You don't hear much about Dunlop

[Finklejag]

Well, my job as the family/friend tire guy is never done. One of my coworkers needs new tires soon. He has a 08 Mazda 3 with the [censored] Goodyear RS-A's. He only has 11,000 miles on it, and the tires are down to 4/32nd's already.

I told him 17 inch tires aren't cheap. I said he is going to spend anywhere from $500-$700 for the set. He wants a longer lasting tire. I told him I would help him. He has 205/50/17's on his 3. I already picked out the top four I thought would be good for his needs. It needs to be good in the rain, long lasting, and reliable in the light snow we get in Portland every winter.

These are the four.

Dunlop SP Sport Signature UTQG 460 $542.00 OTD
Goodyear Eagle GT UTQG 440 $586.00 OTD
Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum UTQG 600 $618.00
Continental ExtremeContact DWS UTQG 540 $656.00

The reason I posted this here is. I don't know much about Dunlop. I also don't read much about Dunlop. I have never driven on Dunlop tires either. I know Goodyear and Sumitomo own the Dunlop name. Are they still a tier 1 tire maker? Or are they tier 2 like Uniroyal and Kelly? The Signature's are made in the US. Thanks

 

[shanneba]

Check the reviews on tirerack dot com

He still has 40% of the tread left, should get another 5000 miles easy. The RSAs start with 10-11 32nds of tread.

 

[blackdiamond]

I just replaced a nearly new set of Dunlop tires on my Sequoia and wouldn't ever consider trying another set. I'm sure they make better tires, but these were terrible. I replaced them with Goodyear Triple Treads.

I had a 2007 Mazdaspeed 3, with 18 inch wheels, and replaced the OEM tires with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. They were absolutely fantastic! Sadly, I traded the car soon after. I live near Seattle, WA and know about rain. These tires are worth the extra money and they come in the size they want. The Goodyear Triple Tread would be another great choice if there was one in a size that would work. The Michelin Hydro Edge would also be an option, but the Goodyear Triple Tread are supposed to have better snow traction.

In Portland, get dedicated rain tire and never look back!

 

[UG_Passat]

I had Dunlop SP Sport A2's a long time ago on one of my old cars--- horrible tires. The set of Cornell tires from Pep Boys I got to replace them were cheaper & better. Since them, I swore off Dunlops.

I'd go with the Kumhos, since it has more decent siping that go most of the way down..

The Conti's DWS, once it wears a certain amount where the "S" is no longer visible.... useless in the snow....

 

[CharlieJ]

Ah! I'm nearing the same boat with my Mazda3. I am highly considering the Goodyear Eagle GT tires myself.

 

[blackdiamond]

The Goodyear Triple Tread is available in a 215/50/17 and is listed as a "Plus One" option for the standard 16 inch wheels on Discount Tire's website. Tirerack lists them as .4 inches taller which is only .2 on the rolling diameter.

The light truck/SUV version is an amazing tire, I had them on my Tundra and my wife requested them on the current Sequoia.

The out the door price should be about $750 in OR without sales tax.

 

[Mustang2008Z]

Allow me to state that Dunlop tires received the Best Rating from Consumer Reports...not Consumer Digest.....I have owned Dunlop Tires and Highly recommend Dunlop if you want a tire that will give you excellent service, durability, etc....Because my Dunlops have been excellent on the road for me.

Yes, it is my opinion, but Dunlop, for me is the best tire on the market...

 

[blackdiamond]

Originally Posted By: Mustang2008Z
Allow me to state that Dunlop tires received the Best Rating from Consumer Reports...not Consumer Digest.....I have owned Dunlop Tires and Highly recommend Dunlop if you want a tire that will give you excellent service, durability, etc....Because my Dunlops have been excellent on the road for me.

Yes, it is my opinion, but Dunlop, for me is the best tire on the market...


I wish I had the same experience that you did.

 

[zoomzoomlx]

What about the Yokohama Avid TRZ?:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+TRZ

A 215/60/17 runs about $95 each.

Tires in the 17-18 inch range are pricey! I've been [censored] about prices for 15 inch tires..

 

[QuOk]

I would take Dunlop over any of those choices,SP Sport A2 was a great tire for my 1995 Sentra.

 

[JHZR2]

+1

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
The Conti's DWS, once it wears a certain amount where the "S" is no longer visible.... useless in the snow....

All tires, when about half worn become useless in snow because good snow traction requires certain amount of tread depth. This is nothing specific to Conti. Conti is just nice enough to include a somewhat primitive indicator for your. This is also why I laugh when I see people buying used winter tires that have 50% of its tread gone.

Back to the original question, I don't know anything about the specific Dunlop model listed here (it looks like a new model, probably a successor of the old SP A2). I did own a set of Dunlop SP Sport Maxx (summer tires). They provided a good balance of comfort and performance, but had one huge problem - high succeptibility to flatspotting, even after sitting for just a few hours. When I tried to return them, Dunlop said 'no'. They claimed it's not a defect but a feature.

I like to try a lot of different tires, so I will probably not be getting another set of Dunlops any time soon.

 

[Finklejag]

Originally Posted By: shanneba
He still has 40% of the tread left, should get another 5000 miles easy. The RSAs start with 10-11 32nds of tread.


I wish that was true, but it isn't. Most tires start out with 10/32nd. The wear bars are at 2/32nd. It is recommended tires be replaced at 4/32nd now. Here is a good article from Tirerack explaning it.

Abe or George

 

[Audi Junkie]

Signature is bad, Sport Signature is good.

If he drives hard, the Eagle GT is good for him.

 

[blackdiamond]

I'll say it one more time...

The rain in Portland, OR makes getting a set of tires designed specifically for rain well worth the added expense. The difference between the OEM tires on my Tundra, Mazdaspeed 3 and now Sequoia compared to the Goodyear Triple Tread and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus was night and day. I know there are other options available, but until you drive on a set of true rain type tires you won't understand the difference. My in-laws just moved to WA from OH and I'm pushing them to get some Triple Treads soon.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: blackdiamond
I'll say it one more time...

The rain in Portland, OR makes getting a set of tires designed specifically for rain well worth the added expense.


Portland weather forecast method.

If you can't see Mt Hood, it's raining.

If you can see Mt. Hood, it's going to rain.

 

[UG_Passat]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
The Conti's DWS, once it wears a certain amount where the "S" is no longer visible.... useless in the snow....

All tires, when about half worn become useless in snow because good snow traction requires certain amount of tread depth. This is nothing specific to Conti. Conti is just nice enough to include a somewhat primitive indicator for your. This is also why I laugh when I see people buying used winter tires that have 50% of its tread gone.


Interestingly enough, the only snow tire I have used that maintained its winter performance all the way down to the wear bars was the remolded Green Diamond (back then when they had the MDT tire, aka Michelin MX4 tread with carbide chunks)

 

[92saturnsl2]

Originally Posted By: finklejab
I wish that was true, but it isn't. Most tires start out with 10/32nd. The wear bars are at 2/32nd. It is recommended tires be replaced at 4/32nd now. Here is a good article from Tirerack explaning it.

Abe or George


It is very true. You can wear the tires down to 2/32" no problem, likely getting another 5k out of the tires. It's common sense that less tread depth equals poorer performance in rain and snow. It also improves performance in dry conditions.

If your pocketbook allows you to replace tires prematurely, be my guest. I've found that as a competent driver, 2/32 tread depth is sufficient. That might be different for the moron cheeseburger eating, talking on the cell-phone driver, who might need that extra tread depth for the quick reaction-- or when their ketchup spills on their leg and they need a quick manuever to the shoulder.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Two sets of wheels allows good new tire sets to be run in winter and older worn sets to be used as summer "smokers".

I always have the right tread for the season and never have to throw out a tire before it's run down. That is, I can't drive on 3 or 4/32nds in winter, but in summer that's fine, especially if they are nice handling tires to begin with.

Hot summer pavement will wilt your nice full-tread tires quickly. I like to get 2 good winters out of a set. Storing the new set after the first winter over the summertime makes that happen.

 

[blackdiamond]

If people in Portland are anything like people near Seattle, it's all about chains in the snow (I grew up in Colorado and don't understand it) and they really just need to deal with rain on a regular basis. Ironically, the parts of the country where snow is common people often don't rely on chains.