M35 tire problems

[normanbuntz]

I've owned a 2007 M35 base since new. Now has 64K miles. I had nothing but problems with the OEM Goodyear RSA tires and also the Cooper Zeon Sport A/S I put on at 41K miles. Like many other posters here, the Goodyears showed tramlining tendencies, started cupping at an early age and just got noisier. They got good treadlife but at the expense of mud terrain- like tire noise. I rotated every 8-10K, likely not enough. The Coopers were touted as premium tires, but obviously not in the Michelin category. 4 wheel alignment was done to specs when I bought the Coopers. With these, I rotated sooner at 6-7K, but it wasn't soon enough. After about 12K miles, noise started getting worse and worse. The noise at 23K miles is horrific.

I understand the suspension design of negative camber (had it in a BMW 530i that was hard on rear tires, but never cupped). Infiniti dealer says rotate every 7500 miles, but it seems like the car needs 5-6K rotations. Dealer also says they have good luck with Hankook Ventus tires on the M. How often is rotation needed to prevent cupping and am I wasting money buying Michelin MXV4 Primacy tires?

[antzrus]

The Conti DWS (or DW w/no S for snow rating) seems to be the favored tire for many. They are not 60k tires tho-more like half that +. But they are less expensive than most others and perform quite well on the M's.

[szh]

The Primacy is a long-lasting and probably a quiet tire, but not particularly good overall for our cars (or any car other than a sedate sedan).

You would be better off picking the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus or Continental DWS - these are all-season (which is just an euphemism neither great in snow nor in summer), but better than a "Touring" tire like the Primacy.

For best performance, albeit with more road noise and faster wear, the Summer tires will be the choice. Something like the Michelin Pilot Sport or the older Pilot PS2 or Continental DW (without the "S") ... the Michelin will cost more, but be an outstanding tire.

Ultimately, putting an inexpensive, or an under-load-rated tire, tire on our heavy luxury sedans can lead to premature tire failure, more internal tire failure (like belt stretching, etc.) that will cause more noise and potentially unsafe handling.

Z