I wouldn't run 2 different tires. I'd get 4 General Exclaim UHP's for $550 and rotate faithfully so they wear evenly. An earlier post mentioned treaddepot- check 'em out.

 

Hi Monotaur! As you can see here, as many Maxima owners you will have almost as many opinions on tires! LOL! I have Riken Raptors...I paid $700 tax included Canadian....that would be about $450 US before tax. Now the best part! The are ZR rated...that's among the highest performance tires out there. They have never squeeled on me going around corners like the Batmobile! LOL! Mine are 245/45/18 I believe they are rated 36 AAA. These are made in Canada on Michelins 2nd line I was told and therefore they are a Michelin design...IMHO they are probably the best bang for the buck and they look great and perform really well in wet weather. They also have a rim protector. Now I know you're from the north so I would recommend that you go with 4 winters. Especially where you are. Up here in Montreal it's a law to be on 4 winters from Dec to mid March. A really good performance tire is cr@ppy in winter conditions....I also like Toyos and Yokos and Continental....in fact if you check out some of the car magazines Continetal is giving away a GPS until sometime in July....

Good luck with your choice and happy motoring!

 

If you are lowered do not get those tires. The side walls are to soft or something. All four of mine got bubbles inside and out within 1K miles. Warranty replaced them with Eagle GT. Side walls are stiff and they stick like glue. They drive even better in the rain.

 

BS serenity is an excellent ride, noise free and does well in the rain

 

I picked up the OEM tires for $197/ea. Cheaper than tire rack.

 

Scratch the above post. got them for $184 installed each at Tire Warehouse in NH after pricematch with another local warehouse.

 

I'll be purchasing either Michelin Hydroedge or Primacy MXV4 from Samclub shortly. I've been having bad luck with tires recently.
The OEM Continentals were good but it went downhill after...

1st: OEM Continental ContiTouring (lasted 33k mi)
2nd: Dunlop SP Sport A2 Plus (one tire pulled to the left, lasted 28k mi)
3rd: Falken Ziex 512 (Awesome traction, LOW treadwear, Noisy!, lasted 13k mi)
4th: TBD (Michelin for sure this time)

 

I have Kumho Ecstasy's, and the ride isnt that bad. I miss my old Nittos on my last car..those things cornered like a beast.

 

(07 Max SE)
Same here. I had a bad few months with tires........ especially past winter.
Late Jan - Bubbled Front Driver Eagle RSA tire / Replaced both fronts with kumho tires.
Late Feb - Cold Weather some how messed with my tires that I got a flat on my passenger side - rim got dented (fixed for 375 kumho tire included)
April - BUBBLED THE SAME DAM FRONT PASSENGER TIRE.....

Now I'm using Fierce HP Tires...love them wet is decent..pretty quite...mavis did the two fronts with the valve stem for the TPMS for 375..waiting to see how they run in the winter....

 

I just had the Bridgestone Turanzas Serenitys put on my SL today and all I can say is "wow, they are freakin awesome." Smooth, quiet and can hug the corners very well for a 225/55 R17 tire. A little more expensive than some but 100000X's better than the OEM Conti's. I got them mounted and balanced at my dealership today for $184/tire. I also had an inner tire rod replaced and an alignment and the car rides better than it did new 52,000 miles ago. Highly recommend these tires.

 

I just put Nitto Invo's on my 04 SL yesterday. I haven't put any miles on them yet other then the test drive. I'll have to reply back. They look great though.

 

I suggest you go to Tire Rack's website and look at the ratings and reviews and figure out what tire qualities are important to you and what other owners have to say about their tire choices.
I put new tires on the 07 Maxima at 40K miles (even though they still had sufficient tread). Since the car is used for highway commuting of 60 miles a day, I focused on noise level, performance on wet roads, and price.
Bought 4 Goodyear GTs at Discount Tire for about $650. and 2,500 miles later am very happy with the choice.
Good luck.

 

I have been wanting to get a review on the Goodyear GTs on a Max. So far, I have seen like 3 people on this thread have those on their cars. I am glad with the reviews, I think I should PM you to give me more feedback on this tire.


Just wondering..., did you get 40k miles on your GY RSA? Or what were you running on? What is your driving style? Normal or aggressive?

 

I would suggest the Michelin Primacy MXV4's as well. I had some put on my wife's '05 Quest and also had them on my 2000 Altima as well. Very good tire, plus Michelin spends a lot of money on R&D. A buddy of mine actually has been to the Michelin test track and was amazed how the tires on a wet road sticks like flippin' glue.

 

after 10k on them, the MXV4's are still doing great. Would not hesitate to get them again for the Max. They are going on the Lexus next.

 

After researching this to death for the last year I think I will bite the bullet and go with the MXV4's for my 07 Max... I really hate the thought of paying a grand for 4 but these seem to be best compromise for ride and traction. I did have a set of Michelins on a 91 sentra years ago and they were great except for the shock i got every time getting out of car. I really wanted the Conti DWS but after reading and seeing pic no thanks. Seems you have to be vigilant about rotations and air pressure or they will wear down fast.
We just put a set of BFG touring tires on Odyssey which ride really nice and have stiff sidewall and would have liked those but they stop at 17". and the other BFG don't do as well in snow which is big consideration in Cleveland.

 

For what it is worth, if you live somewhere where you have to drive in snow, I really like the Michelin Pilot Sport AS (All Seasons). Great in rain or snow. A little over $1,000 for 4.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ort+A%2FS+Plus

 

The increase in noise after 8K miles is probably due to tire rotation. I assume that your tires are uni-directional, so you can only rotate them front to back, not criss cross?

When you criss cross your tire rotation, the tires roll in the opposite direction, promoting a more even and better wear. all the tires go thru 5K miles rolling forward then 5K miles rolling backward.

What I'm trying t do for my next set of tires is to get an H or V rated tire that is omni-directional so I can continue to rotate in the criss cross pattern so the tires stay quiet for their entire lifespan.


DW

 

I second the Proxes 4's. I had them and loved them. They performed and lasted beautifully. Right now i'm on Firestone Firehawks and really like them in all conditions as well.

 

I beg to differ, regarding the wet traction.
This is a low roling-resistant (energy) tires --> you get a great tire-life and save gas --> what is the catch ???--> traction is going down !!
It's so easy to spin these tires (don't even need to try) and it's scary when wet from a stand-still. I'm not talking standing water here, just wet. The tires just spin effortlessly until it gets a hold (with a hard tug) --> no confident on the traction . So, I've been careful with these tires.
Just today (it had rained all night) just a light dizzle (can't even tell it's raining), I was testing out @45MPH on the off-ramp and the car fish-tailed so bad. Maybe it was the act of the VDC trying to save me, the car brake left-then-right-then-left making a strange feeling. I've been taking the same off-ramp for 15 yrs. It's long and curvy where you can push 70MPH (with good tires) in dry condition. I had done 60MPH (with other tires) with similar barely-wet condition.
All said, these Michelin:
* very very good with tread-life
* good (not great) with noise.
* good with saving gas (under 1MPG).
===> Big trade-off on traction.

My Max's histoty with tires:
* Original Goodyear RSA = 21K miles (tread was still OK, but noise was terrible @21K)
* Avon = 19K miles (tread was still good, but noise was un-speakable @19K)
* Yokohama S4 = 30K miles (best tires, tread was to minimum @30K)
* Micheline Primacy MXV4 = currently @40K (tread is still 2/3) --> save a ton of $$, but please be easy when wet (or dry).

 

I'm putting a set of Michelin Defenders on my wife's Outback tomorrow...and heard NOTHING but good things re: traction in wet/dry conditions. Have you always had that issue with your Primacys...for all 40K? The ConsumerReports reveiws for the Primacy say nothing like your issues...

 

I have no idea about the Defenders. But for "energy" tires, traction has to go down. I found out about the traction problem (w/ my Primacy) soon after installed. It broke loose (from stand-still) much easier on dry surface. On wet surface, it's crazy: other tires would fight --> torque-steer while these Michelin just spin effortlessly (can smoothly slides left-right going nowhere for a few secs).
While on the go, I normally don't see the issues. I have driven 80-90MPH downhill in the rain with them. But (in my mind) I normally don't feel confident. Today, it failed the test badly.
Hey, at least I know the VDC works great. It came on a few times over the years, feel strangely every time but keeping you safe. It normally came while my foot was on the brake (like cruising @45MPH around the long curve this morning, I guess it could be better if I didn't touch the brake lightly).

 

Michelin primacy 245-45-18 on a 04 max se,couldn't ask for a better tire , not so good in the winter though!

 

Ecsta acs are great for price. Srizons arent bad. Sumitomos for 120$+.

 

I like the Conti's as well. Very good bang/buck after looking through survey results and reviews at tirerack.com

 

Had a set of Michelin Primacy MXM4's on my '01. Best set of tires that I have owned for an all season tire. Great wet & dry traction and decent in the snow as well (all of which are imortant driving in TN where we get all types of weather). Offered a very quiet and comfortable ride compared to the Yokohamas that came on the car when I got it. Found a great price at Tirerack.com then got Discount Tire locally to price match.