Need advice on tires

[mahmudb]

I'm going to be purchasing new tires in about a month or two and was looking at different options. The 2 tires that I have narrowed it down to are the Kumho Ecsta ASX and the Yokohama Avid W4S. I'm looking for a tire that has good tire wear and is good in light snow and rain. I got an estimate for the Yokohama for $178 a piece with installation. Which one would you recommend? TIA!

[rob310]

Almost a month ago I put on a set of BF Goodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S. So far so good, a major improvement over the OE BadYear RS-A.

[peter_rabbit]

I have those Kumho's on my stang. Have had them for almost 4 years and they still have pretty good tread left If you choose the Kumho's make sure you get the road hazard. Had a problem with one of the tires getting a bulge in the side wall from a pothole.

[GJEMD]

[QUOTE=mahmudb]Kumho Ecsta ASX currently on my 2004 M45. Great tires. Currently have 15000 on them and holding up great. It is the tire valuefor this size. Good wet traction. Can't comment on snow, but few HP tiresare safe in winter weather.

[szh]

Almost a month ago I put on a set of BF Goodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S. So far so good, a major improvement over the OE BadYear RS-A.

Good!

I would say that many/most high-performance tires are better than the RS-A. Those are mediocre tires ... at best!

Z

[szh]

I'm going to be purchasing new tires in about a month or two and was looking at different options. The 2 tires that I have narrowed it down to are the Kumho Ecsta ASX and the Yokohama Avid W4S. I'm looking for a tire that has good tire wear and is good in light snow and rain. I got an estimate for the Yokohama for $178 a piece with installation. Which one would you recommend? TIA!

I do not have any personal experiences with either of those tires, so cannot comment on that per se.

But, whatever you do end up doing, please keep the following in mind:

1. The load index rating of the tire you pick must be at 95 or higher. In this regard, Michelin is conservative and just about everybody else is not as conservative. So, if you pick somebody other than Michelin, get the highest rating you can. For example, with my favorite tire (the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3), I get 100W rating tires.

Yes, this is being conservative, but I'd rather be safe than have internal tire structure damage with miles. Even if this does not have catastrophic consequences, it usually means that the tires need rebalancing more often, they get out of round in a hurry, you get more tire noise, etc., etc., etc. Just not a good thing to have to deal with.

2. Like mentioned in a previous post in this thread, high-performance summer tires simply will not be safe in cold weather - near or below freezing - regardless of whether there is any light snow on the ground or not. The rubber freezes, the tires get rock-hard and these tires will slide on light gravel or light snow or wet weather ... EASILY ... with a powerful car like our M's.

So, my approach would be (a) get a second set of cheap wheels with snow tires for winter use (best) or (b) a set of A/S tires ... as long as you are only in light snow (second-best). If I lived in snow belt areas, the decision to get a second set of wheels with snow tires would be an easy one!

3. Keep in mind that A/S tires are always a compromise - they are neither as good in summer as "Summer" tires, nor as good in snow as "Snow" tires. As long as you are willing to accept those limitations, then an A/S tire is okay to get.

For example, I have been using Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires on my 2003 M45 (in a 245/45-18 100W size) and recently decided to try the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (in a 245/45-18 96Y size) because I needed to do some driving to Lake Tahoe for a skiing trip.

Yes, the Michelin's were okay in the Lake Tahoe light snow - and I am glad I had them instead of the Eagles - but I can heartily assure you that I am going to go back to high-performance summer tires when these wear out! These Pilot Sport A/S tires simply do not have the handling, tracking, or wet weather braking, that I am used to with the Eagles.

Totally perceptible performance differences - uphill curves near my house that I felt comfortable (albeit on the edge) taking at 80+ mph on my Goodyear Eagles (or with Firestone Firehawk SZ-50EP ... no longer made ) are now taken at 65+ mph, with more sense of drama.

Z

[CRG]

I have about 7000 miles on a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position. Excellent traction and handling. Quiet, too. I would highly recommend.

[peter_rabbit]

Kumho Ecsta ASX currently on my 2004 M45. Great tires. Currently have 15000 on them and holding up great. It is the tire valuefor this size. Good wet traction. Can't comment on snow, but few HP tiresare safe in winter weather.

I can comment on the snow. Decent traction in light snow. As the snow increase the traction decrease. Drove it in 3+ inches and it actually handled well.

[DocKill]

the Toyo Proxes have been quiet, nice riding, with excellent handling.

[THT]

My personal favorite is the Toyo T1R followed by the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3.

[mahmudb]

Thanks for the advice guys! I think I'm going to look more into the Kumho Ecsta ASX. I have heard alot of good things on this tire and also they are pretty cheap. I'll be using my car in Chicago so I don't think I'll be driving in deep snow, most likely very light.

[jbillion]

Why dont you think you'll be driving in deep snow in Chicago? Last winter we had multiple storms with 6+ inches of snow.

[mahmudb]

Well I will be going to school in downtown so I won't really be using it everyday, I'll be using CTA. I just want something that I know is good in light snow.

[Motorsport Nut]

I too will soon be in need of tires and am considering the Avid W4-S also. Great tire for the moderate price. Also the Toyos and Bridgestones mentioned above are excellent tires, the T1-R's and the 960-AS or equivalent. Tire Rack comparison in class by size is your friend. Also, there are sometimes helpful reviews from current / previous users.

[tkeskic]

szhosain

Just to add to your comments about the weather and summer tires; there is recent research that has come up that is starting to show a trend in tires that are excellent tread condition, but 5 years and over that have had significant failure causing death; There is no good scientific data yet, but caution is suggested; I noticed that peter_rabbit has suggested his tires are 4 years old so i thought I would mention it;

Again; there is no real data yet to support this claim in a scientific way; but some studies have shown over 140 deaths per year where tire age "could" have been the main cause; in almost all cases; the spare tire was highly involved; and since there is no real scientific study; its had to prove its age, could just be lack of use combined with age etc; At the end of the day, read/review for yourself, and decided if you want to take these risks;

Some examples of data available on this subject are as follows:

Likly the best of the sources I read through: replacement age ranges from 5 year to 10 yearshttp://www.safetyresearch.net/Library/SRS043.pdf

other news clips on this issue; dated, but you get the pointhttp://www.usatoday.com/money/...x.htmhttp://w ... au...8.htm

Some points of view that dont support these claims:http://www.rma.org/newsroom/release.cfm?ID=185

Any way; decided or yourself - I have been 'lucky' to always wear my tires out within 3 years... but I personaly would really consider this age of tire as a issue if I ever found one that lasted as long as some people are getting from thier tires!tk

[szh]

I totally agree with your post!

In some of my posts on tires, you will also see me say a few things in this regard - which I will repeat here:

1. Always buy tires - ideally less than 1 year old ... look at the DOT code on the tire for this info. The rubber starts hardening sitting on the shelf, so it is safest to use tires that are very "fresh". I recently (in April) bought some Michelin and the date code on two of them was March of 2008 and the other two were in Oct or Nov of 2007 - I was quite pleased.

2. Any tire that is 5 years old should be replaced immediately, regardless of how many miles are on it, and regardless of how much tread is left. The rubber, particularly on high-performance softer tires, is probably cracking badly and, if you are at speed on a highway, the result could be fatal.

Z

[GJEMD]

Thanks for the advice guys! I think I'm going to look more into the Kumho Ecsta ASX. I have heard alot of good things on this tire and also they are pretty cheap. I'll be using my car in Chicago so I don't think I'll be driving in deep snow, most likely very light.

I cannot endorse the Kumho Ecsta ASX in Chicago. I will bet your M45 will end up in the body shop before winter is thru.

[antzrus]

For all around (i.e. light/deep snow, dry, wet, comfort, control and last but not least price) from my perception you can't go wrong w/ContiExtremeContacts @ $139 US per. I'm not too sure about the mileage-I've only got a few thousand on them. The machine on the OEM Goodyear RSA's tramlined and whined like a bucking banshee. The Conti's ended all that in short order.

[mahmudb]

I would definitely go for the ContiExtremeContacts if they were available in my size. We have an 06' BMW 325i with them and they are awesome in all types of weather.

Also to GJEMD I'm not going to be driving the car alot I just want good tires that will last and also handle good in different conditions. I'll be using public transportation majority of the time. Especially since gas is soo expensive.

[GJEMD]

I would definitely go for the ContiExtremeContacts if they were available in my size. We have an 06' BMW 325i with them and they are awesome in all types of weather.

Also to GJEMD I'm not going to be driving the car alot I just want good tires that will last and also handle good in different conditions. I'll be using public transportation majority of the time. Especially since gas is soo expensive.

The issue is sub freezing temps. The Kumhos will get hard and lose a measure of traction. Add black ice and your off the road.

[maxnix]

It's always tragic when a performance car owner cheaps out the tires which are the only part of the car that contact the road and thus determine the performance limits of the car, assuming all else in the suspension and brakes is up to OEM snuff.

With tires especially, you pretty much get the performance for what you pay. Don't fall into the "all season" myth and buy proper winter tires if you live in a region that has real winters.

Read the tire sticky in Infiniti General and research at Tire Rack, especially technical articles and comparative tests, keeping in mind they are using a very much lighter BMW 3 series car. If you really want to get further educated, read Q45tech's posts on tires in particular.