Oversteer with New Michelins

[fidlerjim]

Just bought new Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus tires (18 inch) for my 2007 G35 Coupe. The original Pilot Sports were fine for 30K miles. With the new tires I think the car has an oversteer problem. In turns at highway speeds such as freeway exit ramps and cloverleaf turns I feel the rear end moving into the turn. It's a bit disturbing and feels like it could get out of hand at higher speeds or if I push it. This is on clean and dry pavement. I think I can feel some oversteer at lower speeds but it isn't as noticeable.

The tires are mounted properly to turn in the right direction. The pressure is 35 psi all around. The sizes are the same as the original tires. There were no abnormal wear patterns on the original tires after 30K miles and no alignment changes were made when the new tires were installed. The VDC light isn't coming on. Driving with the VDC switched off doesn't seem to make any difference.

The tire dealer has offered to take them back and install Pilot Sports although I'd prefer an all season tire and I like the 45K mile warranty of the AS Plus.

Just looking for comments and ideas. The AS Plus tires are highly rated and recommended. Am I the only one who has actually tried them on a late model G35? I wonder if they might not be compatible and I need to stay with the Pilot Sports.

Thanks for any help.

[awdjdmtalon]

How many miles have you put on them? If it is less then 200 or so, I would say that it is the relase agent wearing off the tires. They can be "greasy" at first and will give the symptoms you are talking about.

[fidlerjim]

Unfortunately I don't have an exact mileage but I know it is more than 400 miles, probably 500 or so.

[awdjdmtalon]

Well at this point they should be pretty well "broken in". It may just be that the A/S are not as sticky as the summer tires. That may be the whole issue.

What is the tread wear rating of the A/S? If I remember correctly the OE tires are a 220 tread wear. So they are pretty soft. Remember summer tires will always handle better then A/S.

[joe603]

Well at this point they should be pretty well "broken in". It may just be that the A/S are not as sticky as the summer tires. That may be the whole issue.

What is the tread wear rating of the A/S? If I remember correctly the OE tires are a 220 tread wear. So they are pretty soft. Remember summer tires will always handle better then A/S.

...all-season tires will not grip like summer tires. If you're not going to be driving in snow, get summer tires.

You mentioned that you're looking for better wear on your new tires than the OEM...Try Toyo tires. I have the TR Proxies and they have lasted twice as long as the OEM tires, with more grip!!

Also, turning the VDC off will make any oversteer problems worse. The VDC is there to cut power and brake individual wheels to keep the car going strait. Turning it off is the worst thing to do if you suspect your tires are losing grip.

[pfarmer]

...all-season tires will not grip like summer tires. If you're not going to be driving in snow, get summer tires.

You mentioned that you're looking for better wear on your new tires than the OEM...Try Toyo tires. I have the TR Proxies and they have lasted twice as long as the OEM tires, with more grip!!

Have you had your Proxies in snow. I have an AWD and we have been getting snow. My original tires are getting me around just fine, however I feel that the car could do better than it does in the snow and especially in the rain which we have even more of. I have Proxies on another front wheel car I own and really like them in the rain so have been leaning towards the Proxies on the 'G'. I find them very sticky compared to anything other than another performance set that they appear to almost be a carbon copy of. The Proxies however are wearing far better.

Perry

[marlin29311]

Unfortunately I don't have an exact mileage but I know it is more than 400 miles, probably 500 or so.

At 500 miles or so, you're still towards the end of the break in period. See if it still is doing it at 1000 or not...

What is the tread wear rating of the A/S? If I remember correctly the OE tires are a 220 tread wear. So they are pretty soft. Remember summer tires will always handle better then A/S.

The treadwear is 500.

I actually have these on my car now, and I don't really notice what you're talking about. My car seems to hold the ground much better than the Bridgestone's I had on my car previously.

It is true though that a/s tires don't grip quite as well as summer tires.

Wait and see until about 1000 miles if the tires are still doing this.

[Sentientbydesign]

Treadwear of 500 would indicate a VERY hard tire which usually = lack of grip (not to be confused with traction).

I personally wouldn't go over 400 if I wanted performance.

Also, Marlin, your Altima is FWD with a significant weight distribution over the front tires. As such, you won't have the same issues with the same tires as a G will.

[Poyzinous]

Well nate, you're right about the Treadwear part, but the altima could actually have more oversteer problems, if it were made with similar spring rates and shock dampening as the lack of jounce/rebound absorbtion in a car with front weight bias and high ride height, and heavily inflated tires would cause a sliding reaction,blah blah blah, but in any case, Fidler Jim, set your rear tires to 33psi cold, not 35. I believe 35 is for the 19" tires. And 30 for the 17". As far as the break in period, if you have a LSD, turn off the VDC, disconnect your brake switch, and give your tires a good 5 second burnout. And finally, do you have any suspension mods? You can always install a super ricer double stack 3 section wing that will provide enough downforce for a 100mph speed-induced wheelie.

[joe603]

Have you had your Proxies in snow. I have an AWD and we have been getting snow. My original tires are getting me around just fine, however I feel that the car could do better than it does in the snow and especially in the rain which we have even more of. I have Proxies on another front wheel car I own and really like them in the rain so have been leaning towards the Proxies on the 'G'. I find them very sticky compared to anything other than another performance set that they appear to almost be a carbon copy of. The Proxies however are wearing far better.

Perry

Nope, no snow...I live in Atlanta

The tires do very well for wet traction.

[pfarmer]

Nope, no snow...I live in Atlanta

The tires do very well for wet traction.

On my Chrysler they do well in the rain as well. One property I like is the lack of hydroplaning compared to many others I have used. Here that is very important especially in areas shared by large trucks, and other vehicles which use studs. In heavy rain it is very easy to see where the water builds up and hydroplaning is something I'd rather do without.

Also very readily available for replacement. It took 2 days to get my last set and only because I run +2 on my Chrysler which makes them a little bit harder to get in this area.

Perry

[RED_DET]

Look at the reviews on tire rack for the Bridgestone Potenza RE960's "all season" and tell me if they don't compare and out perform a lot of dedicated summer tires. I just put them on the wife's Spec V. Still breaking them in, but they are night and day difference compared to the "all season" kumho asx's.