Car Brake Pads

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, 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, 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, 20 Miles on Tires
March 31, 2010

Just put these on my 2003 X5 3.0 Sport this morning. Took them out for adrive to get a feel for them having come off of Michelin Latitude Tour HPs. I ran the Latitude's for 42k miles which is high for this tire on the X5 (negative camber kills inside treads).



While early, the difference between the Latitude and Envigor is, the Michelin has a slightly softer sidewall giving a more supple ride whole the Envigor has a slightly stiffer feel. Turning is super easy on the Envigor and you can easily feel the tread set in a full turn while accelerating.



On bumps, again the Envigos is slightly more stout while the Latitudes has a little more cushion. Having the Sport suspension on the X5 I am okay with this difference as it does not make the ride uncomfortable or harsh.



Braking grip feel good, very similar the Latitudes. Acceleration felt normal, good grip and no squealing or slippage.



I bought the Envigor base upon what I was reading online about the tire and it abilities. For $100 less per tire than the Latitude's I believe Yokohama is delivering high value to the market with the Envigor.



Being a business person, one can assume that 30% the cost of a product is advertising expense. So with the Latitude costing around $260 per tire for my car, that means $75 per tire can be advertising which means the value proposition difference between the Latitudes and Envigors is pretty close.



Overall, with such a short ownership experience to date, I am happy with my initial impression and will report back over time. If I get another 42k miles from these Envigors I will consider my choice fabulous as I saved over $300 choosing the Yokohama Envigors over the Michelin Latitude Tour HPs.

Initial Review, 14,000 Miles on Tires
May 04, 2012

These tires get up to temperature really quickly, reward the driver with sharp steering input and when the grip breaks away it does so evenly. Noise is slightly meat grinder-esque, especially as they wear, but not uncomfortable. Tread life could be better but you can't have everything when you're going for top tier performance.

When I had some of these on my A4 I was impressed with how they handled in the rain. Also, since they're so sticky I pulled out faster 60-ft times than a basically stock car should have (2.00 sec). A good friend of mine bought some because of what I was saying and due in part to my research (here at TR and elsewhere). They went on his stage 3+ Audi S4 and we promptly took a roadtrip to the Ocean to break them in. Let me repeat: they're magnificient in torrential downpours around twisty coastal mountain roads at mental rates of speed.

This week I sourced some Z1SS for my Audi Coupe quattro and I am ecstatic to think about how the upgrade will improve the car's handling and braking. Plus they look really mean...

Initial Review, 35,000 Miles on Tires
May 15, 2012

Absolutely fantastic tires. I'm a very picky driver who notices a lot. Road noise for this type of tire is incredible, steering response, predictability is great. The only downfall of this tire is the lack of wide 18" sizes. I used a squared setup like the factory did and the car drives very well. Power-on traction or rotation is very easy to control, braking is fantastic and the car was suprisingly good in the wet. These have been the tires on my daily driver @ 420-570whp for the last 27 months. Rears lasted about 20,000 miles, fronts still aren't down to the wear bars and still aren't trying to crash me in the wet. I live in Florida so the summers are very wet and the roads are flat with a lot of standing water and the tires have done amazingly well. I drive them accordingly - 11" wide summer tire on a relatively short wheelbase car, but when driven with care they are perfectly acceptable in the wet for what they do in the dry. If they had a 345mm 19" option and a 315mm 18" option I would probably put them on everything I own, absolutely my favorite tire and last far longer than the treadwear would suggest. Now with that said I have to admit I have not pushed them for a sustained track session so I cannot comment on how they act when legitimately hot.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
May 02, 2012

I bought these tires because they were recommended to me from a friend. I read many reviews that were sub-par, and I honestly don't understand why. These tires are amazing. They have incredible grip under acceleration, cornering, braking, and even in the rain. They do NOT make all the noise that some people have whined about. They also look as cool as any other tire out there, not that that should be the main reason for purchasing a tire, but certainly doesn't hurt. For the money, you can't beat this tire. If putting them on a 2011+ Mustang GT(brembo) like I did, I would recommend going with the 275/35/19 on the back, and 245/40/19 on the front.(275's MIGHT rub on the front, and 255/40 is too tall, 255/35 is to short) This is the single best mod you can do to these cars.

Initial Review, 1,200 Miles on Tires
May 01, 2012

These tires transformed my grocery-getter tC into a worthy track machine. I drove my car to the limits on the tires that came on it, which were Goodyear Eagle RSA. Those are All-Season tires and they showed it in their grip levels. I canyon my car regularly to get to places around town, and the immediate improvement with these tires was staggering. My car now had the same traction my All-Seasons had in the dry, in rain with the Bridgestones. The dry traction on the Bridgestones is incredible. After they were installed, I also purchased drilled and slotted rotors with an aggressive brake pad to compliment the brakes, and took my car to Streets of Willow in Rosamond, CA. I was able to run successfully with Subaru STI's without falling behind on cornering, albeit my straight line speed lacked a huge amount of power.

Comfort wise, they are a definite improvement in smoothness on the regular road and even better on the highway. The noise levels are lower as well compared to the All-Seasons. I enjoy less banging and slamming over bumps with these tires and they do so without sacrificing traction and grip.

Treadwear however is the only thing that I see being the low point on these tires, but then again, I do a lot of driving(600 miles a week), and I purchased these UHP Summer Tires expecting to wear them out a tad sooner. I'm planning on rotation of these tires every 1.25-2k miles. And so far they still have 95% tread on the front axle and 100% on the rear.

Overall, these tires are an excellent replacement tire for any vehicle that sees moderate weather conditions. In the rain they give performance equal to a good quality All-Season without sacrificing the dry traction drivers of Summer Tires demand. A definite solid decision and I will certainly purchase these tires again. I highly recommend them to anyone considering them and all my friends like them too!

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
January 27, 2011

Just a so so tire. I have sport package on my car but I am not driving like a mad man at this time so I have not tested the limits. My biggest issue with this tire is it is turning brown, keeps getting worse. You can't scrub the brown off and make tires look like new and you have to use tire dressing to conceal. Recently I saw a number of other up market cars in a parking lot with Cinturato P7 and noticed that they all had same problem of turning brown. Car and Drive commented on thes tire in Feb 2011 issue (pg 84). The tires were on a 2009 A4 Sedan with sport package. After 25k they put on a new set of P Zeros and said it felt like a new car. They said P Zeros took 16 feet off 70-to-0 braking distance and added 0.03g in corning grip. I guess Pirelli's Green Performance approach to developing products offerings is not working. Car does not handle as sharp as Michelin PS2 and the low rolling resitance compound they used is not really up to task as tires look dried out and turn a brown color. I guess they need to make improvement on this one. Remember it is not only how you feel but how you look and these tires just don't cut it. Throw-in a VERY high price and these tires just don't make sense. When you need new tires you should just pass on Cinturato P7s. I just bought new tires for my A6 and I chose Michelin PS2 again and could not be happier. On my old Volvo V70 R I had PZero Rosso and PZero Nero All season and both those tires where much better and did not have issue of turning brown.

Initial Review, 35,000 Miles on Tires
May 03, 2012

I've had this set of tires on for 35,000 miles and I must say they changed my first impression.

When I first drove the car (after tire install) the vehicle "tracked" left and right all over the road like I was hydroplaning but it wasn't raining! It did this for about 1000 or so miles but once they were "broke in" a little, they were fantastic. I put these on a 2008 Honda Fit to replace the factory Dunlap's. These tires were MUCH better than the original equipment tires. I have thoroughly put them through the wringer and they have held up remarkably well. I would describe my tire usage as "above average" because I corner fast and brake hard. I am getting ready to replace these with General G-MAX AS-03's, basically the "new" version. I would highly recommend this tire and I'm sure the G-MAX AS-03's will be just as good.

Initial Review, 60,000 Miles on Tires
May 02, 2012

I average between 24-30K a year. Anyone near NJ/NYC traffic knows drivers and conditions. I'm not a "crazy road-rager", but I'll admit that I push my cars hard and drive on the faster side. I've driven in "all" but 2 major weather conditions since 2001. It helps to know the tires limits so you have a better reaction to a random and potentially bad situation. Fast or slow you name it, it's likely happened or almost happened to me so avoiding an accident with good performance tires and brakes is a must. I prefer high performance directional tires, but at the time I was on a budget. I also didn't want to get stuck with that whole "well you got what you paid for" scenario, so I called to compare the specs between other tires and costs, etc. Coincidentally the rep I spoke with previously had these same tires on his Cherokee and I was happy with his opinion. OVERALL....60,000+ miles, "my driving" I've been pretty happy. In this SUV these tires have held their own. I won't say where or how fast but whenever I'm on particular roads(dry conditions)in my area I seriously test the "break" or "squeal" limits and I'm still pleasantly surprised. I don't push the limits in bad weather conditions, but again still pleasantly surprised. Next time around I will test out another tire, but I would definitely suggest these for anyone looking for a good quality tire at a lower price......

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2012

This is my third review of these tires. As with the previous reviews, I would give these tires a 9.5/10 on all counts. Quiet, smooth, brakes well on dry and wet surfaces, cornering good given the size and suspension of the car. Unfortunately, hardly any snow this winter, but what we had, the tires were great. I also put these tires on a 2009 Sion xB, and the wear on both cars has been excellent. I have the tires rotated and alignment checked every oil change. I highly recommend the Ecopia tires.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2012

I replaced the original Goodyears (23,000 mi) with these, even though they were my second choice. The new Pilot Sports do not come in my size. These tires are a huge improvement over the stock Goodyears. Much, much quieter, better ride and very responsive handling. Not enough experience yet in the wet and they are still in the break in stage but so far -wow! I believe they offer an excellent value as well. Need to keep in mind these are not run flats. The car has upgraded sway bars and brakes, both of which put more demands on the tires. I will be taking some extended trips in June including mountain driving and will update this review then. Service from Tire Rack and installer (Townsend Chevrolet in Dover, DE) was a 10 out of 10.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 13, 2012

What else can be said about these tires that have not been said: They're too expensive, but better than anything else out there available for this car. Just bite the bullet, grin and bear it.
They last, they're quiet, they grip hard when braking, they let go predictably and consistently, they re-grip as smoothly as any tire I've ever had the pleasure of sliding.
Steering feel is excellent, straight tracking is arrow like, turn-in is only slightly above average, but the payoff in ride is more than worth it. All this and its still the quietest tire.
These are not green tires that will gain any mgp, but they're not meant to be. Will I still be willing to pay so much the next time as the car ages, we'll see, but for right now, at 3 years old and 32K miles, yes it is still definitely worth it.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
April 19, 2012

Got these tires a couple years ago. I had to buy them pretty hastily since the tires I had previous to them exploded on the highway unexpectedly. I was very impressed with the level of traction, steering feel, and stability these tires provided when new. I particularly noticed that the amount of steering input I had to give was dramatically reduced on the highway. Unfortunately, my entire neighborhood was due for some infrastructure work, and I had to spend about a year and a half driving over some extremely rough pavement as the roads in my area were completely ripped out and replaced. I'm not sure how much life I should have expected from these tires in this kind of environment, but they were pretty beat up when I replaced them. They were never particularly quiet, but in the last few months the howling on the highway became almost intolerable, and It was to the point where I was embarrassed to even have passengers in my car. The noise they made when driving over expansion joints was similar to getting beaned in the head with a over-inflated kickball. Not a pleasant experience. I also had major issues with hydroplaning in heavy rain, even on highways with excellent drainage. Anything over 50 mph in a strong storm resulted in a total loss of steering, throttle, and brake function. Not a pleasant experience late at night in rainy traffic when everyone else is still zooming along at 65-70mph. Overall, i'd say these tires performed admirably in the dry, which is something that many people are looking for in a tire. I wouldn't ever purchase these again for my daily driver though.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 14, 2012

Bought this tire to replace the stock Bridgestones that came with my car. Though the tires are marketed as all-season tires, these have not held up well for me in the snow conditions, with the car sliding everytime i braked in snowy conditions. Apart from this, the dry/wet performance of these tires and the grip in the dry and wet is very good. Hydroplaning resistance in heavy rain conditions has been very good and there is a good level of assurance in the rain with these tires. The tires are fairly quiet and the ride confort is good as well. Treadwear has been good and i have about 8/32" left after 15K miles. I will recommend these tires to anyone who wants good tires for dry and wet conditions, but not the snow.

Initial Review, 52,000 Miles on Tires
April 01, 2012

These tires are original equipment on my 2007 Acura RL which has AWD. I have found them to be excellent so far, 5 years and 52,000 miles into their life. They probably have at least another 5-10,000 miles of tread life left. I am beginning to see some early "dry rot" on them however. No problems whatsoever with hydroplaning. Excellent wet and dry braking. These are quite tires. Not sure what other reviewers are hearing. I don't drive my car very hard but I've had no problems during cornering. The only negative I see with this tire is the cost; they are expensive. I would buy them again if I can find them at a reasonable cost. By the way, I'm not employed by Michelin nor do I own stock in the company.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
April 12, 2012

The Conti DWS is a great tire for my car for a cold weather tire. I run these tires starting in November and typically through the end of March.
Dry traction is strong if a little squiggy at the limit on the sidewall during hard cornering, the tire is just a tad slow to take a set for how low a profile it is, once there it is very predictable and traction predictable with little or no heat in the tire.
Rain this tire is awesome and instills a high level of confidence regardless of the amount of rain on the road. Great cornering traction, and solid braking in the wet too. An easy tire to drive quickly in the wet, and be very confident with. I have a friend with a 2003 M5 that uses these tires for his wet weather tires during track days and loves them.
Snow is easy with these tires and the Audi's AWD. Very confidence inspiring, awesome traction levels, and very little spinning up of the tires, unless I take the traction control off for 'adhesion exploration', and even then you have to work hard to get the tire out of shape in fresh snow. Packed/compact snow this tire is very capable, easy to feel good about, and communicates well where you are at within the tires limits which are very high. I personally feel this is not a big step down from a studless snow tire, barely a half step really, and for the occasional snow we see in Seattle a perfect tire for my needs.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
April 07, 2012

wet traction is excellent for this car. especially when the roads are wet and slippery in guam. the roads are extra slippery on the roads made out of coral and they gripped better under heavy braking and cornering compared to the cheap chinese tires i had on them previously. the japanese are untouchable in tire design compared to the other asian countries.

Initial Review, 22,000 Miles on Tires
April 06, 2012

I drive a 1990 5 speed supercharged T-bird, and have had these Goodyears on for 22,000 miles now. I am pleased with them so far. They do indeed have excellent wet traction as other reviewers have mentioned. They also corner heroically for an "all season" tire in the price range. Only quips: the treadwear, although rated at 440, is mediocre IMO. To their credit, I do drive a nearly two-ton car with 350 ft-lbs of torque, have more aggressive alignment settings, and drive fairly spirited. Perhaps I'm asking too much from them. They are now down to maybe 1/32nd above the wear bars now, and this will be my last summer using them. They are a tad more vague on-center and have less initial response and turn in than the Dunlop's I had before, but braking, cornering, and accelerating grip is just as good, with much better wet traction. I use winter tires during the dark months, so can't comment on ice or deep snow traction but I think you'd have to have a death wish to drive these in such conditions. Light snow they have enough traction as to not be unsafe, but not much beyond that. The confident cornering, stability, and wet and dry weather grip means that it's likely I will ante up for another set next year.