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.”)
Winterforce on the Subaru. Sadly, we haven’t had snow the last couple years, but they’re quite entertaining in the rain. I need to replace the old performance tires on the Roadster as it’s pre-traction control, but they’re so much fun on cool pavement, and they are forcing me to relearn how to drive properly after years of flinging low-powered fwd shitboxes at curves. Once the clutch is properly broken it, I’ll finish them off with some proper circle work 😉
How long have Vredestein tires been a thing? I got some all seasons with snow rating for my wifes Outback a couple years ago, but had never heard of the brand before.
Many decades. They’re a very old tire brand, but did not have a lot of exposure in the US market until recently.
Since 1909, so 115 years. Up here in Canada, they’ve been available at least since the 1970s.
I sold tires in the aughts and they were not yet a thing in the US.
I only remember seeing them at Tire Rack in the late teens.
I had a set of Vredestein Quatracs years ago. They were great, but they didn’t last very long – I would definitely buy them again if I could ever find a shop that sells them.
Vredestein is currently owned by Apollo Tyres out of India; purchased in 2009.
How long have Vredestein tires been a thing? I got some all seasons with snow rating for my wifes Outback a couple years ago, but had never heard of the brand before.
Many decades. They’re a very old tire brand, but did not have a lot of exposure in the US market until recently.
Since 1909, so 115 years. Up here in Canada, they’ve been available at least since the 1970s.
I sold tires in the aughts and they were not yet a thing in the US.
I only remember seeing them at Tire Rack in the late teens.
I had a set of Vredestein Quatracs years ago. They were great, but they didn’t last very long – I would definitely buy them again if I could ever find a shop that sells them.
Vredestein is currently owned by Apollo Tyres out of India; purchased in 2009.
On the motorcycle: Michelins.
Starting with the Pilot Sports, and onto the Pilot Power, 2CT, and so-on to whatever the latest-and-greatest Pilot Powers are out there.
Having used other brands, the consistency of the feel and traction have me returning to something I can trust. I’ve spun up the latest that Pirelli, Dunlop, and Metzeler have to compare, but just don’t like the feel next to Michelin.
For the car? Currently Pirelli PZero All-Season. They’re decent, but thinking the one of Continental DWS’ next. I’ve not been enamored with Michelin’s car offerings. I’d go back to Vredestein as I had good experience in the past but sourcing them locally is a PITA
On the motorcycle: Michelins.
Starting with the Pilot Sports, and onto the Pilot Power, 2CT, and so-on to whatever the latest-and-greatest Pilot Powers are out there.
Having used other brands, the consistency of the feel and traction have me returning to something I can trust. I’ve spun up the latest that Pirelli, Dunlop, and Metzeler have to compare, but just don’t like the feel next to Michelin.
For the car? Currently Pirelli PZero All-Season. They’re decent, but thinking the one of Continental DWS’ next. I’ve not been enamored with Michelin’s car offerings. I’d go back to Vredestein as I had good experience in the past but sourcing them locally is a PITA
Continental DWS on the all weather Audi, Yokohama A539’s on the 13″ wheels on the Mini.
Continental DWS on the all weather Audi, Yokohama A539’s on the 13″ wheels on the Mini.
I just got a set of the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02’s for the RX-8 and have been happy with them so far on the road, but that’s in comparison to some pretty worn General G-Max RS’s. The real test will be for the upcoming HPDEs over the summer.
Speaking of those Generals, they feel nice and sporty on the street, with plenty of on-ramp or winding road grip, but for HPDE work they get hot and greasy pretty quickly, and start wearing and chunking the shoulder at that point.
On the other cars that don’t see track work (Mazda RX-7 convertible, Mazda5 van, 06 Subaru Outback), I’ve been happy with General G-Max AS05 or Continental ExtremeContact DWS06’s for the summer, and some combo of Michelin X-ice, Blizzaks, General Altimax etc. The X-Ices were nice and responsive while the other two felt a bit squishier.
I just got a set of the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02’s for the RX-8 and have been happy with them so far on the road, but that’s in comparison to some pretty worn General G-Max RS’s. The real test will be for the upcoming HPDEs over the summer.
Speaking of those Generals, they feel nice and sporty on the street, with plenty of on-ramp or winding road grip, but for HPDE work they get hot and greasy pretty quickly, and start wearing and chunking the shoulder at that point.
On the other cars that don’t see track work (Mazda RX-7 convertible, Mazda5 van, 06 Subaru Outback), I’ve been happy with General G-Max AS05 or Continental ExtremeContact DWS06’s for the summer, and some combo of Michelin X-ice, Blizzaks, General Altimax etc. The X-Ices were nice and responsive while the other two felt a bit squishier.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s on my Focus RS. They’re only a few months old at this point, but have been quiet and predictable so far.
My Jeep Wrangler had Falken Wildpeak A/T3W’s. Best tires I ever bought for it. They were much quieter than MT/R’s and even the BFG A/T, while safely navigating us through a 12 hour drive in a blizzard with no traction issues.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s on my Focus RS. They’re only a few months old at this point, but have been quiet and predictable so far.
My Jeep Wrangler had Falken Wildpeak A/T3W’s. Best tires I ever bought for it. They were much quieter than MT/R’s and even the BFG A/T, while safely navigating us through a 12 hour drive in a blizzard with no traction issues.
Attention all Fiat Abarth owners: don’t install the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS on your car. These tires were absolutely brilliant on my Subaru Legacy wagon, they shrug off rain and wet pavement and are quiet and have great traction on dry roads too.
But.
On the Abarth your car goes from instantly nimble and telegraphic in its handling to distressingly nonlinear. My car now follows grooves like a bloodhound and the odd lag between steering input and what happens will cause you to overcorrect. I wobble around in my lane like a drunk at times. The Tire Rack guy tried to talk me out of them and I didn’t listen despite how insistent he was.
Install Michelin Pilot Sports or a similar summer tire on your Abarth.
205’s aren’t typically know to tramline. That is wild.
Firestone Weather Grips will do this as well. The reason I’ve heard for it is that a tire without a defined center rib will tend to wander on grooved roads. That seems to ring true from what I’ve seen. If you look at the Bridgestone WeatherPeak it has a more defined center rib and doesn’t have the grooved road issues that the Weather Grip does.
Attention all Fiat Abarth owners: don’t install the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS on your car. These tires were absolutely brilliant on my Subaru Legacy wagon, they shrug off rain and wet pavement and are quiet and have great traction on dry roads too.
But.
On the Abarth your car goes from instantly nimble and telegraphic in its handling to distressingly nonlinear. My car now follows grooves like a bloodhound and the odd lag between steering input and what happens will cause you to overcorrect. I wobble around in my lane like a drunk at times. The Tire Rack guy tried to talk me out of them and I didn’t listen despite how insistent he was.
Install Michelin Pilot Sports or a similar summer tire on your Abarth.
205’s aren’t typically know to tramline. That is wild.
Firestone Weather Grips will do this as well. The reason I’ve heard for it is that a tire without a defined center rib will tend to wander on grooved roads. That seems to ring true from what I’ve seen. If you look at the Bridgestone WeatherPeak it has a more defined center rib and doesn’t have the grooved road issues that the Weather Grip does.
I hated the LRR tires that came on my Volt when I got it from Carvana. I think they were stock but I can’t say for sure. First winter I got some Hankook i*Pike on those rims, and the following warm season I got a set of Enkei rims mounted with Kumho Ecsta tires. They work well for me, let me drive with a lot more confidence than I had before, and have had no issues with either set.
I hated the LRR tires that came on my Volt when I got it from Carvana. I think they were stock but I can’t say for sure. First winter I got some Hankook i*Pike on those rims, and the following warm season I got a set of Enkei rims mounted with Kumho Ecsta tires. They work well for me, let me drive with a lot more confidence than I had before, and have had no issues with either set.
2023 Ford Maverick AWD:
Summers: Pirelli Scorpion ATR. They came with it. Don’t love them, don’t hate them. I think they’re a little hard
Winters: Bridgestone Blizzak WS90, my preferred winter tire. Love them.
2023 Ford Maverick AWD:
Summers: Pirelli Scorpion ATR. They came with it. Don’t love them, don’t hate them. I think they’re a little hard
Winters: Bridgestone Blizzak WS90, my preferred winter tire. Love them.
Michelin Pilot Super Sports and I love them.
Michelin Pilot Super Sports and I love them.
Most of my cars (Austin Allegro, Austin Maestro, SAAB 96, Triumph Acclaim, and Volvo 66 GL) have Pirelli Cinturato CA67 tires, which is Pirelli’s continuation of its vintage radial from more or less that era. It seems to work well with their respective suspensions and overall is a good tire, certainly with respect to the performance capabilities of the vehicles. It’s also nice that it’s available in sizes generally considered to be otherwise obsolete, such as 145R13.
My ’70 International pickup has a set of STA Super Traxion bias-ply tires from Specialty Tires of America. It’s a good match to the original specification and, as above, seems to be a good tire for this purpose.
My KV Mini 1 uses a set of reproduction vintage Cushman scooter tires from Coker, mostly because it’s the only option I’ve found for a DOT-rated tire in 4.00×8 that has reasonably squared-off shoulders on the tread, which is necessary for an adequate contact patch for the car’s friction drive rollers. It works more than well enough for the KV’s modest needs and at the very least isn’t constructed along the lines of the other options of a trailer tire or a wheelbarrow tire.
The hordes of KV Mini people out there are thrilled to know they now have a good tire option.
Sarcasm aside, I saw a KV Mini for the 1st time when I saw yours at the inaugural Concours d’Lemons in 2009: thanks for bringing it!
had to look up what a KV Mini was. The best that Wikipedia could come up with was 3 shades of primer gray w/ rust streaks and misaligned panels.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/KVS_(France)
It’s not readily apparent from the photo but that color is actually what the company offered as green. Gray was available as well but it, in turn, looks white:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53628512640_6a7d0db9f2_b.jpg
You’re quite welcome. As I recall you spoke favorably of its CVT transmission in a comment at the time:
https://jalopnik.com/kv-mini-towed-1-000-miles-behind-mgb-takes-worst-of-s-5343353
Wow you are organized. I poked around on my Synology and turned a few Concours d’Lemons photos up:
https://imgur.com/gallery/cars-youve-not-heard-of-pal-mikes-absurd-1980-kv-mini-XBLb0aC
Well, it’s not like I had to keep track of all that many favorable comments…
Most of my cars (Austin Allegro, Austin Maestro, SAAB 96, Triumph Acclaim, and Volvo 66 GL) have Pirelli Cinturato CA67 tires, which is Pirelli’s continuation of its vintage radial from more or less that era. It seems to work well with their respective suspensions and overall is a good tire, certainly with respect to the performance capabilities of the vehicles. It’s also nice that it’s available in sizes generally considered to be otherwise obsolete, such as 145R13.
My ’70 International pickup has a set of STA Super Traxion bias-ply tires from Specialty Tires of America. It’s a good match to the original specification and, as above, seems to be a good tire for this purpose.
My KV Mini 1 uses a set of reproduction vintage Cushman scooter tires from Coker, mostly because it’s the only option I’ve found for a DOT-rated tire in 4.00×8 that has reasonably squared-off shoulders on the tread, which is necessary for an adequate contact patch for the car’s friction drive rollers. It works more than well enough for the KV’s modest needs and at the very least isn’t constructed along the lines of the other options of a trailer tire or a wheelbarrow tire.
The hordes of KV Mini people out there are thrilled to know they now have a good tire option.
Sarcasm aside, I saw a KV Mini for the 1st time when I saw yours at the inaugural Concours d’Lemons in 2009: thanks for bringing it!
had to look up what a KV Mini was. The best that Wikipedia could come up with was 3 shades of primer gray w/ rust streaks and misaligned panels.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/KVS_(France)
It’s not readily apparent from the photo but that color is actually what the company offered as green. Gray was available as well but it, in turn, looks white:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53628512640_6a7d0db9f2_b.jpg
You’re quite welcome. As I recall you spoke favorably of its CVT transmission in a comment at the time:
https://jalopnik.com/kv-mini-towed-1-000-miles-behind-mgb-takes-worst-of-s-5343353
Wow you are organized. I poked around on my Synology and turned a few Concours d’Lemons photos up:
https://imgur.com/gallery/cars-youve-not-heard-of-pal-mikes-absurd-1980-kv-mini-XBLb0aC
Well, it’s not like I had to keep track of all that many favorable comments…
I replaced the garbage OE Continental ProContact tire on my B9 Allroad with the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 and the difference was night and day in terms of grip, handling, steering and overall dynamics – at the expense of a bit of fuel economy. My new-to-me old Cayenne has Pirelli Scorpion Verde all season tires on it, which I think is one of the OE fitments but I’m not sure how they will fare during the winter so I may end up with a dedicated winter tire. I get cold temps during the winter and 5-10 big snow events, and I think I could get away with an all weather tire but I don’t want to compromise warm weather performance too much. I watch the Tyre Reviews channel on YouTube and get all my data from Tire Rack, so I feel pretty educated on the subject, but am limited on space and funds to have multiple dedicated sets of tires.
I replaced the OEM Michelins with PSAS4s and have been really happy with them. I have dedicated winter tires but for a spring/summer/fall daily and sometimes autocross tire they’ve been excellent.
Was this on a Cayenne, Audi or something else? I was able to get through winter with the PSAS4s on the Audi when they were new, but as they wore down the grip was bad in the cold. I was about to replace them right before I sold the Audi instead…
CTS wagon RWD
I have a used set of Cross Climates as my winter tires.
I don’t use the PS in the winter but it’s good to have the confidence during the occasional May or October Canadian blizzard
See my comment on Continental tires: the ProContact are great on a Subaru wagon and absolutely terrible on a performance car.
Those Contis came on my Volvo, they were terrible. I replaced them with General RT43’s and was much happier.
I replaced the garbage OE Continental ProContact tire on my B9 Allroad with the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 and the difference was night and day in terms of grip, handling, steering and overall dynamics – at the expense of a bit of fuel economy. My new-to-me old Cayenne has Pirelli Scorpion Verde all season tires on it, which I think is one of the OE fitments but I’m not sure how they will fare during the winter so I may end up with a dedicated winter tire. I get cold temps during the winter and 5-10 big snow events, and I think I could get away with an all weather tire but I don’t want to compromise warm weather performance too much. I watch the Tyre Reviews channel on YouTube and get all my data from Tire Rack, so I feel pretty educated on the subject, but am limited on space and funds to have multiple dedicated sets of tires.
I replaced the OEM Michelins with PSAS4s and have been really happy with them. I have dedicated winter tires but for a spring/summer/fall daily and sometimes autocross tire they’ve been excellent.
Was this on a Cayenne, Audi or something else? I was able to get through winter with the PSAS4s on the Audi when they were new, but as they wore down the grip was bad in the cold. I was about to replace them right before I sold the Audi instead…
CTS wagon RWD
I have a used set of Cross Climates as my winter tires.
I don’t use the PS in the winter but it’s good to have the confidence during the occasional May or October Canadian blizzard
See my comment on Continental tires: the ProContact are great on a Subaru wagon and absolutely terrible on a performance car.
Those Contis came on my Volvo, they were terrible. I replaced them with General RT43’s and was much happier.
KO2’s on the Raptor
Nitto 555’s on a CTS-V
Michelin whatevers on my wife’s MDX
KO2’s on the Raptor
Nitto 555’s on a CTS-V
Michelin whatevers on my wife’s MDX