Hi all,
I bought a 2006 TL in May of last year and it came with Ziex tires with ~80% tread left. I don't care for these tires as they make my car very noisy and bumpy so thinking of replacing them with the Michelins.
Do you think putting on michelins, besides making the car much quieter, will also smoothen the ride out? Right now the car rides very hard (even steering) and bumpy. Not so good for terrible MI roads.
Also, Ziex handle terrible in snow or rain. I can feel the car "float" on the road in rail. What a horrible feeling. Would the new Michelins help with that too?
Thanks a lot in advance.

 

Maximus -

You haven't given us too much to work with here in terms of trying to determine if new Michelins will solve your current issues. Have you done anything else to try and help/solve your issue? Have you been rotating your tires? Have you had an alignment? Is your car bumpy and floaty all the time? Highway? How many miles on the car? How many miles on the tires? Even wear across the tread?
Almost certainly new tires will make your car drive better but if there is an underlying issue or something else at play, new tires may only help short term or not at all.

 

You also didn't specify what tires you were looking at? Michelin is a brand of tire....they make lots of different tires that will give you very different results depending on which specific product you choose.

Noise -- tires are probably worn unevenly and new tires will help assuming you correct what caused the uneven wear

Rough Ride -- Tires can help, but the TL is not known to be the smoothest riding car in the first place. Getting away from a Performance tire back to a Grand Touring tire can sometimes help lessen the impact harshness. This of course is assuming the Ziex tire currently on the car is a Performance oriented tire.

Hydroplaning -- If there is 80% tread left, you are just driving too fast for the conditions. Any tire will hydroplane if the water is deep enough and the speed is high enough.

Winter -- This really does depend on the type of tire. A true performance tire will generally not do too well in the snow/ice. If you drive in snow/ice a lot, getting dedicated winter tires is generally best. Many people in snowy regions do get by with proper all-season tires....and some of those work well in snow/ice, while some don't.

There are lots and lots of threads already that review/argue what the best tires are. Some people want all out summer performance, some want year round performance, while others want nice and smooth ride qualities. You have to figure that one out yourself and then read up on the various recommendations.

 

Thank you very much for your prompt responses. All great questions. Here're some answers:
- Car is bumpy all the time period....at low as well as high speeds
- My car has ~103k on it. Had 86k when I bought it last year
- The steering is the tightest I have experienced so far
- I experience "floating" even at 50 mph on highway
- Haven't got alignment done in the last year but it looks like it is due because I can feel the car pull to one side. Haven't done rotation too in the last year
- As for the ride, my preference is definitely smoother, less bumpy ride. I only said Michelins because I have heard that they are the best out there for quiet ride.
- Current Ziex tires (912 I think??) are not performance

Given my experience in the last winter, I am contemplating keeping the car for this winter. Also, not too excited about the bumpy and stiff ride. The car is awesome from a gas mileage, reliability, and looks standpoint. So, if somebody can advise if good tires, alignment, etc. will improve my overall ride all season, I would definitely love to keep it.

Hope this clarifies it a little bit. Would appreciate your expert advice.

 

Falken Ziex 912 - Performance All-Season Tires

It sounds like some of your issues are due to the lack of routine maintenance being done by you. No alignment and no rotations will easily lead to uneven wear and noise.

Here are my suggestions:
- Go get your car aligned
- Research and purchase tires that are classified as Grand Touring
- Rotate your tires every 5-10k miles

Just remember being in a snow region, you can't expect the greatest winter performance without buying dedicated winter tires. No all-season tire will perform as well as a dedicated winter tire.

I am running Michelin MXM4 and have been quite happy with them. They are a tad pricey, but they meet my requirements perfectly.
- Quiet
- Smooth Ride
- Decent Handling
- Decent Winter Performance
- Decent MPG

 

Thank you for the advice. Will definitely look into the MX4s. I was going to get new tires and alignment done all in one shot.
Just one more question: do you think I will feel a difference in bumpy ride with the MX4s? I was thinking suspension and struts are what they are. Shouldn't really see a big difference from tire to tire??

 

103k miles you say?...
have you checked your bushings and shocks?
if these are original, you should start here.... especially if you still have 80% tread life on your Falkens

 

"Bumpy" ride is very subjective. Impact harshness can be influenced by the tires. "Bumpy" or "Floaty" ride is going to usually be more influenced by the various suspension components.

 

I'm always a big proponent of Michelins. I use them on everything I have. The MXM4's are a good tire and I'm happy with them for an all around tire.

 

Michelin MX4M's are nice tires but they tend to wear faster than most tires on the TL. I'd recommend the Contintental DWS. Make sure they are at 35PSI and you'll be happy with them! I've had 3 sets so far on my TL and they are great. I'd recommend you get your shocks checked out too. I replaced them on my TL at around 160K (mostly highway miles) and it made a huge difference!

 

If you're a Michelin Man, then check out the Pilot Sport A/S 3's. Consumer Reports Top rated all season tire. They have even a nicer ride than the Continental DWS's I had previously. In fact, the Conti's aren't even a recommended tire by Consumers any more. Their snow traction was even rated poor!

CR's Take:
The top rated UHP all-season tire establishes a benchmark in this category.
Highs: Excellent dry performance. True all-season performance.
Lows: No vices.

I have 'em. They're terrific!
.
.

 

Other discussions within this forum have stated that the A/S 3 is not at the same level of winter traction/performance as the DWS. Superior in all other seasons though. Personally, I have zero experience with either tire.

 

You are spot on. Had the AS3 on my previous vehicle (actually tested winter performance for Michelin). The dry traction and steering response were wonderful, but the winter traction left a lot to be desired.