After blowing out both right side tires over the weekend, I had the opportunity to replace the Potenza's.
I really did not wan to shell out the $$$ for the Pilots.
I ended up going with the Cooper Lifeliner SLE V-Rated 225/50VR17's

http://www.coopertire.com/tire_coope...ger.asp?id=203

I only paid $117 each mounted and balanced. I can't wait to try them in the rain. I'm sure there will be a BIG difference.

 

Congrat's on ditching the death donuts!!!! Trust me, you WILL NOT MISS THEM!!!

 

Please profide opinions in a couple of weeks for those of us who are still risking our lives on the Potenzas. I've only owned one set of Coopers and they were just OK. Of course that was 15 years ago and I'm sure they have improved.

 

They are much improved. A buddy of mine put a set of these on his Intrepid a few months ago and even he noticed the big difference in the rain.

 

I am pretty sure teflon has more grip than the potenzas in any condition.

 

death donuts.... thats a great one.

 

So, it's a M + S rated touring tire? I would imagine it would be more quiet at the expense of a little handling.

I guess we're all looking for alternatives to the Pilot A/S.

 

I work for Cooper-Standard Automotive. The automotive group is part of Cooper Tire. Anyway, you all might want to hold up on tires if you can. Word from my colleagues is that we (Cooper) will be launching a new line of high performance tires that will accommodate the larger sized tires. I have seen some of the tread designs in Technology Interchange meetings and they look great! I'm sure they will be of high quality. The Tire division of Cooper has made tremendous strides over the past 5 years with tread design and ratings for high performance.

 

I was willing to make that compromise. I look at it this way, it is a 50,000 mile tire and I will put that mileage on in less than 2 years.
I do know that these Cooper tires will have better wet traction than the Potenza's ever did.

 

The corp HQ of Cooper Tire is in Findlay, OH. My dad worked there for 20 years before he opened his own business (small town auto repair that does tires/brakes/exhausts/oil changes/other engine work). We installed a set of the V rated Lifeliner SLE tourings on our Max in November and have almost 4k miles on them. This was the first set installed in Ohio. Totally changed the car in all weather conditions, most of all in snow in rain (it was to the point that the traction control was on as much as it was off). They have a nice ride, stick good enough for us in the corners, are MUCH quieter and handle rain/snow like snowtires of old. Some things I noticed when we mounted them up on the 17" wheels.

1. Sidewalls were MUCH stiffer that the Notenzas (my 200 lb brother can sit on an unmounted tire and it does NOT collapse)

2. Tires balanced out very well (less than ounce on each tire and we put the weights on the inside of the wheel which generally takes more weight to balance)

There might be other high perf tires on the way but this tire is a great "all-around" performer that is welcome on the car. Currently all 4 vehicle have Cooper tires and I think they are some of the best for the money. Any questions, let me know!

Travis

 

Thanks for the heads up.

 

Great info guys...I just hit 38 k on my blow tenza's, and man they're gettin scary. Add me to the list of guys that are searching for an alternative to spending almost a grand on replacement donuts...

 

I've driven on Cooper Tires before and had decent luck with them.

I am ALL ABOUT buying a TIRE that is "MADE" IN AMERICA, especially THESE days when our economy is struggling so badly.

I hope to see some new skids from cooper that will satisfy my need for speed - because I WILL give extra special deferance to Cooper when and if they hit the marketplace.

Hope you guys feel the same.

Thanks to travis for the post.



g.r.

 

Glad to help! I know there's NO money tree in yard! FYI.. Cooper Tire owns Avon Tyre from GB and they have some crazy stuff on their site...... ultra HP stuff but don't know if its available in the states.

Travis

 

And you are still running on those tires??? It is way beyond the time to replace those. I was trying to hold on until next month until I blew out the 2 tires. I had a little more than 25,000 miles on them.
IMO, you don't to spend that kind of money to get a decent tire.

 

I had the opportunity to test out my new tires in wet conditions this past weekend.
It was raining steadily all day Sunday and I noticed a HUGE difference in the way the car was reacting to the puddles that were on the highway. With the Potenza's, I would have to let off the gas when I went through the smallest puddle. Now, with the Cooper's, I did not have to do this once. I just maintained my speed (70-75 MPH). (I would not go that fast in the rain with the Potenza's.)

I actually found myself smiling while driving in the rain yesterday.

Should I consider my new tires as a mod?

 

Most certainly!!!! I mean, if people consider intakes a mod (swapping out a stock one for an aftermarket one with marginal at beas gains), I would definitely consider a tire swap a mod. The improvements are much more substantial.