Winter Performance Tires

Initial Review, 50,600 Miles on Tires
April 08, 2013

I have a set of these Michelin LX4 on my Odyssey EXL. I had always been happy with Michelin in the past on my Honda Accords and Nissan. They are generally more quiet than any other tires of comparable costs, particularly when they get olders (35K+). This set performs well for the most part with no exception. I rotated my tires every 7.5K so they wear evenly and keep the pressure between 35 to 40 psi depending on the weather (high pressure during the winter months). They are very quiet on the city and highway unless the road surface have grooves but never pave up in some states. I'd say that we did about 30K on high way and 20K in city. They are probably good for another 4-5K in the summer before I have to replace them. The tires traction is very good in dry, wet or light snow conditions now that the tread had worn out but it is used to be good in 4-6 in" of snow too when it was newer. I will likely replace them with the Michelin Defender which has a better tire life (60K+) for almost the same price. I think if the Defender is quiet as this tire, I will be happy.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 08, 2013

My little Civic is very comfortable with this tire. Originally bought for winter, but has performed so well all season I don't think I will change back to another tire. Plenty of tread to get me through summer, come November I will be buying another set, thanks Tire Rack.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 06, 2013

These are great winter tires. I have a jeep 4x4 and these out perform my wrangler with its all terrain tires in the snow any day. If you are looking for a set of snow tires these are the ones you want.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
March 19, 2013

Purchased these to replace Bridgestone 960A/S that lasted 73000 and no longer had tread depth for any snow. The Conti DWS tires really offer a far superior winter experience. In icy slush last night I had no wheel slippage on fairly steep hills. Something the 960A/S could never have done even when new. The trade off is in dry handling: I notice more roll in turns and less on center feel. So far tire seems to be a little quieter. Overall very happy and after experiencing the winter performance would highly recommend.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 02, 2013

I purchased this tire to replace an aging set of Continental ContiProContact tires that were on the car when I bought it. Let me say first that these tires are an enormous upgrade over the Continentals. I commute 35 miles each way to work and the weather in Northeast Ohio is nothing if not unpredictable. These tires have given me a tremendous amount of confidence in every situation I've encountered. Wet and dry traction is outstanding but it's the wet traction that really stands out. I have never had more confidence at speed on slick roads. I enjoy throwing my car around as much as possible and these tires are an ideal compliment to my driving style. At highway speeds they are quiet, comfortable, and have a reassuring sense of straight ahead. I've made it through one winter now and although these tires are not particularly good in deep snow, they are passable. Performance in light snow is excellent. I would highly recommend these tires to anyone looking for a meaningful performance upgrade over a standard all season tire. In addition, with their combination of wet and dry capability, I think these tires are a tremendous value in the Ultra High Performance All-Season class.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
March 01, 2013

This is the first set of snow tires i've purchased, after trying to simply get by with all season tires in a region where it is quite snowy in the winter. The tires perform extremely well in the snow, and I've driven on snow covered highways, and up and down pretty steep hills. I would definitely buy the tires again, for a winter scenario. I've noticed a bit more "wander" with the tires, and they are noisy but the agressive tread is going to lead to increased noise. But overall, the snow traction is very very good. In fact, I think i have better traction with my Altimax-Arctic equipped FWD minivan now than my 4WD F150 (with very good tires) in the snow.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
March 26, 2013

I've been a long time skeptic of all season tires. Having spent a decade switching between dedicated summer and snow/winter wheel sets, I decided to give the DWS a try. My previous set of A/S tires, RE960 AS's were a huge disappointment. The dry weather in early January gave ample opportunities to test traction and stability and although the DWS' are a little less responsive than say the SportContacts it's certainly enough for a small AWD sedan. The snow storms in February/March however have made me a believer. Braking on snow is as expected. Ice performance is as well (since nothing is "great" on ice, "OK" performance is acceptable. The light/heavy snow traction though is what impressed me. This does have something to do with the fact that I drive an AWD with a manual transmission, but the tires rocked the snowy roads. I actually found myself detouring down unplowed streets just to keep the smile on my face!

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
April 01, 2013

I just went through a winter that delivered record snowfalls and the tires performed as I had hoped they would - excellent. I drive in deep snow all the time and despite driving a high performance rear-wheel drive car, I had no problems driving on ice and deep snow on a regular basis. I put them to the test while driving through the Adirondacks in a blizzard after a day of skiing Whiteface...the tires got me through 6-8 inches of snow on the icy roads without a problem...even the step hills and sharp turns...outstanding winter tire fit for my car. I know winter and I love winter driving..great recommendation Tire Rack

Initial Review, 9,500 Miles on Tires
March 23, 2011

So here's an update after 9,500 miles or so. The tires performed well all winter, handling rain and snow as well as can be expected of an all season tire. They remained responsive, good handling, quiet and smooth, and I was happy with them until returning from a 900 mile trip. On the way home they developed a high speed vibration which was not cured by rotation and rebalance. In fact, the rebalance only found 2 tires out of balance by 0.25 oz! Finally, a road force balance by my Audi dealer found both right side tires were out of round.



The rotation/rebalance was routine, but the road force balance/diagnosis was expensive ($130). The really important fact is that TireRack and Yokahama stood behind the tires. Maggie at TireRack was exceptionally helpful and 2 replacement tires were provided without charge. How good is that?!



There seems to have been some change in the tires, as now they take a set when standing in cold weather, reminiscent of the old nylon tires. After a few miles they smooth out. I think this must be just the replacement tires, as it didn't happen before.



If the tires hold up and don't go out of round again I recommend them highly. And TireRack is exceptional - no reason to buy form any one else.

Initial Review, 37,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

After 30000 miles, the winter performance was gone. Stopping in light snow or ice has always been poor, but got noticeably worse after a few years.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
February 19, 2013

This is a preliminary review of the Continental PureContact with EcoPlus for the Mazda5. We have put 1500 miles of Pacific NW winter driving on these tires since our purchase. They are significantly quieter when driving on both concrete and asphalt highways, especially at freeway speeds. The Mazda5 is not a quiet, touring car, but these tires are a dramatic improvement over both the OEM tires and the Goodyear Eagles that we have previously had mounted. Our Mazda5 has a 5sp manual and so far, the Purecontacts have not lost their grip during normal 1st gear starts. About 80% of our driving so far has been in damp and wet weather and the Purecontacts track predictably at all speeds. Fortunately, the Mazda5 has not been in snow this winter, so no feedback yet on their snow performance. Only time and mileage will show how these age, but we are extremely satisfied with these tires so far.

Initial Review, 1,100 Miles on Tires
April 04, 2013

Great A/S tire. This is my 3rd set of A/S tires on my Golf R, and the first one I've been happy with. Previously, I had the junk SP Sport 01 A/S factory tires which were good in nothing. Then, I replaced them with Michelin Primacy MXM4's, which were quieter, but still lacked wet grip, dry grip, and steering feel.

These 970's feel almost to the level of dedicated summer tires in the dry and wet, with the advantage of increased wear, better ride, and cold weather performance. They are not meant for deep snow or ice, but I have no doubt that they will do fine in the minimal snow/ice we have in Delaware. This tire gives up little to the PS3's and SportContact summer tires I've used in pure traction and steering feel. If you are looking for absolute top performance, look to the Pilot Super Sport, S-04 Pole Positions, or the RE-11a with dedicated snows/winter tires. However, if you can compromise just a hair, I think you'll be happy with these tires.

Initial Review, 37,500 Miles on Tires
April 02, 2013

I bought these to replace the Continentals that came OEM with my car, and out of the box they were significantly superior and fantastic. Considering they are merely all-seasons, their performance in the snow was surprising. I drive mostly in the city, so the streets get plowed regularly in the winter. I wouldn't use these for my winter set if I lived out in a rural area. The dry and wet grip when new was excellent. Now that I have over 37500 miles (60,000km) on them, their dry and wet traction is starting to decrease, despite having lots of tread depth remaining.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
April 22, 2011

This tire strikes a good balance with great handling and a comfortable ride. The noise level is not objectionable either. I run with winter tires, so I can not attest to snow performance.

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

In Vermont, we run winter tires pretty much from November until April, so it's important to choose wisely when shopping for a new set. These Eagle Ultra Grip GW-3 winter tires replaced Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 winter tires, and I couldn't be happier with the selection. Every objective measure of performance (and satisfaction) went up with the Goodyear tires: grip on icy surfaces; deep snow performance; slushy and wet road traction; and overall comfort (NVH). And on dry, cold roads, I really appreciate the stability and responsiveness of a performance winter tire -- especially in a heavy, V8 powered sedan. It's been a 'real' winter this year, and these tires have exceeded my expectations. Highly recommended.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
March 25, 2013

This is the best set of tires we have ever owned. These Michelins are on my wife's Honda Pilot and I must say I am thoroughly impressed. They effortlessly handle our Upstate New York Winters and the tread life is outstanding. After witnessing the performance of these tires I switched the tires on my Toyota to Michelins as well.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
February 10, 2013

Just yesterday we had a blizzard and this was my first opportunity to try out these winter tires. The roads were all covered with snow so it was Perfect to see if the tires are going to perform well in these conditions. First I started with starting and abrupt stopping. I was great! Tires kept grip well and stopped only after a minimal slip (the car had no ABS system). Next test was a hill. Next to exxon gas station across from pathmark. It was pretty steep. I stopped in the middle. Car was not sliding down, I started to step on gas pedal, it was difficult and tires were slipping but we made it! I'm sure I wouldn't make it with all season tires. It was impressive but also a very extreme effort. Next was an empty parking lot were I was slaloming in the snow trying to lose control and make the car fishtail. I failed. Tires did a great job! I couldnt believe it. The difference between all season and winter tires is huge. Last part was a long hill on Goerge Rd, I went uphill no problem, downhill I was hitting brakes to see what happens, every time tires made the car stop with minimal slip. Tires totally passed the test. I was amazed how well they performed and how safe they make you feel. I would totally recommend them. You may need them only a couple of times before they plough but they can make a huge difference when you need them and save you. I was so excited to try them out and I was not disappointed. Great tires for a good price. Buy buy buy!