Many years ago, I had Michelin Pilot Sport 2's on my BMW M3. Very nice tires, but also very pricey. Something like $1600 every 20k miles.

So, one day, I decided to cheap out and bought a set of Kumho Ecstas. Saved 4 or 5 hundred dollars.

I lost the tail end of the car on a off ramp and brushed a curb. Ultimately, those tires were a rather large net loss to me after rim and suspension repairs.

Decided from that point on that your car is only as good as the tires they ride on.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:
I wonder about the Korean brand "Nexen" that came on the new Chrysler Pacifica we just bought a few months ago.

Sounds like they've been around a long time and were the first tire manufacturer in Korea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexen_Tire

I buy Michelins because of my satisfaction based on 30 years of buying Michelins. Also when it's time to sell your car it's always nice to point out the Michelin tires - like them or not, Michelin mean premium tires to most people and that's always a good selling point.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
I have bought nothing but Michelins for my cars for ~40 years at Costco. No problems, good service, great price.

I too, have favored Michelins over lesser known brands, but a couple of days ago I noticed three deep cracks in one that zig zagged outward away from the rim.

I've heard that you should consider replacing tires when they got to be four years old. That might be good advice because that set was a little over four years old.

Put new Michelins on Pathfinder 200 miles ago and Michelins on my S2000 last week.

My other car came with Dunlops. When they are shot------guess what goes on it.

Mike

I'm getting ready to put another set of Mich's on my pickup. Last set went 58k miles and I could get at least 60k but they have been on too long for me to be comfortable with them. Plus, Sam's has a $70 off tire sale until June 4th.

My wife's Honda Pilot just needed new tires, factory oem was Michelin. They lasted 50k I would have hoped to get better mileage from them. I went with Yokohamas this time. The mileage warranty was a bit better and the tires were $300 less.
I also got the vehicle aligned I'm figuring its a good thing to do.

My wife shook her head when I bought performance tires for my focus. Then she drove it (it had shitty tires before that) and could not believe the difference especially in stopping. Out of all the mods people do to cars tires will give you the most change in performance.

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:
o, I never understand pure brand loyalty in tires (or pretty much anything else).

I don't know, it seems like every truck I have I end up putting a set of BFG All Terrains on. I've had good luck with them, good traction and seem to wear for a long time. If something works, why change?

Don't go cheap, and don't push it on trying to milk the last mile out of the tread before replacing your tires, especially if you drive a pickup truck.

I hydroplaned my F150 on borderline worn-out tires years ago. Did a complete 360 on a four-lane highway and slid off the road. Luckily, I was only going about 45 mph because there was a downpour in progress. Only got tapped by another vehicle, and came to rest just off the shoulder. Could have been much worse. I learned that day, change out worn tires too soon, rather than too late.

Cooper makes nice lower end tires.

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
I'll need Camry, and pickup tires, in a few months. Are the less expensive Michelin Defenders good? I've heard mixed results.

According to TireRack, this tire does not rate well after 11M miles of reviews.

Here's how the Standard Touring category breaks down:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires...ydisplay.jsp?type=ST

If you're not looking for a performance tire and it's Michelin you want, I would definitely spend a few more dollars and get into the Grand Touring category. The Michelin Premier A/S looks like a good bet.

See here: https://www.tirerack.com/tires...isplay.jsp?type=GTAS

-Rob

The last set of tires I put on my 2012 Camry were the Michelin Primacy MXM4's - They were OK, but I'm approaching 40K on them and need to replace them already. I don't think I drive aggressively, have kept a watchful eye on the tire pressure - the wear is pretty consistent accross the width of the tires. My previous experience with Michelin as a brand had been that they wear like iron, this set was just OK, nothing special.


Not sure what I'll end up with, but it won't be that set again.

I run Yokohamas on my work truck and last year one wore beyond inspection limits and I had the shop put on what cheap tire they had just to get it up and running for work. Immediate loss of traction and a terrible drop in ride quality was the result. Thanks for reminding me that I still haven't replaced it.

A tire is considered worn out at 2/32" tread depth. The wear bars molded into every tread will be visible.



You can use a penny as a tread depth gauge. Insert Abe's head (distance between the edge of the coin and the top of his head is roughly 2/32") into the tread. If you can see the top of his head, it's time. But I don't like to go that far. I like a quarter better. From the top of Washington's head to the edge of the coin is about 4/32".

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
The wear bars molded into every tread will be visible.

These wear bars are visible when the tire is brand new, how "visible" are they supposed to be when the tire is worn out?

quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:
Allow me to remind you that the tires are the only part of your car that touches the ground under normal circumstances.

and to answer Warhorse directly, I think nexen tires are just fine.

I've had Nexen's and they've been fine. I've had Pirelli and Michelin and BF Goodrich as well.
I think it's probably best to get recommendations for the particular vehicle.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
The wear bars molded into every tread will be visible.

These wear bars are visible when the tire is brand new, how "visible" are they supposed to be when the tire is worn out?

If you are thinking about doing the penny test, you probably already know the answer.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
The wear bars molded into every tread will be visible.

These wear bars are visible when the tire is brand new, how "visible" are they supposed to be when the tire is worn out?

When the tire wears down so that the wear bars are flush with the gripping surface and touch the road, that is the minimum safe operating tread depth.

The tire compound is what provides traction. Race cars driving on clean surfaces have slick tires with no treads, which maximizes the contact between the tire compound and the road.

Treads are spaces for road debris and water move out of the way so that the rubber can contact the road. When the treads become too shallow, there is not enough space for water and debris to move out of the way as the tire rolls through it. The effect is hydroplaning on water, or sliding on sand/gravel/debris. Thus, tire treads are a safety mechanism to provide traction on wet roads or through road debris--you can drive on perfectly bald tires on clean dry roads, or you can let your tires wear all the way down to the indicators...but it's a lot like using most of the contents of a fire extinguisher and leaving it mostly empty.

I'll be replacing the tires on the truck this summer. 2012 4 door 4x4 Tacoma. I don't do any off roading. What do you guys recommend for a good general purpose tire?

ETA: I don't care about road noise if that matters

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
I'll be replacing the tires on the truck this summer. 2012 4 door 4x4 Tacoma. I don't do any off roading. What do you guys recommend for a good general purpose tire?

ETA: I don't care about road noise if that matters

Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs are my favorite all terrain tires, and I've tried most of them.