Replace Shocks

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 03, 2013

These came stock on the 19" x 8.5" rims of my 2011 Mustang GT. I drive 6-speed with 3.55 gears, so the rear tires get a bit more shock treatment than that of an automatic.

Brand new, the tires are great. You almost can't get them to break traction short of turning the traction control off and dumping the cluth after reving up to red line. But after doing that a few times, you will find the traction/stickiness of the tire will have depleted.

They are still good all-around tires, but after a few months of driving, they lose their launch traction.

I have already replaced two sets (four tires total) in the two years that I have had the car and am about to replace another set on the rear. That would mean that about every 10,000-13,000 miles, they need replaced. The tread is not down to the cords or anything, but you can feel a major difference in the performance at the 10k wear point.

Road noise is pretty minimal for a low-profile tire and the ride is comfortable as the suspension on the GT with these tires rides very well. There seems to be a bit of roll/softness in cornering, but if you know your car well enough, you know what you can and can't do and the tires stay fairly firm. I will buy them again for all year tires, but I will probably switch to something stickier for Summer track action on street tires.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
March 10, 2013

We use our XUV for everything - highway, around town, and even for plowing with a Western plow. The Firestone Dest A/T's are just the perfect tire. Even with 30K miles on them they are quiet on the highway with nice, responsive (for an SUV) handling, they get great traction in mud and snow - even when pushing a plow and snow uphill.
They have also worn very evenly. With infrequent rotation and a set of bad shocks for a whole summer (thanks to the plow), and even under-inflation for a couple months, the wear patterns are very even across all 4 tires, with no trailing ridges or other unevenness. Great tires, and we'll be replacing this set with another when the time comes.

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, 5,000 Miles on Tires
December 20, 2012

Bought these as replacements to the OEM rugged trails and the rugged terrains are so far, far superior. Wet and dry traction is superb on highway and I use my truck off road in the woods around the house to tow a firewood trailer, cross horse pastures, and travel plenty of dirt/gravel country roads. I would say the truck is actually smoother with these on vs the R Trails's and possibly even quieter, but that might be due to the mileage on the R trails which I replaced at 30K. I did not want to venture the winter with the remaining tread on those. We should be getting some light to mod snow around Christmas and am looking forward to seeing how the Rugged Terrains do in the white stuff. And we'll be taking the tacoma down the OBX again this summer and i'll get to test these in the sand. The R Trail's managed OK this past trip to the beach, even allowing us to pull out a stuck Tacoma & a range rover, but I think that was mainly due to the Tacoma's 4 wheel drive systems. But the perfect application should come in September when I need to drive the truck from the east coast to Colorado and then up into the mountains for an Elk hunting trip. BTW, at 70 mph on the interstate, these tires run very smooth and quiet with no vibration or chatter...If your experiencing this I would take them back to the shop for a re-balance and get your shocks and alignment checked, its not the tires, unless in the very rare case you got one with a broken radial, which I have experienced with another Brand, but not with BF Goodrich. I hope Michelin lets BF G continue to put out the quality they have in the past... I used to run BFG AT's on my old truck and never had a problem at all, but since I'm now using this truck as a commuter and weekend off roader, the rugged terrains seems to be the perfect solution so far.

Initial Review, 23,000 Miles on Tires
November 20, 2012

I replaced the dry rotted Michelin's with these DWS tires. At first, I was disappointed in the tires' response in turns. I have had these tires for quite some time now, and I have to say they are great. I used them through extreme conditions. With 36 pounds, and heavy duty shocks, these tires have hit massive pot holes and have resisted bubbles and punctures. In that sense, to have a reliable tire to use on poor roads, these are it!

Initial Review, 32,000 Miles on Tires
November 05, 2012

These Michelins have given great service. There is plenty of tread left and the overall performance is about what you'd expect from Michelin.I have never been disappointed with this brand. I have used them on three of my wife's cars and all have given good value.
On this truck I am primarily looking for good treadwear, low noise and decent wet/snow and dry traction.This tire delivers. Keep an eye on the inflation and rotate them at about 5k miles and they should last a long while. I waited to write this review til I had some time/miles on them and there is still plenty of tread left to get through this and probably next winter.
I replaced 10 ply Goodyear Silent Armor Pros, from a local dealer, that did not go 30k. So trust Tire Rack, (I've bought many winter tires, brake parts and shocks from them), and Michelin.

Initial Review, 13,000 Miles on Tires
October 25, 2012

These tires are a good match for me.
1) My DWS are not as responsive as the OEM which dulls the Speed3 torque steer and reduces some of the steering corrections (?necessitated by surface bumps?).
2) The Speed3 has little sound isolation, and Tire Racks testing demonstrates that the DWS is the quietest tread on concrete highways which are increasingly prevalent. I found the tread so quiet that concrete road noise is less than engine+wind noise at all speeds!
3) My 2010 Speed3--(my neighbors 2012 feels a little more refined)--has next to no shock absorption; and the DWS is significantly smoother than OEM, but I still my $$$ German cars.
4) Efficiency (combined city highway) immediately improved from 28 to 31 (10%) upon switching
tires and wheels. Rolling resistance and weight are likely the factors (24+21 to 19.1+18). My car definitely feels quicker.
5) The DWS in 1.5 Rocky Mtn Winters have proven very sufficient for me. And they are performance rated for my high speed, high-g driving (when conditions permit) unlike dedicated Winter tires which are faster wearing and less efficient.

I drove the OEM (Dunlop SP Sport 2050) tires 20,000 miles. They had maybe 5,000 miles remaining

when I replaced them.

I would buy DWS for this car again, but in a size (225/45R17) closer to the original. I got 205/55R16 to maximize Winter, mpg, and sidewall. OEM sidewall is so short, a 1" steel plate cut into my and wheels and tires, and a 1" rise to my driveway felt like sledgehammer. I like avoid breaking on off-ramps. 205mm-wide DWS unfortunately have me sliding some at 30 mph on tight turns when the 225mm-wide OEM allowed me 40 mph without any sign of slip. I have slid the rear DWS in many turns, and have squealed the fronts during many starts, not trying to.

OEM tread noise was horrendous when new, and then worsened. Radio vol@ 45 to hear over concrete hwy. Other surfaces were quieter but even on smooth asphalt @75 mph when tires were new, I could barely hear cell phone ...

Initial Review, 74,000 Miles on Tires
October 14, 2012

These tires were OEM for my 2010 Ford F150. They were remarkably quiet, smooth and finally were ready for replacement at 74,000 miles. If not for a misalignment, I likely could have gone to 80,000. Unbelievalbe. When it came time to replace the tires last month, I chose BF Goodrich radial long trail T/A's based mainly on price but decent reviews as well. I am pleased with the ride quality, noise, and other dynamics of the BF Goodrich tires, noticing very little difference between them and the Michelin's. However, the money I saved on the purchase of the BF Goodrich's over the Michelin's will be negated by additional fuel costs; With the Michelin's, I consistently recorded an average 18.8 mpg on my F150 based on the computer read-out on the dash. After installing the BF Goodrich radial long-trail T/A's, I immediately began averaging 17.6 mpg with no other changes to the vehicle or driving conditions. Perhaps greater rolling resistance? Initially the 1.2 mpg drop appeared insignificant, but after doing some math, I was shocked. I average around 30,000 miles a year and at the current pump rate of $3.65 per gallon, I will spend over $400.00 a year more in fuel with the BF Goodrich tires. So much for saving a couple hundred bucks on the purchase. I'm sure the potential of higher fuel economy had something to do with Ford supplying the Michelin's as OEM tires. Next time I'll buy the Michelin's.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
August 23, 2012

I bought these to replace my continentals which were wearing great, but the sidewalls rolled, steering response was not good. I actually took my 750Li to a BMW driving school. These tires ROCK! my 5000 lb beast surprised everyone! I was passing all but two of the other cars. It was a shocking performance(mostly to me) These tires held in there through 60 mph 90 degree turns! They were screaming, but held well enough to let me pass Porsches, 3 series, and one of the corvettes that showed up. The fact that this car was even close to the other cars was amazing. The tires held up to dozens of 130mph - 40mph then being thrown into a hard turn. Even the treads held up well, i did not have to replace the tires after two days of racing. On the street, they are very civilized. Almost as quite as the continentals. the ride was tighter than the continentals, but steering response more than makes up for it. I have had these tires on other cars, They are not great in snow. I am very happy with their performance in rain. I am taking them to another track event which will probably finish them off, so i can't talk about wear, that would not be fair.

Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires
July 30, 2012

The only complaint with this tire is that I bought the OEM size. I should have went with a slightly wider size for more bite. From a standing start into a sharp corner at speed the rear tires hop a bit. At higher speeds the tires slightly float in turns (now I am doing 85 in a 45 curve on the highway). Not much, but a wider tire would probably help and replacing the stock swaybars (already have koni shocks and ST springs). For the price, they are a good deal though, nice looking tread design too. I would recommend them.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
July 05, 2012

I replaced a NEW set of Continental DWS tires as I had the feeling that they were just a bit to soft for the suspension set-up on the Mazda3 GT which for anybody out there that dosent know Mazda -this suspension is very very firm .in 2010 it was revised to be more ameniable to regular driving yet still has its roots in a performance setup .
Given that the DWS are great tires but fro the right car/ and proabably Truck/ Minivan even better . They were all-around dry-wet-snow hence DWS so I saw that Bridgestone had a new tire the S-04 and the metamorphisis was immediatly noticeable and I cringed while waiting to hit my first road imperfection or pothole because the car is unforgiving with performance tires , alas --I hit road damage and it ate it up without a jarring hit as if I had rolled over a small grenade . My pervious experience with some Yokos that were very hard gave me to blowouts from pothole hits while relatively new ......but these S-04s have been prerforming far beyond my expectations ---gripping like a cat in panic mode and forgiving enough to let you drive in urban enviroments without constant fear of that imminent pothole from -------- that leaves you wondering how much damage that did to the bushings , alignment or tires? These hold like glue and make me pine to get out and just drive even to work ---It makes the car handle like I believe it was engineered to by the Mazda techs . Many may laugh that have thier "bmws" or audis or other cars that people just assume are the best handling cars out there , but those that know Mazda know what I talking about .
I had a chase thru a nasty set of chacanes near the ocean with a Lambo G and the guy could not shake me as he clearly forced me to yield and let him pass as I did --but he never got away from me til we hit the straights where the extra 450hp made the diffirence ,,,but in the twistys he was sweating bullets in amazment or shock ? great tires.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
September 21, 2010

I have another Nissan Maxima that is lowered with adjustable shocks (Illuminas), Falken tires and for this reason, is completely awesome on the highway even when taking turns, rides in the city can be a little uncomfortable sometimes. I mention this for perspective- my 02 is pretty much bone stock with the exception of replacement Tokiko shocks (Blues). I needed to replace the original Michelin's (which I loved but could not justify the price) and picked these up for the Spring, Summer, Fall (I have a set of Winter tires that I use).



So far I am very satisfied with these tires, I’ve been through heavy rain and purposely gunned it to test the traction and never did I feel myself hydroplaning. I have tried to break the tires loose in dry weather and nothing; you have to get that pedal on very close to the floor to get anywhere near loose- no fan fare, the tire just grips and goes. The only thing, which is not really an issue since the perfect tire hasn’t been invented yet, is that the sidewall is a little stiff so if you're driving around the city on roads that aren’t perfect, you'll feel those imperfections. I actually had one tire replaced under warranty after I hit a large pothole in the rain at 60 about mph. Also on the highway, when making sudden lane changes, it feels a tad soft BUT this is probably because my other car drives like its on rails due to the aforementioned modifications. I’ve had no concerns about making a lane change at 75-80 mph. Put another way, I wouldn’t drive this car the way I drive the stock Avalon or Altima that’s in the family.



In summary, apart from wishing it were a tad more comfortable around the city, I COULDN’T be happier. The tire has so far met every need that I had- great dry/wet traction, good steering response. I will update the review when I get some more miles on the tires.

Initial Review, 42,000 Miles on Tires
May 20, 2012

I purchased my TL Type S new and have 66,000 miles on it. The OEM were awful. Too stiff, slippery and just plain bad.I only got 22,000 miles out of them. I couldn't wait to replace them with better set of tires. I purchase the Michelins Pilot Sport A/S for their overall better performance abilities. They are far superior than the OEM. They have a softer ride which I love due to my car already stiff suspension. I felt everything on the road before and a long distance ride was uncomfortable. These Michelins are great in the rain/ dry and light snow with a better softer ride without losing any performance capabilities.I drive very fast and aggressive, really punishing the tires and got 42,000 miles before the tires needed to be changed. I recently tried out the Bridgestone Potenzas for the Michelin replacements. They lasted 6 days before I switched back to a new set of Pilot A/S. The Potenza's were too hard, sending any bump or road roughness through my lower back. They are good, but not comfortable for my car's already tight suspension. I love the Micheline's ride , incredible handling, durability and how their aggressive look on my black TL. They look like something the Batmobile would have on it. They are more expensive than the Bridgestones, but their ride and their durability even out their cost. I was shocked they lasted almost 42,000 miles and already have 2,000 miles on the new set.
The Michelins are worth their price. I couldn't be any happier and I believe you won't either.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
April 28, 2012

This is the perfect tire if you want a comfortable ride but still want to pull some G's on the on-ramp.
The ride of this tire is very civilized considering it's grip. I was very impressed with it's wet performance also. Tire noise?? what noise?? Nuff said.

I would recommend running these on wider rim to improve responsiveness, that seems to be the only concession for the sweet ride. Am running the 245/40-18" on a 9" wheel, it gives the tire a little "stretch" which improves response. Granted, the response in not terrible... but it is noticeable slower than the 245/35-19 wheel/tire combination that it replaced. All talk about "response" goes out the door the first time you traverse a large crack across the road and it doesn't feel like shocks are about to be launched through the hood: )

I have been running these for approx. 4000 miles and they actually feel more responsive now, like they needed to be broken in a bit.
As far as wear, I can't detect any at this point.