CR: Best Tire Brands

[duck__dodgers]

(agree to disagree)

The Michelin Defender have been the best tires that I bought at any price for typical, four seasons, commuting-school runs driving.

But I would not say that the Defender offers the "best bang for the buck"----many contenders for that title.

 

[proveitwithdata]

(agree to disagree)

The Michelin Defender have been the best tires that I bought at any price for typical, four seasons, commuting-school runs driving.

But I would not say that the Defender offers the "best bang for the buck"----many contenders for that title.

is defender t and h different from the ltx series?

 

[edyvw]

(agree to disagree)

The Michelin Defender have been the best tires that I bought at any price for typical, four seasons, commuting-school runs driving.

But I would not say that the Defender offers the "best bang for the buck"----many contenders for that title.

Depends what is best bang for a buck? For me that is tire that has all performance variables very good, or it is not short in any. Michelin is always good in that, as well as Continental, Pirelli. Bridgestone sometimes knows to have some tires that are not so good in some performance aspects.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

I do not know whose marketing is more shameless: Liqui Moly, Nokian, or Subaru.
The last Nokian I had was R2, and could not wait to get rid of them.
I have WS90 on BMW and Tiguan. They are excellent tires. I think I would still take Continental VC7, especially on BMW, considering that Continental is much better in dry, and more refined. But WS90 does have a slight edge in wet over VC7. Considering that VC7 is excellent in wet, it was really a surprise.

All I can say is, I drive more than most , and when the weather is pretty bad ( 01:00 - 04:00 ) , before the plows are out, and the r3 were nothing special, but not bad.

IIRC, they didn’t perform as well in slush as other brands ( aquaplaning ). I THINK the r5 are supposed to be better in that regard.

Personally ( contrarian ) , whenever someone tells me their product is , always, the best, it turns me off and I will decide based on independent reviews and personal experience ( tough in winter unless same type vehicle and road conditions ).

Very happy with Blizzak WS90.

I am the best driver on the roads, always

 

[edyvw]

All I can say is, I drive more than most , and when the weather is pretty bad ( 01:00 - 04:00 ) , before the plows are out, and the r3 were nothing special, but not bad.

IIRC, they didn’t perform as well in slush as other brands ( aquaplaning ). I THINK the r5 are supposed to be better in that regard.

Personally ( contrarian ) , whenever someone tells me their product is , always, the best, it turns me off and I will decide based on independent reviews and personal experience ( tough in winter unless same type vehicle and road conditions ).

Very happy with Blizzak WS90.

I am the best driver on the roads, always

R2 were really good in ice and snow. Nothing better than VC7, Michelin Xi2, Bridgestone WS70. I had WS70 on Tiguan before I put R2. However, they were absolutely abysmal in dry and wet. Especially wet.
I drive a lot in mountains. If it is not blizzard, it is dry or almost dry. Colorado has seriously funky weather. Right this moment is full blown blizzard that it was not in prognosis 3 days ago, when it was 60 degrees. Tomorrow it will be 45, then probably 60, unless some funky snow/blizzard comes. So, actually I need tires that do everything good! So far, Continental and Michelin are best of all worlds.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

R2 were really good in ice and snow. Nothing better than VC7, Michelin Xi2, Bridgestone WS70. I had WS70 on Tiguan before I put R2. However, they were absolutely abysmal in dry and wet. Especially wet.
I drive a lot in mountains. If it is not blizzard, it is dry or almost dry. Colorado has seriously funky weather. Right this moment is full blown blizzard that it was not in prognosis 3 days ago, when it was 60 degrees. Tomorrow it will be 45, then probably 60, unless some funky snow/blizzard comes. So, actually I need tires that do everything good! So far, Continental and Michelin are best of all worlds.

I don’t have to deal with the weather extremes as much as drivers in Colorado do ( temperature swings , wet roads ).

 

[IndyIan]

Oh, this thread is going to trigger some folks for sure, lol

View attachment 194955

You still shouldn't blindly by specific tire models by the brands reputation though... Brand popularity is something nice for the marketing exec's to give themselves bonuses, but fairly useless for a customer who is only by a single set of tires.
That said, when researching tires, it makes sense to investigate the tires made by brands with high reputations, but there's always a chance some other brand has a better tire for your specific application.
I think our Xice2's are great snow tires for areas that don't get much snow, but their deep snow and slush performance isn't close to the best IME.

 

[OVERKILL]

You still shouldn't blindly by specific tire models by the brands reputation though...

Of course not, they chose 4x specific Michelin tires, based on their test results, to fill those top spots. For whatever reason, that will trigger some people who have a hate-on for Michelin, regardless of how good some of their tires are.

 

[Wingo]

I'm a fan of General Grabber tires. Good all season grip and all sets I have bought lasted as advertised.

 

[fdcg27]

I have found that if I buy Michelin AS tires, I'll get something that will work well for a lot of miles and not suffer structural failures or need frequent balancing.
You do pay a price premium for Michelins but it seems to be worth it, at least to me.
I've also had good recent experience with a set of Pirelli P4+ tires that cost less than a similar Michelin tire but offered the same good wet and dry grip and also wore very well with no balance or structural issues.
For dedicated winters, I don't think you can beat Bridgestone Blizzaks based upon those that I've used in the past.

 

[totegoat]

Enjoying the new Michelin-X LT A/S tires so far.

 

[duck__dodgers]

is defender t and h different from the ltx series?

Not familiar w/the LTX (LTX is also used as a name for a trim, which can be confusing)

but here is Michelin's press release for the Defender in LTX trim... (for me, if I had to choose between LTX and Defender, I'd choose whatever was cheaper)

https://michelinmedia.com/pages/blog/detail/article/c/a1309/

Michelin North America, Inc.

 

[Number_35]

I am not brand loyal, I use the reviews as a guide and then make my own mind up.

Where I live, the largest tire retailer pushes Nokian ( cult religion ) and says "they are the best , always".

That thinking is what made me tell the guy to give me 4 Blizzak WS 90's until more reviews are available comparing them to other winter tires.

Not bashing Nokian ( had them before, just put 4 r5s on one of my 3 cars ) but no brand is the best ( or tire ).

Kal Tire?

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Kal Tire?

You got it.

Not something you question or they look at you as tire performance illiterate and ignorant.

They don’t just highly recommended, they insist they are the best ( at least with winter tires ).

 

[MParr]

Way back when I was a little shaver, people bought Firestones, Goodyears, and US Royals. and maybe Generals.

You forgot Armstrong.

 

[MParr]

is defender t and h different from the ltx series?

The Defender T+H is a SUV/CUV tire. I put a set on our 2019 Tiguan to replace the crappy Bridgestone Ecopia 422 plus. The Defender T+H are a pretty good tire. The tread design is similar to the LTX M/S2.
I didn’t buy them based on any Consumer Reports reviews. I’ve been bitten by purchasing items based on CR reviews.

 

[Number_35]

You got it.

I bought four sets of Nokian Hakkepeliitta winter tires (for four different vehicles) between 2009 and 2016, and was happy with them all. They were way better the Michelins and Goodyears I'd used in the past.

As far as service, Kal Tire was way better than Fountain Tire. No comparison.

However, the Haks are now hard to justify pricewise.

I bought a set of Kumho winter tires to replace the worn-out Haks on Jr's Mazda5, and they seem very good so far. Part of that too was wanting to give the business to my indy garage rather than a large chain.

 

[KGMtech]

Every Pirelli I've owned was better than what it replaced. I need new tires on my QX60 for the spring, I run 4 snows on alloys, so the new tires will only need to be 3 season. Leaning towards Pirelli, Continental or General. Can't stomach the Motomaster label on a sidewall even if they are made by big OEM's. (Sorry, Sorry Canadian Tire Content)

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Only tires I was very disappointed based on CR reviews were Michelin winter tires , but that’s a long time ago ( 2000 ). Smooth, quiet but were more for a Vancouver type “ winter “.

I bought four sets of Nokian Hakkepeliitta winter tires (for four different vehicles) between 2009 and 2016, and was happy with them all. They were way better the Michelins and Goodyears I'd used in the past.

As far as service, Kal Tire was way better than Fountain Tire. No comparison.

However, the Haks are now hard to justify pricewise.

I bought a set of Kumho winter tires to replace the worn-out Haks on Jr's Mazda5, and they seem very good so far. Part of that too was wanting to give the business to my indy garage rather than a large chain.

I am more than willing to pay more for tires, but they have to be better, not just as good ( quiet as possible for summer tires ).

If I didn’t need to drive so far ( and before plows are out ) to get to work, I think I am at the point where I would just take my chances with All Weather tires like the Michelin Cross climate 2 ( sorry Nokian ).

To be honest, I never used to put winter tires on my car until around 2000. Never went off the road , but.

I often see SUVs in the ditch during snow storms going to work on the Trans Canada highway. Curious if they even had winter tires on and relied and AWD mythology.

 

[Number_35]

Every Pirelli I've owned was better than what it replaced. I need new tires on my QX60 for the spring, I run 4 snows on alloys, so the new tires will only need to be 3 season. Leaning towards Pirelli, Continental or General. Can't stomach the Motomaster label on a sidewall even if they are made by big OEM's. (Sorry, Sorry Canadian Tire Content)

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