All Season Tire Recs?

[captainslow]

Hi guys -

My rex needs new shoes. I put a set of Michelin Pilot Exaltos on it a little over 4 years ago, and 34,000 miles later, all of the tires have cracks on the top sides (between the sidewall and the tread) and 2 have some tiny cracks in the sidewall. I'm a bit bummed b/c I expected them to last longer and also b/c I spoke to Tirerack's warranty people, who told me that an applicable warranty on them expired in October

Long story short, I'd like to replace them with another set of all seasons and I just wanted to know if you guys had any recommendations.

I liked the Michelins but I've been reading reviews of new models and it seems like cracking is still an issue. The Exaltos were "high performance" all seasons and now I see there are "ultra high performance" all season tires and I just don't know the difference. I used the Exaltos on the track and at a few auto-x events, and I figured out real quick that they weren't the best tires for these activities so I think whether tires are high performance or ultra high performance doesn't mean that much to me b/c if I were to engage in these activities again, I'd get a separate set of tires - unless with the addition of the ultra highs, the regular high performance tires totally suck at normal daily driving now. Also, I don't actively seek out driving in snow but I'd like to have tires that are somewhat capable in the type of snow we usually see here b/c sometimes I am forced to leave the house.

Any thoughts? Thanks as always for any insight you can provide.

Oh and stock tire size - 225/45-17

[chicken n waffles]

If you must all-season in DC (why not summers and winters?), Michelin Pilot Sport A/S or Continental ExtremeContact DWS.

I personally found the DWS to be a bit more comfortable w/ slightly better wet performance.


















ymmv

[captainslow]

Thanks Ben! I'll check both of your recs out. I'm inclined to go with the Continentals b/c I haven't had any issues with that brand in the past.

[drwrx]

This is the way I went:
Summer: Sumitomo HTRZ III Max Performance Summer Tire: Very Highly rated by Tire Racks tests (it has been in two)
225/45 /17: $89.00 each
Winter: General Altimax Arctic: Tire Rack's currently highest rated snow tire
225/45/17: $122.00 each or 205/50R17: $110
on Black 17X6.5 Black steel wheels $65 each

[captainslow]

Thanks for your suggestion, D. Only reason I am looking into all seasons is b/c I don't really have much room at my place to store a spare set of tires. Is there a huge difference in performance b/w a good set of high performance all seasons and summers? If so, I'll definitely consider going the 2 set route. Thanks again.

[drwrx]

The best all seasons don't really come close to the performance of summer only tires. At least not those in the Max or Extreme Performance categories.
That said, Ultra high performance all-seasons have made huge improvements over the years.
The current generation are heads and shoulders above older models.
Some good options for all seasons:

General G-MAX AS-03: $94 (Tire Rack says "Good at just about everything at a great price.")

Kumho Ecsta 4X: $105 (One of the Tire Rack's highest rated. Quote: "In dry conditions, the Kumho Ecsta 4X easily drove away from the rest of the group, feeling more like a summer than an all-season tire, with quick steering response and excellent traction.") If I were buying, this is what I would buy.

Hankook Ventus S1 noble2: $110 (Very similar in performance to the General G-MAX with slightly better dry performance)

Continental ExtremeContact DWS: $137 (Very highly rated, especially in wet. DWS Stands for Dry / Wet / Snow.)

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3: $160 (Probably the best All Season tire available. Also one of the most expensive)

[PGT]

DWS are great but are soft. The Bridgestone 970's give up a little bit in snow traction but gain steering precision that the Conti's lack. If you've got AWD, you likely won't notice the difference between the two in the white stuff.

[drwrx]

Good point, I did forget the Bridgestone RE970AS: $138. Slightly better ratings than the Conti DWS, especially in the dry.
I will say, I have heard many good reports on the DWS in the snow.

To muddy the waters further, I will throw out the Falken Ziex ZE-612+. At $85 each from Discount Tire Direct they are almost $10 less than the cheapest tire here. I ran 235/50 17 912s on our Forster and found them to be an excellent tire in every condition (The 612 & 912 are the same tire, just renamed). It is hard to compare them to other tires as the previous tires on the Forester were the stock 215/60 16 Yokohama Geolandar H/T G900 which I felt were not great.

Falken also has the Azenis PT-722 which is their new Ultra High Performance all season. They have a very high tread wear rating of 600 and sell for $102 from Discount Tire Direct (for comparison the most of the tires above have a 300 tread wear rating). I've read good things from on-line reviews, but nothing about snow traction.

[captainslow]

I really appreciate the suggestions! I've been wading through reviews on Tire Rack. Man, they are all over the place. Some are crazy positive, others "STAY AWAY FROM THIS TIRE" and for the same tire no less LOL. Your experiences definitely are helping me out here. Thanks again, everyone.

[chicken n waffles]

Yeah the reviews from strangers with all kinds of different cars... take them w/ a grain of salt. Everyone's car is different, with different suspensions.

I think the reviews D posted are pretty much spot on for what you may be looking for.

I wouldn't call the DWS sidewalls totally soft, but they're definitely softer than, say, the Pilot Sport A/S. And let's face it, you're probably not going to be doing a ton of aggressive driving in all-seasons anyway; at least, I hope you're not.

[captainslow]

"Spirited" driving

I ended up going with the Pilot Sport A/S 3. It seems like the replacement mileage for the tires I reviewed varied considerably by car/driver. I like the Pilot Exaltos and other than the cracking (which I noticed only late this year), I had no complaints about them. They've been great on the road, even during Snowmageddon. So I just went with another set of Michelins.

Thanks again - I definitely appreciate the insight all of you provided.

[drwrx]

Tire Rack does "tests" on tires, including on the road driving as well as dry and wet lapping on their track.
They also do testing of tires in snow and ice.
These are what I read. I tend to steer clear of most of what posters put in.

[PGT]

I will say, I have heard many good reports on the DWS in the snow.

Yep. Handled nearly 400 ft/lbs and RWD with aplomb. You want the sipes on a snow tires to get snow to stick to them....snow on snow = best traction. Check out this pic:

[captainslow]

I did check out the Tire Rack tests as well. The comparison test of the Pilots in dry and wet sealed the deal for me. As for the reviews, I was mainly curious about how reviewers with Subarus fared and the mileage they got from the tires before needing replacements.

Just wanted to pass along some info - Bilbo Automotive does tire mounting and balancing. I didn't think they did, based on their site, but they do.

[zaxrex]

If only they did safety inspections.
I just got taken for $500 by Exxon.
But then again, how would an honest and capable shop get an inspection cert?

[captainslow]

$500?? How?
There's a Liberty in Old Town and a Shell on Duke St. (the one across from Harris Teeter in Alexandria) - I've taken various vehicles to both with no problems. I mean it sounds like you could use a recommendation.

[Sabre]

I know it's too late, but I just put on a set of Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT XL. I LOVED my last couple sets of WS70's, but decided I'd try something different. I haven't had the chance to play in any white stuff yet, but their wet performance is amazing. They worked very well on the RallyX (mud/dirt/gravel) I did in them too.

[schvin]

sweet, that's good to hear, julian!

[captainslow]

Apologies for my own late reply - thanks for the suggestion, J. I'll keep them in mind when these Pilots need to be replaced. I haven't had them out in the snow yet, but they seem to grip well in the wet. They're definitely much stickier than my old Pilots - they pick up a lot of small rocks. And they hum at 80, so they're a bit loud. But so far no real complaints.

[goob_os101]

I love my General G-MAX AS-03...but them on my Wife's Mazda5 too. I tried drift around in the snow with my Saabar and the damn tires just dig down to pavement. They are the DWS's but with stiffer side walls.