I have an 11 year-old daily driver with 155,000 miles on the clock and a set of Pirelli P6s holding it up. It’s the fourth set of tires the car has had, and the third set of Pirellis.
I’ve got about a year and 10K on these, and they replaced a set of Yokohamas. I like these much better than the Yokos, they’re quieter, they don’t tramline like the Yokos, and they weren’t all that much more expensive. The thing of it is, I only bought the Pirellis for my own ride, when it came time to retire my daughter’s Volvo V90, I went with Bridgestones as they had high ratings and were totes cheaper. I’m pretty happy with those too.
When it comes to where the rubber meets the road, pretty much every enthusiast has an opinion on what makes a good tire and what rubber is unmitigated trash. With that in mind, do you have any favorites that have become your current go-to tires?
Image: econlife
Hooniverse Asks: What Tires Are You Liking These Days?
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When it comes to summer tires, I have been a true devotee to Uniroyal Rainexpert (200 days / 3000+mm precipitation in my neck of the woods). They are relatively quiet, very soft and smooth, handle gravel very well, and they perform out-of-this-world on wet roads. Particularly compared to Michelin Energysaver tires, which are sort of the default choice here. The latest set I bought though, version three, have a pattern that appears to be directional (but is not) and they seem to offer a tad less lateral stability. Still too early to tell though; I bought them at a discount last fall and mounted them two weeks ago.
http://www.macctyresltd.co.uk/product-images/45206.95_0.8372919_RAINEXPERT3%5B1%5D.jpg
What happened to your daughter’s V90? -
It depends on where you live. Any place that’s on the hem of the snow blanket, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus (the “Plus” is important) is a great-handling touring tire that acquits itself nicely in occasional ice and snow. Slightly less impressive in the rain, however.
http://m.tirerack.com/tires/TireDetailsServlet?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=Cinturato+P7+All+Season+Plus -
When it comes to winter tires I worship at the church of Blizzak. After putting a set on my Mustang I will never go back unless Bridgestone is caught murdering puppies.
I just put new summer tires on the BMW after hitting a pot hole and destroying the front drivers’ side RFT. Oh. My. God. I knew the OEM runflats were garbage, but man the ride and handling have tremendously improved. I went with Continental ExtremeContact DW. It’s been fantastic, even handling the cold snap right after I put them on with aplomb. They do great in the rain. They don’t tramline like the RFTs did. They are quiet and much much much much smoother.
On my wife’s Edge I just put the OEM Michelin Lattitude Tour HPs on it. They get good ratings and weren’t the most expensive option. For an all season, they do remarkably well in the snow. -
Cars – I keep coming back to Continentals (in various forms). The cars needing low profile rubber (specifically our old ’03 Miata and the Saab 9-3 Aero) have gone through various brands: Good Year Eagles, Michelins, Yokohama and every time I go back to Continental. Current summer tires are ExtremeContact DWS. Great wear, quiet, great handling (and it’s actually noticeable) and decent rain traction.
Trucks – really, really dislike Good Year. In my now 24 years of truck ownership, I’ve never had a set of Good Year tires that I liked. Terrible traction, unless you go with Wrangler M/Ts and then they’re soooo loud they give me a headache (and are rock hard and terrible in the winter – though not as bad as a set of Kumhos I had once). My latest set are Hankook ATMs and I’ve been really, really happy with them. Much better traction, quiet. Wear seems good.
So, all that rambling and I guess I’m endorsing Continental and Hankook-
I just read Hankook is moving the US headquarters to Nashville alongside a plant coming online.
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I’ve really been happy with Hankook – my first experience with them was/is the current winter tires on the Saab (i*Pike) and I like them much better than the Coopers we had before.
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We’re on our second set of Michelin ATX/2s on the Super Crew. IMHO, head and shoulders above the Wranglers that came on it.
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I’ve been so unhappy with every set of GY Wranglers I’ve ever had (and I’ve had Wrangler AT/s, MT/s, SR-A and HP so it’s not like I tried them once and got a bad set) that if/when I buy another truck, and they come from the factory with those winged foot garbage piles on them, I will immediately drive to the tire shop for a replacement.
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Ran Goodyear DuraTracs on my Avalanche for 3 years…loved em! Got extremely loud after they wore, but before then they were just as quiet as the Nitto Terra Grapplers I ran before that. They were a pretty aggressive tire for mostly street driving, but the payoff in deep snow was worth it for me.
Interested in the ATM though…seems like a good Cooper AT3 / Toyo AT2 alternative.-
I actually ran Cooper AT3s on my previous Dodge pickup and liked them a lot – but the Hankooks are better. They seem quieter (although tough to compare across 2 separate vehicles) have great traction – especially snow/slush/ice and seem to be wearing very nicely (although I only have about 8k miles on them). Only downside is marginally worse mpgs but that’s to be expected coming from the previous highway only (or so it seemed) SR-As.
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I’ll look more into them when the time comes…the AT3s I bought off a friend for $200 so it was hard to pass up. And took the decision making pain out of the equation (I’m very indecisive). They probably have 10k left in them, so there will probably even be some new options out there when the time comes to replace the set…
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Goodyear- agree 100%! I’ve bought 3 vehicles that came with Goodyears. 2/3 were Wrangler series, one set on a Ranger 4×4, the other on a XJ Cherokee 4×4. Was amazed at how big of a difference switching the tires were on them- the Goodyears were just shit. And yes they had good tread and weren’t super old, I check he DOT #s for date of manufacture. (Put 31×10.50 Bridgestone Dueler AT REVO2 on Ranger. 235/something or other Firestone destination LE on XJ).
My Chrysler minivan also came with Goodyears that were crap.
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NT05 Nittos for the track. I liked them but a lot of people don’t. Maybe the connection to drifting? I cranked -2deg camber and they hooked up pretty well. Just a lot of space between the tread blocks.
http://image.superchevy.com/f/28126742+w640+h426+q80+re0+cr1+ar0+st0/1008chp-01-z%2Bnitto-nt05-tire%2Btire.jpg -
Goodyear Wrangler Radial – Generic term for $80 truck tire.
They last FOREVER!
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/goodyear/gy_wrangler_rad_owl_ci2_l.jpg-
I put them on FrankenJeep the YJ-5. At 1,000 miles a year, forever is an understatement.
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I just checked and I have 45k on them and they look about as good as that pic.
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I really like the Michelin LTX M/S2s I have on my truck. I’ve had them on there for over 20k miles and they haven’t shown any tread wear, they’re quiet, incredibly grippy, and have tons of traction in the rain.
I also like the tires I bought for my wife’s Fit, which are General Altimax RT43s. They were the best reviewed tires for that size on Tire Rack and half the price of the next highest voted competitor (although I think I bought them on Amazon). Tire selection for 14 inch rims is pretty slim.-
I bought some Craigslist wheels for my Miata that had General RT43s on them. The price on the wheels was right, so I planned to throw them away and fit something else…long story short, I ended up putting another set on my AW11 and a set of AS-03s (their high performance all seasons) on my street-use S2000. The performance/durability balance, especially in the wet, can’t be beat for twice the money.
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That’s good to hear. They seem to be working well so far!
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For my daily driver with all-season run flats, I switched from the Continental ContiPro Contact SSRs it came with to Bridgestone Driveguards. I’m never going back. The ride is better, handling is better in both dry and wet conditions, and it’s quieter. Literally the only downside is fuel consumption has gone up a bit. I was averaging 24.7mpg on the Contis and now I’m down to 23.9, but that could be due in part to other factors… like my commute changing up a bit. Still, they’re my favorites right now,
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This topic is relevant to my interests. Both of my “daily” drivers are due for new summer rubber. The last set I bought for the GTO, I cheaped out with some General Exclaim UHPs, and they wore fast and unevenly. It is currently wearing Nokian WR G3s, which are a winter-focused all season. I like them for their versatility, but they are marginal, at best, in the summer (but nearly as good as a dedicated winter tire when the snow falls).
The 9-7x is wearing Nokian Hakkapelliita R2s, which are a phenomenal winter tire, but get really squirrelly as the temperatures rise. No one seems to offer a dedicated summer tire for it, so I’ll be getting a performance “all season” tire.
I’m looking for a track-worthy LeMons-legal tire for the GTO (I modified the Jag hubs to fit the GTO wheels, and plan to “borrow” my GTO wheels come race day) I’m open to suggestions. 245/45-17
For the Saab, I’m just looking for a decent load rating, and wear. I’m open to suggestions. 255/50-20 -
Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tires are fantastic and they’ve gotten me through some awful conditions. In summer my GTI runs the stock crappy Continental no-particular-seasons, the tepid greasiness of which just add to the ‘slow car fast’ fun.
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I have a friend who swears by these. I bought my first snows this year and couldn’t stomach the price. Got Generals for about half the cost.
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They aren’t really necessary unless you live somewhere that has severe winters with crap tons of snow and frequent ice storms.
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My current motor vehicle requirements: 4.00-8, 145/70R12, 155/80R13, 175/70R13, F78-14, 155R15, 2.25-16, LT215/85R16, and 2.25-17. For trailers, 3.50-8 and 5.70-8.
Some of these are easy to find, some are… less easy. For the most part, though, I’m gladdened by anyone who offers one or more of these sizes and saddened by anyone who doesn’t.-
Cross-referenced by application: KV Mini 1, HMV Freeway, Volvo 66 GL, Austin Maestro VP, Ford Galaxie Skyliner, SAAB 96, American Microcar Tri-Ped, IH 1200D, Lyman Electric Quad, Besco, and Homemade by Some Guy in Colorado.
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The ’96 Thunderbird has some cheapie Firestones (215/70R15), going full circle back to something like what it had from the factory after years of running the no-longer-available Firehawk SS20/Indy 500’s.
My pickup (’05 Dodge Dakota) is on its 4th set of Firestone Destination A/T’s (265/70R16). The factory Goodyear Wrangler RT/S’s were terrible. The Destination A/T’s have been a good all-round tire; easy to live with in summer, great in snow and not terrible on packed snow/ice.
The ’15 Challenger is still on factory Goodyear Eagle RS-A2(?)’s which actually have been pretty good and are a noticeable improvement over what the 2010’s factory tires (plain Eagle RS-A) were. It’s the first set of factory tires I’ve had that I’d actually consider buying again. On the 2010 I had Yokohama Paradas for a while, which were alright, then the 2011+ stock-equipment Firestone Firehawk (GT-V?) for the last half-year that I owned it.
Bridgestone/Firestone are my usual go-to, but I’ll consider almost anything from a good brand. So far my favorite single set of tire was Bridgestone Insignias that went nearly 40,000 miles on the Thunderbird (a personal record) during the early 2000’s when it rolled on 225/60R16’s mounted on Mark VIII wheels.-
Bridgestone & Firestone are my go to, as well. Been running them for many years and always been pleased.
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For DD and winter duty in my Mazdaspeed3, I’ve been running 17″ Continental ExtremeContact DWS. I really really like this tire. Great dry grip for what it is, and excellent wet and snow traction. Lower profile sizes, sub 50 series sidewalls have large extended lip to protect the rim.
For summer, I’ve been running Bridgestone Potenza RE050, sticky when it’s warm and dry, but if it’s cold and wet, or if there is a little tiny bit of snow it’s like I’m rollerskating on ice. -
For truck/SUV tires…the new BFG KO2s are pretty appealing, but pricey. I also like the Falken Wildpeak A/T3Ws, the Toyo AT2s, the Cooper STTs, and the Goodyear DuraTracs. Already ran the AT2s and DuraTracs on my Avalanche, but about to try out the Cooper AT3s on the VehiCROSS. We’ll see how it goes…heard good and bad. Couldn’t beat them for the price though (bought off a friend).
For cars…good question. I don’t know much about car tires, and may need to replace those on my Challenger if I decide to keep it. Now taking recommendations…(not looking for anything super sticky / need to be able to get good life out of them since it’s a 100+ mile/day car / don’t want to spend a small fortune) -
Tuesday’s answer: I just put Michelin Pilot 4s on my Suzuki DL650. I have no pretense of taking it off pavement so the improvement in ride and, hopefully, treadlife, is a no-brainer.
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Holy crap that’s overkill. I’ve run and liked PR4s on my 600lb, 165HP sport-tourer. On a wee-Strom you should get 12k miles out of them and be a terror on the twisties. Excellent tires.
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The way I ride, I’m hoping for 15k.
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13s.
Always 13s. -
I’ve really warmed up to my 205/55R16 Kumho Ecsta 4X. They’re good in cold weather, impossible to overheat, lightweight and still offer sharp steering. Plus they cost $70 apiece!
215/50R17 Michelin Energy Saver (used, off a LEAF) is a SPECTACULAR tire. i.e. it slides gracefully. Doesn’t actually fit the FR-S though… -
BFG G-Force Sport Comp-2, for summer.
It is fantastic in most regards except for being a little noisier than I’d like. Sharp handling, good grip in the dry and fantastic in the wet, lasts long enough to be acceptable, affordable, available in lots of sizes. If it were quieter, they could crank up the price 50% and I’d still buy it.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z313/ndrwhrnr/DSC_5232_zpse6f4d176.jpg
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