I am the owner of a new EX (which is great!). Unfortunately, when the car arrived (ordered the Luxe package) from the Dealer, it had 17 inch tires on it.

They needed to replace the 17s with 18s, but the 18s are Dunlop versus the 17s which were Michelins. I don't know much about this kind of stuff. Is there a difference?

To research tires, I use http://www.tirerack.com

Both Michelin and Dunlop make excellent tires. However, I have always felt that the Michelins were over priced.

The 17 inch tire is going to have a taller side wall than the 18 inch. 135mm for the 17 and 123.75mm for the 18. The taller side wall will flex more and may offer a smoother ride while sacrificing some handling.

There's aren't any customer reviews on the Dunlop:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...A%2FS

I have the Dunlops on my EX35. So far, I'm pretty happy with them.

I also think Michelin tires are over priced and riding on marketing hype vs value. I have found the 18" Dunlops to be good tires and I would consider another set when the time comes.

I feel the same way about Dunlops. They are a good tire and have never let me down. The 2 sets that I've ever owned, were the OEM set supplied on the Vehicle.

I always buy Michelins and take advantage of good pricing at COSTCO.