My Continental Tires Sucked! Need Better Tires.

[dimsumboy]

it started rainning hard last week and I was driving home from work, i noticed my still decent thread continental with 20k ish miles just WONT GRIP on 20 miles wide turn, it felt like I was driving on a patch of ice, i don't remember my OEM tires had that problems, in fact even during summer if I took a turn on to highway a little faster the tire starts to squeak where my oem tires don't sound that high pitch. so I'm gonna take up the $60 rebate from michelin and trying to shop tires in the next week or 2, Costco has michelin LTX/MS and the Latitude Tour, the latitude Tour seems more agressive "looking" threads but then again I am no expert. So which would guys would choose base on your experience? i also takes about 6-8 trips to snowboard from SF - lake tahoe during the winter.

[GDixon]

it started rainning hard last week and I was driving home from work, i noticed my still decent thread continental with 20k ish miles just WONT GRIP on 20 miles wide turn, it felt like I was driving on a patch of ice, i don't remember my OEM tires had that problems, in fact even during summer if I took a turn on to highway a little faster the tire starts to squeak where my oem tires don't sound that high pitch. so I'm gonna take up the $60 rebate from michelin and trying to shop tires in the next week or 2, Costco has michelin LTX/MS and the Latitude Tour, the latitude Tour seems more agressive "looking" threads but then again I am no expert. So which would guys would choose base on your experience? i also takes about 6-8 trips to snowboard from SF - lake tahoe during the winter.

Tire Rack is a sponsor of this site and has owners' surveys regarding just about every tire made.

Check this link and choose the type of tire you want to mount. Then it will list the brand and rating.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/index.jsp

[lenore]

The michelin LTX/ms are great tires, kind of noisy when they wear, but otherwise ok, The Michelin Cross Terrains are great, long lasting and quiet. However they are not snow rated as I have discovered. I checked with Michelin on that one. Go to Tire rack.com and check the reviews and pay close attention to the Snow rating as you go over the pass to Tahoe and all are not equal. Look at Kumho's, though I have not check their rating. Good luck

I had both of the above tire types on my Lexus so I do speak from experience. The only reason I mentioned the Snow rating is the California Highway Patrol could ticket you if you dont use chains even if you have 4wd.....

[dimsumboy]

The michelin LTX/ms are great tires, kind of noisy when they wear, but otherwise ok, The Michelin Cross Terrains are great, long lasting and quiet. However they are not snow rated as I have discovered. I checked with Michelin on that one. Go to Tire rack.com and check the reviews and pay close attention to the Snow rating as you go over the pass to Tahoe and all are not equal. Look at Kumho's, though I have not check their rating. Good luck

I had both of the above tire types on my Lexus so I do speak from experience. The only reason I mentioned the Snow rating is the California Highway Patrol could ticket you if you dont use chains even if you have 4wd.....

Usally right after placerville and at the foot of the mountain they have a check stop for AWD, rarely require chain. but yes, I show pay attention to that which why i mention I take some trips to tahoe, i know I cant get it all in 1 set of tires but I want the best for my application. any views on the michelin latitude?

[lenore]

I will mention that currantly I am have the cross terrains(michelin) and drove in snow very well, even though they are not Snow rated....

[Grumpa72]

I got 44000 miles out of OEM Michelins. However, I just put a set of Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas on the car. Great warranty (60000? if I remember correctly) and a bit quieter than the Michelins.

THere has been a lot of discussions in the archives on this subject. Do a search and see what pops up.

Gary

[mccldwll]

I got 44000 miles out of OEM Michelins. However, I just put a set of Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas on the car. Great warranty (60000? if I remember correctly) and a bit quieter than the Michelins.

THere has been a lot of discussions in the archives on this subject. Do a search and see what pops up.

Gary

I need tires soon. The Dueler Alenzas have sounded the best thus far (for an '05 330), but has anyone had a different experience? Overall, on other cars, my results with Bridgestone has not been as good as with Michelin.

[LEXIRX330]

I need tires soon. The Dueler Alenzas have sounded the best thus far (for an '05 330), but has anyone had a different experience? Overall, on other cars, my results with Bridgestone has not been as good as with Michelin.

I have the Alenzas. A+ Great tire!

[lexdog]

We have some pretty harsh winters here in Utah between Skiing in Park City or Ice fishing in high Uintah Mountains the Goodyear forenza triple tred's are some pretty good tires. I used them for about 50k miles with no worries. I recently switch over to the Firestone Winterforce tires not a big fan of any of the stone brands but got a really great deal on them 50 bucks a tires including mounting and balancing. So far so good got caught in a storm over parleys canyon no trouble no slipping around the turns and no fish tailing lane when changing in the deep snow.

[artbuc]

We have some pretty harsh winters here in Utah between Skiing in Park City or Ice fishing in high Uintah Mountains the Goodyear forenza triple tred's are some pretty good tires. I used them for about 50k miles with no worries. I recently switch over to the Firestone Winterforce tires not a big fan of any of the stone brands but got a really great deal on them 50 bucks a tires including mounting and balancing. So far so good got caught in a storm over parleys canyon no trouble no slipping around the turns and no fish tailing lane when changing in the deep snow.

Just put on Alenza's a few weeks ago. Like them very much. Before I had the Dueler H/L's which I believe were pretty close to the Alenza'a. Actually, I think the Alenza's replaced the H/L's. Got 50k on the H/L's...very nice tires.

[aampsmb]

Michelin LTX M/S tires. Great tread wear and superb snow traction.

[jimP]

I just bought toyo versado lx after 42000 miles on oem michelins. they seem just as quite, ride as smooth, and handle snow just as well. granted I'm comparing new to my memory of what the oem's were like, but so far they are just as good as the energy mxv4 s8's and a heck of a lot cheeper ($125.00/tire + install in a chicago suburb) If you realy want the alenza's check out "firestonecarecare.com" same stores as retail but much cheeper??? if you buy over the internet.

[artbuc]

I just bought toyo versado lx after 42000 miles on oem michelins. they seem just as quite, ride as smooth, and handle snow just as well. granted I'm comparing new to my memory of what the oem's were like, but so far they are just as good as the energy mxv4 s8's and a heck of a lot cheeper ($125.00/tire + install in a chicago suburb) If you realy want the alenza's check out "firestonecarecare.com" same stores as retail but much cheeper??? if you buy over the internet.

Actually, my Alenza's were much cheaper at the Firestone dealer. Call around. Bridgestone dictates what the tires will cost, but individual dealers can offer free mounting, balancing, stems and disposal. I called 4 Firestone dealers and found one who had the free installation package. Then I got a Firestone credit card which gave me another 10% off plus interest free for 90 days. Getting the card dings your credit score a little but not enought to worry about.

Usually I buy from Tirerack and have a local garage install. Buying from the Firestone store saved me around $100.

[cduluk]

Go with the bridgestone dueler alenza's, trust me. It's what i've been riding on for a year and a half or so. Excellent in the snow, rain, quiet on the highway...

Never once had a problem with hydroplaning either, and i've pushed it's limits...

[dimsumboy]

Go with the bridgestone dueler alenza's, trust me. It's what i've been riding on for a year and a half or so. Excellent in the snow, rain, quiet on the highway...

Never once had a problem with hydroplaning either, and i've pushed it's limits...

yeah did some reading around this forum and found many liked the Alenza, I just came back tonight from reno/squaw valley trip, went from rain to snow to ice. Although my tires handles better than I thought but I felt my tires are at the verge of slipping, and I'm only following other SUVs so definitely getting new tires after new years before my next trip to squaw valley. LTX MS and Alenza seems to go equal in performance, but the Alenza's 65k warranty & quiter road noise seems to worth the extra $$ over LTX. What about the Michelin Latitude tour, anyone have any experience with them?

[blk_on_blk]

I just put some Falken's on my RX300 (but with RX330 18" wheels) and I'm quite impressed. Great traction in rain and snow, super quiet and smooth on the road (in comparison to the Michelins I replaced), and a good price... $620 for all four. I wasn't looking at Falken's, but then stumbled across a review and pricing, and both were excellent.

[Andi2005]

it started rainning hard last week and I was driving home from work, i noticed my still decent thread continental with 20k ish miles just WONT GRIP on 20 miles wide turn, it felt like I was driving on a patch of ice, i don't remember my OEM tires had that problems, in fact even during summer if I took a turn on to highway a little faster the tire starts to squeak where my oem tires don't sound that high pitch. so I'm gonna take up the $60 rebate from michelin and trying to shop tires in the next week or 2, Costco has michelin LTX/MS and the Latitude Tour, the latitude Tour seems more agressive "looking" threads but then again I am no expert. So which would guys would choose base on your experience? i also takes about 6-8 trips to snowboard from SF - lake tahoe during the winter.

Tire Rack is a sponsor of this site and has owners' surveys regarding just about every tire made.

Check this link and choose the type of tire you want to mount. Then it will list the brand and rating.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/index.jsp

I am hoping to revive this thread on tires b/c I have been told by Lexus that probably due to alignment issues, I need 4 new tires. I have a RX330 '05 with 25K miles, and I drive very little on the highway but a lot in the city, mostly city stop & go. Any suggestions for new tires based on the driving that I do?

Also, are people changing their tires with the seasons anymore? I've read about the Alenzas that sound great but how are they for summer driving (as short as it is in Boston!)

Thanks!

[RX in NC]

If you have 18-inch wheels, the Alenzas are the best bang-for-the-buck on the market. They are great in all four seasons, including summer. Just keep your tire pressure where it needs to be and keep them rotated regularly.

If you have 16-inch or 17-inch wheels, then the Firestone Destination LE is the best bang-for-the-buck. It is Firestone's version of the Bridgestone Alenza, is almost as great a tire, lasts just as long, and is about half the price of the Alenza (last time I checked, anyway). We've had both tires, and I can speak to the quality of both tires as a result....