Low Profile Tires

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
December 03, 2012

Stock tires on 2010-13 Subaru Legacy with 17" alloy wheels are the Turanza EL400-02. They were reasonably acceptable on my 2010 Limited model, however, for 2013, the Legacy's suspension was tightened up to decrease body roll by 40%, resulting in an ultra-stiff & harsh ride except on only the smoothest of roads. The base model with 205/60/16 tires isn't as harsh but the 17" 50 series tires on the Premium & Limited models pick up an excessive & unacceptable amt of road feel & roughness. After several trips to the dealer & mucho correspondence with Subaru of America, I decided, at only 3K miles, to take them off and replace them with the new Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus tires. The difference was amazing - the vehicle is transformed - I've lost only a minimal amt handling compared to the stock EL400 & the car still handles way better than comparable '13 Altima, Accord, Camry, Sonata & Optima - all of which I test drove, the Serenity Plus tires are not only quieter but most importantly take the edge of the feeling of getting your teeth knocked out at every expansion joint or patch in the road for a smoother more comfortable ride. Never in my 53 years have I ever had a new set of tires in the same size make such a positive and profound difference in a vehicle. If you're unhappy with the ride of your 2013 Legacy - I highly recommend the switch, you won't go wrong. Haven't rated them for snow yet, but wanted to get this up asap in case anyone's been as frustrated as I have been with the 2013 suspension changes. If you have a similar mid-size car like those mentioned previously with low profile tires - my guess is that you'd be even more satisfied with upgrading to the Serenity Plus - as many previous Michelin owners here on this blog have attested to.

Initial Review, 150 Miles on Tires
September 20, 2012

After about 200K of driving compacts on 50/60 series Khumo ASX and Solhus, the noise, wear and marginal snow abilities pushed me to upgrade to the Conti after reading numerous reviews. The Khumo tires were predictable, and inexpensive relative to other low profile all season tires, but I generally liked the handling qualities on this car and previous compacts (95 Neon/01 Focus). Only a couple commutes on the Conti's so far, but for the daily drone on two lane highway and multilane interstate, I couldn't be happier. They don't seem to have the sidewall strength/quick turn in of the ASX Khumos, but once they set they seem to hold predictably. Can't wait for the first snow to see how they do.

Initial Review, 18,000 Miles on Tires
November 04, 2012

I can't believe I've had these tires for 18,000 miles. I asked my tire dealer what he thought as he rotated them last week ($80 for staggered low profiles. He spent 1 1/2 hours turning them "inside out")

He thought they were good for another 10k. I doubt it but the bridgestones that were on last only made 15k before they were eaten by the Jag.

I am shocked with how much quieter and how well they handle water too. I'll take another set! I'll just wait for 5-6k. :)

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
October 23, 2012

Great tire for the money, and for overall use. Good longevity, great off-road/snow/ice traction. I have studded tires so keep that in mind on the ice rating, no idea how they do without them. Tires tend to float a bit when cornering or maneuvering on any road condition. Will take you up a sheer cliff of snow and never slip. They tend to dig a bit in deeper snow, but airing them down helps them to stay on top a little bit better. General noise is moderate, and considering the tread pattern is actually quite good. Absorb bumps really well compared to the low-profile 20's I run in the summer. Great Tire, I would absolutely buy again.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
October 14, 2012

These tires came on my 2012 Camry SE V6 and I have to say, so far I'm pretty impressed with these tires for them being factory spec. I was a little concerned about how they would perform being low profile tires and especially after reading some of the ratings of tires that came on similar models, namely the VW Passat and the Hyundai Sonata. Yes I'm talking about the seemingly subpar Hankooks that VW and Hyundai dumped on people. I've never been a big Michelin guy, largely because of the price but I must say these are very good tires, although I do wish that they were an all season performance tire vs a touring tire, but that is something for me to take up with Toyota. I've had these tires for the 2000 miles that I have had the car and I must say, I am very impressed with the feel and lack of road noise that comes from these, since they are low profile tires. The performace is in line with what one would expect from a company like Michelin. Haven't driven in much other than dry conditions, excecpt for the occasional rainy day, so I don't know how these tires do in heavy rain or snowy/icy conditions. However, if the performance in these conditions is anything like it is in dry, I'm not too worried and I am actually looking forward to that first heavy snow, if for no other reason than just to see how these tires perform.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
October 10, 2012

CONTI PROCONTACT WITH ECOPLUS. Fabulous all-rounder with no serious compromises. The tall sidewalls make the steering just the tiniest bit slow to respond to quick steering inputs. Remarkably free of tire squeal--and I really haul. I bought these more for unpaved desert roads; the 4motion is fun to use on jeep trails around Moab. Just mind the sidewalls--these aren't for rock climbing. Then when I head back to Seattle there is no tire noise whatsoever--the Passat (with a lot of Audi A6 DNA) is already good in this regard. No boom from the wayback. When I hit the concrete of I-5, with it's stone aggregate, the increase in tire rumble is very modest. Impact harshness is very muted, partly a function of the tall sidwealls. Low profile tire, to my mind, are for looks and steering response--very compromised. With these Contis, rain traction is all you could ever want. Negatives: The tire pattern is not sexy, but the engineering sure is. Oh, no thump when cold. Finally, the price is really fair, especially if its UTQB proves out.

Initial Review, 42,000 Miles on Tires
October 18, 2012

This tire was OEM on my 09 Subie....driven mostly in dry weather, but I travel to snow country several times a year. I was amazed how well the car plowed through the snow and ice with these "low" profile tires. I am replacing them now, although I could probably go another 10K on them, because I travel on the highway away from home alot. If they didn't cost $200 each I would buy them again...I'm going to put the Yoko EnVigors next and see how they do...Oh, BTW my gas milage was excellent on the highway with these tires

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
October 15, 2012

While I find it ridiculous that Lexus put such a large wheel with such a low profile (45mm), for what it's worth this tire does a great job. It handles well - this is more of a boat, so if it handles this well with this car, smaller cars should fare even better. It handles wet roads like a charm. The tread is pretty impressive as well.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
September 21, 2012

These tires were highly rated on the treadwear at 60K , replacing at 40K though due to sidewall wear which seems to be probably more with my driving style than the tires. Middle tread still looks reasonable after 40K. Not sure about snow wear although I did use them on it a bit but I have a 2WD not 4WD so that probably makes more difference than anything. Noise level not bad at all, does not potholes are that great but these are low profile 20s I am writing about so probably none are that great. A little pricy for the rating considering Yokohama Parada XL tires cost ( the ones I am now switching too). But overall kept the family safe and made it to 40K with my driving so all things considered a decent tire.

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

In comparison to other low profile tires I have purchased for my vehicle, I have by far liked this tire the most. They have performed very well in nearly all conditions, wet, dry, ice, city, highway, you name it. I drive in NYC daily---which means stop and go traffic and tons of pot holes--but also drive on highways and interstates nearly every weekend. Considering the very changing conditions and many many miles I drive every year, I am very impressed with this tire. I will likely opt to not have low profile tires on my next vehicle, purely because they are not as durable as "regular" tires, but compared to other tires in this classification, they have performed far better than I expected.

Initial Review, 22,000 Miles on Tires
September 14, 2012

The best low profile I've found. I do a lot of 90 plus mph freeway driving, and the wear patterns and consistant performance are unequaled by Pirelli or Goodyear or Bridgestone.
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Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
September 09, 2012

After reading good reviews on these tires i decided to give them a try. I am a spirited driver and prefer stability and traction over ride comfort. Fact is these extreme sport tires are sticky and very much so (wet or dry) but there are soft and a bit on the bouncy side compared to other very low profile tires i have had. You gain a great deal on ride comfort but loose on cornering stability. For me its a 50/50 trade off sport vs touring tire

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
September 06, 2012

I am resubmitting this review with a more detailed explanation.

With my cars as well as my motorcycles, I have always stressed the best quality in high performance tires be used, as your life depends upon them.

I bought the 2009 Accord Coupe EX-L V-6 (with Nav and 6 speed manual tranny) with the optional 19" Honda Factory Performance (HFP) wheels shod with Dunlop Sport Maxx tires. They worked quite well for OEM tires. I have since added a K & N Typhoon Cold Air intake, a beautiful Greddy SE cat-back exhaust system, EBC Sport Rotor and Red Stuff pad upgrade, sport suspension upgrade and Jet Power Module / MAF sensor / ECU reflash. This is not a normal stock car any longer and certainly does not perform like one - quite a sleeper.

In keeping with my performance enhancements, these 245/40-19 Michelin Pilot Super Sports are replacing another very good tire, the Continental Extreme Contact DW's which in turn had replaced the Dunlops. As these Michelin tires were designed for the Ferrari 348 as a follow on to their PS2's, that is one of the best handling platforms with which to launch this tire design.

I am a very spirited (professionally trained SCCA & NHRA) driver, probing the extents of the performance envelope when and where safely possible.

The wet and dry handling of the Michelins is excellent and steering / transient response are RIGHT NOW, handling as if on rails. Breakaway is consistent and easily manageable and the ride quality and comfort is quite good for this type of low profile, high performance tire. Braking is greatly improved with the EBC brake upgrade and these sticky gumballs, brakes being a weakness with the original car's set-up. So far the noise in minimal, but as with most ultra and max performance tires, I expect the noise to increase a bit with wear. I drove the Conti's hard for almost 40 K miles and hope to get similar mileage from these Michelins.

They are a bit pricey, but I think they are worth every cent.

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
August 13, 2012

I bought these tires AGAIN,they were GREAT after 50,000 miles driven on them and they're reasonably priced in this size. The price/performance of the Grid is pretty good.

My Acura TL is a 6 speed manual, I do not know what the fuss is about the Loud noise is about these tires? They are NOT as bad as everyone is making them out to be. The tires Are GREAT performance tires, and Unbelievable in the SNOW Almost like winter tires.

(particularly wet performance), they are pretty Good with Traction control OFF, in the First half of the TREAD life of the tire. towards the middle to end of the tires TREAD the tires to Break loose when I excellerate at a light BUT remember I have a 6 speed manual and 270 HP, Acura TL so its not a very slow, so do break loose the tires is very easy if you wanted to.

The Grid noise I do NOT hear any worse than another Perfomance tire. but the noise is less than the wind noise at high speed on asphalt. The only time I heard them howl was on a Metal Bridge and Everyones tires Howl on this Bridge crossing. They do transmit impact noise on bumps on the highway, BUt most cars at this Low profile rating of 45 series would. I think the noise levels are reasonable for this tire profile on this car.

I have not seen any Tire side wall bubbles from this TIRE, driving on them for 3 years now. and I have hit many pot holes in IN NYC and north jersey,

I have pushed the tires, Launch GREAT in dry. They do just fine in my typical high-speed, heavy traffic and some city driving. including the cold and wet. Steering feels confident with these tires.

Also winter exposure, Is Very wonderful, very good and I have run them in light snow and ice. I broke them free on purpose both accelerating and braking. They did fine.

I have driven from Pennsylvania-Vermont, in the middle of winter to go skiing. These tires were doing just great on unplowed snowy roads on the highway, and in local towns, up in Vermont.
I purchased another set this month,Love them New.

Initial Review, 37,200 Miles on Tires
June 09, 2012

Have no complaints with this tires performance. We did not have a bad winter in Mich. since I bought this tire so I can't rate performance in deep snow. Besides, the cars low profile is not conducive to heavy snow driving so I use my CRV with 210000 for those days. These tires easily have anothe 5k left but I wll replace for the summer anyway.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
September 05, 2012

I just purchased my second set of these tires for my V8 Miata. The car is driven 90% of the time on the street and 10% of the time on the track. The Hankooks have served the last two years as my street tires (I use shaved RA1's on the track) as well as standing in when I need a rain tire on the track.

When relatively new (under 2000 or so miles) I have found them to work very well on a wet track. Until they hit the 10,000 or so mark they were fairly good in the wet on the street as well. In the dry they are simply the best tire for the price you can buy. It was not until my current set literally wore down to the indicators that they started to become scary (and fun in a way) on turns. They are sensitive to outside air temperature, although the sensitivity becomes more pronounced as they age. Again, for the first 10,000 miles they were pretty stable unless the temps dropped below freezing. After that they start to get funny even at higher temps. Do not drive them in the snow.

I will keep buying them until they stop producing them or someone else manages to manufacture a better 15 inch low profile tire at this price point (unlikely) in this size (225/45-15). If they made them in a 275/35-15 I'd name my first born after them.

Good job Hankook, keep up the good work,

-Jason McCully

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
August 21, 2012

With my cars as well as my motorcycles, I have always stressed best quality in high performance tries be used, as your life depends on them. These Michelin Pilot Super Sports are replacing another very good tire, the Continental Extreme Contact DW. As these Michelin tires were designed for the Ferrari 348 as a follow on to their PS2's, that is one of the best handling platforms with which to launch this design. I am a very spirited (professionally trained SCCA & NHRA) driver, probing the extents of the performance envelope when and where safely possible. The wet and dry handling of the Michelins is excellent and steering / transient response are RIGHT NOW, handling as if on rails. Breakaway is consistent and easily manageable and the ride quality and comfort is quite good for this type of low profile, high performance tire. So far the noise in minimal, but as with most ultra and max performance tires, I expect the noise to increase a bit with wear. I drove the Conti's hard for almost 40 K miles and hope to get similar mileage from these Michelins.