Desperately seeking tire advice!!

[1998greenQ45]

Hello All

I have been a member here for I can't remember how long but haven't been on in years. Nice to be back

So I need help choosing tires, I keep getting diff advice from tire centers and I don't feel that good about any thus far! Currently (on my 1998 Q) I have Michelin Primacy tires, and they are 5 years old(!!) and getting dangerous. I would do Michelin again but I feel it's always a steep price for the brand name alone, and not really a great tire. I have also had Pirellis which imo were a waste. A few people suggested the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tred (high traction rated I believe) but I have heard it's a crazy noisy ride. Also I have been directed to Dunlop or Cooper tires; again I feel meh about them.

I'm in NY and the winters have been harsh & I have been stuck on several occasions. I can't afford winter and summer tires, so I need the "all seasons" even though I know it's bs that they perform year round. I have an 8 year old daughter who I see on weekends so my main concern is traction above all else, although clearly it has to have other assets!

-I searched the forum 1st for advice but decided to post as I didn't see anything recent or on-topic (my car is 100% stock still)

Thanks in advance!!

[1998greenQ45]

Well I just found a similar desperate plea for tire advice that I posted in 2005; I'm sure tires have changed a bit over 8 years so I hope this post isn't too redundant! A couple people mentioned Blizzaks back then....

[OwnerCS]

I put a set of new Bridgestone Pole Position 970AS on my Q as (245/45/18) last year. The tires are quite sticky on wet or dry pavement when driving AutoX. One day I drove it on ice last winter and I was surprised at how well it handled.

I have roughly 20,000 miles on mine now. I haven't noticed any noise when traversing a railroad track or a rough road.

I bought the set for the Q when these tires were new and unproven so I got somewhat of a deal for the tires at my local Firestone store. Since all the good reviews have hit the tire sites, the price has shot up dramatically at Firestone stores. Though I see TireRack has a decent price listed.

Check out the article below.

http://tires.about.com/od/Tire_Reviews/ ... sition.htm

[1998greenQ45]

Hi OwnerCS thanks so much for you reply and recommendation! Your experience so far @ 20,000 miles is rather convincing, and the article you linked only confirms it's shining attributes. I also checked out a few reviews/comparison tests, including motortrend and each time the Bridgestone Potenzas were the clear choice. It's sweet that you got them at a good price early on, and with their current "track record" I bet the price is indeed lofty now. I checked tirerack and couldn't find the price listed anywhere strangely. Easy to remedy though looking elsewhere online or a call tomorrow!

Thanks again!

[OwnerCS]

Check this link.. I'm not sure of the size your Q needs.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... &tab=Sizes

[qship96]

Michelin pilot EXALTO is still available in your size.I ran 3 sets for a total of over 150,000 miles on my Q,a daily driver,in all seasons including snow and ice- never let me down- and still rated #1 in tireracks survey of high performance all season tires-despite many newcomers to the market since it was introduced.....a safe,solid investment.

see here http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyres ... ?type=HPAS

[Infinitiguy19]

I have Nokian WRG2 215/65 R15 100H XL on my car. So far I love them but they are louder than the previous tires Hankook (something). I can't comment on tread life but they are true all seasons (With the snowflake/mountain symbol). They cost me ~$600 for just the tires with no road hazard warranty. I did the install and alignment myself.

[1998greenQ45]

Hey OwnerCS thanks for the 2nd link. The price for the Bridgestones is actually better than I thought it would be! I'm still doing research but there's a good chance that I'm going to order the Potenzas from Tirerack in the coming days.

Thanks again!!

[1998greenQ45]

Hi qship96, thank you for the link and the recommendation

I recall a few friends speaking highly of the Michelin Exalto, but until you mentioned it i had pretty much forgotten about that specific tire; really happy you suggested it. The rating is very encouraging, literally it gets high marks across the board! Surprisingly the Bridgestones that I am also considering are listed at the bottom of the ratings, with almost no one saying they'd buy them again. Michelins are quite familiar to me so your suggestion might just be my decision!

Thanks a lot!!

[1998greenQ45]

Hey thanks for your reply and suggestion Infinitiguy19.

Nokian is new to me, I have never heard of them before. Will definitely look into them, Tirerack seems to be the best place to order from (plus they have pretty detailed ratings and reviews) so if they carry them which they likely do I will be adding it to my list of now top 3 contenders! I don't have the means to install them myself but the price is in my range so that's fine.

Cheers

[OwnerCS]

Just a quick note on tires.. High performance tires are not for everybody. Performance oriented tires usually provide less tread wear life and higher rolling resistance (slightly less MPG).

Because a tire is expensive does not always mean that it will be a good fit for your car and your driving needs.

[elwesso]

I always recommend Michelin tires. The thing that I think makes Michelins worth the money is that unlike most other brands, they seem to be almost as good as brand new all the way down to the wear bars. On *every* other brand I've had, by the time they get close to the wear bars they're severely compromised...

In terms of what you're asking for, on another car I had Continental DWS's, and those were fantastic. Being an all season tire, I had pretty low expectations, but I was *very* impressed. The dry handling was great, and I drove on them one winter here in Indiana and I thought they were great. By the time they were down to about 20% they had lost most their traction, but I think by that time the tires had probably 25-30k on them, so they didn't owe anyone anything!

[OwnerCS]

I always recommend Michelin tires. The thing that I think makes Michelins worth the money is that unlike most other brands, they seem to be almost as good as brand new all the way down to the wear bars. On *every* other brand I've had, by the time they get close to the wear bars they're severely compromised...

In terms of what you're asking for, on another car I had Continental DWS's, and those were fantastic. Being an all season tire, I had pretty low expectations, but I was *very* impressed. The dry handling was great, and I drove on them one winter here in Indiana and I thought they were great. By the time they were down to about 20% they had lost most their traction, but I think by that time the tires had probably 25-30k on them, so they didn't owe anyone anything!

+1

A buddy of mine on Long Island runs Continental DWS on a fairly late model Charger and loves them... I almost bought those..

[PBQlover]

Michelin pilot EXALTO is still available in your size.I ran 3 sets for a total of over 150,000 miles on my Q,a daily driver,in all seasons including snow and ice- never let me down- and still rated #1 in tireracks survey of high performance all season tires-despite many newcomers to the market since it was introduced.....a safe,solid investment.

see here http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyres ... ?type=HPAS

+1 on the Exaltos. Mind you I have a 94 and 96, the 96 is the queen and she rides on PS2s in warm weather and stays bundled up in the garage in cold weather. My last set of Ezaltos lasted 60,000 or so I thought. I had the car in for work and the guys yelled at me for driving on the cords. I didn't see this for they were on the inside. Stupid me. Should have changed them out at 40 to 50k. Still, that's amazing life.