Cars We Drive!

Originally Posted by ramuman

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This is the only roundup review I've found of the V12s and it came in second behind the Dunlop Z1s: ...and they beat the PS2s in wet and dry. I'm confused because the V12s cost about half as much as the PS2s.
Well, it could be for a lot of reasons, some of which likely are the base polymer supplier -- in Asia, they might be buying from someone like Kumho (Kumho tires are a sideline to their polymer business), whereas a U.S/European maker will be buying Dow/DuPont etc. polymers at a much higher cost. Likewise with all the additives; plasticisers, fillers, anti-oxidant package, etc. Plus you do pay for the Michelin man. You just do -- but my Pilot Sport A/S Plus's always make that worthwhile to me. ~ H

Originally Posted by mkarim

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Speaking of, I've got an Infiniti G35 Coupe (2003) with a sports suspension. Should I put Michelin PS2 or AS on it (or any other brand)? I'm a very conservative driver (don't drive it like a sports car) and am looking for good gas mileage. I do mainly start-stop city driving. Thanks.

For your driving style, I'd look at something that's either high-efficiency or quiet, and long lasting. PS2s are very high performance, soft tires, and you wouldn't be getting much out of them for their really high prices. Michelin as well as others make fuel-efficient tires. Tire Rack did a test on these tires a while ago to see which one was best, and that would be a good place to start your research.

Be careful with tests though: they only say things about the tires for the conditions of the test, so read and consider the fine print carefully. For example, the Hankook vs. Michelin test was for short term use: they had a really short track. Some tires will heat up faster (perhaps because they have squishier sidewalls or something else), and then fade really quickly as they overheat over extended usage. How a tire meshes with a car's suspension system also has a huge effect on the tire's efficacy.

--Andre

^ Andre = SF Tire Guru

Originally Posted by xpress

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If he's comparing V12's to PS2's he'd probably be happier with the ExtremeContact DW...
A little less all season, a little more fun

I have DW's and I hate them, they have a soft sidwall and it just makes my car feel sloppy. I really wish I would have gotten the DWS just so I would have the snow capability just in case it snowed. Also the DWS are rated to last longer which is a big plus for me.

He said he doesn't drive his car the way it's supposed to be driven so I assume he wouldn't care about performance.

Originally Posted by Huntsman

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^ Andre = SF Tire Guru

Thanks, but only for certain values of guru.

Originally Posted by BrianVarick

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I have DW's and I hate them, they have a soft sidwall and it just makes my car feel sloppy. I really wish I would have gotten the DWS just so I would have the snow capability just in case it snowed. Also the DWS are rated to last longer which is a big plus for me.

I just put the DW tires on my Cayman, and drove them at Laguna Seca shortly after break-in (800 miles), and they were OK, coming from the N-spec PS2s that Porsche specs. I didn't mind the turn-in, but the most different thing was how quiet they were at the edge of traction. You had to listen carefully or you wouldn't hear anything. Of course, my car has the 17-inch wheels with the clownishly tall sidewalls (205/55 front and 235/50 rear), so perhaps a little bit more sidewall flex doesn't really matter for me.

--Andre

Originally Posted by JayJay

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Beckwith, I like black interiors and silver exteriors.

Walked in yesterday and changed my order to the silver and black, signed the papers and take delivery on saturday. I thought they did a really nice job on the black interior with white contrast stitiching, slightly disapointed in the burl wood, wish there was another option like carbon fiber.

A bit off topic but I really feel there will be a car crunch in 6-9 months time. I was told that production has stopped on the GL because the Nav screens are made by Alpine and they have halted prodcution. I had a year left on my LR3 lease and priced out a lot of cars, I think if I waited there was going to be a new car crunch with limited supply and my pricing would have been drastically different. Or maybe I making myself feel better that I really wanted a new car.

Originally Posted by Beckwith

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Walked in yesterday and changed my order to the silver and black, signed the papers and take delivery on saturday. I thought they did a really nice job on the black interior with white contrast stitiching, slightly disapointed in the burl wood, wish there was another option like carbon fiber.

A bit off topic but I really feel there will be a car crunch in 6-9 months time. I was told that production has stopped on the GL because the Nav screens are made by Alpine and they have halted prodcution. I had a year left on my LR3 lease and priced out a lot of cars, I think if I waited there was going to be a new car crunch with limited supply and my pricing would have been drastically different. Or maybe I making myself feel better that I really wanted a new car.

Congrats! Hope you like the vehicle. I can tell you it is the best all round vehicle I have ever had the pleasure to drive. Oh, get the tire insurance. Runflats cannot be plugged, only replaced.

Originally Posted by xpress

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If he's comparing V12's to PS2's he'd probably be happier with the ExtremeContact DW...
A little less all season, a little more fun

What do you mean? I'm not very knowledgeable about these things so please explain

What about Toyo, for example?

Originally Posted by A Y

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For your driving style, I'd look at something that's either high-efficiency or quiet, and long lasting. PS2s are very high performance, soft tires, and you wouldn't be getting much out of them for their really high prices. Michelin as well as others make fuel-efficient tires. Tire Rack did a test on these tires a while ago to see which one was best, and that would be a good place to start your research.

Be careful with tests though: they only say things about the tires for the conditions of the test, so read and consider the fine print carefully. For example, the Hankook vs. Michelin test was for short term use: they had a really short track. Some tires will heat up faster (perhaps because they have squishier sidewalls or something else), and then fade really quickly as they overheat over extended usage. How a tire meshes with a car's suspension system also has a huge effect on the tire's efficacy.

--Andre

So what would you recommend? Of course I don't want ones that are likely to burst or anything

If I do research I will likely make the wrong choice. So give me a couple of alternatives to the Michelin PS/2 and the A/S, though these do come with a 45k miles warranty. Thanks.

Originally Posted by mkarim

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So what would you recommend? Of course I don't want ones that are likely to burst or anything If I do research I will likely make the wrong choice. So give me a couple of alternatives to the Michelin PS/2 and the A/S, though these do come with a 45k miles warranty. Thanks.
The PS2 comes with a 20k mile treadlife warranty and in stacked configurations, the rear drive wheels only have a 10k mile treadlife warranty. Many high performance tires have no treadlife warranty to speak of altogether.

Originally Posted by mkarim

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So what would you recommend? Of course I don't want ones that are likely to burst or anything

If I do research I will likely make the wrong choice. So give me a couple of alternatives to the Michelin PS/2 and the A/S, though these do come with a 45k miles warranty. Thanks.

Don't worry too much about it. Almost any name-brand tire will work for you if you use them appropriately (ie. don't use summer tires when it snows). I'd avoid any tires Tire Rack calls "Max performance", "ultra performance", or anything like that.

What year is your car, and what tire sizes do you use?

--Andre

Originally Posted by A Y

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Don't worry too much about it. Almost any name-brand tire will work for you if you use them appropriately (ie. don't use summer tires when it snows). I'd avoid any tires Tire Rack calls "Max performance", "ultra performance", or anything like that.

What year is your car, and what tire sizes do you use?

--Andre

Thanks. Its a 2003 G35 Coupe that takes 225/45/18 in the front and 245/45/18 in the back. I live in Atlanta so we get all the seasons but not extremes.

Thanks!

Get the Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum.

--Andre

Originally Posted by ramuman

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The PS2 comes with a 20k mile treadlife warranty and in stacked configurations, the rear drive wheels only have a 10k mile treadlife warranty. Many high performance tires have no treadlife warranty to speak of altogether.

The new Pilot Super Sports have 30k mile in same size fitments and 15k miles for the rears in staggered setups. They are also less expensive than the PS2s.

I just ordered a set for myself. They should be in stock in a few weeks and mounted by the end of April. It should be interesting to see how they are.

A Y is giving good advice with regard to not going with an "extreme performance" or "max performance" tire based upon your description of the type of driving you do.

I would consider the Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons based upon what you have said. I have the Eagle F1 Asymmetrics (related max performance tire) on my car for summer right now and I have been happy with them.