Yakuza70

I'm about to get Michelin Pilot Sports a/s' put on my 2002 Maxima 6-speed. I'm really looking forward to experiencing the improvements over the OEM Potenza's! Since these tires were very expensive (still experiening that buyers regret pain!) I was wondering what words of advice you might give to help the tires last long and perform at their best. How often would you rotate them? I've heard that they should be rotated every 5000 miles? Since they're unidirectional tires, should I remind whomever does the balance/rotating? I would assume the front and back are rotated (not diagonally)? Thanks and I would appreciate any advice!

KennyLau

Why not just rotate them yourself? Back-to-front and front-to-back. That's all there is to it. Just get a pair of cheap hydrolic jacks and you're set.

Balancing shouldn't be an issue since balancing is done per tire per wheel. It doesn't have much to do with where that particular wheel/tire is located.

jjs

Couple of things here.

First, check your manual for rotation.

Second, yes, rotate about every 5-6K miles.

Third, regardless of what tires you have, the road surfaces play a GREAT deal in tread life. Nice smooth asphalt, cool!! Rough concrete, etc. will be like a cheese grater on any tire.

RT03SE

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S is a directional tire so it goes back/front on the same side.

The tread pattern is decidedly directional so you would think any tire shop would understand there is only one rotation option. TELL THEM ANYWAY.

Rotate every other oil change.

A great tire that should last 40-60K miles with decent care.

JJ-2001MAX

One: These are Z-Rated tires. They will not last 40-60K miles. More like 20-40K miles (if your lucky). They are great tires, just not long tread life.

Two: When you get them rotated (every 5K-6K miles), do two things. Tell them they are uni-directional (even though they should surely know) and for your own peace of mind, on the inside put some kind of small mark on each tire (use chalk-or anything you can see). This can be LF for left front or 1-2-3-4 and only you know which one is which. Or any code you want, so that when they are done, you can check to see they did it correctly. These days, you have to help many others do their job!!! My opinions.

JJ

jnovember

Sorry, but I disagree. They have a wear rating of 400. That is very high. (For reference, the Potenza's have wear rating of 160 and I got 54k out of those tires).

I have 24k on my Pilot Sport A/S's. Have not yet rotated them and the fronts show hardly any wear. I will rotate shortly. (My method is to rotate tires every 25k, but constantly watch psi and for uneven wear). Based on what I am seeing on these tires and past experience with other tires, I expect go get well over 80k on this set.

Good luck! The Pilot Sport A/S are great tires!

jjs

Good to hear you are getting that kind of life out of tires.

I, however, have to reiterate that for people who are asking this kind of question there are several variables that can drastically change the life of any given tire.

Here in Houston and other southern cities the combination of high posted speeds (often 70 mph), predominant use of course concrete for road beds, and months of temperatures of 90 degrees plus on end can all contribute to a very hard life for tires, and a relatively short one at that.

I am not disputing your claims, I just want people to realize that gettign feedback from others nedds to take into account other issues as well.