28,000 on this set of tires then a pothole took out the sidewalls!
 

That's right folks. A rain filled pothole ruined two sidewalls and bent a rim tonight! I still have 6/32nds of tread and they were still quiet and smooth riding after 28,000 miles. I thought I was going to get more than 50,000 miles on this set. Nope. Thanks New York Department of Transportation! This was after I missed a sink hole last week by straddling it and just missed it. What a bummer. Well a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ 255/40/19 tires will be installed again shortly. What a waste.

Ah. Those low profile tires. I wrecked three tires when I had the RLX. New England is one giant pot hole !

Happened to me twice - I always buy wheel and tire insurance.

I think you meant shit hole, but we should keep our language choices professional here.

It's funny you comment about that. I never buy the tire insurance normally, but I did on this last set for some reason. I found out that the insurance will partially pay towards the replacement. I'm still going to get 4 so they all match, but it is irritating. I'll get an alignment too just to be sure it didn't send that out of adjustment.

I'm going to agree with R. White and condemn the trend towards lower profile tires.

What gives me pause for thought is the fact that tire and auto manufacturers are making a fortune selling replacement rims and replacement tires, so maybe the move to lower profile tires is a calculated move to boost profits??? I really would need to see the quantitative data on how much lower profile tires improve handling to see if the rougher ride and greater risk of damage are worthwhile. My suspicion is that the move to lower profile is driven by marketing (the typical salesmen can certainly be heard convincing the unsuspecting buyer that a 19 inch tire must be better than an 18 inch tire - it is "one better") and esthetic reasons and not vast improvements in handling or safety.

Sorry for your trouble RLX-Sport Hybrid. You've made me more paranoid than ever about avoiding potholes.

But you and I picked up a friend while commiserating about it! I hope you and the family are doing well. All my best.

I have not actually worn out a full set of tires yet. In fact this set represents the most amount of miles I have successfully driven on before one or more got damaged. These are wearing perfectly. In fact I will keep two of the undamaged tires just in case this happens again 20-something thousand miles in the future, so hopefully I don't have to replace all four to keep them even regarding tread depth. Is this experience representative of the road conditions, tire construction, low profile design, or just bad luck? Bummer. Come to think of it, I had the same problem with my last cars before this which was a TL and my previous MDX.

An Acura Wheel/Tire replacement for the RLX was $1250 when I had to do it. Insurance covered $800 of it.

I don't want to jinx it, but I have been driving either an Acura TL, RLX P-AWS or RLX SH all on 19's since 2012 and have never had a tire or rim issue due to potholes. I guess that's one positive about higher Canadian taxes :). If you see a pothole, you email/tweet or call the city and they go out and fix it right away. With some high travelled routes as an exception, our streets are quite good. Winter can be tough on the road surfaces, but they are still out there repairing potholes 365 days a year.

That is very unexpected to hear. Good for you and your local community or staying on top of the roads. My assumption is rust belt states tend to have the greatest chances for potholes just based on the temperature fluctuations.

40 Series tires are a no go for me-will not consider it at all. As much as I like the MMC on the RLX the tire choice is unacceptable for the road conditions most of us endure.

I thought this was a more mature forum than some of the others.

I believe that is the case, however when we find ourselves being frustrated by things that can't be avoided, it is my understanding that the regulations state that at some point we all let a curse word out, which is acceptable under certain conditions. I don't think any of us would say "oh sugar" if we got into an accident or somehow damaged our cars. I do appreciate the comment though. All in good fun. Got the new tires on today. Back in business.

Dear RLX-Sport Hybrid,

I see you're driving on the Pilot Sport A/S 3+, correct? I was driving in my SH yesterday on some rather slick roads, and whilst accelerating through a left turn from a stop light, my rear really fish-tailed on the OEM Primacys more than I have ever experienced. They have about 2 yrs of wear on them now, but I was really surprised how much they lost grip. Granted the outside temp was about 36 degrees, but there was no ice, at least visably. I wanted to ask how you would compare the PS A/S 3+ vs the OEM Primacys because I think I'm going to replace after this winter... How do you find the ride, handling/grip, sportiness, noise, etc?

Bellanova,

This is my second set of these and I could not be happier. I lived with the OEM, then went to the Conti DWS06, then the Mich A/S 3+ and will not go to another make/model again. They are fantastic especially in the 255/40/19 size I am using. Sidewall protection is excellent, and the ride/performance/noise level/traction is superb. I can't recommend them more. Yesterday was a particularly slippery day with the snow, but they performed nearly as good as dedicated snow tires. I would say traction was about 80% of what dedicated snow tires would produce. Far exceeded my expectations and yes there was a little slipping, but it was very controllable and predictable. Excellent!

The DSW tires were not as good in the snow or any situation as the A/S3+ tires. My opinion.

I looked at the Conti DSW's a while ago and the primary knock on them in the reviews that I read was that the snow traction decreased substantially with a year or two of wear. Otherwise, everyone seemed to love them. For that reason, I don't think they are a suitable substitute for a true winter tire.

Limelight, hopefully the issues you experienced were related to a specific set of conditions ( temp, wetness, freezing rain?) and you can still get a couple of more seasons with your DSW's.

Just my two cents.

Some time ago, we had a couple of extensive threads discussing your issue. I echo the responses from others that champion the PS A/S 3+ for the SH. I think other tires make this a dangerous car to drive in wet conditions for the everyday public. AS I had stated on those threads, if I had not put the A/S 3+ on this car, I would have sold it. Super grip and piece of mind will make it worth every cent for you (unless you like to fishtail).