2003 m45 60000 miles with orig tires

[kp1]

i need to replace my existing tires and im looking at the michellin primacys can someone give me some feedback if they know anything about them.. i think my guy told me $915 install with alignment

[Double E]

I use the Michelin Pilots. Good tire. Not super good looking as the sidewall is a little too busy for me but they wear well & wet grip & stop is outstanding. It takes a bit to heat them up to get them really sticky on twisty roads but I like them.

[kp1]

ya thats what i got on them now is the michelin pilot sports really nice tire but there discountinued.

[mhmiersma]

Yeah, I'm on my second set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. Great tire. It was between that and the Continental DWS... Went with michelin because of Consumer Report's rating.

[szh]

A 2003 with 60k miles with original tires? Yikes!

If a tire manufacture date (as stamped on the sidewall) is more than 5 or 6 years old, they should be replaced regardless of mileage or tread wear.

After manufacture, over time, tire rubber vulcanizes and hardens. Then, as you drive, the tire flexes and develops micro-cracks that could lead to catastrophic failure ... usually under the worst of conditions (like highway speeds!).

Look at the sidewall or inside the tread area (i.e., where the tire does not touch the road). If you see fine hairline cracks in the rubber, you should change the tires asap.

When buying new tires, please make sure to check whether the date code is well less than 2 years old - ideally less than 6 months old - to give you the best longevity if you are not driving enough miles to need replacement within 3 to 4 years.

Since I drive about 12k to 14k miles per year, a set of tires lasts me under 2 years. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S and Continental DWS have worn down to 2/32" at about 23k to 25k miles or so. Much less than the mileage "warranty" period, unfortunately.

Z

[szh]

i need to replace my existing tires and im looking at the michellin primacys can someone give me some feedback if they know anything about them.. i think my guy told me $915 install with alignment

Which Michelin Primacy? There are many different Primacy versions: the Primacy MXM4, Primacy MXV4, Pilot Primacy, Primacy HP, Primacy HP ZP, etc.

Many of them are not available in a tire size that would work on stock 2003 M45 wheels, by the way. The correct size tire for stock wheels is 235/45-18 and you can also use 245/45-18 (which has more selections, so I recommend and use that size).

And, of course, please make darn sure to get at least a 94 load-rated tire (higher would be better and safer).

BTW, as far as I know, these Primacy models are all Grand Touring and Grand Touring All-Season tires - they will be very quiet tires, and give you mediocre to decent overall performance, but probably not the best results for wet weather braking or handling.

For example, the old MXM4 (not the current Primacy MXM4) was a particular bad tire for stopping in wet weather, for example. My wife's car had them and it was quite dangerous, IMHO.

Z

P.S. Use Tire Rack to find good on-line tire prices by the way - helps negotiating with local tire dealers if you still want to buy local.

[seldomseen]

Make sure whatever tire you decide on is a highly rated All-Season tire with excellent snow traction. You never know when you may get caught up in some light snow living in MA.

Unless you're the type to own a set of snow tires for the winter.

[szh]

Unless you're the type to own a set of snow tires for the winter.

Yes!

When I lived in New England, this was my preferred solution. A cheap set of steel wheels with snow tires will always be far superior to All-Season tires when in snow.

Yeah, I currently use All-Season tires here in California because of occasional light snow experience when driving to Lake Tahoe for skiing in the winter. But, this time around, I am going to go back to good summer tires.

Because, All-Seasons simply are not as good as true snow tires in the winter snow conditions, and not as good as true summer tires in dry or wet summer conditions - they are compromises.

Z

[ellis]

I would go with the MXM4's. I had a 03 M45 I put 107,000 on a set of Michelin Primacy MXM4's. Quiet. Good in rain. Good in snow.

Blake

[myother45isalesbaer]

I am with SZH on the Conti DWS tires. Just put 4 on my M45 and so far I like them. Being in snow country we will see how well they do when we get some snow. They are highly rated and the ride is a bit smoother without losing any handling ability. Bad thing is they wear out too fast. But for the price and performance I can deal with that.