OK.

After fighting and fighting with the tire company, I finally made them see the "correct" side of light.

Long story short, traded my improper 245/45/17 Toyo Proxie FZ4's in for some 225/50/17 Michelin Pilots AS. Cost to me, after much debate. 400 clams...OTD.

Report: I will EMPHATICALLY endorse these over priced pieces of rubber. We have had rain, sleet, snow, light mist and downpours in the last week. These tires RULE. It will just be painful to put a set on at full cost.

In the Toyos, although adequate in dry weather, the rain especially light mist was a pain and the car tended to skate under appropriate driving conditions. Downpours were a tad spookey sometimes and hydroplaning occured. Plus the tires seemed to "flat spot" easier.

In the Michelins, driving under the SAME condition (I.E. driver input) it was like driving on dry weather. The mist was a non factor, I could get out of my driveway in the snow (something I could not do with the toyos) and it barrels through rain like a pro!


End story, to me they are worth it. Great performance and made my old tires look like crap.

 

BTW, did the road noise get any quiter? If yes, how much?

 

I concur, I had those same tires put on to replace my stock Potenzas. They are very good tires in every condition. Shortly after I got the Pilot Sports we received 6" of snow and it was absolutely no problem plowing through that stuff. Definitely a great replacement for OEM tires.

 

I will be walking into sears this weekend, and hopefully they will be in stock. $800 is the neighborhood its in right???

 

I beleive the cheapest I have seen people say they paid for everything (mounting, balance, valve stems, road hazard and fing TAX) is about 900-950.

Definitely the only way to go...only question is 225 or 235....

 

The Toyos really didnt have road noise. These are just a tad "quieter" than the toyos. I had the Toyos longest as I hated the Protendas and ditched them within 3 months of owning the car.

 

shame on you for wasting your hard earned money on these overpriced pieces of rubber . I just don't see how anyone can spend that kind of change on tires for a four door family sedan. This ain't no sports car you know, and money does not grow on trees.

 

If you run at high speeds, they are plenty noisy. But Nissan has a fix for it. Turn up the radio!!!!!!!

 

197.00 each
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....m=25WR7SPORTAS

 

I ordered mine from Sears, and out the door (M&B, valve stems, tire disposal, enviro charge, and road hazard)....just barely over $1000. And I managed to get them at $199/tire. Everywhere else (including Sears) had them for $225 and up. Sears originally quoted and ordered XGT Z4's for me in the OE size. When I read the order, I saw the Z4's and told him that it wasn't the right tire. When he pulled out the Michelin book, he said, "these, right?"

"Nope...those (pointing to the PS A/S's)".

"Well, those are $228 a tire".

"OK, I'd like my deposit ($800! ) returned, because I can get it for cheaper than that." (Good acting)

"No need, sir. We will give it to you at the same price."

"Cool."

 

How dare anyone spend $800 on tires for a $30K car? My god what are you folks doing with those cars, driving them? Aside from the y-pipe, there is no single best bang for the buck when it comes to this car. It simply transfoms the way the car rides from numb to fun. Glad you guys are enjoying them. I'll probably be replacing my tires and wheels this Summer, probably get Michelin Pilots again. It is a lot of $$$ for tires, bur definitely worth it.

 

I see good tires are proactive safety devices, not reactive ones. Stopping faster, obtaining better handling and braking sometimes doesn't have a price when you need to avoid an accident.

 

Funny that you say that because, I have never driven any car as soft as I drive my Max. I actually have 32K on the tires and they look great. I also hardly ever corner hard, or push the car to its limits. I do enjoy knowing that I could if I wanted to. You are absolutely correct about the price, how can we put a price on safety? Impossible.

 

Ah, spend your money however you want.

As for wasting money, there are one hell of a lot of people on this forum that TO ME have wasted money on mods I would never have (most particularly FUGLY rims) but hey to each his or her own!

 

Everyone seems to rave about these Pilots...but are they worth DOUBLE??? I know they are a good tire (according to people here) but are they really 2x as good as a tire for $100 or so?

I've only got 2k on my 2k3 so I have a ways to go before new tires. However, I was actually very impressed with the handling of the Potenzas. Then again I used to have 2 RWD cars I'm happy that I can acually GO in the rain from a stop!

 

I can't HELP but think that I could have a new SET of Sumitomo HTR+, in a PLUS +1 size (don't EVEN flame me!) and STILL have money left-over for new SHOCKS and SPRINGS!!!

ALL installed for less (or just a wee bit more) than a new set of PS A/S's........

Can they REALLY be worth $1000 for a set of 4????????????????


Guess I won't know until I wear these Blow-tenzas down to the nub.

g.r.

 

I paid 100$ per tire...400 OTD.

As for being worth double, I would almost say yes. I have not driven on HTR+'s, or KWDS or anything else. Just the Toyo's and Protendas.

To ME, my safety is invalueable. To those that comment that how can it compart to a 100 tire? Well, I had a very nice, not phenomenal, rated tire that ran from 120-160. The Michelin buried it, hands down.

We have a lot of rain, mist and rarely snow (Lower Ohio). The simple fact that the Toyo would "skate" in light mist versus the Michelin NOT skating is worth it in my book. The streets in my City are narrow and have pole, trashcans, parked cars and what not right along the street. One slight "slip" and Ill whack something. I also had to drive like a little old lady.

I still drive carefully, but the white knuckled driving has been dramatically reduced.

As for spending the money, if you dont want to spend it...dont. And who says that the dollar value of your car limits the dollar value of the tires you purchase. That is just plain dumb. I see peeps put thousands of dollars of audio equipment, rims, and other stuff. So why cant I put $$$ of safety and security on my car?

 

Dude, you live in Texas. Try driving those Potenzas in NY. You will be whistling a different tune, especially if you had kids.

I think the only overpriced peice of rubber mentioned in this thread is the Potenzas. $160 each for a "all-season" tire that doesn't even handle well in the rain. $200 for the Michelins is a deal compared to the Potenzas.

 

That was pretty much my rationale. I'd love to find a cheaper tire that provides comparable performance. That's easy as pie for 15/16" wheels but the 17s are espensive.

 

And I never understood that. If you get a tire thats the same radius and width but for a smaller wheel, say 16", the cost drops like $60, even though there is actually MORE rubber involved.

 

yeah, I dont get his comment either. TX gets MAD downpours and traffic flows at 80 regardless.. and it get to like 140F on the asphalt in the summer, again at highways speeds.. You need a safe tire there as much as anywhere... Especially if you have kids.

You just have to consider the additional $400 to be insurance. I would spend the extra money *because* of my family. The maxima is already a handling-challenged car, it needs the best tires you can afford for it.

 

True words!!!

Especially after yesterday's monring 'rush' hour in a major downpour (like a rain whiteout). I shudder to think how the RE92's I sent to the tire graveyard would have handled that.

 

Your blowtenzas wont last that long. I have 11k miles on my 2k3 and the look like racing slicks ( and that is with frequent rotation). The Pilot Sport A/S is DEFINITELY the way to go. Especially if you live in a place where it rains (like FL). I has the PSAS on my 2k1 max b4 i traded her in and it was 1000x better after i put the pilots on it. If you want my advice, go with the pilots.

 

I will spend $400 more if they are worth that, but that is just my question. Are they really worth 2x the price? I don't drive all that much with my max (my 2000 miles took 3 months to put on - and the first 1,000 I was driving like crazy to get past the break-in period). However, I would like to know that should I get caught in rain storm or snow storm that I'll be ok. So far the car hasn't seen snow but it has seen some rain. Like I said, I was pretty impressed (along with the HLSD).

 

even if you can't get past the '400 extra for performance' arguement, with their treadwear rating (and backed up by owners of the tire), it will last 2x longer than comparable tires. So techically, you will come about the same in the long run. Why not just put a good set on to begin with instead of 2 sets you felt were a compromise.

I'm about to do this as well. I've had many friends with this tire, it does seem to be worth every penny.. but at the same time, I do not look forward to paying for them. It will certainly mean owning the car alittle longer for sure.

 

second that!
I am a believer.

 

I could never justify paying 2X the price when I know there are tires out there that offer 95%+ of the capability as the Pilot A/S. That's just me though.

I recently bought a set of 17s with 235/45 Sumitomo HTR+ from the Tirerack. For $1100 shipped, I got a set of lightweight 17s (17lbs each), brand new W-rated HTR+ tires, hubcentric rings, super nice lugs nuts, and a set of Gorilla locks. For nearly the same price, people are buying just tires. That just boggles my mind.

The HTR+ are very impressive. They ride good, handle extremely well, fairly quiet (they get louder when temps drop into the 20s), they're cheap ($100 for a 235/45R17), and they are rated damn close to the Pilot A/S.


Dave

 

I love the Max just as much as everyone else but frankly I don't think it deserves $200 tires. It's one thing to put expensive tires on GS430 or 540i but on a Max? Come on, no tire will compensate for poor suspension or lack of common sense. When it pours outside, slow down! Yes, I'm from Texas too and I know what jjs meant. However, in the rain yesterday I drove my Trooper with auto-4WD and twice the ground clearance and trust me, THAT made a difference! FYI, Michelin tires are great, I had used the Pilots H4s on my 96 I30t and they were a great match but they only cost me $450 installed and IMHO the I30 was a better car than the Max.

 

Tim, as I have read from the wings, you wont be disappointed. Price is always a concernm but sometimes you half to look over that to see the whole picture.

I am curious about this statement:

How do they last longer? Is that a reference to the original protendas?

 

How bout when it's snowing? 3 inches of snow? 6? Or even 1/2 inch of slush? Or an icy bridge? Sure, I could just drive 10 MPH for 4 months of the year, but that's rediculous.

 

I feel, (read: my opinion) that this is an un-informed opinion. It all goes back to this: Only cars in xxxxxx dollar zone afford xxx dollars worth of tires?

Take this example:
Given driver input can be regulated to be an exact match. Take X car on a specific testing area. Mount 3 different types of tires, cheap middle range, and expensive. You think that the tires are not going to deliver different results? You are attaching an intangible (emotion of dollars I.E being expensive) to a tangable, test results of performance.

You might not wish/want to spend the dollars for said manufacturer of tire, but that does not mean that X car does not deserve or can make use of a better tire.

 

If you live in such climate you'll be much better off with winter tires on a spare set of 15" or 16" wheels.

 

I'll tell you this - I agree about the expense.

I don't believe the sumitomos were around when I was shopping because the only tires I recall in factory size were 150+.

There is another popular brand that was about 100 - Kumho Supras - but a buddy of mine who has them hates them and they wore out very very fast.

If the htrs were around - I might have passed on them b/c they were lower profile than stock.

The Pilots are still great though!

 

Colonel, I have read they they tend to last 2x long than other similar rated tires. And their tread pattern continues working to the wear indicators, where as some agressive tread pattern tires really arent so good after 50-60% wear.

Green, I disagree, a good predictable tire can make up for alot of the maxima's shortcomings. The most important part of your brake system is your tires, and pretty much most other aspects of the cars handling.

I also disagree with the Lexus statement. Who cares how much the car costs? the arguement is here, is at tire that is, say, 20-40% better worth 100% more? well, yes.. to some it is.

Think about what all the mods you can do on your car, $400 more for a *great* tire isnt a big deal. Sure, like you said, there are other *good* tires for $500-600. They will provide safety and comfort over the stock tires for sure.

I agree, there is NO substitute for common sense. I'm telling you that at 40mph (while everyone else is blowing past me), these tires are not predictable. I'm kinda ready to stop worrying about tires.. I'm gonna get the best I can afford.

 

$800 for some Blizzaks on 16" steel rims. A little more, and I can get the Michelins for my stock rims, then I never have to switch because the Michelins are a true all-season. I will have better traction year round. This is actually the debate I'm having in my head the last week or so. Snow tires or Michelin Pilots? I'm leaning towards the Michelins.

It just makes me so mad that Nissan didn't just give us a good all-season tire in the first place.

 

This is funny. I went and read the Pilot A/S online reviews at The Tirerack and probably 30% of the 52 reviews are from Maxima owners most of which are 5th gen owners Every review starts off with, "the OEM Potenzas were horrible.....". Did anyone stop to think that any tire is probably better than the Potenza

BTW, the reviews are kind of hit and miss when it comes to the Pilot A/S. Not everyone thinks they're great.


Dave

 

Very good point Dave.. My arguement for them is largely based on the lack of other choices we have.

It has crossed my mind that best *value* would be just selling the 2k2 rims and going aftermarket. Would be a wash and I could get any tire I like.

 

The BEST value is to wear the Protendzas down until about 5K left on tread, then UPGRADE to a 7.5+" rim. Then you have TONS of choices and when you sell the car you can sell it with the OEM rims and crap tires to the next sucker!

 

I was "lucky" enough to have one of my stock tires punctured... they had 41k miles on them and still at least 5k worth of tread left... I got rid of everything and got 18's

 

Guys - I was being sarcastic. I HAVE the Pilot Sport A/S's.