New Tires and Wheels

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

Got these tires new on a new 2011 Toyota 4Runner. Bought the 4Runner for the wife in September. I didn't drive it till about 5500 miles in the wet and I never got to try them in snow as I removed them. On the way to work one day when I had the 4Runner it was raining. I was at the speed limit 40mph or less in a medium rain shower and I noticed the front wheels lost steering. I slowed and they came off the hydroplane restoring steering. On the way home that night after work it was raining again and they hydroplaned all way home at the speed limits of 40 and 45. In the dry they seemed adequate but not good, but after the hydroplaning they were removed and replaced with Continental CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology. The Dunlops saw 6000 miles till I found out how bad they are and were removed. I couldn't believe they came on the new vehicle. If you live in the desert where it's dry they might be ok but if you drive in the wet you don't want these tires.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
January 03, 2013

These tires came new with the vehicle from the factory. They were rotated according to Honda's schedule but one of them developed uneven wear at the center. The center has worn down to 3/32" for the bad tire, while the other 3 tires have 4/32" left.

Hydroplane performance could be better during a recent rain storm, but they only had 4/32" left so I cannot complain. Treadwear is unsatisfactory because Goodyear rates them for 60k, but at 40k they only have 3-4/32" left. Noisy as well since about 25k miles, so much that it sounded like wheel bearing failure and I took it to the dealership. Rode with a Honda tech and his diagnosis was tire noise, and I trusted his words because I had dealt with him a couple of times.

At this point, I am waiting for rebate deals and am probably going to give Michelin Latitude Tour a try next.

Initial Review, 18,362 Miles on Tires
March 10, 2013

I purchased this tire in December of 2011 and I have been waiting to write my review until I could experience winter driving in snow. These tires are excellent in every situation which are experienced in Nebraska driving conditions. My immediate response to these tires in dry and wet driving was night and day from my previous tires. I especially appreciate the quietness of these tires After almost 20,000 miles on them they still make the car handle like it is brand new even though I have over 107,000 miles on my 300C AWD. At the same time I bought these tires I also bought Continental Pro Contact ECO+ for my wife's car and there is no comparison. I can say that I would recommend these tires to anyone and they are my replacement tires of choice in the future!

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
February 26, 2013

From other reviews, it seemed this tire would change my life. It did not. You still slip, slide, and can easily get stuck in snow. Yes, these Michelins are better than all seasons, but the difference is nominal given the cost of a separate set of tires with new wheels. However, I can now equip the car with summer tires on the stock wheels, and the combined advantages may make the purchase worth it. Just do not expect a sea change in snow traction when equipping your car with winter tires.
Dry handling is absolutely fine, and road noise is reasonable. Still at new tread depth after 3k miles. If you see only 1-3 major winter storms per season, I would save the expense of winter tires. My Avalon does not have traction or stability control...perhaps that would help.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
January 30, 2013

I have a 24 mile commute (one way) to my college campus in southwest Wisconsin. The plows aren't the best at keeping some of the roads cleared, and they can remain in pretty poor condition for quite some time after we get winter weather. After having a few close calls with some poor-quality all season tires, I decided to purchase a set of X-Ice Xi3's for my 2010 Ford Fusion.

I've had these tires on my vehicle for about 4,000 miles now, and have driven through a variety of poor winter weather driving conditions. I cannot say enough good things about these tires. Traction in light and deep snow is excellent. As long as I have ground clearance, these tires will grip with minimal wheel spin, and get me through it. Braking is much better too, as compared to regular all-season tires. Ice traction is much better than all-season tires. Hydroplaning resistance and wet traction are also excellent.

When the roads are clear and dry, the dry traction is also excellent. However, when cornering or with steering responsiveness in general, these tires can feel a little bit "spongy", as most snow tires do. However, I hardly notice it, and feel it is much improved over the previous generation of X-Ice snow tires. The ride comfort is excellent, and the treadwear is great (they're still practically new with over 4000 miles on them). These tires are also extremely quiet, however I have noticed they do make a little noise when driving on wet pavement, but even that's quiet.

In closing, I think Michelin did an absolutely amazing job with these tires. I highly recommend them, and will be purchasing another set of them once my current set wears out. These tires obviously can't overcome the laws of physics, give you perfect traction, and make you invincible/unstoppable in winter weather. However, with some winter driving experience and using common sense, they can make your winter driving experience much more enjoyable, and a whole lot less stressful.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
February 18, 2013

I just purchased the new ZIIs and ran them for a day at a POC time trial at Willow Springs, and I was very impressed. The dry grip is excellent as expected, but their greatest asset to me is the steering response and communication. I can really feel subtle changes in grip through the steering wheel and seat, which is invaluable for track use. I was the only car in the run group on true street tires (all of the rest were R-comp) and my times were top 6 out of the group of 20 or so). The rear end grip in the slower uphill Omega section of the track was particularly impressive.
I had 7-8 sets of the Z1 Star Specs for track/street use in the past few years, as well as a couple sets of Hankook RS-3 since then. The Z1 Star specs are the best all-around tire that I have experienced in terms of a dual-purpose street/track tire and dry/wet grip for the money. The Hankooks have excellent mid-corner grip in the dry and are dirt cheap, but I felt the sidewalls were too soft and the steering response/communication was not as good as the Z1 Star Specs. They also had no grip in colder ambient temps (below 60 F) and in the wet. The Z1s had excellent grip during the wet track days that I ran them on and would only hydroplane in deep standing water. Judging by the massive tread blocks on the new ZIIs, I am not sure if they will be quite as good as their predecessor in the wet. However, I did have to drive through some slush/light snow in 30 degree temps for a short period on the ZIIs on the way to Willow Springs (which is of course NOT recommended with this type of tire!) and they actually did pretty well! The excellent communicability of the tires conveyed that there was not much grip available and I never felt unsafe. I will report back after more track events (I will run them back to back with my Toyo RA1s at Streets of Willow this weekend), but I am extremely satisfied with the ZIIs so far!

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
February 24, 2013

I've probably never been more satisfied with a tires all around performance than I am am with these. Replaced the OEM Dunlop (junk) with these and have been extremely impressed. The only imperfect aspects of this tire are that the didn't normally hold balance for any longer than 6-8k (not bad for a rig that was kept outside), and there isn't a very prominent center line, so they don't pull your wheels straight on the highway like a touring / highway tire would. Dry, wet and snow traction are phenomenal, and I never expected to get 50k out of them, yet here I am, just about ready to throw on a new set.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 17, 2013

For many years I used Bridgestone Blizzaks, which perform very well in ice and snow. But for my new all-wheel drive Audi, I wanted winter tires that handled better on dry pavement. The Michelin Xi3 was said to almost equal the Blizzaks on ice and snow but be less "squishy" on dry and wet pavement, so I went with the Michelin.

Shortly after mounting them I drove to the NH White Mountains and took part in a winter driving school. For two days I practiced slalom and skid-pad maneuvers on ice and packed snow. The Michelins were exemplary here, and the instructors were very impressed. While other cars (mostly AWD Audis) were sliding into snowbanks left and right, my allroad with the Michelins stayed in control, accelerated and braked very well.

The claimed performance on dry roads was also seen - unlike the Blizzaks, the Michelins don't howl and they felt very much like good all-season tires on dry pavement, with a confident feeling. Very impressive.

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

My BMW is rear wheel drive with traction control. I purchased 2 of these tires to test them out as my rear wheel tires. My old tires seemed like slick tires compared to these. I could never drive this car in the winter with the tries I had on it. I was extremely impressed with the no noise level and traction in light snow, slush, wet and dry conditions. I just purchased 2 new ones as my front tires. It was a smooth ride home. I am A Kumho fan.
I had to leave home quickly one morning. I was facing a rain/snow storm "2 inches of slush". I doubted the tires and my safety. These are the best tires for this type of sports car............

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
February 15, 2013

To sum it all up: Buy these tires. I've driven a 3.8 Genesis Coupe with both PS2's and PS3's, and after having seen how grippy the PS2's are I went for the PSS's seeing as how they are the upgrade. In wet conditions, I never had issues going around a corner at higher speeds than average, commuting, or even driving in pouring storms (literally). In dry weather, they grip like melting butter. After I had them mounted/aligned, I immediately felt that they were very sticky and planted, this being even before the break-in period. At high speeds (ahem), turning was no issue, and it felt like you were actually going the speed limit. I do want to chime on colder conditions since I see that's a concern of many; these tires do absolutely fine in cold conditions. I had to drive 3 hours in 30-35 degrees in the early morning (Thanksgiving commute), I didn't slip once or lose traction, and I was driving a bit above the limit but kept it down because of the conditions. Attribute bad driving to those reviews! I just bought a set of new wheels and again purchased the PSS's. Only downside is sizing (Michelin, please make some 275/40/18's, thanks), but other than that, you will not be disappointed.

Initial Review, 99,679 Miles on Tires
February 10, 2013

put these tires on 12/23/2009. Drove in a snow storm to Duluth,mn and back to Orr,mn, there was anywhere from 6-10 inches of snow on the roads, never used 4-wheel drive once, not even coming up the hills in Duluth. I have drove in all weather never a problem. I get 18-22 mpg, but I do coast to stop sign and rarely brake hard. I have had 3 wheel hubs go bad and had wore tires abnormaly ,and they will still hold the road. Will be putting on new set this spring!

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
January 03, 2013

Purchased minus size 205/55-16 for my wife's GTI. Previous experience with several Nokian Hakkapeliitta's, Bridgestone Blizzaks, Conti TS-740's, Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice, Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT, Pirelli Winter 210's on four Audi Quattros: 5000 CS, V8, S6 and allroad so going to a front wheel drive after 25 years of Quattros I was looking for the best all around stud-less snow and I feel with the limited drive time I've had in 20 some inches of new snow that I made a wise/good choice.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
January 28, 2013

I bought my 88 Toyota 4x4 P/U in 2004. (95,000 original miles) Nick named "MINI MONSTER" by fellow 4x4 Club members, Previous owner gave it a 4" frame (suspension) lift and 5" Body lift, sporting BFG 33" tires. Being a redneck Female, I thought bigger tires were needed. After doing some off-road 4 wheeling with friends & much researching & gathering male opinions, I decided to replace the 33's with 35" & change the Brand. Using Tire Racks web site I searched brands. First sight of the Dunlop Mud Rovers and my search was over. The Meaty look of the tires would add a finishing touch to My Toy. In 2006 I purchased the 4 tires for appx. $150 each from the Rack. Off Roading in the Nevada Desert, salt flats & sand became a lot more thrilling for me. The tires dug right in with every condition. The first big snow when I pulled a STUCK full sized Ford P/U to Safety, I knew, once again I made the best choice in tires. Throughout the past years I have received many compliments on these tires,& have been the reason some have decided to replace their brand & style to these. 7 years & 10,000 miles later (not my commuter vehicle) when they're clean, these tires look as good as when new. Amazement over no dry rotting. Now 7 years later, after having a tire slashed, you could see where it took 3 attempts to get the knife blade to finally go through the sidewall, I was delighted to discover from Tire Rack that the price for replacement had only increased by $50. Thank You Dunlop for the Mud Rover Tire.