Car Brake Pads

Initial Review, 27,000 Miles on Tires
March 22, 2013

tires performed well for the low price when new and up to 25000 mi. with 27k on them i'm seeing my traction control light come on when pushing the car a little bit on AWD car. wet traction has gone to poor when cornering or accelerating. snow traction has gone to below average. had a little snow/ice mixture and car failed to make a careful turn, had no braking and mowed down a stop sign on the opposite corner at 15-20 mph. had to replace tires.

Initial Review, 3,500 Miles on Tires
April 20, 2013

Have 215/45/17 Michelin Pilot Super Sports on front of my '05 Honda S2000 and 245/40/17 PSS on the rear with about 3,500 miles on tires since new. Ordinary highway driving yields low noise levels with firm, but not quite punishing, ride in what is a firm riding car.

Tires respond immediately to steering inputs and have very tight "on-center" feel. Wet performance (Florida thunderstorms) is very good and wet and dry braking are among best I've experienced in almost 60 years of driving. Kuhmhos that were on car when I bought it were more comfortable but absolutely not the tire for hard driving in comparison to Michelin PSSs.

Just drove the "Tail OF THE DRAGON" in North Carolina (318 curves in 11 miles!) for 3 days in company of over 100 Honda S2000s during annual meeting of S2000 group S2KI. Very spirited and competitive driving - 20++ MPH over posted speeds in corners posted at 10-20 MPH. PSSs exhibited phenomenal grip on damp surface 1st day and dry the remainder. Early braking for corners followed by strong acceleration produced sensations of rear tires grabbing pavement and powering car out of corner under heavy throttle, closing gap with car ahead. Eyeball-crossing "G" sensations with no howling or indications of being anywhere near limits of this tire at 40 in 20 MPH curves. 50 MPH in 20 MPH curves would produce plenty of warning through slight slip angles with excellent steering control feel and sensations of "hooking up again" part way through corner while applying strong acceleration.

Conclusions: 1)I'll never drive the S2000 as fast as this tire allows, 2) Pilot Super Sports deserve #1 ranking, and, 3) worth the premium price if you drive hard, want a tire with no nasty surprise traits during hard driving, and want better than average tire life (for max performance type tires) nonetheless.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 01, 2013

I am a BMW Tech and have driven every tire currently out. Hands down best summer tire and longest lasting. Michelin tires are the best for BMW's low road noise, good sidewalls, fantastic wet traction. I will only buy Michelin for my own cars. Yes they are expensive but think about it... it is the ONLY thing that holds your car to the road. I always say tires and brakes are not the place to save money.

When the outside air pressure is equal to inside tire air pressure you should have bought tires a long time ago!

Initial Review, 31,000 Miles on Tires
April 13, 2013

For traction, braking, and cornering, it is hard to do any better. They make my Honda Accord handle like NASCAR. The downside to these tires is that they tend to cup or chop, whatever you want to call it. The result is very uneven wear and shorter tire life. I am replacing these with a different tire at 31,000 miles due to this issue. I thought it was my car, but after a lot of alignment and strut work, it did the same thing to this second set of tires. When the uneven wear sets in, the road noise becomes deafening.

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
April 09, 2013

Best tires I've ever used for the specific purpose of putting rubber on a family vehicle. Approaching 5 years and more than 50,000 miles on this one set of tires. I'm just over 1/16" from the wear bars, so this will be their last year of service, and it's been great service. Hot summers heavily loaded family road trips, towing a boat on windy & hilly roads, rain, snow, ice, these Primacy's did it all.

Dry grip: It's a 2003 Honda Odyssey, so it is not a sports car by any means, but if a tire can make a 2.2-ton box on wheels handle commendably, that is just great, and the Primacy MXV4 does this very well.

Dry and wet braking: Great on all accounts. I have been forced into using maximum anti-skid braking a couple times, and the Michelins helped haul the vehicle down to safe speed with no drama every time.

Snow and ice: Not great in deep snow, but they work. Ice traction is on par with any other all-season tire.

Wet grip: Very good. Predictable at the limits, not that I push that in a minivan on wet roads, but when I have the tires only grudgingly give up grip in stages with no surprises.

Noise: The Odyssey is pretty noisy to begin with, but these were quieter than the stock Michelin Symmetry's, and as good as the highly regarded Yokohama YK520's we previously used on another van, and the Michelin's were better all-around tires.

Initial Review, 19,000 Miles on Tires
April 05, 2013

Not understanding all the hate for this tire. Most likely it's because they come standard on 2010 thru 2013 GTI's and drivers who never experience sub-zero temperatures and snow have no need for an A/S tire on a high-performance car. As a result, they compare this tire to either max or extreme performance summer tires.
However, comparing this tire to the Kumho ECSTA 4X A/S tires on my son's Mazda 3, I would rate them at least as equals, and probably a bit better when below zero.
Additionally, using a regular rotation period of 5k miles, these tires demonstrate fantastic wear resistance. Currently at 19k miles and less than 50% wear. Very quiet on the freeway as well. The only negative is the braking and cornering traction in the wet should be a little higher.

Initial Review, 4,837 Miles on Tires
March 22, 2013

I ordered 2 sets of these tires ( both studded, hence the lower dry traction score and noise ) with new steel rims, one set for my brother who has the identical vehicle. I have just over 7780 kms on these, ordered October 15th, installed on the 22nd of October.

These tires are AMAZING in the snow, and equally competent on ice with the carbide studs. Wear seems to be non-existant, however I haven't measured the tread depth. The only downside to having studded tires though is the noise, which is more annoying at lower speeds in town, as well as reduced traction braking and accelerating on dry road in the winter.

With the traction control off, you can break them loose in wet snow, but it takes a bit of throttle to do so. With traction control on, this car is like a 4x4, I managed to climb about a 25 degree incline with about 5 inches of fresh wet snow ( back lane that didn't get plowed ) without losing forward momentum, although the traction light was flickering.

If you live in the snow belt, you need these tires. If you also have a lot of ice in the winter ( melt/freeze cycles + rain and snow ) you need them studded. What a difference over driving most of my life on all seasons.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
February 10, 2013

Just yesterday we had a blizzard and this was my first opportunity to try out these winter tires. The roads were all covered with snow so it was Perfect to see if the tires are going to perform well in these conditions. First I started with starting and abrupt stopping. I was great! Tires kept grip well and stopped only after a minimal slip (the car had no ABS system). Next test was a hill. Next to exxon gas station across from pathmark. It was pretty steep. I stopped in the middle. Car was not sliding down, I started to step on gas pedal, it was difficult and tires were slipping but we made it! I'm sure I wouldn't make it with all season tires. It was impressive but also a very extreme effort. Next was an empty parking lot were I was slaloming in the snow trying to lose control and make the car fishtail. I failed. Tires did a great job! I couldnt believe it. The difference between all season and winter tires is huge. Last part was a long hill on Goerge Rd, I went uphill no problem, downhill I was hitting brakes to see what happens, every time tires made the car stop with minimal slip. Tires totally passed the test. I was amazed how well they performed and how safe they make you feel. I would totally recommend them. You may need them only a couple of times before they plough but they can make a huge difference when you need them and save you. I was so excited to try them out and I was not disappointed. Great tires for a good price. Buy buy buy!

Initial Review, 4,500 Miles on Tires
March 19, 2013

This is my first ever set of winter tires, so I can't really compare them to any other tire, except all-seasons. My first misconception was that the tires would make my car invincible in the snow - they didn't. You still have to be mindful of how you're driving. Having said that, I've only driven a handful of times in the snow with these tires, and I fully enjoyed all of them. I could drive twice the speed of the other cars, in a lane that was still snowed in and had barely any tracking. I've also played around in a parking lot with about 2-3 inches of fresh snow and the responsiveness of these tires is very good. You will still slide if you're braking too quickly or turning too sharply, but much less than with the all-season tires that I've had in the past. I had one experience with deep snow, and it wasn't a good one. I tried to plow through a foot of snow in my driveway and got stuck. Not really the tire's fault, but I did notice that FWD with an open differential is not very good for those instances. That's why I think that your drive train will play a big part in the overall performance of these tires. Last thoughts - they look nice and meaty, noise level is low, and ride comfort is great. Not recommended for spirited driving, but excellent for everyday use. I would like to compare these to the Bridgestone Blizzaks, if I ever get the opportunity. Snow tires are fun!

Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires
March 02, 2010

This is more a review of these tires on my specific car.



Great in the snow, absolutely great. The more snow the better, or so it seems. Braking is easily better than all-seasons, as is handling and acceleration. Wet snow is noticable more difficult to maintain control, however. Now for the bad news, seemingly terrible in the slush. Not sure if it is my car or the tires, but the car gets pushed around very easily by even small amounts of slush. I tend to believe it has more to do with my cars suspension, weight, and width to wheelbase ratio than the tires though. Easier to drive through 6 inches of snow than 1 inch of slush. Fun to have a car willing to rotate on dry roads, but not so much on wet winter slush.



Dry roads are mixed, as these things like to grab every little pebble and sand grain the road commission dumps on Michigan. Slip and control is well within tolerance though, and really only becomes an issue in spirited driving. It takes very little to spin the inside wheel accelerating through a tight corner if there is any sand, debris. Clean roads are great in the dry though. Some tire wandering above 65 mph, although determined mostly by road surface. Tires seem to move and stretch a noticable amount more above freezing temperatures, although this is only apparent driving back to back temperature differences.



Very quiet tire, almost as quiet as the non-OEM all-seasons that I had on before. (Coopers?) Much quieter than my father and bro-in-laws Blizzak Revo's. Stock wheels are 17", these are on 16", I notice more rebounding motion from the tires than stock, although small imperfections are slightly smoothed over versus stock. In retrospect, I should have gone with 17" as the extra sidewall can be felt in hard acceleration. Not sure on tread-wear yet.



In summary on my Mazda 6s, great on the snow, bad in slush, matches wet(rain) A/S performance, dependable dry weather performance and a very quiet ride for snow tires.

Initial Review, 4,200 Miles on Tires
March 16, 2013

This is my second review of this tire, and THIRD season of use. They continued to perform beyond what I expected from a winter tire. Braking on ice is completely drama-free. These tires stop right NOW when you want them to.
I would say the tire's worst performance occurs on rough unpacked "cruddy" snow. There, the directional stability becomes iffy and the car feels like it's just floating over the snow as opposed to digging through it. (This may be because my tires are 205 instead of the OEM 195, less weight per surface area)
I did a lot of highway driving with this tire and they made no annoying road noises at high speeds and had no problem standing up to warm highway use in terms of wear. In fact, the tires appear to have lost only 0.5mm of tread over 4200 miles (half of which was dry highway!) Wow!!
I love these tires and I will always use Michelin winter tires and recommend them to everyone I know.

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

Deep snow In 4WD mode: Good traction for take off, cornering and braking are not as good as take off. To be fair braking and cornering are far better than the other traffic on the road in deep snow, it's easy to accelerate past other traffic and to stop and turn. It's just the traction afforded during take off doesn't match the cornering and stopping (probably the 4WD engaged vs 2WD mode). I found my self sliding off the road in deep snow when traveling much faster than traffic. If I slowed to slightly faster than the average traffic I didn't slide in corners and had no braking lockups at all.
Wet conditions 2WD: No hydroplaning through the life of the tread, good braking and cornering in the wet, take off will spin the tires pretty easily but it's a pickup truck so that's expected.
Dry conditions: Good traction for take off, good braking and cornering. In the dry it's a very good tire. Under emergency braking to the point of activating the antilock system the tires tracked straight with no extra input needed maintain directional control. To be fair stability control in the Tundra may have played a part but, in the particular instance a lady pulled out of a gas station in front of me and the guy in the lane next to me. We were both a 40 mph and slammed on the brakes as we fully expected to hit her. She froze when she realized a truck and car were coming at her and that she was about to be hit. We both stopped about 3 to 8 inches from hitting her. The Tundra and Bridgestones didn't slide or slew and no one was hurt. I heard the tires from my truck and the car next to me skidding as the antilocks pulsed on both vehicles.
Ride comfort is very good, steering response very good, tire noise is good but sometimes on concrete the noise is a little louder than asphalt. Tire wear has be good 50,000 miles and there is still some left before the wear bars. Now that they are near the wear bars there is some hint of hydroplaning but they are all but worn out. Light Offroad good

Initial Review, 25,600 Miles on Tires
February 26, 2013

Tires gave me a lot of problems from day 1 when I bought the car. There was impossible to drive this car on highways with speeds 70 mph and up ** 350 miles on it , these tires were putting my Durango in so much vibrations that I had a feeling that car is going to faul apart ** dealer could not replaced them for any other brand so he was just trying balanced them. After balancing all set 5 times ( 3000 miles on tires) let say he finally did it I decided to keep them on but I am not driving faster then 80mph on highways. Overall it is decent tire , good handling and braking in 6" of snow, good wet traction, good dry traction. Over 25000 miles on this set and lots of tread left but I am sorry Goodyear I can not wait to switch to Michelins or Continentals.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
January 31, 2013

Four of these tires with studs makes a front-wheel drive car a brilliant performer on ice!

We live on a gentle hill that became slick as snot after freezing rain last week. It was so slick that it was perilous to walk down the sidewalk. But with their studs, these tires did great -- going down the hill our Mazda 3 never lost any traction. Even when I tried stepping hard on the brake, these studded tires did not slip even a little.

Besides ice, we've driven on a couple of inches of snow and with a set of four we had no problem in our front-wheel drive Mazda 3.

I bought these from TireRack, who also installed the studs and mounted them on rims. What we received from TireRack was ready to mount on the car, which we did at a cost of $25 at the local tire shop at the beginning of the snowy season. This was a good customer experience.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
January 08, 2013

My wife drives the car primarily, but I get enough time behind the wheel both in city and on the highway. These tires seem to be wearing well so far. They are due for rotation, but haven't shown any significant disparity between the front and rear. They have been very competent in the wet weather especially under braking which was a key feature in choosing this tire for this area. Also very good value and the 205/55 x 15 is not as available of a size as it used to be. It allowed for a slight bump up in tread width from the stock 195/60. I'm glad Kumho offers it. I would buy this tire again based on value and above average performance.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 26, 2013

I live in Denver and with the changing conditions on a day to day basis that we experience here I knew I needed a good set of all season tires. I should mention that I don't like the cost and the pain of having a winter/summer set of tires.

So with much research and after reading all the reviews on the Continental DWS all season tire I knew they would be an excellent set of boots to strap to my RWD 2006 BMW 325i. Through the dry, rain and heavy snow they have not disappointed as of the first 1000 miles. (meaning I can't comment on tread life quite yet)

Prior to the Conti DWS I had a set of michelins and bridgestones on the front and back. While I can comment on my prior set of tires performance in the snow, I'd rather not. What I can say is the road noise and driving comfort were much improved with the DWS! Overall they offer supreme comfort and balance for city driving and elevated highway speeds.

As for the reason why everyone buys this tire: While not a full "winter" tire the DWS has yet to fail me and land me flat footed through 6-8 inches of snow we recently experienced. The car feels balanced and well planted with minimal oversteer and steering lock if I plant my foot down while entering a corner. But when the TC and DSC kick in my tires regain traction and the car regains its balance on corner exit and I'm off again to attack more snowy apex's! Which is something I can't say with the rear bridgestone tires that nearly landed me into the curb if it weren't for my cat-like car control reflexes earned during my karting days.

What I can say and what many reviewers fail to mention (as commented on above) is that even though the 325i is a RWD with the DWS tire and the addition of traction control and stability control the tires fare very well in snowy/icy conditions. I've been impressed with their grip under heavy acceleration as well as under heavy ABS activated braking. Road noise as mentioned is minimal for an all-season tire but I've also been impressed wit

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

I live in Ottawa, Canada where the average snowfall is measured in yards rather than inches. We have had freezing rain storms given the global warming and the Michelin X-i13 tires performed almost flawlessly in every situation. Their only weakness in my opinion is the softer sidewall designed and used for comfort rather than for immediate response on my Infiniti G37x sedan. It is a most worthy compromise because there is always secure traction and spirited driving is only done with controlled and very predictible power sliding. While this is not my ususal style of driving especially on congested streets, the tires always offered exceptional traction, control and feedback.
The best return on using these tires was during heavy snow and ice storms. Their comfort and positive traction only reinforced my confidence and security on the roads. This was very noticeable when arriving at stop signs and the glazed ice from other cars and trucks without proper and sensitive brake pressure. The X-i13 always provided greater traction during those stops and never with the worries of drifting into a busy intersection.
I greatly support and highly recommend these tires for any and every car driven in varying winter conditions and temperatures. The control and comfort are simply exceptional and a great improvement on my previous Michelin X-i12 and Blizzak tires used on my Nissan Maxima.
These are the best all-round winter tires on the market today.