2003 Infiniti M45 Tire Replacement

[RENAULTNISSAN]

Hey guys, new member. Have a question, going to replace factory EL 33 Turanzas--any help on good replacement?

thanks!

[maxnix]

Check the sticky in Infiniti General and Z excellent spreadsheet.

[szh]

Hey guys, new member. Have a question, going to replace factory EL 33 Turanzas--any help on good replacement?

Welcome to NICO!

Yes, there are a number of better replacements for the OEM tire - even ones that are less expensive than the EL33 Turanzas!

My own experience with the Turanza was initially extremely poor - they felt like driving on ball bearings. But, I suspect that the car had "sat" for a while at the dealership and needed the outer layers to be "removed" for better performance! Afterwards, I came to the conclusion that they were just decent to good Touring tires, not much performance, but quieter than some of the ones I am going to recommend you should consider.

One obvious thing you can and should do: use a 245/45-18 tire instead of the stock tire size of 235/45-18. The speedo error will be very nominal, and you will have a much larger selection of tires and models to choose from.

I will post some possibilities shortly ...

Z

[szh]

I will post some possibilities shortly ...

Here are some tire possibilities (click the image for a larger image):



Z

[szh]

In terms of what I would recommend from the above list to try out (in no particular order, but I can tell you that I use and like number 1 below, and just got four more that need to be mounted!)

1. Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. 245/45-18 in a 100W load rating (not the 96Y). A bit pricier than most, but an excellent wet handling and braking tire. Good in dry too!

2. Avon Tech M500. 245/45-18 in 100W. Inexpensive compared to the others. Seems to be a very good tire, but I do not have any personal experience with them - thinking about it in the future.

3. Avon Tech M550. 245/45-18 in 96W. Inexpensive compared to the others. Perhaps not as good as the M500 (according to maxnix, who has used Avon tires on his Q45).

4. Falken BK-452. 245/45-18 in 100Y. A new tire that may be quite nice. No personal experience with them. Lower cost than many.

5. Michelin Pilot Sport. 245/45-18 in 100Y or 96W. Pricier than most. But, Michelin is an excellent tire manufacturer and this is among their best tires.

Good luck! By the way, I would strongly recommend Tire Rack ... they give us excellent prices and support, and you can get them mounted in many local places that they have made arrangements with.

Z

[RENAULTNISSAN]

thanks for the feedback--just got new Mich Pilots and new wheels--still in 18". Car is Black and got Black rims, should look tight, will post a pic on monday.

cheers!