We bought the used volvo in the sig with recent set of bridgestone serenitys. They would not have been my first choice, but after driving them for 2 years I've decided they are a very good tire. We've put somehwere around 25k on them and have been happy with them for passenger tires. Dead-nuts quiet, stable tracking, no balancing fanfare, good turn-in, and no issues in the rain. Despite the mediocre snow ratings, we drove the car across 4 states during one of last year's largest storms without issue. Those I believe are 205 65 15. The tread wear is minimal - they should make their mileage warranty. Of interesting note, the tread width is significantly wider on this tire than others of the same size.
I picked up another set yesterday in a different size for a different volvo - 205 55 16. The driving characteristics are the same. They handle extremely well for something so quiet.
I was torn between the serenity and the michelin premiere A/S. Both were priced similarly. I went with the B's because at least by the time I buy a car which has michelins on it, the road noise has always been prominent.
I've noted two themes in consumer reviews on them - 1 possibility that they use wider contact to stretch the mileage of a softer rubber compound, and 2 that they see a larger mpg hit when switching to them than others. The softer, wider rubber might be a credible theory, as they continue grip well in cold rain. I have no basis for mpg comparison.
So - the bottom line - this tire never gets talked about - for passenger vehicle handling/comfort, these are worthy of consideration.
-m
I picked up another set yesterday in a different size for a different volvo - 205 55 16. The driving characteristics are the same. They handle extremely well for something so quiet.
I was torn between the serenity and the michelin premiere A/S. Both were priced similarly. I went with the B's because at least by the time I buy a car which has michelins on it, the road noise has always been prominent.
I've noted two themes in consumer reviews on them - 1 possibility that they use wider contact to stretch the mileage of a softer rubber compound, and 2 that they see a larger mpg hit when switching to them than others. The softer, wider rubber might be a credible theory, as they continue grip well in cold rain. I have no basis for mpg comparison.
So - the bottom line - this tire never gets talked about - for passenger vehicle handling/comfort, these are worthy of consideration.
-m