Replace Tires

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 23, 2013

These tires replaced a set of half-worn Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 tires (I picked up a puncture in one of the PA3s and couldn't find a replacement, hence the half-worn). Compared to the PA3s, the Xi3s have similar wet weather grip and noticeably lower (but still acceptable for this type of tire) dry grip. Unfortunately, I can't comment on snow or ice performance because I never had a chance to try the Xi3s in the snow. The biggest difference was in dry weather feel - feedback was significantly muted with the Xi3s and there is also significant 'tread squirm' with the Xi3s. If I had to give each a subjective score relative to a summer tire (using a Goodyear Asymmetric as the reference summer tire), I would give the PA3s an 8 and the Xi3s a 4 - there really is a huge difference between the two. Ride comfort and noise levels are quite good with the Xi3s - a little better than the PA3s.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 29, 2013

Replaced factory Pirelli PZeros which came OE for this vehicle. The Michelin PSS has outperformed the PZeros in all respects; traction is noticeably improved in straight line acceleration. Rears need replacing now at 10k which is typical for this car. Fronts have about another 1/2 life so I expect I will need all 4 tires in another 10k miles.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
March 15, 2013

I bought these as a budget-level replacement for a set of Yokohama S-drives. They look aggressive, but have much less dry traction than the s-drives. If you just want a tire for looks and want to save some money they are ok, but I would not consider them a high performance tire. They do seem to work well in the rain.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 11, 2013

These tires replaced the OE Dunlop run-flats that were on the '08 TT Roadster when we bought it. What a difference, the ride is much less harsh, traction is much better, and spirited driving is fun again. The control at highway speeds in heavy rain is exceptional due to the directional tread pattern. Due to the fact that I change to my other wheel/snow tires for the winter I can not comment on driving on snow and ice. Tread ware is very good after 15,000+ miles. When I bought these tires I had them sent to KO Tire in Elk Grove Village, IL for installation. They did an exceptional job and were very friendly and informative when I asked questions. These were both a winning experience.
Thanks Tire Rack & KO Tire !!

Initial Review, 6,200 Miles on Tires
April 11, 2013

The Firestone Winter Force tires replaced the factory original Michelin LTS AT2 tires which were very good hiway tires but were terrible snow tires.

The Winter Forces were easy to balance, give almost no road noise, and drive down the hiway with no squirme with or w/o pulling a trler. Excellant traction in hiway snow or when pulling through deep snow on non-plowed gravel roads.

Two downsides with the Wimter Forces: lost of about 1 MPG, and they p/u hold sall rocks like crazy till about 55 MPH when they start poping into the wheel wells.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
April 27, 2013

This tire is outstanding. Starting the 3rd season with them and they still drive like new. Very sure handling on dry and wet roads, and incredibly quiet. Very significant tread remaining, so wear does not appear to be a problem. These tires replaced the stock Goodyear Eagle LS-2's, which pale in comparison. They did not handle anywhere near as well, were loud, and wore to the point of needing replacement by 30,000 miles.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
April 05, 2013

I replaced my Goodyear Wranglers with these tires and so far I am really impressed with them. Mostly the ride comfort and road noise are what I like most. They are very smooth on the highway and quiet too. Only about a thousand mile on them but so far I like them a lot. Will update as tires wear in.

Initial Review, 55,000 Miles on Tires
April 25, 2013

Bought these tires to replace the ONM Continentals, which were horrible. At the time I lived in PA, so I wanted tires that could handle moderate snow, which they performed well. Initially the tires were very good in wet conditions, but as the tread wore down some slippage developed from a standing start, but they never hydoplaned. These tires are of block design and I learned the hard way that rotation is essential at every oil change or 5K miles. I let the tires go due to a minor misalignment and they became very noisy. I had them shaved to even out the tread and with frequent rotation I got another 20K out of the tires. Just replaced the tires with 4/32 ends left, so the tread wear is excellent, even after shaving off some tread. These are good rugged tires and I would recommend them for heavy duty use. I went with a different brand this time as snow is no longer an issue for me. One more item, in five years the price of these tires has almost doubled,

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
March 30, 2013

Just replaced the original tires (Bridgestone Dueler H/L) which only had 30,000 miles on. I would not recommend the Duelers, they were loud on the highway and tread life was terrible. I did a lot of research and the Firestone Dest. LE2 were the logical choice. Handling, noise level on the highway, and ride were noticeably better. At 70+ mph, we can actually have a conversation in the vehicle now without yelling. Highly recommend these tires and they are $40 each cheaper than buying the Bridgestone Duelers again.

Initial Review, 600 Miles on Tires
April 22, 2013

Just got through the break-in miles, so this is an early review. These replaced Continental DW tires (30,000 miles, over three years) that became very noisy after 15,000 miles. The Bridgestones are incredibly quiet and smooth-riding - much nicer than the OEM Michelins, my prior summer tire, the Conti DW (when new), or my other set of aftermarket rubber, Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 winter tires. Until the mold release compound wore off, they felt uneasy on the highway, but now they're much better at tracking straight at speed. They respond faster to steering corrections than the Conti DW. (The DW in this size are 2009 production, and I didn't want to get old stock.)

Initial Review, 41,000 Miles on Tires
March 31, 2013

Very DISSAPOINTED ! I purchased these BF Goodrichs expecting to at least get close to their warranty of 65,000 miles , WRONG ! I now have just over 40k on them and they need to be replaced ! I started noticing the wear when my truck would break loose with a little rain shower (around 30k miles) have religiously had the rotated balanced and alignment every other year. Also this is the only tire I have ever been able to see the bulging where the two molds form the tire distinctively ! BF Goodrich has a quality control issue and doesn't deserve my hard earned money for the garbage they manufacture !!!

Initial Review, 1,050 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2013

Excellent tire! Very much better than the replacement Firestone 500 Police, Kumho's, and particularly, the Goodyear Eagles Z-rated that came on the car. I had a tread separation on one of these at 24,000 miles - inexcusable on a Z rated tire at highway speeds. The Kumho's handled excellently, and probably gave slightly superior dry traction vs. the new Pilots, but were toast in 16M miles, which is ridiculous. Love all aspects of the Pilots to date. Well worth the very premium price.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2013

The Michelins replaced General UHP tires which handled much better - but got noisy after about 25,000 miles. The Michelins have a higher sidewall even though they're the same size. So it's softer riding and much quieter. But I'm giving up on performance. Handling dynamics have changed - more understeer. The grip on the Altimax UHPs were progressive - telegraphing when they're about to break loose. The Michelins break loose a bit more abruptly. So the tire require a less sprited driving style. Perhaps not a fair comparison - comparing high performance summer tires with all seasons. Too soon to tell if there's any difference in fuel consumption. I expect a longer treadlife based on my previous experience with Michelins MXV's on a different car. I'll update this review after I've had experience driving the car in wet conditions.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 24, 2013

Significantly quieter than the set Khumo tires I replaced. Very good in rain and snow. I like to throw it into corners, and these tires grip. I'm very pleased.