Brake Pad Replacement

Initial Review, 30000 Miles on Tires
February 13, 2012

Had these tires since 45k car has 73k now. Tires were great when new quiet and smooth as tread wears started getting harsher on impacts and louder. Which is normal for value tires. Horrid in icy conditions but with AWD you'll still be able to maneuver towards your path but braking can get a bit scary. In snow they hold up okay. Great in rain and dry conditions. I have put 30k on and they still stop on the dime in pouring rain. These are discontinued tires being replaces with Kumho's Ecsta 4X which is the upgraded version which may be better. For the money and value Kumho is great in this economy. Will be looking into the new Kumho's Ecsta 4X's or Bridestone's RE970's for my next set of tires.

Initial Review, 15000 Miles on Tires
February 06, 2012

These replaced a set of (now discontinued) LRR Continental GT tires. My only continued complaint with Continental's LRR tires on my Civic Hybrid has been poor traction off the line. These tires, and their past iteration, have spun under even moderate acceleration on wet pavement. Other than that, I've found traction, braking, steering response, and predictability at their limits to be excellent. Mileage has been good at around 47 mpg combined(they are currently mounted on lightweight 15" aftermarket rims). Unlike other brands of LRR tires, these have not had a significant drop in mileage during heavy rain and standing water. I currently use the stock rims and winter tires, so I have no opinion on their winter traction.

Initial Review, 35000 Miles on Tires
January 16, 2012

These General Altimax tires were purchased to replace a set of Goodyear Triple Tread Assurances that had lasted about 45,000 miles. Warranty at the time for the Goodyears was around 80,000 I believe, so I was disappointed in the life of the GoodYear tires, especially relative to their expense. I try not to let more than 9,000 or 10,000 go by before rotating, and my driving would be considered average, although now with two teens I lean more to the grandma end of the scale in a sad attempt to set an example.

The Generals performed fairly well. Dry and wet handling & braking were good, and snow handling was very good. I rated ice traction as five/ten, but I wouldn't expect much better from an all season tire. Cornering was a seven, probably due more to the vehicle's standard suspension components than the tire. Treadwear I've given a six only because at 35,000 miles they're down to Washington's head on the quarter, well below what the current Altimax HP warranty is, and most likely less than the warranty when I bought them (most likely 50,000-60,000). Three years and 35,000 miles, even on Chicagoland roads, is so-so. I found them to be a quiet tire even on some of the concrete highways in between here and FLA. A good friend who is quite particular about tire noise was very impressed with the Altimax HPs lack of road noise.

Overall I found them to be good performers, if not a little short on life. As I look at the Goodyears and see decent reviews, I remember that given what I paid for them they didn't last as long as they were supposed to, so why spend the extra money for them? Consumer Reports consistently rates Michelins as good tires, but with poor performance in the snow. They too are more expensive.

As a result, I'm sticking with the Altimax HPs for a new set of tires, and we'll see if we can't get the grey beast from the current odometer reading of 115,000 all the way to 160,000 with these new shoes.

Initial Review, 75 Miles on Tires
September 24, 2011

Just replaced the horrible Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02 O.E. tires. They were quiet enough but horrible in dry and dangerous in wet. I actually thought there was something wrong with my Avalon's brakes especially when it rained. The pedal travel was long and wasn't progressive. With only 1500 miles on the car I researched other Grand Touring Tires here on Tire Rack and other sites and found the MXM4 possessed what I was looking for. I put the tires on yesterday (215 55V 17) and drove home in the rain. WOW!! What a huge difference and the tires had not been scrubbed in yet. The difference in stopping on wet roads was amazing. Took the car out for some errands today when the roads were dry and tires continue to amaze. A little more noise or should I say it sounds to my ear that the tire has a different sound or frequency. I also wanted a tire that befits the comfort of the car and they fit the bill perfectly. I have separate rimmed snow tires ready to go for the winter so I won't be able to judge their effectiveness in that regard. I know this is an early review but I'm very pleased so far.

Initial Review, 3500 Miles on Tires
October 03, 2009

Replaced the garbage tires the previous owner put on this GTI with the PE2's. This tire must have been designed for this car. The ride is very comfortable and the noise in cabin has been reduced by 70%. Braking, accelerating and cornering is now very predictable. Undulations in the road will not upset the vehicle nor will changes from dry to wet and back again as often happens on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

They are expensive compared to the 85 to 100 dollar price range of the tires I have purchased for other vehicles. It's amazing that spending nearly 100% more on a tire has made for a 100% better driving experience.

Initial Review, 700 Miles on Tires
May 23, 2011

Bought this for my G35 Coupe because of the noise that my Potenza's were making at low speeds. If you own a g35 and are getting noise at around 10-15km/h then it's your front tires that need replacing and not the brakes. Replaced all four tires with these and loving my purchase! My girlfriend says the car feels like it's brand new because of how smooth the car drives. Very low road noise to the point where you barely hear anything. Great price and great purchase! Cost me $114+tax from the goodyear installer that was prefered in my area. Day after these were installed I went on a long road trip in the pouring rain and I never once felt in any danger and I had full control on my car at over 130km/h. I'm in Canada but had these bad boys put on in the US. All in all, I am very satisfied and would buy these all over again! My overall tirerack experience was awesome! I can't comment on the tread wear because I've only had them for about 1000km so far.

Initial Review, 9800 Miles on Tires
December 27, 2011

The Duelers were on my Highlander when I bought it in March. When one tire was punctured by a screw during the summer, I considered replacing the entire set due to the very poor reviews for winter handling, but decided to wait until I could actually test its performance in snow.
This morning (late December)we had rain, turning to light snow. I took the Highlander out onto level streets with only a quarter inch of snow on top of wet/icy pavement. The handling was scarily bad. Even at 10, 15 and 20 mph, the SUV would continue sledding straight ahead for when I braked. I did not feel safe driving over 25 mph even in light snow with these tires, which is unacceptable in this part of Michigan.
I immediately ordered a set of Michelin Latitudes Tour's. I hate spending $1000 on new tires with less than 10,000 miles on the original set, but I feel I am unreasonably risking wrecking a $40,000 vehicle this winter if I continue using the Duelers, which are definitely NOT All-Season tires.

Initial Review, 10000 Miles on Tires
December 27, 2011

Bought these Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum tires 9 months and 10,000 miles ago. These are GREAT tires. These are far better than the Yoko Avid V4S tires they replaced and the original Michelins. The Kumhos feel like the car is glued to the road and handle far better than the Yokos did in both dry and wet conditions. Acceleration, cornering and braking are all great. I've only had a little snow and ice driving experience so far, but they seem to be very good in those conditions too. I would definitely buy Kumho again and find them to be better price/performance choice than the Yokos and the Michelins. I ordered from Tire Rack and two days later they were on the car - great service. Why would anyone go with Goodyears or Bridgestones or whatever when these are so good?

Initial Review, 19450 Miles on Tires
January 18, 2011

These tires were original equipment on my 2010 Touareg TDI. Drove the car home from the dealer in a big MN winter storm and raved about the new SUV being the most stable and confidence inspiring vehicle I’ve ever driven in snow. Head and shoulders above the Subaru Outback and Honda Pilot, which were both great. Made the RWD BMW 530i I traded in seem like a bad joke (even with Dunlop performance snows). However, this second winter, the Contact 4x4s are down to 6/32 tread depth. They are now treacherous in snow or ice conditions. The advanced 4WD, weight, and traction control of the Touareg help the car launch ok and feel moderately stable underway, but there is huge understeer when turning and nearly zero braking action in anything slippery. In addition, these tires ride hard, and hammer the suspension. Tire wear is unacceptably bad as well. Looking at $1,400 to replace set of tires after less than 20,000 miles. That is 7 cents per mile, or $3.50 worth of tire to go to work and back. Fuel is only $7! Very similar in ride and handling to the Conti Contact CH95 which came standard on BMW sedans for years. Handles ok, and performs fine when new. Decent grip and turn-in in dry conditions. Very poor in snow after a few miles, and tread wear about half of what you expect from a comparable Michelin. Why did you do this to me VW? Why? Planning to go to Michelin Latitude Tour HP for round #2. Wish me luck.

Initial Review, 2500 Miles on Tires
December 20, 2011

This tire came on my car when I purchased it with 23,000 miles on it & they were brand new. I got almost 39,000 miles on them before I replaced them with these new ones. I was very pleased with them & that's why I got the same kind. I still could have gotten approximately 3,000 miles more on the old tires, but I did full brakes & H&R sport springs all at same time. This tire was great in the snow that we had here in Knoxville, TN last year. The quattro played a big part in that, but the tires handled it perfectly. I highly recommend these tires and getting them through Tire Rack was a flawless experience and they have FAST shipping.

Initial Review, 42000 Miles on Tires
November 04, 2011

Needed replacement for Falken 512 UHP A/S that had 38,439 miles on them.

Biggest complaint about prior tires were noise level was horrible after 25k & grip level deteriorated fairly substantially @ that point also. Snow performance decreased along with dry grip.

Even with heavy rotation, balancing & strict high psi management.

Daily commute is 60 miles round trip full of road rage & spirited twists & turns ;)

The requirement for the new tire had to be noise suppression, longevity, better snow performance.



On comes the General Altimax HP @ 54,049 miles on the odemeter sized 215/50/17 @ 36f/34r psi.

Prior Falkens were cupping on the inside too much due to the Mazda3's inherent negative camber.





Can't hear anything! The noise level eminating from tires is non existent.

The music has been turned down by 2-3 levels.

Road noise is improved so much, that it makes the 3's noise complaint go away!

No howling or trampolining noises; too new to tell.

Over bumps & ruts, tire is extremely less jarring than Falkens ie the wheel hop is non apparent.

Soaks up all road imperfection with aplomb.

Entry & Transition through corners & fast switches are all slower than in an UHP tire or for that matter a HP tire.

Steering reaction is slower with this tire.

But they are precise & sure.

Corner lean is a little more than the prior tires but nothing titanic.

These tires are definitely closer to GT than HP.

Braking is markedly improved to worn Falken.

A couple of quick sudden stops added a couple of more feet to the drama probably cause they are still breaking in.

Take off grip is awesome, no more feathering the clutch to get bite into the asphalt for 1st gear.

AWESOME WET performance. Tires evacuate waters easily. No hint of hydroplaning or steering wheel jerking through standing water.

Able to maintain speed confidently in rain.

Weight is about 23 lbs p

Initial Review, 8000 Miles on Tires
November 09, 2011

Purchased this tire to replace a worn set of Dunlop Sport Signatures. After a few road trips I consider these tires a great riding tire with light sporting tendencies. The strength of the Dunlops was its braking and handling. The Continentals are QUIET for a All Season Performance tire. The grip of the Continentals is good. The steering control is best described as the difference between stirring a spoon in a glass of room temp maple syrup to stirring spoon in a glass of refrigerated maple syrup, it moves well just a tad slower. Every tire should not be a track tire, you have to consider at the roads you drive on. I consider the characteristics of delayed steering input, good grip, and quiet ride great for a daily driver.