Tires are the only part of your car touching the road, and even then the surface area regularly connecting to the pavement could fit on a piece of printer paper. And, yet, many of us just look for the cheapest tire. For certain cars that’s maybe ok, but even our staff is split between people who don’t care that much about their tires and those who spend way too much time tire-shopping.
Matt Hardigree
The tires are the only part of my Subaru that do not let me down. I have Michelin CrossClimate 2s and I think they’re the best all-around tire for people who drive a non-performance vehicle/live in cold climates and might have to drive in snow irregularly.
Thomas Hundal
When I bought my Boxster, I knew it needed new tires, and there aren’t many choices in this particular fitment. Instead of the Porsche N-Spec Pirelli P Zeros, which I haven’t been impressed with, or the ancient and expensive Porsche N-Spec Michelin PS2s, I went with the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02. It’s a 340-treadwear summer tire competing with the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, except it’s exclusively an aftermarket fitment. While grip and resistance to flat-spotting has been excellent, the big surprise was road manners. These are incredibly quiet tires that are still sticky enough to throw pebbles, they’re hushed over expansion joints, have a great sense of dead-ahead, and I find the steering more linear than on most Michelin tires. So far, I’m extremely happy. After all, a good car requires good tires, right?
Peter Vieira
I am a discerning consumer, which means I wear out the counter guy at my Local Firestone Tire Center with a litany of questions including “What do you have for a 2015 RAV4” and “What is the cheapest tire for a 2015 RAV4,” followed by “can I keep this pen” and exactly no other questions. I’m an unashamed cheap-tire buyer, but I won’t get the cheapest of the cheap – it’s gotta be a legit name brand, it can’t be something like, “Mile King, a Division of Abakumov Rubber & Sausage.” At present, I’m happy with my [goes out to garage to check] Firestone All-Seasons. They’re the perfect combination of “was on sale” and “seems fine” that I require in a tire. And if anyone’s wondering why I get my tires from a Firestone shop, it’s because it’s close enough for me to ride my bicycle back home after I drop off the RAV4. I can’t be hanging out in no tire store all day, I’m busy.
Mercedes Streeter
My only tire loyalty is to Vredestein. Otherwise, cheapest tire from a recognizable brand.
Top image by Pete, via Twitter (sigh … “X.”)
I have a lot of connections within the Bridgestone organization, so I tend to favor Bridgestone and Firestone products. I will make an exception for context, though. I’m looking to put Nokians on my Saab at the next opportunity to keep it Scandinavian.
I think Bridgestone did amazing things for Firestone. It’s tire quality was iffy at best before they took over, but now, the bang-for-the-buck proposition is really high. I’m super happy with my Firehawk all seasons.
I’ve got some Destination LE3s on my Odyssey and they’re great. Though the OE Bridgestone Turanzas were terrible; they wore out after 35-40k. Typical OE tire I guess.
I bought some General Altimax RT45’s after 5 or so years of my BFG Advantage T/A Sport’s a few months ago. They seem to perform pretty much the same, but the Generals seem to ride a bit better. If the BFG’s hadn’t started rotting, I’d probably still have them.
Both were/are great tires to have in the snow. They barely let me slide.
I bought some General Altimax RT45’s after 5 or so years of my BFG Advantage T/A Sport’s a few months ago. They seem to perform pretty much the same, but the Generals seem to ride a bit better. If the BFG’s hadn’t started rotting, I’d probably still have them.
Both were/are great tires to have in the snow. They barely let me slide.
My daily drivers for a long while have all been Continental. They never seem to be the highest rated tire out there, but they’re usually in the top 3 or 5 per category, and they’re usually priced well below the “best” tire.
I actually started using Continental as a winter tire – The ContiWinterContact was a great balance of on road performance and winter traction. From there, I tried the ExtremeContact DWS06 as a summer tire, and they’re been just as great, so I’ve stuck with them.
On my current DD, I changed slightly… the car came with Continental’s Eco tires…which are ok. I’ll change them out for DWS06+ when they wear enough.
I bought the VikingContact7 this time for winter however – it’s softer, but quite a lot better with snow and ice traction. I’ve put 4 winters on them now, and they’re still holding up really well. A pandemic where I didn’t commute much has a lot to do with that though.
The big exception is on the Miata. I considered the ExtremeContact Sport… but actually went with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500’s. They came in at a much better price with reviews that promised excellent handling… which they have delivered on nicely. They kinda suit the car and my driving pretty perfectly actually.
My daily drivers for a long while have all been Continental. They never seem to be the highest rated tire out there, but they’re usually in the top 3 or 5 per category, and they’re usually priced well below the “best” tire.
I actually started using Continental as a winter tire – The ContiWinterContact was a great balance of on road performance and winter traction. From there, I tried the ExtremeContact DWS06 as a summer tire, and they’re been just as great, so I’ve stuck with them.
On my current DD, I changed slightly… the car came with Continental’s Eco tires…which are ok. I’ll change them out for DWS06+ when they wear enough.
I bought the VikingContact7 this time for winter however – it’s softer, but quite a lot better with snow and ice traction. I’ve put 4 winters on them now, and they’re still holding up really well. A pandemic where I didn’t commute much has a lot to do with that though.
The big exception is on the Miata. I considered the ExtremeContact Sport… but actually went with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500’s. They came in at a much better price with reviews that promised excellent handling… which they have delivered on nicely. They kinda suit the car and my driving pretty perfectly actually.
Our fleet is rolling around on:
VW GTI- Bridgestone Potenza Sports for warm season and Autocross (so far they’ve been a fantastic budget competitor to the Pilot Sport 4’s she wore last summer) and Pirelli Sottozero 3’s for winter duty (they did well through several whiteouts and ski trips)
Honda Fit- Hankook RS4’s in the back and Kumho V730’s up front (get silly with it)
NA Miata- whatever all season was available in a 14 inch wheel size still (a thrilling and exhilarating experience in heavy rain)
Our fleet is rolling around on:
VW GTI- Bridgestone Potenza Sports for warm season and Autocross (so far they’ve been a fantastic budget competitor to the Pilot Sport 4’s she wore last summer) and Pirelli Sottozero 3’s for winter duty (they did well through several whiteouts and ski trips)
Honda Fit- Hankook RS4’s in the back and Kumho V730’s up front (get silly with it)
NA Miata- whatever all season was available in a 14 inch wheel size still (a thrilling and exhilarating experience in heavy rain)
My firebird- Nitto NT555 G2 275/40/r17 seems to be nice grippy tires car hooks really well with them.
FJ- Yokohama Geolander M/T 305/70/r16- haven’t really done much with these tires besides drive through some mud and they perform pretty well. They rub a bit on the passenger side when the wheel is cut to the right so might need an alignment. I used to have Falken M/T before I got these on a few weeks ago.
92 Cummins- Falken Wildpeak A/T (cannot recall size) seem to be decent tires the truck used to get stuck in wet grass and doesn’t any more with these tires (yay 2wd with no weight in back)
Tourx- Also has Falken Wildpeak A/T 235/50/r18- No complaints gets through our muddy driveway fine and gets through the snow well.
As can see I really like Falken tires they seem to perform really well for the price or well used to but the prices on them have gone up to much. I trie to change tires every 5-7 years or 40-70k miles (depends on tread and such) FJ’s old tires I got 70k from them since I did a 5 tire rotation.
My firebird- Nitto NT555 G2 275/40/r17 seems to be nice grippy tires car hooks really well with them.
FJ- Yokohama Geolander M/T 305/70/r16- haven’t really done much with these tires besides drive through some mud and they perform pretty well. They rub a bit on the passenger side when the wheel is cut to the right so might need an alignment. I used to have Falken M/T before I got these on a few weeks ago.
92 Cummins- Falken Wildpeak A/T (cannot recall size) seem to be decent tires the truck used to get stuck in wet grass and doesn’t any more with these tires (yay 2wd with no weight in back)
Tourx- Also has Falken Wildpeak A/T 235/50/r18- No complaints gets through our muddy driveway fine and gets through the snow well.
As can see I really like Falken tires they seem to perform really well for the price or well used to but the prices on them have gone up to much. I trie to change tires every 5-7 years or 40-70k miles (depends on tread and such) FJ’s old tires I got 70k from them since I did a 5 tire rotation.
On my daily driver I’ve got BFG g-Force Comp2 A/S plus. They are OK but they do flat spot when sitting for a week at least in the 40 series, my son’s don’t seem to do that but they are 60 series. The other thing that is unusual about mine is that when driving on concrete at low speeds they make a weird noise that is hard to describe. It is really noticeable when going through a drive thru and having the building for the sound to bounce off. On the road however they don’t seem particularly noisy. I’d like a little more wet grip as they aren’t quite as good as my old go to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+.
So when it came time for new tires for the T-bird I went to the replacement for my old go to’s the Pilot Sport All Season 4. Haven’t racked up many miles on those yet but so far so good. I don’t expect to find out about their wet grip or snow capabilities but in the dry they are a massive improvement over the cheapo tires that were on it when I bought it and they are quiet which was high on the priority list for that car.
I put the Vredestein Pinza AT on our SUV and I’m happy with their overall performance including wet and snow. At Tire Rack had just started carrying Vredestein and they were a good value but that price difference between similar tires has seemed to have gone away. That said I’d definitely consider them again if in need of that type of tire.
On my daily driver I’ve got BFG g-Force Comp2 A/S plus. They are OK but they do flat spot when sitting for a week at least in the 40 series, my son’s don’t seem to do that but they are 60 series. The other thing that is unusual about mine is that when driving on concrete at low speeds they make a weird noise that is hard to describe. It is really noticeable when going through a drive thru and having the building for the sound to bounce off. On the road however they don’t seem particularly noisy. I’d like a little more wet grip as they aren’t quite as good as my old go to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+.
So when it came time for new tires for the T-bird I went to the replacement for my old go to’s the Pilot Sport All Season 4. Haven’t racked up many miles on those yet but so far so good. I don’t expect to find out about their wet grip or snow capabilities but in the dry they are a massive improvement over the cheapo tires that were on it when I bought it and they are quiet which was high on the priority list for that car.
I put the Vredestein Pinza AT on our SUV and I’m happy with their overall performance including wet and snow. At Tire Rack had just started carrying Vredestein and they were a good value but that price difference between similar tires has seemed to have gone away. That said I’d definitely consider them again if in need of that type of tire.
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S on my current daily.
I hate them.
They are oem tires and are good for around town driving in most weather. But on the open highway they are far noisier than expected. They also ride harsh, but that’s more likely due to them being 40 ratio on 20″ wheels.
My other vehicle is on BFG AT KO2’s. Quiet and squishy and all around really good. They’re 32’s on 15″ wheels. Old-school setup on an old-school chunk of iron.
Previously I had been on some Barum Bravuris 3HM’s that were surprisingly good summer tires for not wearing a big brand name.
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S on my current daily.
I hate them.
They are oem tires and are good for around town driving in most weather. But on the open highway they are far noisier than expected. They also ride harsh, but that’s more likely due to them being 40 ratio on 20″ wheels.
My other vehicle is on BFG AT KO2’s. Quiet and squishy and all around really good. They’re 32’s on 15″ wheels. Old-school setup on an old-school chunk of iron.
Previously I had been on some Barum Bravuris 3HM’s that were surprisingly good summer tires for not wearing a big brand name.
They don’t make the tire I really liked for the Camaro, so I am running my second choice. Bridgestone something or other.
The Crosstrek gets the brand On Sale. Right now found an amazing deal on Hankook’s
They don’t make the tire I really liked for the Camaro, so I am running my second choice. Bridgestone something or other.
The Crosstrek gets the brand On Sale. Right now found an amazing deal on Hankook’s
On my Silverado I have Falken Wildpeak AT3W’s. They have been great. Solid performance on and off pavement, great in snow, and minimal road noise. I have my eye on the new AT4W’s next, but I only drive about 7,000 miles per year in the truck, so it will be awhile.
OEM tires on the Wife’s CX-5. They are nothing to write home about, I couldn’t even tell you what they are. Very meh performance. Will be replacing them this Fall.
OEM CX-5 tires should be the Toyo A23 or A36 AFAIK. They’re so “meh” they don’t even get a real name.
They’re not so bad so as to be noticeable like Michelin Primacy, or the garbage Hankook and Kumho that Hyundai/Kia put on their new cars, but they’re not great, or the underwhelming Pirelli and Continentals a lot of Euro brands put as OE.
I’ve had to replace a couple on Mrs. BoxRocket’s various CX-5s due to picking up FOD in non-repairable areas. I’d have upgraded them to something better but it was just one at a time and not so different in tread depth that replacing more than 1 was warranted.
She hasn’t kept any of the cars long enough to replace the whole set with a better set of tires (first CX-5 was a purchase, subsequent ones have been leases). So in that regard they’re good, I guess.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who has found the tires to be complete Meh. I think ours are actually Yokohama.
What year and trim? I can look it up and tell you. There was a Yokohama option that are also very “meh”, I think they were the S33B or something? Though that might have been the ones they used on some Mopar minivans. Definitely not theit best effort.
It’s a 2018 Touring FWD.
Hmm I’m only seeing Toyo for that spec, but the Yokohama option may have been discontinued.
I’ve had to change out a number of tires over the last three to four years. Such is part of the fun of trying to keep a whole fleet in drivable condition.
Pirelli something-or-others are on my Volt. I had to wait in line for over an hour at the local Sam’s Club to take advantage of a mail-out one-day-only deal. Out-the-door-price of $380 was nice.
Goodyear something-or-others (I think they’re Assurance) on my ’82 Jaguar XJ6. Another Sam’s Club deal. They’re fine.
Nexen’s on the Spark. Sam’s Club again. Fine.
Nexen’s with whitewalls on the ’66 Biscayne. These were stupid-cheap ebay specials. I pulled the wheels at home and had a local shop mount and balance them. I think the total on that was only around $350 by the time everything was said and done. They ride surprisingly nice.
More Ebay specials for the ’95 Escort – Waterfalls? Something along those lines. Same process as the Biscayne. Only $280 at the finish line for that set. They’re fine.
Yet another Ebay special for my F-250. Two 10-ply tires for the rear. They’re kind of stiff and the truck rides a little odd after I installed them, but they’re far better than the junkyard specials I had on there previously.
Last, but not least… the mustard and mayo Vogue specials for my ’94 Fleetwood. Again, went through Ebay and had them installed at the local tire independent tire shop. I really like these tires – they look just right on the car and manage to complete the feeling of being completely disassociated with the road. Land-yacht perfection.
On my Silverado I have Falken Wildpeak AT3W’s. They have been great. Solid performance on and off pavement, great in snow, and minimal road noise. I have my eye on the new AT4W’s next, but I only drive about 7,000 miles per year in the truck, so it will be awhile.
OEM tires on the Wife’s CX-5. They are nothing to write home about, I couldn’t even tell you what they are. Very meh performance. Will be replacing them this Fall.
OEM CX-5 tires should be the Toyo A23 or A36 AFAIK. They’re so “meh” they don’t even get a real name.
They’re not so bad so as to be noticeable like Michelin Primacy, or the garbage Hankook and Kumho that Hyundai/Kia put on their new cars, but they’re not great, or the underwhelming Pirelli and Continentals a lot of Euro brands put as OE.
I’ve had to replace a couple on Mrs. BoxRocket’s various CX-5s due to picking up FOD in non-repairable areas. I’d have upgraded them to something better but it was just one at a time and not so different in tread depth that replacing more than 1 was warranted.
She hasn’t kept any of the cars long enough to replace the whole set with a better set of tires (first CX-5 was a purchase, subsequent ones have been leases). So in that regard they’re good, I guess.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who has found the tires to be complete Meh. I think ours are actually Yokohama.
What year and trim? I can look it up and tell you. There was a Yokohama option that are also very “meh”, I think they were the S33B or something? Though that might have been the ones they used on some Mopar minivans. Definitely not theit best effort.
It’s a 2018 Touring FWD.
Hmm I’m only seeing Toyo for that spec, but the Yokohama option may have been discontinued.
I’ve had to change out a number of tires over the last three to four years. Such is part of the fun of trying to keep a whole fleet in drivable condition.
Pirelli something-or-others are on my Volt. I had to wait in line for over an hour at the local Sam’s Club to take advantage of a mail-out one-day-only deal. Out-the-door-price of $380 was nice.
Goodyear something-or-others (I think they’re Assurance) on my ’82 Jaguar XJ6. Another Sam’s Club deal. They’re fine.
Nexen’s on the Spark. Sam’s Club again. Fine.
Nexen’s with whitewalls on the ’66 Biscayne. These were stupid-cheap ebay specials. I pulled the wheels at home and had a local shop mount and balance them. I think the total on that was only around $350 by the time everything was said and done. They ride surprisingly nice.
More Ebay specials for the ’95 Escort – Waterfalls? Something along those lines. Same process as the Biscayne. Only $280 at the finish line for that set. They’re fine.
Yet another Ebay special for my F-250. Two 10-ply tires for the rear. They’re kind of stiff and the truck rides a little odd after I installed them, but they’re far better than the junkyard specials I had on there previously.
Last, but not least… the mustard and mayo Vogue specials for my ’94 Fleetwood. Again, went through Ebay and had them installed at the local tire independent tire shop. I really like these tires – they look just right on the car and manage to complete the feeling of being completely disassociated with the road. Land-yacht perfection.
I have Vredestein Quatracs on both Subarus and I have been pleased with them. Better dry performance than expected and I’ve never had a problem in wet or snow. These are daily drivers that aren’t pushed very hard – I’d probably find the limits of these pretty easily if pushing it.
Dunlop Direza Star Specs on the Miata. They’re very good, very grippy and have a much wider contact patch than their section width would indicate. The give a little bit of warning before losing traction and are relatively easy to get back into shape when you do push them too hard. When I need tires for the Miata, I just check the forums to see what the autox guys are running. I don’t get to drive it that much so treadwear isn’t a concern.
I’m not running any right now, but I am generally a big fan of Yokohama tires. Every Yokohama I have ever used surpassed my expectations.
I have Vredestein Quatracs on both Subarus and I have been pleased with them. Better dry performance than expected and I’ve never had a problem in wet or snow. These are daily drivers that aren’t pushed very hard – I’d probably find the limits of these pretty easily if pushing it.
Dunlop Direza Star Specs on the Miata. They’re very good, very grippy and have a much wider contact patch than their section width would indicate. The give a little bit of warning before losing traction and are relatively easy to get back into shape when you do push them too hard. When I need tires for the Miata, I just check the forums to see what the autox guys are running. I don’t get to drive it that much so treadwear isn’t a concern.
I’m not running any right now, but I am generally a big fan of Yokohama tires. Every Yokohama I have ever used surpassed my expectations.
Currently running Discount Tire brand due to extreme commute. They hold up pretty well.
On any other car, I have my “tire continent” rule-
If they’re from North America, BF Goodrich.
If they’re from Yurp, Pirelli.
If they’re from Asia, Yokohama.
Not the car’s continent of origin, just the tires. Because in my 40+ years of driving experience, these three are the best.
Currently running Discount Tire brand due to extreme commute. They hold up pretty well.
On any other car, I have my “tire continent” rule-
If they’re from North America, BF Goodrich.
If they’re from Yurp, Pirelli.
If they’re from Asia, Yokohama.
Not the car’s continent of origin, just the tires. Because in my 40+ years of driving experience, these three are the best.
I am on my 3rd?? set of Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac They are less expensive and lighter than many hybrid tires, incredibly durable, fantastic in the snow, and very good off-road and in mud. They wear strangely, it feels that some center lugs wear faster than adjacent ones so they get noisy as they age.
I am on my 3rd?? set of Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac They are less expensive and lighter than many hybrid tires, incredibly durable, fantastic in the snow, and very good off-road and in mud. They wear strangely, it feels that some center lugs wear faster than adjacent ones so they get noisy as they age.