# New tires



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I won't put Michelins on any GM or Toyota. I have yet to have a pleasant driving experience with Michelins.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

I love my 16" Michelin Harmony tires on my 99 Nissan Altima GLE but they do have occasional wheel spin from a stop (in rainy weather) which has been dangerous when im trying to cross an intersection and get to the median. However I do want to try the Michelin Primacy MXM4'S when I get the 1lt cruze because I plan on getting the ltz rims.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Starks8 said:


> I love my 16" Michelin Harmony tires on my 99 Nissan Altima GLE but they do have occasional wheel spin from a stop (in rainy weather) which has been dangerous when im trying to cross an intersection and get to the median. However I do want to try the Michelin Primacy MXM4'S when I get the 1lt cruze because I plan on getting the ltz rims.


Apparently Michelin Harmony tires also have poor traction. Unless you're trying to spin the wheels you shouldn't be able to even in rain. Snow & ice - yes; rain - no. My experience with Michelin's, regardless of model, is that they have poor traction compared to other brands.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

obermd said:


> Apparently Michelin Harmony tires also have poor traction. Unless you're trying to spin the wheels you shouldn't be able to even in rain. Snow & ice - yes; rain - no. My experience with Michelin's, regardless of model, is that they have poor traction compared to other brands.


Yeah, its the only thing i don't like about the harmonys but I don't have problems with them not keeping traction in any wet weather when actually on the road driving. I can honestly say I have no fear of them losing traction when driving even under fast speeds and have never felt worried that they would get me to my destination safely.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

Well the ones I bought were "knock offs" from the new Defender Tire line. I only say knock offs because the were named Defender XT not just Defender. The XT allow places like Sams and Costo to sell them. My impression of the tire was it was very hard(90000 mi tread wear out) and it made the car perform as if it pulling an anchor. I was taken by the what I thought was a low price. Sams only charged 600 installed where other places wanted $750. I really didn't need tires to begin with but now I have a new set of FR710s and the car runs smooth again. Live and learn!!!!


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Moral of the Story: Don't buy tires at Walmart/Sams.


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

My experience with Michelin, was with a 2002 Mercedes C230K 6M. I had Pilot Sports. Very pricey and the most I could get out of these was about 13,000 miles. The car did handle nice though. These were summer performance tires, but 13,000 miles - really not very good with respect to tire life.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Other tires often aren't as LRR as the OEM tires. The OEM's specify super-LRR tires to get the best EPA fuel economy numbers possible. 

It's fairly common to see a drop in MPG when going away from the OEM tires.

I was thinking of trying the Michelin Primacy MXM4 when the OEM Goodyears wear out. Those appear to be a very nice tire that's still LRR. The Primacy is a fairly new tire. The other tires I'd consider would be the OEM Goodyears, or the Energy Saver A/S. Now if only they'd make the Energy Savers in Cruze Eco size...


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I'll be looking at the Bridgestone LRR tires when it comes time to replace the tires on my ECO.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I want to try something with a better ride and less jolt over little cracks and ridges. I've read the Goodyear Comfort Assurance tires are specifically designed to handle those kind of things and they have good owner reviews. The Firestones are nice and quiet but kind of harsh over transverse road cracks, especially if both tires hit the ridge/crack at the same instant. The impact transfers into the car's structure and make the interior plastic trim tick and crack around the radio and B pillar trim. It's actually the interior rattles I'm trying to stop - I could live with the ride quality otherwise.


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## cruze2011white (Feb 2, 2011)

Are you guys talking about the factory tires on the LTZ Cruze? If so the Michelin's Pilot on mine are great. I have no problems with them have almost 43000 miles on them and probably can get another 20,000 out of them. In the snow and wet these tires have been great. They are quiet except on the roughest road surface. I also have the PSI at 35 so not sure why you are having issues with them.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

MXV4's have been some of the better tires I've used on cars. They have a nice, quiet ride and last a long time, good wet and snow traction, but they are terrible for handling and way, way overpriced!

I can't wait to get rid of the Bridgestone Turanzas on the Camry (can you say ROAD NOISE!?) and the FR710's on the Cruze for something with better handling. I'll probably go with Yokohamas - never had a set I didn't like.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

When I switched from the Bridgestone Turanzas to the Michelin MXV4s on my Montana AWD I lost a lot of winter grip. The Turanzas never broke traction. The Michelin's were constantly breaking loose in slush and snow. The Michelin's were definitely a softer ride, but I prefer a tire that grips. My wife's Toyota pulls to the right and Toyota has alligned it to reduce this pull, but they say the only way to eliminate the pull would be to put Michelin's on the car. It has Continental DWS Extreme on it, which are very very grippy and other than the pull ride extremely well. Basically Toyota wanted to put less grippy tires on it. I had Yokohomas on my Lancer and they seemed to be good all around performance tires, even in the snow.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

obermd said:


> When I switched from the Bridgestone Turanzas to the Michelin MXV4s on my Montana AWD I lost a lot of winter grip. The Turanzas never broke traction. The Michelin's were constantly breaking loose in slush and snow. The Michelin's were definitely a softer ride, but I prefer a tire that grips. My wife's Toyota pulls to the right and Toyota has alligned it to reduce this pull, but they say the only way to eliminate the pull would be to put Michelin's on the car. It has Continental DWS Extreme on it, which are very very grippy and other than the pull ride extremely well. Basically Toyota wanted to put less grippy tires on it. I had Yokohomas on my Lancer and they seemed to be good all around performance tires, even in the snow.


The '02 Camry was picky about its tires as well - they could never get the balance quite right. The ones on the '12 just suck.

The Continentals are supposed to be one of the best tires on the market, but word is they don't last very long. How's your tread holding up on those?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> The '02 Camry was picky about its tires as well - they could never get the balance quite right. The ones on the '12 just suck.
> 
> The Continentals are supposed to be one of the best tires on the market, but word is they don't last very long. How's your tread holding up on those?


The tires only have a couple of thousand miles on them. I replaced the OEM tires after 4 years and 23,000 miles. It's my wife's car and she only drives 6,000-7,000 miles per year. Traction was far more important than treadwear.


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