New Tires Tomorrow

[mmm..good]

Ok - so I finally broke down and decided to get rid of my Goodyear RSA's. Had the car in for an oil change and they were down to 2/32 (only have 26k and they have been rotated every 7K). Like a lot of others here my M has exhibited some tramlining and has been god awful in what little snow we've had this year.

I did a lot of research on tire rack - looked at the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS (40K treadwear - $910 shipped), ContiExtremeContacts (no treadwear warranty - $671 shipped), BF Goodrich Traction TA V (60K treadwear - $694 shipped), Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus (45K treadwear - $1,007 shipped), Michelin Primacy MXV (60K treadwear - $948 shipped), Yokohama AVID W4S (no treadwear warranty, $694 shipped). My local NTB said they would price match and do the install for $18 per tire, so an extra $72 on each of the above amounts. As you can tell, I'm not into buying separate sets of tires for winter and summer and was looking for a good all season (misnomer, I know) that was smooth, quiet and long lasting. I also view my ride as more luxury rather than performance, although I do like to punch it now and then to make it growl. Most of the ultra high performance A/S tires don't last that long, so I went with the Michilen Primacy's (more of a touring tire). Actually getting them at Costco - installed and out the door for $980 (a lot, I know). I've had Michelins before and got just over 60K on three different sets on two different cars. I'll report back on any changes regarding the tramlining. As for traction, having some decent tread will certainly help, but even new, the RSA's are still crappy in the snow.

Cheers.

[szh]

Please do a full review when you get a chance, thanks!

Z

[DashingMax]

I've had the Continental ContiExtreme tires on my previous cars. Extremely good tires also, however, heavy on the pocketbook for they WILL go bald by 20k miles. Went through 2 sets, once on my Audi A6 4.2 and a set on MazdaSpeed6.

I have the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS. OE 18" size. Bought & installed at local Discount Tire. Absolutely fantastic dry, wet and snow (yes even snow) traction!

Highly recommended!

[mmm..good]

Just got the new Michelins on. Very smooth and quiet - at 80+ on the highway only heard the motor and wind. No tramlining noted - especially at intersections where ruts in the road ar more pronounced. Sometimes with the RSA's the wheel would almost jump out of my hand. I'll do a follow up after the next snow fall. The real test will be how they hold up over time.

[palincal]

Primacy is a excellent choice especially if you are looking for longevity, comfort and less road noise. These tires are based on Michelin's very popular Energy tires that got great reviews for tread wear.

[M4T5]

The Primacy's are the Energy's. They are identical...no differences in tread design or rubber compound. They offer both H and V speed rated tires. I'm hoping for that price you paid you have the V rated Primacy's and not the H rated ones......You should get around 40K out of them. That is common mileage they offer. They are also great all season tires. They ride smooth and are very compliant with changing road conditions. Not sure about how well they fair in snow. I just know they are good rain and great dry traction tires. I've had great experiences with both the Energy and Primacy tires from Michelin. Like I said, Michelin markets both tires which are identical, but a name change is partially what they were after. I've also noticed that many tire shops are not carrying the Energy, but instead are now carrying only the Primacy.

J

[mmm..good]

Yes - they are, in fact V rated. I'm hoping to get more than 40K out of them - I'm not too hard on em through the corners. We'll see.

BTW - I'll be curious to see if you pick up some noticable horses with the Element 114 - I know they'll sound good!

[maxnix]

I have the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS. OE 18" size. Bought & installed at local Discount Tire. Absolutely fantastic dry, wet and snow (yes even snow) traction!

Highly recommended!

Please add your observation to the Tire Sticky in Infiniti General. Following the format helps others a lot. So does being a very critical evaluator.

[maxnix]

The real test will be how they hold up over time.

Billiard balls hold up real well over time.

However, braking cornering and wet traction are not so hot.