Car Suspension

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
March 15, 2013

These were great tires. Mine wore out quickly but this was not unexpected as I had the suspension setup on the car with a -1 degree camber on the rear and -.5 degree negative on the front. Caster and toe were set to factory Honda specs. These tires gave excellent dry traction and cornering stability as they were used on a sporty Civic that had been lowered 2 inches and had a fully adjustable autocross suspension setup. I am considering purchasing these tires for my 2012 Civic Si that is fully stock and has not been modified in any way just to see how many more miles I can get out of them. These are a great set of All Season tires for spirited driving or for those wanting the flexibility of an All Season but with the performance of a Max Performance Summer Tire. These Pilot Sport A/S Plus' were used in Northern Arkansas for the majority of their life and were purchased over a summer tire due to the inclement weather conditions that Arkansas receives during the winter months. Obviously I wouldn't recommend venturing out into a blizzard with these tires but they fared will on freshly snowed roads and over a few day old black ice spots along the highways. Spring and Summer times rainy and dry days are what these tires were meant for and they are made to be driven hot!

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
November 03, 2010

Honestly, I think most of the reviews in here are either bias or people don’t bother and put 10 in every category in the survey. Hence the ratings are skewed to the positive side. I can't agree with most of the folks who surveyed here about the noise level and handling. It bothers the heck out of me when driving on highway. That "woooo & wannng " noises are very irritating. Trust me, it’s not the road. I have tried on both smooth tarmac and concrete roads. I had to turn up the radio to compensate for it.

Handling in the DRY is mediocre at its best. I think Continental should rename it to OWS instead (Only Wet & Snow). I am not very confident in turning the car at high speed when exiting off the ramp---the car feels like it is not responding to where I want it to point. I have set the suspension to Sport 2, so I am pretty sure it’s the tires’ problem.

I have nothing bad to say about the tire in wet and snow. Snow is where this tire shines. During the blizzard in the beginning of the year here in DC, this tire combined with the 4matic works like a snowmobile. I was passing most SUVs all day long. The only time I was stuck was when the car had no more clearance which was about 6-7 inches of snow.

I am also very happy with the warranty with Continental. Two months after the installation of the tires, the right front had 2 bubbles. I immediately contacted TireRack and asked for a replacement. Be aware that the manufacture only warrants the first 2/32” of usage. I believe I still had 10/32” (11/32” is new) at that point so I was good. The only thing I have to pay is the shipping back to TireRack.

Overall, I am happy with the tire, but don’t expect to use these tires to sprint through the slalom in the dry as they won’t be able to catch up your demand. Also, if you can ignore the road noise, I would say go for it.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
March 08, 2013

I have driven 25,000 miles on these OEM tires. They seem to be wearing pretty well and I should get another 20,000 miles at least. They handle well on dry pavement without too much noise. Some road noise is noted on grooved pavement. Ride is smooth, although the CTS has a pretty firm suspension with the Performance package, so it is a little hard to tell. Wet handling has been good, no white knuckle moments noted. We have had a couple of snows this winter and I have been pleasantly surprised by how well the tires have done on packed snow/ice. I have not driven in deep snow very much due to the low ground clearance of the CTS. AWD certainly helps the traction in this car. Stability at high speeds (85+) is good. I run them inflated to 36 psi all around.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
March 06, 2013

These tires replaced some terrible Michelin all-seasons which made the hatchback Mercedes basically a hockey puck in the ice/snow. The LM-60 tires are absolutely the best rubber I've found, hands down, for winter sport tires. This opinion is compared to Dunlop Wintersport M3, D3, Blizzak WS-60, and Nokian Vatiiva. I have used all of these other tires extensively on multiple cars with multiple driving styles, and I would now go with the Blizzak marque in general for ALL winter vehicles from here on out.
Cons- winter tires are always noisier, and the Blizzaks fit the mold. Mileage suffers a bit, and wear is accelerated with the softer rubber. Driving with an average style can prolong life and get you hopefully 4-5 seasons out of them. Start getting some G's on your turns frequently, and you may only get a couple seasons at best. These tires will not wear well on cars with suspension work / increased cambers. Beware.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
March 25, 2011

I purchased this tire to replace a pair of worn Blizzaks on my daily driven MR2. The tires were mounted on the stock rims on a car with a refreshed and slightly upgraded suspension setup (stock height), all parts replaced and aligned. Even though the stock tire size is 185/60/14, I went to the 195/60 in hopes of getting a bit more comfort, but still great traction, with this car that I DD (highway) and still hit up the backroads with on the weekends.

Based on reviews and ratings (price wasn't bad either), I opted for these Bridgestones. I haven't really done too much serious driving, but I can say that the tires are much quieter than the old Blizzaks and just as much so as the 215/45/16 Hankook RS2s (great tire, but not much creature comforts) I had last summer. Also, these Bridgestones are predictable and direct with inputs. On the highway they ride smooth, as a new tire should but, again, they are nice and quiet.

Just this evening, I took them down one of my favorite stretches of backroads, and for a tire so comfortable, they just blew me away! Very direct, predictable, and firm. I didn't feel any squirm or "mushiness" from the front to the back, even through some interesting set of turns. They catered amazingly to my mid-engined coupe's unique handling characteristics, and had me having to throttle down a bit because of how fast I was going with the car still feeling so secured to the road... Frankly I was shocked! I look forward to making these tires last, all while getting the best use out of them. I hope to report back in the future!



A note about a previous review; perspectively good tires don't make your car lose control, but a poor alignment might. Proper alignment is important when judging how well a tire performs. Side note, I was surprised at the number of Porsche owners who commented on how well these tires performed for them, certainly in the pursuit of comfort from day to day, and performance from weekend to weekend.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 20, 2013

This is a very good tire I must say. I have used Kumho before on track cars, and I have to say for a street tire this is a very descend and affordable tire. They seem to be wearing very even and fair (with a good alignment of course). I admit, the tire is slightly noisier, but you can't really tell. I do appreciate the cornering characteristics on the car, the steering is very responsive, and even when loading the tires heavily, the tires allow for good steering control, and the tires still act the way you want them too. In one instance I had to make a quick dodge to the left, because a car decided to change lanes without looking. When loading the front tires and reacting with the steering, the car was able to maneuver quickly and safely, the interesting part is the tires allow you to control the car well, and in turn translate this reaction quickly to the road. I have tested tires in the past, when the car did not produce enough grip, and when you quickly turned the wheel to one side and back, it was almost just as the suspension reacted but the tires really didn't. these guys make sure your very movement is in fact translated to the road, and that is something I can appreciate. I think they are great all season tires, I have not had too much experience in the wet with them, but they hold themselves well during light rain. The Toyota Steering is very smooth, but also very loose, these tires seem to cope with that well, so you they give you good confidence when it comes to controlling the car. I am happy with the purchase.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
February 13, 2013

I've had these tires on my car for the past 2.5 yrs and 20k miles. For the first 5k miles, they were remarkable- dead quiet, smooth, sticky, responsive. After that, there was a precipitous decline. They developed this pesky vibration which multiple RoadForce balances, alignments and rotations never cured. They then became noisier and developed this strange high-pitched hum. I thought my wheel bearings or suspension was at fault first, but turns out they all checked out fine. They also need to sufficiently warm up for a few miles regardless of temperature in the morning to get the flat spots out. Despite these issues, they are wearing okay and have 7/32 left all around. These tires were pretty cheap when I bought them so I guess you get what you pay for.

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
February 06, 2013

I used these tires for 2.5 autocross seasons and they exceeded my expectations. I initially had them installed on a 2005 Subaru WRX with no suspension modifications, and the outside shoulders paid the price. Once I started running enough negative camber and added some stiffer sway bars, the tires performed much better and held up nicely. Very predictable at the limit and excellent feedback. They can get a little greasy on really hot summer days, but most of the time they are fine. I got to run 2 events in the rain and that's where these tires really shine compared to some of the other tires in this category. Other competitors with AWD cars, who weren't running RE-11s, seemed to have less traction in the wet compared to myself. I'll be buying another set of these for the 2013 season, and with the added suspension modifications they should perform even better.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2013

These tires were installed on my car when I bought it at 27k miles in Feb 2011. I'm now at 67k miles, almost Feb 2013 so I average 20k miles per year.

To start off, when the tires were new I was pleased with them. Plenty of dry and wet traction and low noise. Car tracked good as alignment was performed when tires were installed. Over the course of 40k miles I would have expected the tires to be shot and pretty worn. Granted I have a lightweight vehicle but I've still got 6/32 tread on center. Edges however are more like 3/32. I know edge wear is due to the MINI's aggressive suspension, however the tire noise is now quite loud. Not as bad as goodyear eagles with similar mileage but loud none the less.

Last winter was quite mild and I never had the chance to test out the MINI in the snow. Finally got the chance to drive in a snowstorm last week and let me say- Mark these tires down as NOT all-seasons. More like 3-season tires. With 6/32 tread life over 80-90% of the tire I expected much more in snow. Braking in snow is awful- slight tap on the brakes caused me to fishtail across multiple lanes on the interstate in less than an inch of snow on the roads (traveling about 55mph and going straight initially). Starting from a stop is a joke, grandmas pass me in their Buicks. Cornering in snow is, lets say breath taking, and not in a good way. Again, this is all on less than an inch of snow. Nowhere close to "deep snow" and not slush or ice.

I am now investing in new tires. Again, these Hankooks are not "worn out", more like 50% tread left. These tires would be great for someone who lived in warm climates that may get cold but stay above freezing. However for a norther climate driver, I would pass on these.

Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2013

I WILL buy more of these tires. I am hard on cars, and tires especially so. These tires are so much better than the old tires that came off that I no longer have some of my perceived suspension problems! What a difference the proper tires can make! Awesome wet traction, like these tires were made for my Firebird. Good job, BFG!

Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires
January 03, 2013

Replaced OEM Dunlops with this tire. Have retained excellent traction qualities of old tire plus reduced noise considerably. Lexus is already quiet enough now even quieter. The tire is a little more responsive than the Dunlop but keep in mind this is a soft riding car (I have the air suspension). I expect these tires to last a while given my driving style - the LS430 is not meant to be driven hard. These tires suit that driving style very well without giving up stopping and traction ability. No issues during break-in that I have noticed. Just enjoying this tire day in and day out - I drive about 54 miles a day total for my commute.

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
January 04, 2013

Just got these on my 2008 328xi to replace the stock Continentals. Honestly wish I would have done this sooner. The Conti's are very hard and rough in comparison. Since the car has sport suspension I know I'll still feel every bump in the road, but at least now on the big potholes jar your teeth lose. And as anyone in Denver will attest there are plenty of potholes to test this out on. The ride is also a lot quieter now as well. I'll update again once I get more miles on it, but for now they seem great. Hats off to Southeast Auto for the great install job!

Initial Review, 8,500 Miles on Tires
January 21, 2013

Great tire. I have had Toyos, Yokohama, and Generals on this car. (Daily Driven)
I have moded this car with suspension change, springs, shocks, sway bar, and alignment. Oh yeah, the power is up another 60+ hp
Previous tires just did not work as well, These Michelin's are wonderful on this car. Grippy, predictable, reasonably quiet, they hold the road. I have tried them, more than once in the mountains of Georgia, Tenn, and the Carolinas. Jan 2013 Here in North Bama we had 7" of rain and 3" of snow. I put on ~250 miles and not a problem, went through some serious standing water and slushy roads. Wear is great, much better than previous tires. If I had to find a fault is the ride comfort is not like your 15 inch tires. But they are pretty darned good for a performance tire.

These are with out a doubt the best tire I have owned. Yes I have had several Cars prior to the MSM, Porsche, BMW, Mazda

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
January 29, 2013

I bought this car with these tires on them and when two were worn I replaced them with the same. They are very good tires and hold the road well in all types of conditions. I like to take corners hard sometimes and these tires hold on. I do wish they would last a touch longer, but I know some of the wear is from aggressive driving. The only downfall I have noticed is cupping causing the 'woob' sound. Its really annoying though I wonder if this is caused by extra camber in the suspension at factory (nothing modified). Its especially noticeable after rotating. I will say once the 'S' is gone from 'DWS" there is no Snow traction. In fact, much traction is suddenly gone, like a switch for traction was turned off. All in all, a great tire.

Initial Review, 16,000 Miles on Tires
January 24, 2013

Just had service done to my car and was told that the inside of my current Hankook Ventus rear tires are worn to the belts after 16K miles. Absolutely not surprised considering the low tread rating and the excessive camber of the BMW's sport suspension setup. Front tires still have enough life left to probably last as long as the 2 new rears. Performance-wise, these tires are outstanding. Very quiet ride and they provide very good feedback. The soft compound really does strike a good balance between a compliant ride with a low profile, quite operation, and fantastic grip, unfortunately at the expense of tire wear. I plan on adjusting out some of the camber to as neutral as possible but still within spec for my replacement tires and I should see an improvement in tire life. Otherwise, you can't beat this tire for the price. I may try something different next time (Continental or Michelin, both with better treadwear ratings and equal performance, but more $$), but I'll always keep these as an option.

Initial Review, 300 Miles on Tires
January 21, 2013

I got my RX350 for 2 months and the cars originally came with Michelin Latitude Tour HP. However, Michelins are just too stiff and whenever the car hits the bump, it is like a concrete tire hitting a solid bump and shock just sent straight to my neck.

Dealer agreed to swap Dunlops from one of their 2013 RX loaner to mine. Ride comfort difference is immediately noticed. Bumps are softened and no more harsh shock to my neck.

3rd gen RX suspension is stiffer than 2nd gen for sure and I still feel bumps. But with Dunlops, ride is softened well over bumps even on bad San Francisco roads. Road noise is louder than Michelins but it is still ok. Steering feel a bit less responsive than Michelins. However, ride comfort is my top priority. Will buy again if these tires can last 40K miles.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
January 07, 2013

Before I start I will say that I have a unique car, 1956 Chevrolet Belair 9-passenger wagon. I have put a great deal of time, attention and money into making this car a aweet daily-driver over the last 3 years, including extensive suspension and brake work/upgrades. When I got the car 3 years ago I put new 17 inch BF Goodrich G-Force Sports and American Racing Torque Thrust II's on all 4 wheels (17x8). Although there was still tread left, after a certain wear level these tires began to drive and handle very badly. The tire needed to go. I did A LOT of research and price comparisions and selected the Michelin Primacy MXM4. I have to say I can not believe the positive difference these tires made in my car...Extraordinary! WAY better handling, and much lower noise level both while going down the road and over bumps with these. Road impacts are almost eliminated and the car is very sure footed. While these are quite wide they do mot tramline or follow irregular road surfaces at all as my previous tires did. (These Michelins are the exact same size as my previous tires) I notice a huge difference the entire time I am driving the car, better and quiter driving, stopping, steering as well as better straight-line stability and cornering on my heavy car. I am SO glad I got these. If you enjoy researching and comparing keep doing it, but If you want to be done making the best decision and start really enjoying your car do yourself a favor. Stop researching and get these tires. (They also look great on my car) Thanks and have a great day.