rizzo Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I'd like to hear from people who can give me a good breakdown on the pros and cons of a couple different tires that I'm considering replacing the OEM's with (and i will probably like almost anything better than them). I live in southern new england where we get snow for 3 months out of the year (maybe 4 if we're lucky), but it's sporatic and not constant (for example, this winter has been mostly in the 40's, so no ice this year except for about a month). i do drive up north a fair amount for skiing, so i deal with the snowy and icy conditions up there (NH, VT, ME). i'm looking for a good all around all season tire. based on what i've read here, i've narrowed it down to 5 possibilities. here they are in the order that i'm considering them. nokian WR / goodyear assurance tripletred (these are tied for 1st) bf goodrich traction TA falken ziex ze-512 goodyear assurance comfortread the tripletred an the falken are top of their categories (all season and performance all season, respectively) in consumer reports. the tripletred is top in its category on tirerack. and i've seen rave reviews from people here on the nokian, the traction TA, and the comfortread. so i'd like some objective input into these tires with the pros and cons of each of them. i will be doing mostly dry weather driving, but when it gets cold and snowy here, it gets pretty slick, so that needs to factor in as well (and everyone likes a quiet ride as well). thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Go to LegacyGT.com. Endless discussion on this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otis Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 well here's my $0.02. don't get the comfortred. I have them on another car. a couple of years ago, I meant to get the tripletreds and misread the ad (i thought they were the same tire- who knew? ). the comfortred is a very quiet and comfortable tire probably meant for people who drive lexus or buick. as far as snow/wet traction, let's just say I've had "performance" tires that offer the same in that catagory (meaning traditional all-season performance tires don't do a "great" job in wet/snow, just an "ok" job) nothing wrong with comfortred- it's a great tire for what it was designed for, just not what I wanted in a tire, and probably not what your'e looking for either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rizzo Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 well here's my $0.02. don't get the comfortred. I have them on another car. a couple of years ago, I meant to get the tripletreds and misread the ad (i thought they were the same tire- who knew? ). the comfortred is a very quiet and comfortable tire probably meant for people who drive lexus or buick. as far as snow/wet traction, let's just say I've had "performance" tires that offer the same in that catagory (meaning traditional all-season performance tires don't do a "great" job in wet/snow, just an "ok" job) nothing wrong with comfortred- it's a great tire for what it was designed for, just not what I wanted in a tire, and probably not what your'e looking for either. i'm expecting that they won't to an awesomely perfect job in the snow (especially when compared to dedicated snow tires), but i also know some are better than others. Thanks for the input though. the comfortread was at the bottom of my list, guess i'll remove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I had Michelin HydroEdge on mine 97 - excellent tire. I also had plain ole Michelin X, a less expensive but all-around excellent tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILMOB Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I have nothing but positive things to say about the Nokian WRs. I have had them on my 97 Outback since November here in coastal Connecticut. The few snowstorms we had, the braking was tremendously improved over the prior Cooper tires we had. Dry performance so far in the cold weather has been fine to my taste. I haven't noticed any drifting at high speeds nor any need to correct the steering frequently when driving on the highway. I have never felt as though getting started in the snow has been a problem in this car no matter what tire I have had, but there is a definite difference stopping the car, and I feel much safer driving it with the Nokians. A bonus is being able to leave 'em on this summer. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rizzo Posted March 11, 2006 Author Share Posted March 11, 2006 I have nothing but positive things to say about the Nokian WRs. I have had them on my 97 Outback since November here in coastal Connecticut. The few snowstorms we had, the braking was tremendously improved over the prior Cooper tires we had. Dry performance so far in the cold weather has been fine to my taste. I haven't noticed any drifting at high speeds nor any need to correct the steering frequently when driving on the highway. I have never felt as though getting started in the snow has been a problem in this car no matter what tire I have had, but there is a definite difference stopping the car, and I feel much safer driving it with the Nokians. A bonus is being able to leave 'em on this summer. Hope this helps. i have no issues with my current worn down potenzas when it comes to getting going in the snow... it's stopping that sucks. i've read some reviews that people wrote about the nokians doing dry cornering and they weren't the best. i think i'm gonna go with the tripletreds from goodyear (they're easier to find around me too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 I'd like to hear from people who can give me a good breakdown on the pros and cons of a couple different tires that I'm considering replacing the OEM's with (and i will probably like almost anything better than them). I live in southern new england where we get snow for 3 months out of the year (maybe 4 if we're lucky), but it's sporatic and not constant (for example, this winter has been mostly in the 40's, so no ice this year except for about a month). i do drive up north a fair amount for skiing, so i deal with the snowy and icy conditions up there (NH, VT, ME). i'm looking for a good all around all season tire. based on what i've read here, i've narrowed it down to 5 possibilities. here they are in the order that i'm considering them. nokian WR / goodyear assurance tripletred (these are tied for 1st) bf goodrich traction TA falken ziex ze-512 goodyear assurance comfortread the tripletred an the falken are top of their categories (all season and performance all season, respectively) in consumer reports. the tripletred is top in its category on tirerack. and i've seen rave reviews from people here on the nokian, the traction TA, and the comfortread. so i'd like some objective input into these tires with the pros and cons of each of them. i will be doing mostly dry weather driving, but when it gets cold and snowy here, it gets pretty slick, so that needs to factor in as well (and everyone likes a quiet ride as well). thanks in advance. www.tirerack.coms for reveiws. I have the BF Goodridge and like them alot. i would have gotten the goodyear (aquatread replacements) but at the time didnt have the bucks. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 I had Michelin HydroEdge on mine 97 - excellent tire. I also had plain ole Michelin X, a less expensive but all-around excellent tire. i hate michelins. that's my $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 i hate michelins. that's my $.02 OK, let me detail my two cents. We replaced the OEM Michelins with Michelin X Ones at 57,000 miles. When I took them off at 120,000 miles they had 5/32nd tread left. They were excellent all-around tires. We put the HydroEdge (new at the time) on our second 97 OBW at 120,000 miles exactly. I sold the car to my sister-in-law in VT at 165,000 miles because hers died (at 245,000 miles). They live up a dirt driveway up a dirt road and need AWD two seasons a year. They were down last week and I measured the tread depth. The car now has 171,000 miles on it and still has over 7/32nds tread depth. Not bad for 51,000 miles of use. The HydroEdge were excellent in rain, decent in snow and ice and had solid handling in dry. The Consumer Reports All-Season test ranked the TT First - IF you didn't need to drive on ice. If you need to drive on ice, the two Michelins were ranked first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 your point? michelins, generally, destroy chrome wheels, wear like iron (which is good, but traction is lost), have unstable sidewalls, are a pain to remove from a rim, have ugly tread patterns, and are french. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 your point? michelins, generally, destroy chrome wheels, wear like iron (which is good, but traction is lost), have unstable sidewalls, are a pain to remove from a rim, have ugly tread patterns, and are french. Care to detail your experience on your Subarus? Tirerack.com surveys and CR reports belie your experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Care to detail your experience on your Subarus? Tirerack.com surveys and CR reports belie your experience. i havn't had them on my subaru, i refuse to buy them. i know this because i worked in a tire shop/garge for 3 years. keep in mind when looking up reviews on things...people are trying to sell you things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 i havn't had them on my subaru, i refuse to buy them. i know this because i worked in a tire shop/garge for 3 years. keep in mind when looking up reviews on things...people are trying to sell you things. The reviews on tirerack.com are from users, so I'm not sure what they're trying to sell me. Consumer Reports buys the products they test blind and accepts no advertising - what are they selling me? It sure sounds like you have a strong emotional hatrid towards the Michelins. So, what tire are you suggesting to the fellow who started the thread? Why did you leave the garge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmanaenk Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Michelins can be good tires, they are just overpriced to much. There's always a better option at half the price of michelins. Thats what I generally think of Michelins. As for tirerack and CR. CR is a business (so they might be trying to promote some stuff) and I am not clear on their methodology. Like they test winter tires and RSI ends up being in the bottom, when scandinavian auto magazines rate them in the top. The problem with tirerack - is that those ratings are self reported. That is people who do report - decide to do it. And this decision might be systematically different across different tire categories. For example people that bought cheap tires don't care about ratings and and those who bought michelins feel screwed up and write a great review so that some other screws up as well The point is - one never knows why those people wrote a review. I would have a lot less problems with tirerack ratings if every single customer had to rate tires say at 10k miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otis Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 The problem with tirerack - is that those ratings are self reported. That is people who do report - decide to do it. And this decision might be systematically different across different tire categories. For example people that bought cheap tires don't care about ratings and and those who bought michelins feel screwed up and write a great review so that some other screws up as well The point is - one never knows why those people wrote a review. I agree with that 100%. I often find the reviews on tirerack useless "THESE ARE THE BEST/WORST TIRES EVER!!!!" and just plain overwhelming. Getting back to OP... It looks like you have your choices narrowed down based on the criteria that's improtant to you. chances are you won't find a person who's driven all 4 sets of tires with the same car, same driving pattern, same terrain, etc to give a detailed review. but in a way it probably doesn't make a difference. one tire may be a hair better in one attribute compared to the others. In the end it won't make a difference. people have driven with "lesser" tires and go on with life not knowing any better. as a kind of analagous story... I was once buying stereo speakers. I spent over an hour obsessing trying to decide between 3 or 4 speakers i had narrowed down to. While I could "hear" a subtle difference between them, I realized later, had I taken any of them home, I would have been happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 The reviews on tirerack.com are from users, so I'm not sure what they're trying to sell me. It sure sounds like you have a strong emotional hatrid towards the Michelins. So, what tire are you suggesting to the fellow who started the thread? Why did you leave the garge? if the reviews are from customers, then i stand corrected. for quiet ride, good treadwear and good touring performance i'd go with the comfortread. for good all weather performance decent handling, and good treadwear i'd go with the tripletread. for superp handling and good weather performance (however 30k average treadlife) go with the Good Year RS-A also keep in mind that the tripletread offers a rim/bead protector. i left the garage because my wife got a good career job with Highmark medical insurance and for me to continue working at the garage would be worthless because i made $8 per hour and daycare costs $5, so after taxes i would only be working to put the kid in daycare while i'm working. no positive cash flow. so now i'm Mr. Mom and go to school. but going back to the first statement, i must agree with what the guys posted above me. you never know honesty/experience when it comes to customer reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 and as i said in the first place....they're french. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 your point? michelins, generally, destroy chrome wheels, wear like iron (which is good, but traction is lost), have unstable sidewalls, are a pain to remove from a rim, have ugly tread patterns, and are french. From personal exp i agree 100% except for the french part. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rizzo Posted March 12, 2006 Author Share Posted March 12, 2006 and as i said in the first place....they're french. what does being french have to do with tires not being good? you're not one of those people who eats freedom fries, are you? as for the reviews... CR is sort of a business, but they don't take payments from the companies who make the products they rate highest. tirerack's reviews are from actually consumers, but the problem with their reviews is they generally don't provide any useful feedback. you have to read through about 100 of them to find that only 10 have any sort of useful feedback on the tire. another thing to think about is that most people who write reviews either absolutely loved the product or absolutely hated it. so you don't find too many in between reviews on tirerack because of that fact. i've decided to go with the tripletred. it seems to have the best all-around performance that i've seen rated anywhere. yes, i have read the CR ratings and know that it's not the best in stopping on ice, but i also read that the michelins aren't the best in other situations and since ice isn't a factor most of the year, i'll just accept that (and i've read reviews of the tripletred that say they did awesome on ice, so it really depends on the person i guess). the michelin that CR rated the highest is only available in club stores (which i do not belong) and doesn't even come in the size i need (that's the x-radial). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 The TT's are usually cheaper than the Michelins as well. They seem to be the most popular replacement areound here at the moment. I was at the 4oth anniversary of D-Day at Ponte du Hoc for the dedication of the Ranger Memorial. The French people I met in Normandy were very friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 what does being french have to do with tires not being good? you're not one of those people who eats freedom fries, are you? i've decided to go with the tripletred. it seems to have the best all-around performance that i've seen rated anywhere. yes, i have read the CR ratings and know that it's not the best in stopping on ice, but i also read that the michelins aren't the best in other situations and since ice isn't a factor most of the year, i'll just accept that (and i've read reviews of the tripletred that say they did awesome on ice, so it really depends on the person i guess). the michelin that CR rated the highest is only available in club stores (which i do not belong) and doesn't even come in the size i need (that's the x-radial). I think you've chosen wisely. good choice. being that this is a car forum and not a political forum, i'm not going to get into the politics of why i'm anti-france, it would be innapropriate. but you're damn right. they're freedom fries in my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 The TT's are usually cheaper than the Michelins as well. They seem to be the most popular replacement areound here at the moment. I was at the 4oth anniversary of D-Day at Ponte du Hoc for the dedication of the Ranger Memorial. The French people I met in Normandy were very friendly. nothing against the people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 nothing against the people. OK, hope that sits well with the Americans who make their tires at their three US plants. Not including the BF Goodrich plants they also own...... How is it that if you worked in a garage, you know how the tires handle? You've worjked there since the TT was introduced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 OK, hope that sits well with the Americans who make their tires at their three US plants. Not including the BF Goodrich plants they also own...... How is it that if you worked in a garage, you know how the tires handle? You've worjked there since the TT was introduced? the tt was introduced about a year and a half after i started. the garge is located in on of the richest parts of pittsburgh, wexford. so the people who come in usually dont care about dropping big money into tires and their cars so a lot fo times they'll go between brands to see whats the best. in the 3 years i worked there i dont think i ever heard one positive about michelins (aside from treadwear) from any customers. and yes, we talk to the customers a lot because a lot of them are friendly regulars that we get to know after a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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