So it's finally time to get new tires...after 2 of mine look like racing slicks and the other 2 aren't that far behind.

What are some opinions on the type of tire to go for? I know Michelin is a well renowned brand, but what do you all have experience with and prefer?

Also - do I have any other choices on sizing with the stock rims? Could I go from the stock 245/45/18 to something like 255/45/18 or 265/40/18?

Thanks


:EDIT: driving habits = normal driving, not much hard driving or tight cornering but do live on a very windy road with lots of hills. Good wet traction is a must - the Eagle RSA's that I've had on there would hydroplane on a puddle of dog pi$$. I wouldn't take those tires again if they were free.

 

Michelins are the best but very expensive. To be honest I researched this to death and the OEM RSAs kick butt. I drove through ice and snow in Flagstaff AZ and those babies did great. For an all season you can't beat the value.

 

Continental ExtremeContact DWS.... ftw...

 

You must have gotten better RSAs than I did. Mine have awesome traction on dry pavement, but as soon as things get a little wet there goes all the traction. A few years ago I had a 2001 Camaro SS with RSAs on it and they were awesome on that car.

I haven't heard many good things about Continental but I'll definitely check them out.

Money comes in on Feb 4th, so I have a couple weeks to find the good stuff

 

Avoid Contis, IMO your three choices are Michelin, Goodyear or Bridgestones. Wet traction on my RSAs is fine. Drove though the worst thunderstorm in the midwest at 70 and was fine though Michelins are best across the board.

 

If you decide to go with michelin only then michelin pilot sports rocks but then you must rotate/balance them on schedule otherwise you will be very disappointed. They are little bit noisy too even though when they are new and also comes with average tread wear warranty. MXM4 or MXV4 are also some good tires specially with excellent tread wear warranty. If you're a daily commute driver and need some good rubber then michelin mxv4 should give you better tires life.

I am sure pretty soon this post will get moved into tires and wheels section.

Edit:
255/45-18 will give you a bit of extra meat because of additional 10mm wide tires. It will also give you an additional 5mm side wall or 10mm overall additional height than OEM size.

255/45-18 will give you some good extra meat because of additional 20mm wide tires. Your side wall will decrease by 3mm or decrease in 6mm overall additional height than OEM size. However this size may rubb against your body specially in rear wheels.

Another thing is your insurance company may show you some dirty dance in case if you get into any kind of troublels and if they knew you were running wrong size tires. But they all are not the same so you may get lucky.

 

As you will be with any make tire. You have to balance your tires to ensure even wear no matter what tire you buy.

No need to go bigger the OEM size is fine, don't.

 

crap - it's been so long since I was on these forums I didn't even realize the tires wheels section existed. Sorry all. Mods feel free to move.


As for a "daily commute"...there really isn't one. I work at home, but do drive a lot and the only roads to civilization around here are like navigating a snakes belly through a wagon rut - uphill.

Maybe I'm just expecting too much from the wet traction. But tread life is a definite plus, I'd prefer them to be quiet as well. I hear all around that you can't go wrong with Michelin's....but how about tires like BF Goodrich (I loved their All Terrain T/A series on my truck), Bridgestone/Firestone, Pirelli, etc?

 

Why avoid the Continentals??? I've been running on them for almost six months now and i have no complain.... Alot quieter than the OEM RSA's... It also gives you alot of rubber for your money... Read the reviews, surveys, and tests at TireRack.com and see the results on both professional and consumer reviews... It even said that the Michelin Pilot Sport was inferior to the Continental DWS during their snow tests... and European cars like Mercedes and BMW use Continentals as their OEM tires on some models...

 

Agree.....conti DSW got the higest rating for all season tires. An average price $170 a pop with 50k tread wear warranty, you can't go wrong with that. The only problem people find with conti is soft side wall but with right psi they do great job. I had michelin pilot sports that gave me firm handling but they became so noisy that I had to let it go.

 

Yup, I've had the Conti DWS for about 30K miles so far. Amazing wet weather performance. I live in the Boston area so we got killed with snow this year, car did amazing with the DWS's. These tires were such a success that Continental had a nationwide backorder a few months ago because these tires were in such high demand. Read the reviews on www.tirerack.com and try them out.

 

The WHEEL & TIRE SECTION may help.