04 OEM 17" All Season

[DavidPIL]

Hi, just a quick question... Noticed on the Pontiac site that the 17" wheels now have All-Season tires on them. Can anyone enlighten me as to what tires they're using now? I'm still looking to change mine out to all-season and was wondering what Pontiac was using now.Dave

[millster]

To get you started in the right direction, from what I can see of the sidewalls in a photo I've seen, I'll go with Bridgestone Potenza. However, what series, speed rating, I've no idea. It's a start at least. Might want to contact member Declerq. I believe it was his photo I'm thinking of.

[grumpyx]

Mine was close by:Bridgestone PotenzaRE92A9215/50R17 90H M+S

[millster]

Ahh, very good. Thanks a bunch. I've been wondering about this as well. I don't think the summer tires will work very well in the Montana winter.

[DavidPIL]

wow, if that's the tire, it seems they didn't put a much better tire on there than the ContiTouring Contact tires on some of the 16" wheels, at least going by the reviews and such from Tirerack.com. If they went with bridgestone, why couldn't they have picked a more suitable tire like maybe the RE950. Ugh, that didn't help my decision any. I'm still leaning toward the ContiExtreme Contacts or now maybe the Pirelli PZero Nero M+S. I'll probably upsize to a 235/45/17. I know I'll sacrifice some traction but being that it's an All Season, I'll not lose as much dry/wet traction and cornering stability.

[E-Man]

if you can fit some 235/45R17 's on the vibe please post some pictures -- I would sure like to see what a meaty tire like that looks on the vibe. Make sure they will fit before you buy.Ed

[DavidPIL]

Hi E-Man...I did it, I got the 235/45R17's. Went with the ExtremeContacts. They're very nice... MUCH more quiet and smoother than the Dunlops... Even tough the Dunlops psi was usually set @ 36 and the Conti's were set from the tire place @ 44. I thought that was kinda high but the place said they wouldn't recommend going below 40 with these. hmmm. Even though the sticker on the vehicle says 32 psi? Oh well, they ride great though not quite as responsive at the SP9000's. Oh well, I'm happy so far.Dave

[goodvibe]

They may feel softer on turns because the tire size is designed for a minimum 7.5" rim width. Yours are 7" http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp? ... emeContact The people that sold you the tire know this and shouldn't have. Perhaps this is why they recomended the high pressures. A narrow rim will hurt handling by not supporting the sidewall properly. It will also ride softer for the same reason. Bad mileage, more heat and wear at normal pressures and no warranty. I would get those new rims asap.

[DavidPIL]

Hi goovibe,Yeah, the wheel size was a major issue to me but I just can't afford it now I needed the A/S tires but didn't want to put on new rims right before salty road season. The shop owner actually told me I shouldn't run under 40psi with that tire. He wasn't the one who installed it so I have to trust he knows what he's doing. It is a rather reputable establishment in this area.I have to clarify something about the ride. The lack of responsiveness seems to be more related to the width of the tire than to anything else. The car just seems to want to stay going straight when I make a fast steering wheel turn. The wheels seem fine when taking exit ramps at 10-15 mph over the precautionary speeds so at least for my driving characteristics, I'm cool with them. I've been playin with air pressure settings and have found a slightly lower (than the dealer set 44psi) seems to work well. I'm at 40 now. The 44psi I was feeling every little bump vibrate through the wheel. It wasn't extremely bad but more noticable than the OEMs. The OEMs however felt like I was driving on solid rubber @ 34psi, though they didn't make the wheel vibrate the same, a little road seam felt and sounded like a pot hole. I will get the new rims as soon as the temps go back up. I'll have more money then and won't have to worry as much about mucking them up with the the snow and crap on the roads.Dave

[goodvibe]

Glad to know you're aware of what's going on. The wheel width has a lot to due with turn-in responce. I think your slightly lower pressures should also get you more even wear. Let us know how you like them after a few miles.

[aggie_vibe]

The combo of high pressure and skinny wheel will wear the center of the tires out fast. Your contact patch is also smaller and you are getting less grip, but maybe better gas mileage.

[syclnjr]

hey all on my show truck I have 18's all the way around and I run at least 40 psi in them. They are a 35 series in the front and 40 in the rear. I have had no excessive tire wear on them and they ride fine with 40 in them it gives me the peice of mind with a little extra cushion for the inevitable bumps that I may experience.

[DavidPIL]

Hi syclnjr,I bet you have wider wheels too. The 7' of the OEM 17" wheels isn't such a good thing with 235 or 245 mm tire widths.Goodvibe...After about 7k miles, I'm happy with them. Moreso than I was with the OEM Dunlops. You may have seen a few of my posts elsewhere in the forums so you probably know my feelings on the tires. I hope to buy 17x8 wheels soon. I think then I will play with boosting the pressure a bit. I'm trying to keep em around 35-36 psi now and they're fabulous except I hear more bumps at a lower pressure. It's kinda odd, I feel bumps throughout the car more harshly at lower pressure but at higher pressure I feel em mainly in wheel vibrations. Nothing bad though, still less noisey than the Dunlops by far. Had no problems with the little snow we had this year so far. I ranked em 9 out of 10 @ tirerack though I'd still consider something else once these wear out (hopefully after at least 50k)Dave