Another All Season Tire Thread

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I'm looking for an a/s replacement for our 2005 Altima's oem Continental Touring Contact A/S (215-60-16). They only lasted 34k miles in 4 years and my wife is not an aggressive driver. Maybe it has to do with tire age. I own a Mazda6 and am spirited at times. We're looking for an all around good tire for northeast winters (snow/wet traction) with low noise, firm but not too stiff, not too soft and decent wear (~50-60k). I'd be happy with the Conti's if they lasted longer. I'll probably shoot for a Standard Touring tire or a regular A/S if I have to. I'd like to get a little more tread life than a Grand Touring or a Performance would provide, hopefully without much loss in traction.

I think I really have decided on a Yoko:
- Yokohama TouringS: or maybe TRZ if I can get over my directional dislike
- Michelin Harmony/X-Radial: my backup tire choice

Also looked at but off the list(for now):
- General Altimax RT: (HP has lower life rating and a directional tread) but the lack of circumferential grooves in both RT and HP makes me worried it would do poorly in snow and slush
- Goodyear Comfortred: soft sidewall
- Goodyear Tripletred: some reviews reported as noisy
- BFG Traction T/A: noisy
- BFG Advantage T/A: looks good but it is new and I don't want to be a guinea pig
- Pirelli P4: read they are hard/noisy...maybe I should take another look. I think I'd get a Yoko over these anyway.

I'll be checking local prices tomorrow. Many shops here carry Goodyear/Dunlop and Yoko's seem to be scarce. I could always buy online and have installed local if I have to but I'm also concerned about availability. If I get a flat and need to order another tire, I don't want to drive on a donut for 4 days before I can get a replacement.

Finally, I'm leaning toward the TouringS (though the TRZ does get rave reviews) since it is non-directional. I like non-directionals because I can "live with" misalignment by rotating tires. If I hit a pothole or the alignment is a out and I don't want to get an alignment (for whatever reason: too expensive, getting new tires within a year anyway, etc) I can rotate tires. Maybe it is a silly stance. I must admit I haven't really had that happen in the past so maybe I should get on the bus with directional tires.

Thoughts? TouringS, TRZ or something else?
 
The only tire I have had out of that group is the GY Tripletred. They were not noisier than OE tires on either application we used them for - 2005 Pontiac Vibe & 1999 Dodge Stratus.

Treadwear was excellent. I think they are rated like 600 maybe? Grip was good, the tire felt 100x better than the OE tires, which were probably GY Eagle if I remember correctly. They were not that great when used in the winter in the Vibe, but I believe that was more due to the light weight of the car rather than the tires. They performed well as an A/S tire on the Stratus.

Whatever tire is on my wife's Legacy is an excellent A/S tire, especially considering that it is an OE tire. It is a Yokohama tire - unsure of the exact one. I probably would not purchase it again, but if Yokohama can make a decent OE tire, I'm sure some of their other A/S tires have to be good.

I'm generally of the opinion all OE tires suck. So if one can break that mold I will hold that brand in high regard unless they prove me otherwise.
 
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Have you looked into the Cooper CS4's? You can get them in "T" and "V" rated in that size. The "V" rated have a 520 wear, and the "T" rated have a 780 wear, and a 12/32 tread depth. I believe the CS4's are still made in the USA, while the lower grade Coopers are made in China.

cs4_touring_hv_thm.jpg



Check out Cooper's website. They have a video about the CS4 also.

CS4
 
The Yoke Touring S is so new that there's hardly any reviews on them. They look and sound like a good tire at a very good price.

Even though the TRZs are asymmetrical, I wouldn't let that stop you from buying them. They are a good tire with a proven track record.
 
Thanks finklejag, I'll check out the Coopers.

yeah, there aren't many reviews on the TouringS but I'm thinking they are an evolution of the Touring, which has many good reviews.

Just read this thread. .
What's the difference between directional and asymmetrical? I thought they were the same thing and they only allow front to back rotation, not side to side. Hmm.
 
Originally Posted By: CVette
Thanks finklejag, I'll check out the Coopers.

yeah, there aren't many reviews on the TouringS but I'm thinking they are an evolution of the Touring, which has many good reviews.

Just read this thread. .
What's the difference between directional and asymmetrical? I thought they were the same thing and they only allow front to back rotation, not side to side. Hmm.


Yes, the Touring-S is evolution of the Touring. I had Touring on '94 Lexus LS400 few years ago, they were okay for lighter cars but LS400 is too heavy for it. The ride and noise was good, but handling and performance was so so.

Asymmetrical tires must be mounted on the wheels correctly as the mark on the side wall indicated: Outside vs Inside. Asymmetrical tires can be rotated cross-X, Directional tires can be rotated front-rear only.
 
OK, now I know what the Yoko Touring S is. I just googled it and found the first entry was from BITOG.

I thought it looked like the Avid Touring. As I've said on other threads, they were an OE replacement on an 01 Civic. Good treadwear 70k, good ride, good hydroplaning resistance, no complaints. Just not H rated which the OE was and my new Gen Alt HP's are. Couldn't tell the difference. Better than YK520's, hands down.
Yoko Touring S- BITOG
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Asymmetrical tires must be mounted on the wheels correctly as the mark on the side wall indicated: Outside vs Inside. Asymmetrical tires can be rotated cross-X, Directional tires can be rotated front-rear only.


So the Altimax HP is a directional tire. So once the TRZ/asymmetrical tire is mounted properly (outside out), how is the rotation any different than non-directional, symmetric tires? It seems it would be the same.
 
I put the TRZ's on my Caravan last fall and we had more snow than normal this past winter.

My perceptions: The tires are quiet and ride comfortable (whatever that means). They have excellent grip on wet roads and did excellent in snow, mixed snow/rain, etc.. However, I always slow down for the road conditions, an unusual idea for many. I could probably drive bald tires in the snow successfully.

The tires are asymetrical, meaning that only one side must be facing out. They have a goofy tread pattern and the "teardrop" lugs point in one direction on the driver side and the opposite direction on the passenger side.

You CAN cross rotate them. Move fronts directly back. Cross the rears over to the opposite front side. I did it last weekend. SHOP FOR DEALS, YOU CAN SAVE MUCH ON THESE.

Here's a good picture, click to enlarge the images:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+TRZ
 
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Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
You guys with TRZs - how are they in snow?


Not as sharp as X-ice, but it's alright to be all-season!
i took out the x-ice early in march and got a chance to test the TRZ on slight snow yesterday...

Villager
Summer tire Yoko TRZ
Winter tire Mich X-ice
 
I hear they are good in snow, but that's not really my experience. Considering the wear rating, they are good, but dont' compare to the best all-seasons. I do recommend them to people who drive in snow and are used to mundane tires.
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
I hear they are good in snow, but that's not really my experience. Considering the wear rating, they are good, but dont' compare to the best all-seasons. I do recommend them to people who drive in snow and are used to mundane tires.

What would you consider the best all-seasons to be?
 
Thanks sayjac, I've reviewed them many times. I'm probably going with the Yoko TRZs but was interested in Audi Junkies opinion since he seemed luke warm on the TRZs.
 
Sorry CVette, I should have gone back and reread your original post and realized you had already done your homework.
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Just curious where your thinking of purchasing them?
 
I now have 7000 miles on a set of Bridgestone Pole Position 960 all season. Great handling, fairly quiet and great on ice and snow. Take that last bit with a grain of salt as I have a Subaru. But seriously, snow traction hugely improved over factory tires. Not cheap, but...

Don't know how you stood those Contis for 34K. I threw the ones on my 2002 Altima away at 18K. They were miserable tires. No traction on wet pavement or snow. I drive a Taurus that has them, too, same story. On wet pavement, they feel like marbles of rubber are coming off the tread. Just awful.
 
Originally Posted By: sayjac
Sorry CVette, I should have gone back and reread your original post and realized you had already done your homework.
blush.gif


No, not at all, I hope I didn't sound short or harsh in my reply. I've been to tirerack.com so many times I almost feel I am over-thinking my tire purchase at this point.
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Originally Posted By: sayjac
Just curious where your thinking of purchasing them?

Well, this may be long winded, but since you asked
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Many places around here only sell Goodyear/Dunlop but will install them for you if you buy online. I'm trying to find a place with free tire rotation since that adds up over the life of the tire ($20 every 5-7000mi) and I don't want to bother doing it myself. So online is out in my opinion.
Nissan dealers here match local prices and they offer free rotation. They also have a 3 for 4 deal until 4/15 but only on select tire models, and of course they are inflated dealer prices so the 3 for 4 deal evens that out. The local Mavis seemed great with good prices and free rotation but it'd be a separate trip from oil changes for my wife with two small children. Going to Nissan and getting a free tire rotation every other oil change would be nice. Lastly, I literally just came back from BJs to see what they offer. They do offer free tire rotation - I didn't know that - and we shop there often. I'm not sure if it's against BITOG terms of service to discuss prices (if it is I will edit) but here are my final choices, out the door excluding tax:

@ the dealer:
-- Yokohama TRZ $585 (405+80 mount/balance+100 4wheel alignment)
-- Michelin Primacy MXV4 $705 (525+80+100)

@ BJs
-- Michelin X-Radial/Harmony $508 ($127 each, all inclusive)

@ Mavis
-- Yokohama TRZ $540 (480 + 60 4wheel alignment)
-- Yokohama TouringS $440 (380 + 60)

I think the Primacy is too pricey and it appears to have less treadlife. So over the weekend we need to think about which tire we want and how much the place we purchase from matters to us. For example, would we pay $45 more to have the TRZs at the dealer. Or do we go with Mavis or BJs safe and boring Michelin Xradial. I'm off to go find reviews and BITOG posts on the Xradial
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Originally Posted By: jennings
Don't know how you stood those Contis for 34K. I threw the ones on my 2002 Altima away at 18K. They were miserable tires.

I think they were OK for OEM, they did the job but not very well. I wish they lasted longer.
 
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