Put Michelin Exalto A/S on my car today

[Blue_Goose]

I bought some OEM alloy rims to replace my steelies that I've had on my Matrix. I didn't want to put my HydroEdges on the alloys so after some debate I bought a set of Exalto A/S. Not cheap at $540.

First impression is they are a little firmer riding than the HydroEdges. It is an H rated tire vs the T on the Edges. Tires still have a bit of noise to them but nowhere near as loud as the Edges. When I was driving home from the tire shop they felt pretty rocky and I was like what the heck! Checked air pressure and it was all over the map....37,33,31,34 in the 4 tires

Why can't shops put in what the door says? I put them all at 32 and it improved the ride quite a bit. These tires can turn on a dime and hold a corner very well

Only have 20 miles on them..if I remember correctly there is a break in period for tires and after that time they do tend to smooth out a bit? At least thats how the HydroEdges were..only problem with them was the noise go louder as the tires got smoother

Go figure lol

Any tips on "breaking in" new tires?


Goose

 

[Quattro Pete]

The break-in on new tires has to do with manufacturing greases/lubricants wearing off during the first few hundred miles, hence it's not recommended to drive them hard (take corners fast) as they may be more slippery during that period. Just drive easy on them until then.

 

[Mickey_M]

"Break-in" on tires involves the setting of the various rubber compounds, the fabric, and the belt(s). Once the tires are inflated, flexed, heated, cooled, and so on through several cycles they take their final shape. Beating them up while they're sorting that out tends to reduce their life and weaken the tires.

 

[Blue_Goose]

Yeah...I hear you Mickey....not beating on them, just took some corners and did not have to back off like I usually did.

Ride down this morning was a little bumpy....getting a lot more feedback through the steering wheel and pedals than I did with the Edges. I guess I expect that with a performance type tire vs the T rated Edge. I'm sure they will smooth out as they break in

Goose

 

[Dominic]

Whats funny is they look just like my Avon M550s

(btw I still love my Avon M550s)

 

[spiderbypass]

would be interested in gas mileage with these tires. I currently have michelin mxv4 s8 tires on car and gas mileage is excellent. My wife's gas mileage went down after she switched from michelin mxv4 s8 to continental pro-contact. Her tires grip beter with 3mpg less fuel economy. Everything is a tradeoff

 

[Blue_Goose]

I haven't noticed reallypartly due to winter gas still in effect when I put the tires on...I did get 2 or so tanks which I considered subpar mpg(28-39 mpg) right after I put the tires on.....did the tires cause the drop in mpg or not

Could have been the uber cold temps and my right foot

fwiw I have about 2200 miles on the tires now and mpg seems to be at what I expect from what I have gotten with other sets of tires(31-34mpg)Conti's, Comfortreds and HydroEdges


Goose

 

[Bobert]

Usually 3000 to 5000 miles I've found it takes for the tires to start riding a litte better. My set of Kumho ASX took about 4000 miles to start riding a little softer. They were quite bouncy and stiff when they were first put on. I've always kind of thought of it like breaking in a new pair of shoes. It takes some time for them get more comfortable.

 

[Blue_Goose]

I think that is how the HydroEdges worked...they seemed to get real smooth at right around 5000 miles...I could tell noticeably when one day they started to ride real smooth....still very noisy but smooth...I'm hoping that the Exalto's follow the same path...can I say smooth anymore in one post

Goose