I've been Rolling in the Michelin Pilot A/S in the stock size for the last 40-50k and there's plenty of tread left, but I'm tired of the noise. They're still grippy as all get out, but I think I should open myself to other options at this point. Doing 30k+/year tells me I can live with a little less grip(I know, blasphemous!) So, I've devised a typical poll you would see at this point. I'll share the characteristics I'm searching for and the way I'll be approaching it below for reference. If you have some specific comments, please share them.

1)I'm going up to 18s while I'm at it.
2)I'm Moving to Tokico HPs "Blues" prior to changing out tires/wheels
3)I'm sitting on the fence currently about springs, but am thinking about either trying Vogtland or Eibachs (if you have a side comment on the Vogtlands, I'm very interested)

what I desire:
1)versatile grip (I like it dry, I love it wet, and feeling heroic in the snow only counts if i can get away with it without switching to snow tires)
2)Stiff Sidewalls. I love'em on the Michelins currently
3)NOISE! I like a quiet tire, and imo the RE92s were very quiet, and the Michelins were quiet when I first got them. I understand that I'm looking at tires where this isn't a priority.
4)Price. I'm trying in vain to keep it under $200/tire. I don't want cheap-o's but a nice 130-160 range is more ideal.

 

thats what she said...


sorry i had to

 

The Ecsta ASX, Proxes 4, Tech M550 A/S, ContiExtremeContact, and PZero Nero M+S are definitely in a lower stratum. They're great tires, especially for the price, but you'll definitely feel the downgrade if you have the Pilot Sport A/S now.

All things considered -- wet grip, dry grip, snow traction, sidewall strength, build quality, treadwear (REAL, not rated), etc. -- the RE960AS definitely wins here. No doubt about it whatsoever. Some others on the list are better in certain specific departments, but none has it all like that Bridgestone. It's more of a poor-weather handler than the Pilot Spot A/S and Advan S.4, and it's better in every single respect than the rest of the tires on the list with only two exceptions: it's a little heavier than many of them, and might not be quite as good as the ContiExtremeContact in deep snow. But it still rides better than most of its competitors despite its weight, and definitely performs better in the snow than almost all of them as well.

BTW, if you love your sidewalls, here's an interesting tidbit: You might not know this, but your Pilots do something funky to resist deformation when the load is gradual and spread out over the tire, e.g. in a corner, but also to permit some degree of local deformation to absorb bumps and such. That gives you the smooth ride of a compliant sidewall and the responsive feel and handling of a firm sidewall. You won't get that with lesser tires (ASX, Proxes 4, etc.): they'll either be soft or hard. You WILL get it with the RE960AS (or, or course, with another set of Pilot Sport A/S).



BTW, the Falken FK452 is a summer tire.

 

There's a sticky on this and most of your choices are there...

 

well, To be fair, the stickied poll is a little more dated and has some super-cheap (sumitomo) and a few non-uhpas tires on it, as well as vague identifications. It assumes that any "AVS" or "Energy" variant will be equal, when in fact that new generations or variants of that series may have DRASTIC differences. A very good example of this is the good ol Bridgestone RE92. There's actually an "A" variant of it out that is apparently lightyears ahead of our OEM tire. Also it seems like Irish has a vendetta against Bridgestone when he created it :P (I actually would have something more against Michelin at this point since they apparently can't produce a tire strong enough to stand up to the Turn1 banking @ Indy; which led to me no longer attending the USGP because of the stupidity of it all) This is more for a specific category, with specific characteristics.

and the Falken FK452 was flagged as a UHPAS tire according to Tirediscounters.com so i dunno.

 

That shows how much you know. It's turn 13 of that boring layout called the Indy F1 track...

Get summer tires and a second set of dedicated snows next fall. That's the best compromise.

 

well, being that the IMS square oval has been around something like a hundred years, it's not like calling it Turn 1 is inaccurate. but that's too much off-topic. I live in an apartment and my options for storing a separate set of tires is limited, so the only real solution for the time being is going the A/S tire route.

 

Kumho MX's. Excellent in the wet but not for cold and snow at all. I got mine for $154 each through Tire Rack. (245x40x18) These are the stickiest tires I've ever had.

 

Did you read the thread title? The Kumho Ecsta MX is a summer tire.

 

I've got 51K on Pilot Sport A/S and they have been great. Pricey, but great. Next week I'm getting the B-Stone RE 960 A/S Pole Positions put on. Firestone has 20% off on this brand for a short time and they are $142 each in the stock 225/50/17 size. Beats the $208 for the Pilot Sports at Costco. All the research I have done indicate the Poles are very good.

 

Thanks for the catch....my bad.

 

"best" and "best taking price into account" are two different things......

The tires you list range from under $100 to over $200......

 

A year ago, I would have agreed wholeheartedly. But if what I've seen is any indicator, the RE960AS tops both categories hands-down: it's both the best all-rounder and the best bang-for-the-buck. The only reason not to get it is a hard budget limit that you just can't stretch.

The 225-section RE960AS's I had on my old Maxima nearly matched my old 205-section ContiExtremeContacts in the snow, crushed my old Proxes 4s for both handling and ride quality, matched or beat every set I ever had for treadwear, and helped the car's current owner cut a 2.135-second 60' time at the strip. Considering that they were far from the most expensive option, I have a hard time imagining anything better than that.

 

if i had it to do all over with a/s i'd go proxy 4's or re960's, these v4s suck in the snow.

no to mention that if you go to 18's and go with lets say 245's there realy isn't a a/s tire thats going to be good in hte snow...you want narow for hte snow to cut through it, not ride on it

 

Why the hell do people keep saying "proxies" and "proxy?" Toyo Proxes.

 

I am looking also. Need a tire that has a stiff sidewall....the stiffer the better. That was one good quality of the re92 they had a stiff sidewall. My nitto 450 suck big time and are due for replacement.....I am leaning toward the asx but i am not sure how stiff they are.

 

have the new bridgestone g009's they feel great/ quick response/felt comforting in the rain/these need to be on the list/cant comment on wear yet

 

The G009s are actually not very new. I had a set a few years ago.

I agree that they give great response and are excellent in the rain. But overall, they don't quite have what it takes to run with most of the tires on the list IMO. They're not the most comfortable tire and definitely give up a lot in the dry and in snow.

 

Anyone try or look into the Toyo Versado

 

I am gonna get the Bridgestone 960as. All the reviews I've read on the internet seem pretty good. At 147.00 ea that seems like a good deal. Can't understand why potenza re92 are 178.00 ea. Besides having a stiff sidewall those tires are awful

 

I know, it's pretty ludicrous.

I'm really starting to think that the only reason OE fitment tires draw big bucks is that they're "what came on the car"...

 

Is this deal directly from Firestone?

In general (all), where's the cheapest place to get tires; specifically the Bridgestone RE960s? ...an online vendor like TireRack or somewhere like Costco?


My stock Eagle RS/As are simply DANGEROUS at this point, and I want to change them to something that will get me through rain and snow ASAP.

 

Tire Rack.

 

Firestone quoted me $147 each back in May. I took the quote to Discount Tire and they matched the price. I prefer the service at Discount Tire. I once ordered tires from the TireRack and had them installed at Firestone and they were SLOW (probably because I didn't buy them there). Anyway, I saw a few days ago that Firestone was advertising buy 3 get the 4th free. If that offer applies to the 960 A/S (and it should) then you should be able to get a decent price on four.