Tire Rack

Initial Review, 34000 Miles on Tires
February 06, 2012

This began as a good tire and was comparable with the michelins that came on my 2004 4Runner. BUT a huge difference in tread life. The michelins went 57,000 and the continentals are at the same stage with 34,000 miles. Same driving pattern, same rotation schedule. So I cannot recommend.

Initial Review, 62000 Miles on Tires
January 12, 2012

I'm not sure why there are so many complaints about these tires on Honda Accords. These tires came on my fiance's Accord Coupe which now has 62,000 on it (original tires) which some treadwear remaining! The tires never became noisy and I plan on replacing them around 65,000-66,000 miles. In comparison I am expecting 18,000 miles of life out of my OEM Dunlops on my Subaru WRX STI! (Comparing Apples-Oranges here, I realize)

So with that said, these tires are fantastic if you want a set of tires that will be whisper quiet, round, and last forever. I can't really answer about performance because her fairly basic Accord Coupe is not really meant for performance but we take the car on lots of trips and all kinds of weather and the tires have never been in question or even a thought in our minds (a good thing!).

I find it hard to believe people aren't getting much life out of these tires on similar Accords. The driving that her car sees is not spirited but it's certainly not ginger and about 50/50 highway and city. I even admit I haven't rotated them as much as I should have (I've done every other oil change). For those of you complaining about needing to replace them at 30k miles, change your driving habits!!

It's a shame these tires are rated a "6," my review is an 8.5 overall.

Initial Review, 5000 Miles on Tires
February 02, 2012

Great tire, I do 150 miles daily at 70-80 mph, have been using Hankook V12 Evos for the last several sets of tires, but I was looking for something in good all season tire, instead of summer rubber. These are almost as good as the Evos. Hoping for better tread life. This car eats up rear tires in 20k increments. Great handling tire and is quiet.

Initial Review, 40000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2012

Have had these tires for about 2 1/2 years and 41000 miles. Been very happy with them so far and have worn very well! I keep them rotated every 7500 miles. I did lose some mileage (1/2-1 mpg) with these tires running at my empty tire pressure. (60-45psi) I upped the tire pressure and mileage has been great since. (75-65psi). I have been very happy with the wet traction and have also had good performance in light mud and light to heavy snow (up to 14 inches) Tires look nice and aggressive but perform very mildly on the road. I should get another 10-15k out of them which is pretty good service for an A/T tire on a 2500 Diesel truck. Would buy again and would recommend to anyone looking for a good all around A/T tire.

Initial Review, 15000 Miles on Tires
February 06, 2012

These replaced a set of (now discontinued) LRR Continental GT tires. My only continued complaint with Continental's LRR tires on my Civic Hybrid has been poor traction off the line. These tires, and their past iteration, have spun under even moderate acceleration on wet pavement. Other than that, I've found traction, braking, steering response, and predictability at their limits to be excellent. Mileage has been good at around 47 mpg combined(they are currently mounted on lightweight 15" aftermarket rims). Unlike other brands of LRR tires, these have not had a significant drop in mileage during heavy rain and standing water. I currently use the stock rims and winter tires, so I have no opinion on their winter traction.

Initial Review, 400 Miles on Tires
February 02, 2012

I wanted to change from run-flats to standard tires, and at the same time, I wanted to increase the tire size and reduce the very harsh ride I was gettinging from the factory run flats. My BMW is a 2010 128i with the sport suspension and staggered 17" factory wheels(7" wide front, 7.5" wide rear). I also wanted a spare tire. So heres what I did. I went online and purchased two, new condition used, 7.5" facory wheels to replace the front 7" factory wheels($320.00). I used one front tire and wheel as the spare. I figured out how to strap the spare and jack kit down in the trunk but that's another story. I now have 7.5" wheels on both front and back. I had the Dunlop Star Spec 225/45/17 installed on the front, and Dunlop 245/45/17's installed on the rear. I was a bit concerned when I first started driving it in that it was so sensitive to the road, but after breaking them in with about 300 miles, I couldn't be happier. The harshness has been significantly reduced but it still has the traction and handling that you would expect from a performance vehicle/tire. It also looks FAT with these tires on it. I absolutly love it. I don't know how they will wear long term, but I will post again once I get about 10k miles on um. Oh, one more thing, with four people in it, you might experience a very,, very minor tire rub up in the fender well on the rear tires if you hit an aggressive dip. It's not very noticable,,, ever so slight. I experienced it once in 400 miles of driving. Not a concern for me. Could be more of a problem without a sport suspension. So if that's a concern for you, a 235/45/17 would probably totally eliminate that. Of course the trade off would be a slightly smaller tire. Hope this helps you.

Initial Review, 700 Miles on Tires
January 31, 2012

Changed out Proxes 4's for the new Kumho 4X's. I needed a real multi-tasker, and I got it. It's now my all season street tire. Works wonderfully for me in dry,wet,light snow( up to 5 inches ). It's stable, comfortable and responsive at any speed. I use mine for street and winter autocross in all weather conditions in coastal British Columbia. My car has upgraded suspension, but
I'm sure the tire would perform as well with a stock suspension. It's the best performance all season I've driven. Highly recommended.

Initial Review, 3500 Miles on Tires
January 18, 2012

I just put my third pair on my Explorer. I have been averaging 55,000 per set and have driven them through every condition in this country: Cleveland winters, Oregon Springs, Chicago summer rain storms, Nevada 100+ temperatures, California Desert, a freak blizzard in AZ on I-40, Los Angeles traffic, Kentucky & Alabama summers, etc. I have driven the vehicle across country several times during both summer and winter months. I began using these tires (which came stock)on a new 2002 Explorer (purchased in 2001) and have never stopped. I average 30,000 miles a year on my vehicles and have always been impressed with the Michelins on my Explorers. My single complaint is that the 2006 Explorer came with 18" which consistently wear out much sooner about 55,000. My 2002 2WD had 16" and I consistently got 75,000 miles out of those. I diligently rotate every 5,000 miles when doing oil changes. Does size difference or 4WD contribute to faster wear? I'm sure the pros could debate it, but those are the facts. Either way the handling characteristics are excellent. I hear a rumor these tires are bing discontinued, I hope that's not true, after 10 plus years I wouldn't want to use any other tire on my Explorers!

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
January 21, 2012

First time using Tire Rack with local delivery/installation. Worked brilliantly! I only have 500 miles on the tires but extremely pleased versus the prior original tires. Reduced noise level is an instant improvement. Ride is more comfortable while handling improves. Wet traction & handling excellent. I have not driven in snow or ice yet. I would highly recommend these tires.

Initial Review, 2500 Miles on Tires
January 21, 2012

We finally had snow this winter in New Castle County, Delaware and I just got home from going to the grocery store in the snow. These tires are wonderful in the snow and slush - the car never slipped and I never spun the tires. They are much better in snow and slush than the OEM Continental's that came on the car. They are better than the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50's I had on my last car. The General Altimax Artic's are very impressive while driving in snow and slush - the the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50's were never this good.
The General Altimax Artic's are noisy on dry pavement because they are studded.

Initial Review, 6000 Miles on Tires
February 01, 2012

I've had many performance tires over the years, and these Star Specs are one of my favorites. This is my 2nd set on same car, for total of about 26K miles. First set lasted about 20K miles.

What makes these great is that they have great amount of feedback and responsiveness about what they're doing and condition of the road, a lot like dedicated track tires, but without the noise and wear. Some people interpret this as harshness, but they just don't understand that you cannot have talkative and comfort on same tires. So it's about expectation and what you're looking for. For comfort, try Michelin Super Sports. I tried them for few hundred miles between sets, and they are numb compared to Dunlops and I had no confidence with them.

For a street tire they have phenomenal dry grip, and wet grip is surprisingly good too. Difficult to break them loose on the street. I also love the fact that they do not "screech" when nearing the limit. They wear well, and noise is relatively low. Tread looks aggressive with nice, wide and square shape.

If you're looking for qualities of track tires with better wear and lower noise, these Star Specs are for you. If you value comfort and wear over grip, feedback, and responsiveness, look elsewhere.

Initial Review, 300 Miles on Tires
February 03, 2012

This is my 3rd set of Kumho tires ranging from mud terrain tires to performance tires. These tires are a great deal for the money and the quality is just as good as the more expensive tires. I cant wait to try these on some warm pavement in the summer when they get sticky. I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking for a replacement to the OEM tires at a very affordable price.

Initial Review, 12000 Miles on Tires
January 13, 2012

Came OEM on wife's 2011 Equinox LTZ AWD. Amazing tires so far, have owned other Michelin's and have never been disappointed with them. 12K miles so far with no problems. Just experienced our first snow/ice of the season -- no issues to report. Replaced 1 tire due to road hazard (nail) with same tire (and wife was able to drive on the damaged tire for 300 miles prior to replacement with NO problems). Steering response is a bit muted, but is likely due to the design of the Equinox suspension and not a tire issue. First vehicle we've owned with AWD so results may be skewed, but our experience has been nothing but positive so far. Would highly recommend this tire to other 2nd-generation Equinox owners.

Initial Review, 400 Miles on Tires
January 10, 2012

Like many Mini drivers that received the RF Dunlop's with the car I didn't realize the comfort and quit I was missing until I replaced my OEM tires with Extreme Contact DWS tires. My RF tires developed scalloping around 19k miles and the noise became unbearable, which is why I replaced them. Giving up the RF feature was no big deal since I had two punctures (one in each of the back tires) that were repaired by plugging them, nothing that can't be done with a non RF tire. If you don't mind carrying a plug kit and a small portable compressor with you this is the way to go.

Initial Review, 62000 Miles on Tires
January 20, 2012

1st set of factory General Grabbers = 63k miles. This set 62k so far. Need new ones real soon. Best mileage I have ever gotten out of a set of tires period.....car or truck. Comfortable ride too, for truck tires. Best bang for the buck..

Initial Review, 2400 Miles on Tires
February 06, 2012

I like this the tires .they handle well in wet conditions and are good in snow even in deep snow .I have them on another truck when through two heavy winters with a lot of snow.Still in good condition.definitly buy them again. Thank you Chuck