18" Tires & Manufacturer !!!

[simon949]

Any of you 2008-2009 EX35 owners having any problems with the 18" tires with road noise or alligment problems and what brand or manufacturer are you running ?

[jmess]

Alignment problems aren't the fault of the tires. I had my alignment done/checked at 14K because the tire wear pattern indicated some toe out problems in front. As tires wear out they all get noisier. My car is 2WD and is probably easier on tires than the AWD version.

There aren't a lot of options in the 225-55-18 size. From what I have experienced so far I would buy another set of Dunlops unless there was something on the market that was clearly (tested) better.

[simon949]

I was talking about aligment problems in general !!! Like how often do you have an alingment ?

[jmess]

One of the old alignment rules of thumb was 15K miles of normal driving. This assume your alignment was within factor spec when you bought/got the car.

I would bet a high % new cars are out of spec when you drive them off the dealers lot. It is cheaper statistically for Nissan not to have the alignment rechecked by the dealer before you buy the car. Minor issues won't show up for 10k-15K miles.

[EXceptional]

I'm still running the Dunlop 18's... and after a simple "X" pattern Tire Rotation, the Tread-noise has quietened down somewhat.

The "thump, thump, thump" seems to have gone away too.

Needless to say, when the Dunlops wear out, they will be replaced with Michelins.

[ecosse]

Any of you 2008-2009 EX35 owners having any problems with the 18" tires with road noise or alligment problems and what brand or manufacturer are you running ?

If you have not already done so, scroll down a bit and read through the thread on "Tire Noise".I have finally given up on the noise from my Dunlops and installed Michelin Primacy MXV4s.

[rubbersidedown]

I'm bumping this topic to get an update from the group. My 18" Dunlops have 17K miles on them, 70% interstate and my driving style is not edgy, although the EX does beg you to push it into corners. I use nitrogen at 32 psi and have followed the rotation and alignment schedule.

The road noise at 75 mph is ridiculous. I have a sound meter and got a reading of 90 decibles on worn concrete highways. Blacktop is less, but still in the 70 decible range.

I understand that pattern tires become noisier with age, but THIS noisy at 17K?

I ask for feedback on your experiences and recommendations on other tires to consider (someone switched to Michilen MXV4s). Thanks,

RSD