Buy Car Tires

Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires
May 07, 2012

Have only had these tires a short while; replaced the OEM Bridgstone PolePosition RE050 RFT's; I did not have the same problems as other BMW owners, but after three sets, wanted to try something new. Read all of the reviews on Tire Rack and went with the SS's. Amazing. Took a few day's to get used to the lack of a sidewall not made of concrete, but man what a difference. Purchased the Continental ContiComfort Kit for emergency tire repair, and it stows away perfectly within the small storage area in the floor of the trunk. Back to the tires, I feel like I am riding on rails. Cornering, acceleration and hard braking are all met with positive road feel and feedback. I typically drive with a "Drive it like you stole it" mentality (when traffic permits, and have to say these tires are the most "sure-footed" of any tire I have ever used. These tires are also a much smoother and quieter tire on the Fwy (than the RFT's). In 6th gear at about 3000 RPM, my car glides along at about 90MPH, and these tires, while responsive, feel like i am driving a down pillow. What a change. There are other reviewers (look at the (Z06 guy) who have some track time on the tires; I can only compare to the RFT's which I had for the last 4.5 years, but for the money, comfort and ride--will never go back. Oh, not to mention, four tires, the ContiComfortKit, and BMW install, still $200 cheaper than the RFT's...
Hope this will help any of you on the fence about switching from RFT's, save your spine-you will not be disappointed. Will try to update this review when I get to 10-15K.

Initial Review, 13,000 Miles on Tires
May 12, 2012

These are much better than the OEM Bridgestones. I bought them for the extended wear rating and quiet ride, and they exceed expectations in both cases. They performed very well on a 2000 mile multi-day trip with a very full load. That said, I wish they handled better. Transient response is quite slow - turn the wheel, wait half a beat, and the car finally starts to turn. It feels like the tire is rolling over on the tread blocks during spirited cornering, and the quiet ride turns into yowls of protest. Wet weather performance is outstanding, and the tires are predictable approaching the limits of traction. I have not tried them in snow, so can't judge how they handle such conditions. If I wanted a really long-lasting tire, I would buy these again. If I want something that handles more precisely at the expense of tread life, I'll look for a more sporting tire.

Initial Review, 3,500 Miles on Tires
May 03, 2012

Talked into these in early March by Kaufmans manager. I had FS firehawks that were sooo loud and had to get off this car. I love Michelins, I just hate to pay $800+ a set. Once I drove off, for only $600, I knew it was the right choice. Quiet, soft yet responsive. They've done a 700 mile interstate r/t and gone up and down the mountains of N Georiga in fine fashion. These also resolved some rough braking sounds I was having with my Subie. Hope they stay great to 90K. Will be the best tires ever at that point. I have 34-35 PSI in these cold.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
May 12, 2012

I purchased these tyres to use in the Targa Tasmania Tarmac Rally, Regularity event. The event over 6 days, 5 competitive, wonderful B and C roads, wet and slippery for 1/2 of the 8 stages each day. The tyres were consistent and in challenging conditions allowed us to push the car to its limit on street tyres. There was lots of off camber, blind crests, and long corners that tightened, and the combination of tyres and car was very reassuring. They were also quiet and comfortable for the 1200km drive each way to Tasmania and back. I use Continential Sportcontact 3 on my AMG C36 and while their cold wet grip is better, the D&W have sharper response. Very happy to buy them again.

Initial Review, 4,500 Miles on Tires
May 08, 2012

I bought these tires because I need to drive my Miata in all four seasons. The wet traction/lack of hydroplaning and the traction in snow has been quite impressive. They are a little noisy, at least at first, and they do numb steering response some. If I ever get to where I don't need to drive my car in bad weather I will go to a more responsive tire.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 30, 2012

These tires were on my car and slightly used when I purchased it a year ago. About 12,000+ miles I've added. Dry traction is very good. My 95M Miata handles extremely well with these. Dry traction is very good. These tires loosen up quite a bit when wet. Actually just loose enough to make wet road driving alot of fun at about the speed limit on spirited scenic drives. If your up for that. They reject hydroplaning rather well. Was forced to drive all winter with these in nothern WV. They performed better than expected in the snow on a rear wheel drive vehicle, but you better be a good driver to avoid getting stuck. However, even my spouse could handle snow under 1 inch and plowed roads. We did burn up our rear tires in >3 mild months of winter, we contend with many hills to climb. And we did climb them in the snow with these tires all winter. I'd reconsider using these if being used on a true performance vehicle with muscle. My stock 95M Miata can spin them at will and powerslide with mildly spirited driving if just a little wet. Fun for me, but dangerous at higher speeds/horsepower. These are one of the very few all-season tires available for the stock 95M Miata BBS rims. 195/50 15. Upon an inspection today I did find an outward bulge the one of my sidwalls about 2" in diameter. QC may be an issue? Overall for the price, I'm quite pleased with the performance of these tires. Can't completely say how much of it is the car and how much is the tire. But these tires are giving me exactly what I expect from my Miata and I can afford to burn them up having a little having fun. Also, they look good enough. I'm buying 2 more rear tires. Zoom-Zoom

Note: these are directional tires

Dry Traction = very good+
Wet traction = ok, safe at moderate speeds, good highway, easily pushed to fun limit
Snow traction = just good enough
Hydroplaning rejection = very good
Braking = good

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
May 08, 2012

THIS IS MY SECOND SET OF KDW's FOR MY 2006 SCION xB ... THE FIRST SET WAS A 215/45-17 BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE RIDE QUALITY AT THE TIME , AS I WAS DOING 90 MILES A DAY ROUND TRIP OF MOSTLY HIWAY DRIVING ... I ROTATED THEM EVERY 5 THOUSAND MILES AND RAN THE PRESSURE AT 40 PSI AND THEY WORE PERFECTLY SMOOTH ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BASICALLY NO TREAD AT ALL ...

SO FOR THE SECOND SET I DROPPED THE SIZE TO A 215/40-17 , AS I WASN'T DRIVING THE LONG ROUNDTRIP DAILY ANYMORE ... YES THEY ARE A BIT STIFFER ON THE RIDE , BUT NOTHING THAT BOTHERS ME AT ALL ... SO FAR THEY DO FEEL A BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE ON THE ROADS AND TURNS THAT I ENJOY PLAYING ON ...

I HAVE JUST OVER 1 HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES ON THE CAR , AND I USED THE FACTORY STEEL WHEELS FOR WINTER DUTY WITH A SET OF SNOWS ALL THE WAY AROUND ... MY GUESS IS ABOUT 40 THOUSAND MILES BEFORE I REPLACED THEM ... THE OTHER AWESOME BONUS WAS WITH THE REINFORCED SIDEWALLS I HAVE NEVER BENT OR DAMAGED MY RIMS , I RUN A SET OF KONIG HOT SWAPS ...

I'D HIGHLY RECOMMENT THESE TIRES TO ANYONE THAT WANTS A FUN , GREAT HANDLING TIRE ...

Initial Review, 2,200 Miles on Tires
May 05, 2012

Driving a stk motor STI with coilovers, exhaust, pro-tune and suspension upgrades. Car is predominately driven agressively on backroads and in the mountains but no track or autox. Tire grips very similar to the oem RE070 in the dry and much better in the rain. Ride quality and noise level is much improved...car should have come from factory with these tires, they are that good! The only tradeoff I've found is a marginally less aggressive feel on turn in, but high speed corner grip is as good or better. The only thing that annoys me is that the side rim protection rubber is nearly flush w/rim and offers no real protection, unlike RE070s. I would absolutely buy these again and for "real world driving" they are a great choice and more flexible than the RE070. I went one size wider (235) and dropped to 40 profile on stk wheels to aid in cornering and exit grip...and they do a wonderful job!!!!

Initial Review, 1,200 Miles on Tires
May 05, 2012

I bought this tire for one reason, dry traction, and it has unbelievable stick. I have yet to break this tire loose from the pavement unless there was gravel/sand present on the roadway. I've been upgrading my tires over the last several purchases one pair at a time, replacing only the fronts with stickier rubber and moving the old set to the rear. My car is front wheel drive and doesn't have much horsepower but the suspension and chassis are built for the twisties. I have taken sharp right handers and broken the rear loose with BFG KDW's while the Kuhmo XS didn't even get fazed in the front. One of my favorite loops (banked merging ramp) I could exit no higher than 56 with the KDW's before the front would scrub and understeer. With the Kuhmos, I've attained 63 with no tire scrub and the speed is limited by my lack of horsepower, not traction.

I didn't rate the ride comfort or noise level of the tire because, frankly, if that matters, you probably shouldn't be looking to purchase this tire. I also have not had to drive on them in the rain yet but when I do I'll be taking it easy as it isn't rated for wet use. It is purpose built for dry traction and doesn't disappoint. Traction is great when they're cold and amazing once they're warmed up. Looking forward to testing them at the track.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
May 11, 2012

Purchased these tires after I was fed up with the noise and the uncomfortable ride of the Goodyear run flats that were on the car when I bought it. The Goodyear tires did ok on dry pavement, but that was it. Not very well in the rain at all. My car is a daily driver except in the salt and snow. The Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS are GREAT! Road noise, traction, and tire wear are so far very impressive. Alot better than the Goodyear run flats that were on the car. I would definitely buy these tires again.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
May 08, 2012

CRAP - horrible treadwear! The developed a defect (uneven treadwear) on 2 of the 4 tires that were stored in a heated garage all winter............I will never buy a tire from this manufacture ever again! Always drove Michelin, you pay for what you get in life! OE tires are usually not that good with soft compounds, this is the worst OE tire I have ever had in my life (I flip cars every 2 years)! Stay away from these!!! CRAP!

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
May 17, 2012

My 1990 Miata is set up with numerous chassis braces, aftermarket anti-sway bars, stock springs and ride height. These tires were very good in all catagories when new. After one year and about 4000 miles the tread became very hard making the car marginal at best in any wet/low traction situation, including roads coated with salt residue. I replaced them with a set of Dunlop Direzza Star Spec's for summer, and a set of Michelin X Ice2's on steel wheels for winter. Both are excellent tires and worth every penney spent.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
May 14, 2012

I've been completely blown away by this tire and I rant and rave to friends about it. I'm using the largest size you can buy @ 275/35/18 and the traction.. oh lord the traction. I'm sure it's partly due to my car as well but compared to my stock tires these things are unbelievable. On an auto-x course you can really push the limits and I felt the tires in this scenario were right up there with the levels of R-comps as others have stated. On the road I've scared many a friend taking turns much faster than they expected possible and there is no squirm. You feel when the tires start to break traction and can easily predict your level of grip in long 3rd or 4th gear sweepers.

It's going to be very hard to pick another tire when the time comes. I put these tires on @ around 20k miles on my car. At this point my stock Dunlop SP Sport 600's were fairly worn. I still have a good 35-40% tread and I'm at 45k miles now on my car. I really don't know how this is possible--I drive my car hard everywhere and yet I've still got plenty of tread to last this year.

These tires do run wider than most so be aware of that when ordering. I fit mine on a 9.5" wide wheel and they definitely run a bit over the lip. 10.5" would probably be best for the 275/35. Anyway, yes, I'll be buying thme again I friggin love em.

Initial Review, 39,000 Miles on Tires
April 24, 2012

Both my cars have these on them now. I just put some on my wife's car and have had these on mine for 2 years. Outstanding quiet and comfort. We both feel secure that they handle the transition between fall/winter and winter/spring incredibly well and grip the transition snows and ices nearly as well as our snow/ice tires do.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
May 16, 2012

I was looking to replace Toyo Proxes 4 all seasons with another more up to date ultra high performance all season. My top priority was wet traction and resistance to hydroplaning, since my BMW has no electronic stability programs. After reading extensive reviews and studying the tread patterns and designs, I was attracted to the very aggressive v-groove design of the Generals which is similar to what Formula 1 racers use for racing in the rain. This design allows huge amounts of water to be pumped out from the contact area of the tread to the sides of the tires. I just recently drove through torrential downpours, deep puddles at highway speeds and a very deep pool of water, in excess of 6" at about 25-30 mph with stellar results. At the highway speeds there was minimal deflection when hitting the standing water and when I went through the deep puddle, the tires generated an immense stream of high pressure water shooting straight up at about a 45 degree angle, like a deep V offshore fishing or speed boat, and the car steered straight like an arrow. Steering feel and grip in the wet was exceptionally good, feeling as good in the wet as in the dry.

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
May 17, 2012

I put 4 years of daily use on these tires, driving in winter and summer. Then went to storing the car in a garage/back yard for the winters.
The tires took a lot of abuse - with the car sitting for 10 months of the year without moving. Sometimes they were under inflated, sometimes they sat in a puddle all winter. And in the summer they always sat out in the sun.
Amazingly - they have survived 9 years, feeling smooth and quiet on the road every summer. This spring I will replace them because one of them is finally showing some dry rot.

Initial Review, 900 Miles on Tires
May 03, 2012

My Bimmer was a pitiful car when the OEM runflats hit 15 K, The fun had gone ,replaced by the need to pay close attention to lane grooves and transitions on the road, the car had begun to shake as if one or more of the tires were out of round or balance.. the fronts had begun to cup,and when I took it in to check the balance, the rears had begun to separate the inside tread,,,hard riding nasty groove action made me think about a new car. As I had tried Michelins on my Vette to cure the same issues.. I chose the Super Sport for the BMW..What a pleasant and fantastic change in the character of the car. It turns in predictably, rides quiet and smooth, stays on a line well and the worn grooves don"t effect the direction of the wheels as the RF did. I am a happy man and regret not the major money I laid out for the Bimmer and it's convertable top.. It rains a bunch here and I had some concerns about choosing HP Summer tires but as yet have had no problems with puddles and standing water at speed but I marked them down to 9 as they can't shed water like an All Season. Only about 900 miles on this set so can't say about how they will wear but they are very hard so hope they will outlast the crappy run flats...based on my experience I will definately be staying with this tire...did I say love em..I was so taken with them after the install, I put on 250 miles taking the long way home..thanks Michelin for giving back the fun car..

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
May 09, 2012

OK. I live in Southern AZ so I don't have to worry about rain, snow and the rest. Just replaced my Perilli P-Zeros with the same kind. Why? Nothing out there is better. Even the new Dodge Viper (I read in a review) capable of reaching over 200 mph found that the P-Zero-Nero was the ONLY TIRE that cold stand up to the heaps of power that car is capable of. For me, RFT was important too and the P-Zeros are RFT.
AZ has 'great new highways' which are 'perfect for short bursts' of 'steller acceleration' my MINI can easily do. Of course that also involves 'very quick and precise' lane changes. Credit the MINI's overall design and handling for alot of it, however if your tires aren't up to the job, it's all for nothing. My P-Zero's are more than ready to change direction and provide 'optimium stability' so I NEVER have to worry if the car will go where I point it 'no matter what the speed'! Of course driving at 'high speeds' means being able to stop with confidence and control. Naturally I have Brembo's but they're only as good as the tire. Again, the P-Zero's 'stand-out' from the group.
Wear was about what I expected. 12,000 miles. I didn't think the price to replace all four was 'exhorbatant'. It was fair, especially for a tire capable of gaining my confidence all of the time! I don't think you'll find them at any better place for less money than Tire Rack.
Yes, Bridgestone RE050's are very good as well as Conti's. Still the P-Zero's are just a little bit better!

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
July 09, 2009

Just installed a set of 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS2's on my '05 G35 Sedan with sport-tuned suspension. Size 245/45 18. Until now, the car has had a slight pull to the right since the day I drove it off the lot which was improved but never cured by rotating tires. Alignment has always been fine. These Goodyears are the first tire to track straight as a laser after 2 previous sets and 40k miles.



Initial impression is the ride is firm and steering tight. Not too firm, but firm enough that you know the tires are going to last more than 10k miles, lol. Had a previous set of Dunlop SP Sport MAXX that rode/handlded great but only went 19k. OEMs went 22k. Hoping I can get at least 20-25k out of these.



From the initial road tracking, noise, and handling, first impression of these tires is awesome. Will provide another update after I've driven on them for a while...