In 2016 I acquired a 2013 M37X with Goodyear Assurance, touring all season 245/45R18 tires. I discovered the owner's manual specifies 245/50R18 tires. Since they were new and checking with dealer gained a verification that they would be ok, we have proceeded to put 53,000 miles on them. Good on dry and wet pavement and excellent in our Oregon high desert winter snow. Now I am beginning to look for replacements. Complicating the matter is that I have a friend who has a 2006 M35X who has asked for help in selecting his replacement tires. Checking the specs, it appears that his wheels are the same as mine. His specs require 245/45R18 tires. I'm puzzled as to why the difference in Infinity specs. What am I missing?

Related to this question is that there are many more choices for all season tires with the 245/45R18 tire size that the 50R18 tire size. For our M37X, I like the choices better.

Both owners are in our winter years, so safe driving in all but extreme weather conditions is our concern. In extreme weather, we can stay home - LOL.

Comments and counsel will be appreciated.

I personally am running Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 tires and think they are super solid.

Those two vehicles , I believe are more different than you think - I could be wrong . And evverything being the same going from a '45' profile to '50' profile UP's the load rating , ie. weight rating limit for that wheel/tire combo . I'm guessing there is a little weight difference in those cars , weight distribution , and engineers take into consideration what slice of the general public 'segment' will be typically utilizing it , and how they may load it. That's after all 7 years apart and differnt size motors. Those marketing projections change - let alone the cars ACTUAL features and dimensions.

And Ilya's mention of Michelin , about the best tires made - can't go wrong with those mentioned are at the top of Michelin's line.

I'd look for some 255/45, but I prefer a little extra width on my tires.

I'll also be the lone dissenter on the Michelin suggestion - The "tried and true" popular brand names aren't as highly-ranked in independent testing as they used to be. I'm a huge fan of the Hankook Ventus V12 line.

I'm sure that both vehicles are sizes when it comes to weight etc, most of the time is looks.

Going with the 245/45/18 would be cheaper because of so many different manufacturers make that size.

Sounds like you're last tires were awesome, if get those again and in the 245/45 size.

I believe that my snow tires are 235/55 or 235/50, I was going to get the 245/45 but the others were cheaper.

It really is up to you.

Let us know what you get

AZhitman wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 27, 2019 9:43 pm

I'd look for some 255/45, but I prefer a little extra width on my tires.

Thanks for your suggestion about the 255/45. I've added that option to my choices. Looks like it will fit and the variation in speedometer are better than with the 245/45's I have now. Not too excited about the tire choices.

Hey, thanks to all for the input. Re: car specs, yes, there must be a weight difference in the two cars simply based on the different engine displacements. I have had Goodyear, Michelin, Nokian (all season and winter), Vredestein (winter), Pirelli, Bridgestone and Goodrich tires. Think the last one was on my first car - a 1955 Chev 2-door. Wish I still had it! And, then there's that 1965 356c Porche. That one had the Michelins . . That's the only car I have ever had that I sold for more than my cost -wish I still had it also!

I'm still looking. The final list of candidates includes Continental Purecontact LS, Michelin Primacy MXM4, Goodrich (if we go 255/45R18), Vredestein Quatrac Pro. At this point we are tending to favor the Vredestein looking at a quieter, softer ride. That tire has only a 40,000 mile warranty which says, tread life is an issue. Will keep this thread updated as we go.

An interesting side line is that I'm looking at buying tires from Tire Rack. This would be a first time experience . In researching who Tire Rack recommends for our area in central Oregon, a mobile installer is available locally. That raises other issues with me. Can they sipp (sp?) the tires? Will they rotate for free? In the process of talking with the owner, so will see and report finding. My wife asks, "are you still having fun yet?"

^ All spoken like a true enthusiast - with an awesome spouse!

Glad to have you aboard, Gramps!

AZhitman wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 27, 2019 9:43 pm

I'd look for some 255/45, but I prefer a little extra width on my tires.

I'll also be the lone dissenter on the Michelin suggestion - The "tried and true" popular brand names aren't as highly-ranked in independent testing as they used to be. I'm a huge fan of the Hankook Ventus V12 line.

I agree. I had always bought Michelins but tried a set of Ventus S1noble2 tires. I made a thread about them with updates over time.
original post: hankooks-update-1-t585713.html
update #2: post6574098.html?hilit=ventus#p6574098
They were extremely close to the Michelin Pilot Super Sports they replaced for much lower cost and with much less road noise. As they wore, abut half way through their tread, they still handled fine, but became louder in the 2nd half of their life - similar to winter tire noise levels. I went back to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's. Might have been my driving style or the way they wore on the older M35's. I still recommend them highly simply because they perform 'like' Michelins at a much lower price.

Like you, I also like a little more tread on the roadway. I am currently running 255/40/19's and could not be happier with the improved grip and handling over the 245/45's the car came with.

Been gone for a while on trip to AZ and Palm Desert. Put 2500 miles on existing tires after getting them checked to show 6/32" toi 8/32" left on the tread. Looking to get the new all weather tires about the end of the month.

Final candidates at this point are: Yokohama YK740 GTX (Available from Discount Tire), Continental DWS06, and Bridgestone Turanza Quiettrack.
at our age, nothing is easy any more. We are now discussing whether we should keep the Infinity (it's been a great car) because it doesn't have the latest collision prevention technology. As a note, I'm a retired hi-tech guy. Anyway, we still will be driving south at least once a year for a couple years and may go farther. Our reflexes are not what they used to be and that's why we are looking at a newer car - Infiniy QX50 or Subaru Outback or Forester. In any event, our Infinity will get new tires and I will post when that happens, yet this month.

i like my continental DWS. I think tirerack has a pretty good explanation of what the numbers mean. but basically it also depends on how wide your rim is. The M37 rims might be wider than the M35 so the second number will be greater. That said, the second number usually has a range for the width that it'll safely fit onto.

Thanks for your support of the Continentals. That is probably the way we will go. They will be siped. I also understand they are quieter than almost all other all-weather tires.
My friends car, a M35X has the same speced rim as my M37X. I would like to go with an 240/55/18, as suggested by Lars, but not available in an all-weather tire.

Last update on this thread. Decided on Continental DWS. Have about 100 miles on them. They "feel" good regarding ride and handling. My wife says they are about the same noise level as the Goodyears we took off after just over 60,000 miles. However, I suspect that is inherent noise from the Infinity - just seems to be a noisy car. That and the side mirrors which are positioned poorly for a driver who is checking for safe turning at street corners. These are our only complaints about this car.

Thanks for all the helpful comments! Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

Glad you like them. If they're used in fancy European cars, then they must have something good going for them