High Performance Tire 235/45-17 Choice

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HTSS_TR

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I need to replace tires for my 2000 E430 soon. It is down to around 3/32" and raining season is coming in about a month or so. I don't mind ride on bald tires in summer when we have no chance of any precipitation.

The current tire is Continental ExtremeContact DWS, it was okay when new but somewhat noisy when tread is down less than 5-6/32".

I'm thinking about these tires:

Hankook Ventus V2 Concept 500 A A, speed rate V for $89/ea from onlinetires.com. America's Tire will price match this price. Total after tax and installation will be about $470.

Kumho Ecsta 4X 420 A A, speed rate Z for $100/ea from America's Tire. Currently there is a combined $125 rebate for 4 from AT and Kumho. Tax will be on total before rebate, so the net cost will be about $380-390 for 4 installed.

The advantage of Kumho is it is asymmetrical design so that it can cross rotate. Hankook is unidirectional so rotation is Front Rear only.
 
If you want the best summer performance tire, hands down, go with the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Michelin owns this performance category (Max Performance Summer) with this tire. You can go with cheap tires if you must but the extra $300-$400 will be appreciated every mile, every day. I did recently finish up a set of Sumitomo HTR ZIII tires that were decent, though noisy during the 20,000 miles they lasted on my Si.
 
Originally Posted By: OrdnanceMarine
If you want the best summer performance tire, hands down, go with the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Michelin owns this performance category (Max Performance Summer) with this tire. You can go with cheap tires if you must but the extra $300-$400 will be appreciated every mile, every day. I did recently finish up a set of Sumitomo HTR ZIII tires that were decent, though noisy during the 20,000 miles they lasted on my Si.


qft. I have these on my Volvo, they replaced a set of PS2s that I got about 22k out of and could not have been happier. The Super Sports have not disappointed whatsoever.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Potenza RE970AS.

That would be my pick as well, but it doesn't look like he wants to spend this much.
 
This is my wife car, she drive easy on and off highway. She's happy with any tire with with good tread depth. The way she drives I think any long lasting tire(and low cost) will be a good match for her. If this car is my daily drive then Potenza RE970AS will be at the top of my list.

Michelin Pilot Super Sport is a great summer tire, but tread life is fairly short, especially for the E430 which is hard on tire. Continental ExtremeContact DWS is supposed to be a 50k miles tire, it's lasted only 27-28k miles even with 5-6k rotation. I tried several different brands and none lasted more than 30k miles.
 
You'll get a plethora of suggestions for tires other than you suggested. I haven't used the particular models that you mentioned but i have used both hankook and kumho tires and both were excellent. I prefer the kumhos...i'm on my second set.
 
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Hankook were OEM on the Sonata, I can't complain about anything for my driving style which is rather agressive. I bought the 4X to replace in the late winter/early spring it looks like...
 
Must admit never heard a Michilin tyre thought of as less than hard wearing. Perhaps compounds are different in the US.

I used to run Michelin Pilots on my Omega, but that was '99-'01, they lasted well and I bought them used with 5-6mm on them and ran them down to 1.6mm (UK legal limit) no change in noise, wore evenly. Got 20k out a rear without rotation, nearer 40k on the front, only reason I went for used is the shop had a contract with the Police Traffic garage and they had a no repair policy and also a change in pairs policy. This has now changed in pursuit of "savings".

I drove a few miles in a Ford Galaxy earlier this year and they ran the same tyre on everything Hankooks, they changed to KT17's a few mo the ago and they seemed to grip well in the dry and wore well, but when you pushed it in the wet you could feel the car under steer the quickly go into a four wheel slide, easily catchable but not ideal.

I am a big fan of GoodYear tyres and Michelin as that was what we used in my NHS Trust. NCT 5 was a good tyre as was the Excellence and Efficient Grip, but the Primacy HP was the best of the bunch, miles better than the Energy tyre which slide very easily in the wet.

A lot of fleet Mercs in the London Private Hire trade are running Nexen tyres. They are Korean rather than Chinese and have a cheaper brand called Roadstone.

Can't advise on wear rates as they are not really advertised in the way they are in the US, you have to check your sidewall and the. It is not mileage specific, just states Treadwear and a number.

My gut says go for the Michelin that fits the car, but I am a Michelin buyer when funds allow, always have been. The front Michelins on my Taxi have 50k on them and still have a few more to go.
 
Why do you use all seasons if you care mostly about rain? Is it for longer wear than summer tires?

Krzys
 
Originally Posted By: krzyss
Why do you use all seasons if you care mostly about rain? Is it for longer wear than summer tires?

Krzys


This is a question I ask as well. Unless you need the features of an all-season tire, a summer tire will generally significantly outperform a similar all-season tire until you get down to tire temps near or even below freezing. I live in the Mojave Desert and temps dip below freezing in mornings for about 3-4 months out of the year (I ride my bike to work so no bother there) and there are 4000' passes that get snow (I either will wait or drive my 4x4) and I am still willing to plan around that for the significant increase in performance that a summer tires has.

That being said it looks as if handling and noise are backseat to longevity and price so I would then fish around Tire Rack and look for the right combination of what you're looking for using mostly their testing.
 
Sounds like you are looking for an inexpensive UHPAS tire with a long warranty. Take a look at the new new Nitto Motivo. It has a 60,000 mile treadwear warranty and can be cross rotated.
 
Originally Posted By: krzyss
Why do you use all seasons if you care mostly about rain? Is it for longer wear than summer tires?

Krzys

That's why I buy them.
 
Since the car is mostly driven by my wife, handling/performance are backseat to ride, noise, price and longevity(mileage warranty). The most importance category is the tire not made in China.
 
^ In that case, don't look at UHPAS tires like the Kumho and Hankook you listed. Look at Grand Touring AS tires, or Performance AS tires. Something like the Continental Pure Contact, the Goodyear Assurance TripleTread AS, or the new Pirelli Cinturato P7 AS Plus, Michelin Primacy MXV4, etc.
 
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
^ In that case, don't look at UHPAS tires like the Kumho and Hankook you listed. Look at Grand Touring AS tires, or Performance AS tires. Something like the Continental Pure Contact, the Goodyear Assurance TripleTread AS, or the new Pirelli Cinturato P7 AS Plus, Michelin Primacy MXV4, etc.


I agree. You'll get a more comfortable, quiet, long-lasting and inexpensive ride out of this class of tire.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I need to replace tires for my 2000 E430 soon. It is down to around 3/32" and raining season is coming in about a month or so. I don't mind ride on bald tires in summer when we have no chance of any precipitation.


The most important thing that any tire does is stop the car when you need the car to stop. Remember: brakes do not stop cars; tires do. You appear to be thinking about driving in rain, and if you are driving in rain, the last tire you want is an all-season tire. All-seasons are better in (very light) snow than summer tires, but are much worse than summer tires in rain when you want to stop the car.

Easy advice: for performance, look at the tire's construction; the best tires have rayon sidewalls (that is, the tire's carcass). Any tire that has polyester sidewalls is telling you that the tire company's engineers designed it with more emphasis on the price point than attention to the tire's performance on the road. Among current offerings, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT is an excellent choice for wet braking as well as other performance parameters.
 
For a top 3 summer tire the best deal is the Ventus V12 from Hankook. This tire almost won the last comparo in C&D! I've got about 10k miles on my set and have found them to be a very surprisingly good tire for the money.

I absolutely prefer the Michelins but this is a luxo sedan...
 
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