and they were great. Very quiet and competent handling in the wet.

pttl

Not sure if you want to go to a touring tire, but these are great. http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Passe...uring-H-V.aspx

Inexpensive H or V rated all seasons. 2 family members have them on their cars...fantastic.

pmptx

ThisContinental ContiPro Contact:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Pros:
Good Dry and Wet Traction
Low Road Noise

Cons:
Hydroplanes (I have this issue with my current tires, and can handle it)
Low Tread Life

I have them on my 02 and no issues with hydroplaning and I have 35K with 6/32 all around still
Conti Extreme Contact DW (I got them before the DW designation, so they are last gen) on mine in TX and love them

Aman

Shipping from TireRack: $121.56.

Doing my best to find these tires locally, and save a pretty penny. Thanks for the recommendations though.

What kind of Yokohama tires did you buy? I've heard some people love the OEM Michelins, some hate them.

Thanks for the link. A lot of guys seem to be satisfied with that tire, save for some balancing issues. I hope I can avoid those, my car vibrates enough already.

Looking at the same tires on tirerack though, and people seem to have issues with uneven treadwear and lack of traction in the snow. Definitely an option, but it doesn't seem to excel in the winter. Then again, it is classified as a UHP all season.


Thanks for the recommendation. I found a local retailer that sells these, albeit for a pretty penny.

http://www.gtatires.ca/catalog/conti...page=1&sort=4a

They come in 205/50s, 205/55s, 215/55s, 225/50s, and 225/55s.


I'm kinda worried about sidewall flex or or treadwear/balancing issues if I go any wider than 215s. This is a car that sees lots of abuse. The extra curb protection would be nice though.

Any downsides to these? I've only heard good things about them. A lot of people are complaining about a soft sidewall, but that's about it.

Where did you buy them/have them mounted? Did they last long?

Thanks for the link.

I'm open to any tire I can use year-round, the rest are just preferences. The fact that this tire lasts long and is quiet is a big bonus.

What kind of driving do you do mostly? City or highway?

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Im not entirely sure there will be a noticeable amount of sidewall flex. The 225/50s fit on 6-8" wheels, and IIRC your wheels are 6.5" wide. The sidewall height is the same as stock too.

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

I bought them off tirerack.com, this was back when I was living in Windsor so I had them drop shipped to an installer in Michigan to save me on shipping and taxes. I had them installed there which saved me a bundle. I sold the car about a year after having them so I can't comment on longevity but from what I remember they were wearing well.

Aman

Found a set of Conti DWS' on Canadian Tire for $142.99 each, best price I've found so far. Now it's just a matter of finding the right size.

They don't come in 205/60/16, which is the factory size for my car. 225/50s are tempting, but I'm worried about warranty or mounting/balancing issues if I go for a tire that wide.

Decisions, decisions...

Aman

Ordered a set of 225/50/16 Continental ExtremeContact DWS today from Canadian Tire today. Cheaper than most of the competition, and mostly positive reviews. Interested to see them on.

Will be coming in Monday or Tuesday, which is pushing it since I plan to leave for school Tuesday evening.

But buying tires is effing expensive. $150 a corner, then a $25 fee for tire disposal, then $75-$100 in tax, then $25 per corner for mounting and balancing, then tax on that, then a new spare because this one will likely be bald, then tax on that, then mounting and balancing the spare, then tax on that.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Tax on that is nearly $100? Whats the tax rate there?

Aman

13%, down from 15% just a few years ago

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I like my 5% sales tax here in VA. And if you know the right people and pay with cash, no tax charged

Aman

Finally picked up the Conti's and had them mounted.

First impressions, generally good. I haven't had a chance to really test their limits, but I did do a lot of driving today. Got a vibration at around 65 mph so I might have to take them in to get rebalanced.

The first thing that struck me was how quiet they were. My old Michelins would start roaring at about 20 mph. These tires were quiet enough that I could hear the car shift from 4th to 5th, something that was usually drowned out by wind and tire noise. A very nice surprise.

It might just be me, but I noticed a very slight drop in steering feel. Going over slight bumps and different road surfaced didn't send as much response through the wheel. It's a very slight difference though, and I'm not bothered by it.

The sidewall sticks out plenty. It's a 9 inch wide tire on a 6.5" rim. Saved my butt today when I nuked a curb picking up my mom today, but it's something that I'll have to get used to.

My old tires were at around 37 psi cold all around, and the shop I took it to set pressures to the factory 32/30. I definitely noticed a smoother ride, but don't know how much of it is attributable to the lower tire pressure.

No aggressive driving has been done on these tires yet, and I've only put a couple hundred kilometres on them so far. But I am satisfied.

Just have to get them rebalanced again