Stopped by the local Merchant's Tire & Auto place (Westminster, MD, at the Westminster TownMall), they had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S in stock, in both stock size and 235/45ZR17... I got the 235/45ZR17, 'cause they were $10 cheaper per tire for some reason...
They did an alignment to the car as well.
Also, I'm using the stock 2K SE 17" heavy-*** alloy rims (17x7 I think?)
Comments:
1. Wheels feel out of balance. I'm taking the car back to them tomorrow evening and having them re-check and re-balance them if necessary.
2. Tires stick like a motherf!#@$er! Daamn. Very nice. Shame the car feels a tad unsteady due to the mild vibration in the steering wheel (see #1)
3. As a result of my choosing 235/45ZR17 instead of 225/50ZR17, these tires are a little smaller in diameter than stock. Speedometer-wise I'm fine with it, and I noticed the car sits slightly lower, and the RPMs are a little higher respective to the speed I'm going (can't tell by the speedometer, but I can feel it relative to how fast everything outside is moving... still used to the old ones). This is good for me, 'cause the 2K model VQ30DE-K was tuned more for high-end horsepower, and it sucks *** for low-end torque... feels like I got a little more umph now.
4. The tires squealed a little when I first drove 'em out of the shop, but that went away after a couple miles... guess it was just the new rubber.
Overall I'm happy, but they better be able to rebalance those wheels correctly tomorrow evening when I stop back...
They did an alignment to the car as well.
Also, I'm using the stock 2K SE 17" heavy-*** alloy rims (17x7 I think?)
Comments:
1. Wheels feel out of balance. I'm taking the car back to them tomorrow evening and having them re-check and re-balance them if necessary.
2. Tires stick like a motherf!#@$er! Daamn. Very nice. Shame the car feels a tad unsteady due to the mild vibration in the steering wheel (see #1)
3. As a result of my choosing 235/45ZR17 instead of 225/50ZR17, these tires are a little smaller in diameter than stock. Speedometer-wise I'm fine with it, and I noticed the car sits slightly lower, and the RPMs are a little higher respective to the speed I'm going (can't tell by the speedometer, but I can feel it relative to how fast everything outside is moving... still used to the old ones). This is good for me, 'cause the 2K model VQ30DE-K was tuned more for high-end horsepower, and it sucks *** for low-end torque... feels like I got a little more umph now.
4. The tires squealed a little when I first drove 'em out of the shop, but that went away after a couple miles... guess it was just the new rubber.
Overall I'm happy, but they better be able to rebalance those wheels correctly tomorrow evening when I stop back...
Around $200/tire.
Heh, funny thing is that I'm starting to wonder if that "vibration" I was feeling is actually road vibration... will have to determine that on the commute to work today... if this vibration just kinda "wore off" like the squealing did right after I pulled out of the shop with 'em brand new, that'll be even better.
Heh, funny thing is that I'm starting to wonder if that "vibration" I was feeling is actually road vibration... will have to determine that on the commute to work today... if this vibration just kinda "wore off" like the squealing did right after I pulled out of the shop with 'em brand new, that'll be even better.
Banned
i just ordered some of these. $821.94, includes 4 tires, tire disposal, state tire fee, tax, and installation (which includes mounting, lifetime balancing, lifetime rotation, lifetime flat repair, new valve stem, and road hazard warranty).
couldn't find a better price around here, considering all the additional fees and taxes.
oh yeah, i stuck with the 225/50R17 on stock rims.
couldn't find a better price around here, considering all the additional fees and taxes.
oh yeah, i stuck with the 225/50R17 on stock rims.
Got that tire shop to rebalance the wheels and re-check the alignment... alignment was still perfect, and after the rebalancing the car rides smooth as glass, especially at high speeds. 
Guess the guy who installed them last night wasn't paying attention...
Guess the guy who installed them last night wasn't paying attention...
I bought a set a month ago after putting 50k on my craptenzas. I got them for 200 each from Merchant Tire. The car handles awesome!!! Definitley worth the cash.
Agh! This morning while flushing my brake system I noticed Merchant's Tire & Auto in Westminster cross-threaded one of my lugnuts. Great. I have an appointment with them at 1PM fortunately for them to swap out the stud & lugnut... hopefully this'll go well. I'm going to have to report my results in Dealership & Vendor Experiences.