The Jetta got new tires today....

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Last week I ordered tires through Discount Tires website and made an appointment to have them installed today. First of all, I was thoroughly impressed with Discount Tire. This was my first transaction with them and their customer service and speed was outstanding. It took less than 30 minutes from my appointment time to when I drove off with new tires. Very impressed!

I of course did some tire shopping before settling on the right ones, there were plenty of options out their but I narrowed it down to the Pirelli P7 Centurato and the Michelin Defender T+H. Both have excellent reviews and are rated for long tread life. I was partial to Pirelli P7's as thats what I ended up getting for my Accord, and couldn't be happier with their performance. However, Discount Tire was running a nice rebate on the Michelins ($70 rebate) and that was significant enough to give the Michelins a shot. They have excellent reviews after all.

First impressions, they are TOMB quite on the highway, much more so than the OEM Continentals, and noticeably smoother over imperfections in the road. Steering response seems a bit sharper, but that could just be the placebo effect. Also, the OEM tires always had a vibration above 70 MPH, these new Michelins do not. All in all I am very happy with my purchase. Time will tell how they hold up of course, but I have high hopes.


OEM Continentals. They look like they could have gone a bit longer tread wise, but last week we had a nail in the tire (got patched) but kept leaking air. So I decided now would be a good time to replace all four.





New Michelin Defenders.


 
NICE!
Keep us posted on the Michelin Defender performance and most of all, their ride & quiet over the long haul. I too have P7 on the Mazda in my signature and am very happy. Also, we're looking at tires for the Altima & Civic in due time as well and the Michelin could be the tire if the price is right. However I have become a bit of a fan of Pirelli(P4/P7).

I've owned several Michelin tires over the years but only on new vehicles that came with them as OE and have never purchased Michelin aftermarket.
 
Pirelli Cinturato All Seasons Plus kept getting knocked on wet traction by Tire Rack, so I avoided them recently in my own purchases.
I settled on General GMAX AS-05's as a cheaper alternative to the top-rated BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S tires in this category. Performance is very close between those two (tire rack tests).
Like your Michelins, the Generals had a generous rebate too.

All that said, I think the best deal on a medium-performance, name-brand, long-lasting high mileage tire is Walmart's Goodyear Outlast for most cars/SUVs.
I wanted a little more performance so I went for the General GMAX AS-05 that was a known performer with tire rack tests.
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
NICE!
Keep us posted on the Michelin Defender performance and most of all, their ride & quiet over the long haul. I too have P7 on the Mazda in my signature and am very happy. Also, we're looking at tires for the Altima & Civic in due time as well and the Michelin could be the tire if the price is right. However I have become a bit of a fan of Pirelli(P4/P7).

I've owned several Michelin tires over the years but only on new vehicles that came with them as OE and have never purchased Michelin aftermarket.


I'll make sure to give updates. I too had Michelin OE on my Accord, I wasn't too impressed with those honestly. They seemed a bit noisy and had some sidewall cracking, but again these Defenders have excellent reviews and I also got a good rebate on them. I am very happy with them so far, and do not regret purchasing them at all. Time will tell how they hold up.
 
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Pirelli Cinturato All Seasons Plus kept getting knocked on wet traction by Tire Rack, so I avoided them recently in my own purchases.
I settled on General GMAX AS-05's as a cheaper alternative to the top-rated BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S tires in this category. Performance is very close between those two (tire rack tests).
Like your Michelins, the Generals had a generous rebate too.

All that said, I think the best deal on a medium-performance, name-brand, long-lasting high mileage tire is Walmart's Goodyear Outlast for most cars/SUVs.
I wanted a little more performance so I went for the General GMAX AS-05 that was a known performer with tire rack tests.



Thats odd, the P7 Centurato had excellent ratings in every test when I purchased them, including wet traction.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Pirelli Cinturato All Seasons Plus kept getting knocked on wet traction by Tire Rack, so I avoided them recently in my own purchases.
I settled on General GMAX AS-05's as a cheaper alternative to the top-rated BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S tires in this category. Performance is very close between those two (tire rack tests).
Like your Michelins, the Generals had a generous rebate too.

All that said, I think the best deal on a medium-performance, name-brand, long-lasting high mileage tire is Walmart's Goodyear Outlast for most cars/SUVs.
I wanted a little more performance so I went for the General GMAX AS-05 that was a known performer with tire rack tests.



Thats odd, the P7 Centurato had excellent ratings in every test when I purchased them, including wet traction.


The people I know that have the P7 Plus ( two ) don't seem to have any wet traction issues of note but Tire Rack has mentioned this at least twice in their testing. I generally don't look to TR as the grand arbiters of truth in how a given tire will perform on my car given that most of their testing is done with 3 series BMWs...and that concept seems to have been proven right over time. TR is for comparison / subjective valuations and not definitively how x tire will perform on a vehicle that's 700 lbs. lighter, has a markedly different suspension, and has a 6 inch shorter wheelbase in comparison to their test mule. IMO, their testing of a certain tire can usually have a greater or lesser degree of relevance ( both within and outside tire categories ) depending on what you drive.
 
I have the same Michelin Defenders on my Odyssey-- been using them a couple years. Treadwear is pretty outstanding (probably have 25k on them and still at about 2/3 tread), ride comfort and handling is good in all conditions.

What really impressed me was performance in snow-- I've never driven on an all-season tire with the grip these have in inclement weather.
 
At least VW didn't give you Bridgestone Ecopia's. I have never had a car shake so bad in my life. At 2,000 miles on the clock I dumped them.
 
Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
At least VW didn't give you Bridgestone Ecopia's. I have never had a car shake so bad in my life. At 2,000 miles on the clock I dumped them.


I have seen so many different tires on new VW's. Some even get P7's from the factory. I wonder why.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
At least VW didn't give you Bridgestone Ecopia's. I have never had a car shake so bad in my life. At 2,000 miles on the clock I dumped them.


I have seen so many different tires on new VW's. Some even get P7's from the factory. I wonder why.
I believe it has to do with trim level. I noticed base models got Bridgestones. SE got continentals. I'm not sure what the SEL got, maybe the P7's?
 
I was UNIMPRESSED with the car version Michelin "defender".. however that was 4 years ago.. I'm sure they are beyond tweaked by now and improved.
 
Originally Posted By: Vuflanovsky
The people I know that have the P7 Plus ( two ) don't seem to have any wet traction issues of note but Tire Rack has mentioned this at least twice in their testing. I generally don't look to TR as the grand arbiters of truth in how a given tire will perform on my car given that most of their testing is done with 3 series BMWs...and that concept seems to have been proven right over time. TR is for comparison / subjective valuations and not definitively how x tire will perform on a vehicle that's 700 lbs. lighter, has a markedly different suspension, and has a 6 inch shorter wheelbase in comparison to their test mule. IMO, their testing of a certain tire can usually have a greater or lesser degree of relevance ( both within and outside tire categories ) depending on what you drive.


Besides the UTQG ratings, Tire Rack is about all we've got. Once in a while Car and Driver and Consumer Reports will test tires, but after those all we have are anecdotal consumer reviews and what your Uncle Bob had. I prefer actual tests if they exist. ... We could use good standardized dry, wet, ice, & snow tests, along with sound levels and ride comfort engineering tests: They don't fully exist.

It is hard to decide which tire is best for us. Go by the best clues.
----Manufacturer reputation is a start.
----Then actual test reports.
----You can look at a lot of collective consumer reviews.
----Also, JD Power has customer satisfaction ratings for tire brands overall.

All else is guessing.
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
I was UNIMPRESSED with the car version Michelin "defender".. however that was 4 years ago.. I'm sure they are beyond tweaked by now and improved.


The new version is called Defender T+H
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted By: Rand
I was UNIMPRESSED with the car version Michelin "defender".. however that was 4 years ago.. I'm sure they are beyond tweaked by now and improved.


The new version is called Defender T+H
smile.gif



And these have excellent reviews from my findings.
 
This isn't a plug for Pirelli nor a knock against Michelin. I like both!

We have driven our Pirelli Cinturato P7 A/S + in torrential downpour after torrential downpour(and snow) and the P7s seem just fine. As good a tire as we've ever owned.

I think that the wet traction in a controlled testing environment(wet test track) by TR & CR is the fact that, it's a controlled test, and a good test. The test drivers hold a steady speed through the curvy road course as with all of the other tested tires and the P7s don't hold the road as well as some of the others.

*I have never tried to hold a(high)steady speed through a wet twisty road. I alter my driving according to the weather.

This is not to say that the P7s are a bad wet weather tire, they're not, just not as good through the wet turns on a test track/slalom as the other tire in that same side-by-side test. What these controlled tests don't say is that the P7s are a better tire in the wet than many other tires in other test categories that we might buy for our vehicle. They're tested against tires in their direct category. A good test for sure!

When we drive as human beings, we as responsible drivers alter our speeds in wet weather so that we don't even notice the lack of(ultimate) control as the TR & CR testers do.

However, in an emergency situation in the wet, this controlled wet road course is a very good test to show what could happen in a panic situation on wet roads as compared to other tires in the same test. For example, a car in front may hit their brakes hard causing the driver behind them to also brake hard & swerve. Or wildlife & children could run out in front, causing a similar reaction.

We've driven in the wet and had some emergency situations occur causing hard braking and swerving out of the way and the P7s performed admirably and with confidence. However, you be the judge.
 
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In addition to my statement above(talking about poor wet handling tires), my daughter's 2015 Civic LX(17K miles) in which she just purchased in July 2018, has the OE Firestone Affinity Touring tires and they rate horribly against any tires. Or should I say, as bad as the other bad tires.

However once again, she has been driving in the rainy & flooded PA area(sadly) that has been making the national news. And she has no complaints whatsoever with these tires thus far.

Now, will I recommend the Firestone Affinity Touring for her car again? NO!
Because they're quite expensive and they rate terribly. I will in fact get other higher rated tires such as what has been discussed in this thread.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted By: Rand
I was UNIMPRESSED with the car version Michelin "defender".. however that was 4 years ago.. I'm sure they are beyond tweaked by now and improved.
The new version is called Defender T+H
smile.gif

And these have excellent reviews from my findings.
Defender T+H is good except for tire rack actually tested it and said it needed a "big bump in wet traction".

So why pay premium prices for something that fails in the rain?
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=236
Continental TrueContact Tour would be a better choice if you're in the expensive-tire category.

That wet traction is a tough one to get right, when balanced against dry and winter traction at the same time.
Siping shape certainly plays a big role. The other part of wet traction performance comes from a very deeply technical area exemplified by "A typical tire compound is examined for the effects of the ingredients on improvements in wet traction, i.e., raising the glass transition temperature of the polymer or the extender oil, increasing the fineness of the carbon black, and lowering the level of curatives."-- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4757-1370-1_13
 
My '17 Jetta SE has the Bridgestone Ecopia tires...I keep getting the least little vibration around 75-80 MPH, minimal enough that I doubt most people would notice, and I drive that fast infrequently enough that I haven't bothered to address it. I have never, ever bought a Pirelli tire, and the mechanical tech in the body shop where I used to work HATED Pirelli tires, said they were 'square" and it was almost impossible to get them balanced properly. That was a decade ago, and it was not direct experience of mine, so take it for what it's worth.
 
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