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Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 4:35 am
by zbyers
zbyers wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2019 6:01 am
jolt wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:03 pm
Put on a pair of the General AltiMAX RT43 last year and they seem to be working good. Good snow traction for a all season tire.
We've had our set for ~4.5 years for non-winter tires. They've actually all worn very evenly, with minimal rotations. They still ride fantastic. I have a hard time tracking the mileage, as I've ran them on 3 different cars. I speculate I've probably done 60-70k miles on them. Two of them are at the wear bars, the other two still have another year to go. well worth the expense.
While we are on this topic again, just want to update that I made it through yet another summer with these Altimax RT43s. I will get this coming summer out of them, and then that's the end of life. Picked them up in 2015 I believe, and they have been phenomenal. I have zero complaints. I will actually be buying the same tire to put on our '04 CRV for summer tires.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:33 am
by Caretaker
Just made two 3000 mile trips in the past couple of months across the country in my HET riding on the General Altimax RT43Hs. The ride continues to be quiet and best of all, they have never been nail magnets. They've slipped down the Tire Rack chart which is normal for a tire that has many tens of millions of miles of feedback on that site. But given all that feedback, they continue to be a top 10 tire which is quite high praise statistically for that website.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:49 pm
by Sargeyork
Youi guys got me so confused about what to get. i have Michelins that came on my '2005 Vibe almost 3 years ago and I wish they were worn out so I could get something different as their traction is AWFUL and they brake loose so easy on wet or dry surfaces I have to be very timid with the gas pedal on startup so I don't squalk or screech as I have had the police follow me after one such incident lucky I didn't get a ticket. Unfortunately these tires seem to be lasting a long time but I am getting to the point of wanting to ditch them with good tread still on them. I know what you thinking it is not a GT or a stick shift just a base 1.8L 1ZZFE. These tires just suck. I m also over 50 and not a aggressive or particularly fast driver.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:58 pm
by schwartzy18510
Sargeyork wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:49 pm
Youi guys got me so confused about what to get. i have Michelins that came on my '2005 Vibe almost 3 years ago and I wish they were worn out so I could get something different as their traction is AWFUL and they brake loose so easy on wet or dry surfaces I have to be very timid with the gas pedal on startup so I don't squalk or screech as I have had the police follow me after one such incident lucky I didn't get a ticket. Unfortunately these tires seem to be lasting a long time but I am getting to the point of wanting to ditch them with good tread still on them. I know what you thinking it is not a GT or a stick shift just a base 1.8L 1ZZFE. These tires just suck. I m also over 50 and not a aggressive or particularly fast driver.
I was happy enough with my Contintental PureContacts to buy a set of (very similar) Continental TrueContacts when they wore out. I strongly considered General Altimax RT43's both with my original purchase decision and again the second time around, and believe they probably represent the best overall blend of performance and value.
I don't think you could go wrong with either tire — both are a tremendous upgrade over generic, Wal-Mart brand tires.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:02 pm
by CraftsmanQuad19
Sargeyork wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:49 pm
Youi guys got me so confused about what to get. i have Michelins that came on my vibe almost 3 years ago and I wish they were worn out so I could get something different as their traction is AWFUL and they brake loose so easy on wet or dry surfaces I have to be very timid with the gas pedal on startup so I don't squalk or screech as I have had the police follow me after one such incident lucky AI didnt get a ticket. Unfortunately these tires seem to be lasting a long time but I am getting to the point of wanting to ditch them with good tread still on them. I know what you thinking it is not a GT or a stick shift just a base 1.8L 1ZZFE. These tires just suck. I m also over 50 and not a aggressive or particularly fast driver.
I’m in the same boat as you with my 03 GT and 94 ranger. I have definitey hpe100s (might be hpe800) on the vibe. Terrible tire, but still have tons of tread left. Absolutely useless in the snow and not very good in the rain either. The goodyear wrangler radial I have on the ranger I hated since day one. Thin sidewall, don’t grip off road without a lot of wheel speed (I’m talking 2nd gear limiter wheel speed), and they’re Goodyear’s. And like any other goodyear, they dryrot and weather-check within the first year. They ride terribly too. I’ve seen them on line for 35 bucks a tire. Utter garbage. I’ve always hated them, but I was in high school and it was the only AT I could afford at the time. I’m about halfway through the tread now, and I’m a bit burnout happy, so I give em till the end of summer and they’ll be gone.
I’m looking at the 205/60r16 falken ziex ze950’s for the vibe and 31x10.50-15 mastercrafts courser MXT’s for the ranger.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:35 pm
by Sargeyork
Craftsman I just helped my best friend move to Indianappolis(Plainfield) last weekend in fact and flew Delta home to Detroit area I think the Michelins I have on the vibe are Defenders I will double check tomorrow Michelin is supposed to be a premium tire maybe these were meant for a heavier vehicle thus not enough weight for traction maybe? Schwartzy the BJ's has Continental Procontacts here but I wanted to go to 205 60 16 or 205 65 16 size cause you know how bad the roads are here I have done this with at least 3 vehicles I have owned in my life because of the bad condition of the roads here in MI.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 3:42 am
by Caretaker
When you spend time doing the research over at tirerack.com you'll quickly learn that 80% of the tires poorly cover every driving scenario. Michelin make excellent tires but their price point hasn't justified the common man's purchase. I can't speak to the current models of Michelin because I won't buy Michelin ever again. However, having owned many of their last generation models, I can say that sidewall dry rot were a problem and low tread traction was unimpressive. The General Altimax R/T 43s have been a standout as has Pirelli's P7 Cinturato Plus. Some of us drive in frequent standing water so deep that dolphins jump out in front of our car. Others have deeper snow issues that don't quite mandate a dedicated snow tire. And others encounter a pothole per second that rules out softer rubber compounds frequently found on the South Korean manufactured tires. Everyone drives in unique conditions so you have to do your research.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:34 am
by Phoneman
I am on my third set of the now discontinued Michelin Pilot Sport 3+ A/S tires on my 2005 Vibe. My 2003 GT just got a set of the new Pilot Sport 4 A/S tires to replace the terrible Kuhmos that came on the car.
I have almost a 100k miles worth of experience with the Pilot Sport all seasons and I like them so much that I will keep paying the premium price to have them even though I only get about 30k miles out of a set.
They have been worth it. They have excellent wet and dry traction and handling, and they resist hydroplaning even up until the tread is nearly gone.
Unfortunately, I have no snow or ice experience with them but the new PS 4s have been rated favorably in cold weather testing.
Both the 3s and 4s have been very quiet and smooth riding, and they handle very predictably.
I realize that a $700 mounted set of tires isn't the most economical choice for an old used car, but I drive ~30k miles a year and the extra peace of mind knowing that my tires won't surprise me is worth an extra $200-300 a year.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:59 am
by zbyers
Phoneman wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:34 am
I am on my third set of the now discontinued Michelin Pilot Sport 3+ A/S tires on my 2005 Vibe. My 2003 GT just got a set of the new Pilot Sport 4 A/S tires to replace the terrible Kuhmos that came on the car.
I have almost a 100k miles worth of experience with the Pilot Sport all seasons and I like them so much that I will keep paying the premium price to have them even though I only get about 30k miles out of a set.
They have been worth it. They have excellent wet and dry traction and handling, and they resist hydroplaning even up until the tread is nearly gone.
Unfortunately, I have no snow or ice experience with them but the new PS 4s have been rated favorably in cold weather testing.
Both the 3s and 4s have been very quiet and smooth riding, and they handle very predictably.
I realize that a $700 mounted set of tires isn't the most economical choice for an old used car, but I drive ~30k miles a year and the extra peace of mind knowing that my tires won't surprise me is worth an extra $200-300 a year.
Sounds like the Altimax would be a good tire for you. I'm down to the wear bars on mine and they've been phonemenal. They are on their 6th season and I have never had an issue even with minimal rotation. They're rated for 65k miles I think. I have at least that on them (hard to track since I run dedicated winters).
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:44 am
by Caretaker
I too did not ever get the "warranted" mileage from my Michelins despite Costco rotating them ever 5,000 miles. For the price they are charging, I think I'd rather buy Cooper's Ironman/Hercules tires from Walmart and have brand new tread on my car every 30,000 miles.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:57 pm
by Sargeyork
I had my tires balanced at BJ's tire guy said tires are over 6 years old and showed me where the dry rot was starting next to the rims but also said I probably could easily ride 2 more years on them and suggested putting some kind of tire dressing on them. The traction issue he said is because the compound in the tires has aged and changed to be less grip than when new and since I only am averaging 7,000 miles a year it does not make sense to pay for 80,000 mile tires if they are going to dry rot before I wear them out.
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2021 11:45 am
by tpollauf
Sargeyork wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:57 pm
it does not make sense to pay for 80,000 mile tires if they are going to dry rot before I wear them out.
True statement there ! Which is why I needed to get new rubber on my 12 year old 2009 Vibe Gt, which still had the original tires. I was not fussy as to what I put back on the car especially since they were FREE (performed HVAC services for a tire company and instead of them paying me $$$ I took it out in trade
) Anyways the Vibe Gt only has 35k miles BUT dryrot and areas of minor bulging on the sidewalls made me replace them right now. Hopefully these Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 215/45R18 tires will last me another 10+ years
Re: Best All-Season Tire?
Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2021 11:33 am
by CraftsmanQuad19
Kind of a dead topic but a good read. Thought I’d post some input here for anyone else looking for tires…
Our new favorite tire at our shop are Uniroyal Tiger Paw A/S Touring. Seem to be very good for the price. Manager has a set on his highlander and probably has 60-70k on them and they still look great. Tread design looks great for an all season tire, lots of siping that goes all the way to the base of the tread block, not just halfway down like I’ve seen on others.
Kumho are also good for the money.